Sérgio Ferreira
Local Energy Advisor Sub-Saharan Africa
Our Local Energy Advisors are on-site in the regions, monitoring the markets closely, both as citizens and industry professionals. With an extensive international network of industry contacts, they identify new opportunities and open doors for the Norwegian energy industry around the world.
All advisors are recruited based on their experience and knowledge of the local industry knowledge, their capabilities in local business environment and culture, their command of the local language and for having their professional network and relationships in the industry and with the authorities.
Our energy advisors can offer market entry services to NORWEP partners free of charge at a maximum of 5 days per year per market.
Local Energy Advisor Sub-Saharan Africa
Sérgio has more than 15 years of working experience in building up enterprises in the oil & gas sector in Angola. He has worked for Chevron in key leadership positions spearing the initiatives to build up local companies into Chevron’s local portfolio of local suppliers. Due to this position, Sérgio’s portfolio also included to be the interface with governmental officials and other operators in the oil & gas sector in Angola.
After leaving Chevron he managed to set up several enterprises offering services and products for the international operators in Angola and other countries in the region. Currently he’s extending the professional network in Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique.
Sérgio holds an Economics and Business Degree from Copenhagen Business School, a Professional Supply Chain Management from Arizona States University, and a Global Executive MBA from IESE ( University of Navarra).
Local Energy Advisor Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia
Sven Engevik has through 15+ years in Latin America advised international clients within M&A, consulting, board activity and local representation within the region, with a strong emphasis on the energy sector (renewable and oil & gas).
Mr. Engevik will support NORWEP’s partners throughout Latin America within primarily hydropower, solar, wind (but also available within oil & gas).
Mr. Engevik holds a Master of Science in finance and a master of business and administration, both at Norwegian School of Management.
Local Energy Advisor Australia
Tore has 30+ years of industry experience. The first 10 years with Schlumberger in the North Sea and S.E.Asia in a variety of field engineering, technical and commercial roles.
He moved to Australia in 2001 and spent 7 years in the senior management team of a local engineering firm followed by 5 1/2 years as a consultant technology advisor with Woodside Energy.
Tore is currently the Senior Energy Advisor with the Norwegian Energy Partners (NORWEP) based in Perth.
Local Energy Advisor Brazil
Adhemar Freire has more than 26 years of experience in oil & gas industry working at national and international companies in Brazil. He has worked for Weatherford International Inc leading different positions for 12 years and recently he worked for Lupatech, a Brazilian growing company in the oil & gas market.
He holds degrees as MSc in Mechanical Engineer and Bachelor in Law, besides he is attending an Executive MBA in Economic and Strategic Management of Business at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) in Rio de Janeiro-Brazil.
His main activities within the companies are related to business development, sales and commercial areas.
Local Energy Advisor Brazil
Orlando Ribeiro has more than 35 years of experience in developing and deploying innovative technologies in projects in Brazil and the US Gulf of Mexico.
During his carrier in Petrobras, he held several leadership positions in technology, projects, operations, gas & power and new business.
His last position in Petrobras was Head of Technology (CTO).
He held a BSc in Mechanical Engineering.
Local Energy Advisor China
Jian Guo holds a Electrical Engineering Bachelor's degree from Shanghai JiaoTong University.
Mr. Guo has worked with Nexans Norway AS and GE Consumer & Industry Group as well as Ametek Solidstate Controls Beijing Office and China National Offshore Oil Development & Engineering Company (COOEC) inside the CNOOC Group.
Local Energy Advisor France, Spain and Portugal
Charles Smadja is a senior renewable energy advisor with more than 25 years of commercial and operational experience in the global energy business, specifically in business development, project finance, strategic sourcing and industrial footprint.
Charles held executive positions with multinational Alstom in France and Switzerland, and created Nenuphar Wind, a major pioneer in floating offshore wind in France.
Charles is also active in solar photovoltaics and energy efficiency as a managing partner at Arema Energies.
With his significant experience, Charles delivers his expert knowledge on the offshore wind markets in France, Spain and Portugal as an Energy Advisor for Norwegian Energy Partners since 2020.
Local Energy Advisor Germany
Lars Engelmann is a senior business development and innovation management consultant in the maritime and offshore renewables market. He is supporting established and entrepreneurial multinational companies, research organizations as well as business networks dedicated to innovative products and sustainable services.
