Jasandra Nyker
NationalitySouth African
Alma mater
OccupationCEO
Known forRenewable power development
Board member ofEmira Property Fund
Investec

Jasandra Nyker is a South African entrepreneur and former CEO of BioTherm Energy, a South African developer of renewable energy sources and power plant operator.[1] She was a managing director of the International Power Fund at Denham Capital,[2] and a board member in the Emira Property Fund.[3] In 2021, she was appointed CEO of Nala Renewables, a company set up by Trafigura and IFM Investors.[4]

Education

Nyker has a bachelor's degree in business science from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from the London Business School, where she was a Merrill Lynch scholar.[5]

Career

After working from Brait SE, and being senior vice president at PCG Asset Management LLC,[3][6] Jasandra Nyker became CEO of Biotherm Energy in 2011. She participated in renewable energy forums such as the World Economic Forum on Africa, held in Kigali, Rwanda in 2016,[7] and the 2017 Africa CEO Forum in Geneva.[8] In 2019 she became a managing director at Denham Capital, after the sale of Biotherm to Actis Capital.[9][10] In April 2021 she was appointed CEO of Nala Renewables,[4] a company set up by Trafigura and IFM Investors with the initial goal of reaching a two gigawatts renewables portfolio.[11] At the beginning of her tenure the company acquired a majority stake in Boston-based Swift Current Energy, together with Buckeye Partners.[12] In 2022 the company started construction of a 100 MWh battery project located at Nyrstar’s zinc smelting operation in Balen, Belgium.[13]

Nyker also serves as an nonexecutive director of the Emira Property Fund,[14] and the international banking and wealth management group Investec.[15]

She has supported business school students and young entrepreneurs by chairing the judges' panel for the 2012 Anzisha Prize,[16][17] and participating in the Odgers Berndtson CEOx1Day programme in 2017.[18]

Views

Nyker has advocated for the importance of renewable energy in Africa as a way to combat poverty,[19] given the abundance of solar and wind natural resources in the continent.[20] In order for power projects to succeed she has emphasized the need for certainty and consistency in government energy policy,[21][22] and advocated for partnerships between government and the private sector,[23] warning about state capture and failings of utility companies, such as South Africa's Eskom.[24] She has said that the independent power producers help improve power grids run by state utility companies, and that more African countries would benefit from this type of collaboration.[25] However, for 2021 she expected the private renewable market to still dominate, with country-owned renewable power still lagging behind.[26]

Awards and recognition

Nyker was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2012.[27] She was included in the "Fifty Changemakers Advancing Gender Equality in South Africa" list, on the occasion of the first 50/50 Day in 2017.[28] In 2019, she received the Outstanding Contribution Award in Power at the African Power, Energy and Water Awards.[29][30]

References

  1. "BioTherm Energy Pty Ltd". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. "Jasandra Nyker". Denham Capital. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Jasandra Nyker". www.bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Nala appoints chief executive". Renewable Energy News. 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  5. Jasandra Nyker. World Economic Forum. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  6. Saathoff, Sandra (28 April 2008). "ReliOn Secures "C" Round Financing" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  7. Mulupi, Dinfin (3 June 2016). "Seeing power generation as a business opportunity: African CEOs weigh in". How We Made It In Africa. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  8. "Can off-grid electricity power Africa?". How We Made It In Africa. 28 May 2017. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  9. "Denham Capital Announces Sale of African Renewable Power Company BioTherm Energy". Denham Capital. 1 August 2019. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  10. "Actis acquires South African renewables company BioTherm Energy". 2 August 2019. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  11. Payne, Julia (6 January 2021). Potter, Mark (ed.). "Trafigura's Nala Renewables invests in Belgian power storage". Reuters. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  12. Payne, Julia (7 April 2021). Evans, David (ed.). "Trafigura's Nala, Buckeye acquire majority stake in U.S. renewable energy firm". Reuters. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  13. Mishra, Baibhav (10 March 2022). "Construction of major battery energy storage system in Belgium commences". Sea News. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  14. "Officer Profile". in.reuters.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  15. Waite, Tom (21 May 2021). "IN BRIEF: Investec adds former JSE CEO Nicky Newton-King to board". MorningstarUK. Archived from the original on 22 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  16. "Andrew Mupuya named as 2012 Anzisha Grand Prize Winner". African Leadership Academy. 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  17. Nsehe, Mfonobong (5 September 2012). "Three Young Prize-Winning African Entrepreneurs To Watch". Forbes. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  18. "CEO for a Day South Africa - Participating CEOs". www.odgersberndtson.com. 2020. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  19. Nyker, Jasandra (15 May 2014). "Why Renewables are the Way Forward for Africa | GE News". General Electric News. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  20. "Building renewable power in South Africa". BBC News. 19 July 2019. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  21. Burkhardt, Paul (1 February 2018). "How to Wreck the World's Fastest-Growing Renewables Program". Bloomberg NEF. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  22. "Africa Energy Forum, London: Progress Takes Time But Quick Action is Needed". Renewable Energy World. 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  23. Creamer, Terence (6 November 2019). "Infrastructure Fund project pipeline stands as R700bn, DBSA reports". www.engineeringnews.co.za. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  24. Nyker, Jasandra (6 February 2019). "Op-Ed: All the eggs are in Eskom's basket: It is time to diversify the energy sector". Daily Maverick. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  25. McGroarty, Patrick (14 September 2015). "South Africa Pushes to Expand Renewable Energy". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  26. Reed, Ed (7 January 2021). "Tighter times for African carbon amid capital pressure - News for the Oil and Gas Sector". Energy Voice. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  27. Norbrook, Nicholas (7 May 2012). "Young Global Leaders: Cream of the crop at the World Economic Forum". The Africa Report.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  28. Mathews, Charlie. "Fifty Changemakers Advancing Gender Equality in SA". Treeshake. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  29. Gordon, Philip (22 May 2019). "Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda and South Africa amongst winning projects and pioneers at African Power, Energy & Water Industry Awards". Smart Energy International. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  30. Theron, Ashley (25 November 2019). "Outstanding Contribution Award 2019: Power". African Energy Elites. Archived from the original on 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
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