ThomasLloyd Announces Appointment of Matthias Altieri as Head of Solar Energy

LONDON, January 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

ThomasLloyd Group PLC strengthens its Merchant Banking business by appointing Matthias Altieri as Managing Director, Head of Solar Energy. Prior to joining ThomasLloyd he spent five years as Vice President with Q-Cells, one of the world leading photovoltaic companies where he was responsible for Business Development. In that role he drove Q-Cells' worldwide expansion of its solar energy businesses. He has been with ThomasLloyd in London since early December.

In his new capacity, Mr Altieri will be responsible for sourcing new business both in the provision of technology and in the sourcing of new development opportunities. He will head the solar advisory team, seeking to build on the track record already established by ThomasLloyd based on among others the successful financial close of the 70 megawatt (MW) solar installation in Sault Ste. Marie which is one of the biggest ground mounting systems in North America.

Tony Coveney, Executive Director and Head of Merchant Banking, says: "Matthias is a hugely popular and well-connected character in the solar sector, with deep sector experience and a wealth of great contacts.  We are very excited that he has chosen to work with us."

While he worked with Q-Cells over the past five years, Matthias Altieri was jointly responsible for the expansion of the company's solar business in Europe, North- and Latin America as well as Asia. Part of his function was to launch new photovoltaic technologies such as thin-film modules (CIS, CIGS, CdTe). In his role as Vice President Origination, he expanded Q-Cells' system business. This included the evaluation, set-up, management and sale amounting to a scale of more than 350 megawatt (MW) on three continents. He also managed more than 70 project companies and was the CEO of Q-Cells Italia.

T.U. Michael Sieg, Chairman & CEO ThomasLloyd Group, says: "Matthias can draw on a large and valuable international network in politics and economy. He is an active member of several professional associations like the German Solar Industry Association, as well as being a board member of the Italian equivalent Assosolare and the European umbrella association EPIA."

ThomasLloyd has established a traditional merchant banking model, providing funding to support late stage development of renewable, sustainable energy capacity through its Cleantech Infrastructure Fund.  By engaging top talent both internally and in an advisory capacity, ThomasLloyd is able to select superior investments at earlier stages than typical investors. The perceived risk associated with these early stage investments is mitigated by effectively leveraging strong technical, regulatory and operational skills.

Notes to editors:

ThomasLloyd, founded in 2003, is a global merchant bank focused exclusively on the renewable energy and cleantech sector and together with its subsidiaries, has over US $2.4 billion in assets under management. The Company is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland and has additional offices in Europe, Asia and North America.  For more information on ThomasLloyd, please visit http://www.thomas-lloyd.com .

Contact:
T.U. Michael Sieg, Chairman & CEO, Zurich, Switzerland, +41(44)213-6767
Tony Coveney, Head of Merchant Banking, London, England, +44(203)-283-4182
Matthias F. Altieri, Head of Solar Energy, London, England, +39(340)-5906867
Philipp Rusch, Director, New York, New York, USA +1(347)206-4145
Catherine Connolly, Director, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, +1(403)471-7123