Lars joined Norwegian Energy Partners from a long career at Vattenfall heading up the maritime operations and logistics on offshore wind projects in Germany and elsewhere.
With his background in business administration, maritime logistics and industry project management, he has more than 15 years' experience in senior positions of the maritime and energy sector. He is supporting several offshore wind industry associations, is a valued speaker at conferences and a part-time lecturer at executive seminars.
Local Energy Advisor Guyana and Suriname
Manniram Prashad is a former President of the Guyana Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Private Sector Commission. He also served for five years as the advisor to the President on trade and Investment and five years as a cabinet Minister responsible for Commerce Industry and Tourism.
Mr. Prashad has extensive experience in the business Sector having held chairmanship of several large corporations including the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and Guyana National Shipping Corporation, among others.
Currently, Mr. Prashad is the chairman of MP Insurance Brokers and Consultants Limited, Consul General of the Philippines to Guyana, Corporate Coordinator and Executive Member of the Private Sector Commission and President of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber.
He has the capacity to work in, and understand diverse cultures and their business practices.
Local Energy Advisor India
Azam Ali Khan has diverse experience in the field of Upstream Offshore Oil & Gas, Power Generation and financial services in Indian Market. He has worked in roles ranging from Offshore Drilling Services, Oil & Gas Asset Acquisition, Investment Banking, Treasury Management, Strategy and Business development with some of the major Global O&G players and financial institutions.
He is well versed with the commercial and tendering issues in the Oil & Gas Market.
Azam holds degrees of Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee and MBA, with major in Finance, from University of Mumbai.
Local Energy Advisor Indonesia
Diah Ayu Noor is an experienced Trade & Investment Advisor with more than 15 years of exposure in handling Norwegian and British companies within the oil & gas, energy and waste management sectors providing market assistance in doing business in Indonesia.
Diah worked previously as Senior Market Advisor for Innovation Norway and UK Trade & Investment.
She has a strong background of international trade, market research, market access, and government affairs.
She holds degrees of Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Master of Science in Administrative Studies - Innovation and Technology from Boston University, Massachusetts, USA.
Local Energy Advisor Korea
Jae Keun Ha is Energy Advisor in Korea, maintaining his present position of professor in ULSAN College. Previously Mr. Ha was the Senior Vice President of Basic Design Office of Shipbuilding Division in HHI.
During his thirty years working for HHI, he was mostly involved in the bidding and the design of offshore oil & gas related projects such as Drillship, Semi-Submersible Drilling Rig, FSRU, SRV, FPSO, LNG-FPSO, LNGC and LPGC. And he also worked for the design development of CNGC, PNGC, CO2 Carrier from Pre-FEED stage.
He has a wide network in the shipbuilding industry of Korea through his activity as a member of DNV KTC (Korea Technical Committee) and ABS KTC.
Local Energy Advisor Malaysia, Myanmar and Brunei
Tuan Hai Ewe graduated from New Zealand with a Bacheor of Science degree and a Master of Agricultural Business and Administration (majoring in Marketing & Business Administration).
With a tenure of over 30 years as the Head of the Commercial Section for the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the Director of Innovation Norway in Malaysia, he has acquired a wide range of working experience through assisting Norwegian companies in various economic sectors in Malaysia.
Within the oil & gas sector, he has advised and assisted companies in all aspects, including but not limited to market entry strategies, partner & agent searches, as well as relaying relevant updates on the sector’s developments.
Since the 4th quarter of 2017, he has been employed on a 50% basis for Norwegian Energy Partners (NORWEP). He will be supporting partners of NORWEP in preparing entry strategies for Malaysia as well as assisting and facilitating NORWEP thematic workshops, mainly with PETRONAS in Malaysia. In addition, he is also charged with overseeing the oil & gas sector in Brunei and Myanmar.
Local Energy Advisor Mexico
Sven Feldhaus is an experienced industry leader from the oil & gas service industry. He started his career working for Schlumberger Wireline division holding posts in SEA, South America and the North Sea.
Before joining NORWEP, Sven held executive positions in international offshore construction companies in Mexico, being Country Manager for Global Industries and President for Mexico and LA for Swiber Offshore from Singapore.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering from ITESM in Mexico and a Master’s Degree in Business from IESE in Spain.
Local Energy Advisor Middle East
Nasrollah Gharesifard is the Energy Advisor for the Middle East, based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. He has 26 years of experience in the energy industry.
Nasrollah is a Petroleum Engineer from Rogaland University in Stavanger. After graduation, he worked with Statoil (now Equinor) on the Åsgard field as Operations HS&E advisor and MI Swaco in Norway.
He moved to the UAE in 2000 and spent eight years with Shell in HSE, Liaison and advisory position.
Local Energy Advisor Netherlands
Jos has more than 35 years experience in various senior positions mainly in the oil & gas industry. He served amongst other things as VP Projects for a Contractor Group and SVP Supply Chain for a Global B2B services provider. His latest assignment was with SBM Offshore in the function of Business Development Director EMEA.
For more than two decades, Jos' work has been related to business development and business acquisition activities. This extends to a global scale for international energy clients such as Shell, BG, Eni, Total, Equinor, Petronas, Aker Solutions, BP and Chevron as well as the large trading companies such as Vitol, Gunvor and Trafigura.
Jos holds a Master of Science, Mathematics – Engineering Geology and started his career with Heerema Marine Contractors in The Netherlands.
Local Energy Advisor Poland and The Baltics
Ewa Kwast has diverse experience from business and market advisory in the field of clean energy and environmental technology from her position as Senior Adviser at Innovation Norway and earlier the Swedish Trade Council in Warsaw. She has supported many Scandinavian companies and research organizations, as well as business networks working with innovative products and sustainable services, in their activities towards the Polish market.
Ewa Kwast holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the Institute of Organic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, and Master of Science form Warsaw Technical University. She has also accomplished postgraduate studies in company finance at the Warsaw School of Economics. She has worked initially as a researcher in Poland and in the US at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
In addition to Poland, Ewa covers the Baltic markets.
Local Energy Advisor Singapore
Jeffrey has over 16 years of working experience as a senior maritime professional covering international sales, marketing, business development, procurement and product management.
His core competencies includes accumulated deep knowledge in maritime ICT, shipping operations, navigation, fleet management solutions and application of technologies for the needs of key markets in oil & gas, offshore and maritime. He is also an approved consultant in providing business advisory services for new start-ups and SMEs by assisting them in business growth, strategic planning and corporate development efforts.
Jeffrey holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration major in Marketing from RMIT University in Australia and Diploma in Computer Networking from Singapore.
Local Energy Advisor Taiwan
Ivy is an international business consultant with 20+ years professional experience in start-up business development, international marketing, project planning and management in various industries especially focusing in the energy sectors.
Ivy is of Taiwanese origin and has extensive experience with Taiwanese offshore wind industry and authorities. She has supported many Norwegian companies to establish business networks and projects in their activities towards the Taiwanese market.
Local Energy Advisor UK Offshore Wind
Dorothy Shepherd has a proven track record in offshore wind programme management and supply chain development. As a Portfolio Manager for the UK Offshore Wind programme at The Crown Estate, with responsibility for offshore wind projects across the UK, Dorothy has worked proactively with all major wind industry developers, asset owners and key stakeholder groups.
With 20+ years in the UK energy sector and utilising her experience gained both from a FTSE50 UK Utility, the public sector and as General Manager Renewables for an O&G Services Company, Dorothy provides experience of supply chain energy transition and working together with a wide group of stakeholders to promote UK Offshore Wind Globally.
She has previously held a number of non executive roles including Heriot Watt University and ICAS and is currently a non-executive member of Montrose Port in Scotland.
Dorothy holds an MBA, a degree in finance and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and Institute of Directors.
Local Energy Advisor UK (Aberdeen)
Tom has enjoyed a 37 year career in the oil & gas industry. He has worked in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North Africa, initially in the service sector before spending 23 years working for operating companies Total, BG Group and Shell.
Tom's final role with BG Group was Group Well Intervention Manager and prior to retiring from Shell in summer 2020 he was Well Engineering Manager (CWI) for Shell UK. He has since worked as a part-time independent consultant to the international energy sector, is a Non-Executive board member of Montrose Port Authority (MPA) and in February 2021 joined Norwegian Energy Partners as UK Energy Advisor.
Tom was also an active participant in the UK energy industry and was a member of a number of Oil & Gas UK task groups as well as a regular presenter at industry conferences and events. Tom's extensive experience with oil and gas development as well as decommissioning (wells and facilities) projects in recent years, along with his roles with NORWEP and MPA, are well aligned with his aspiration to play an active part in the UK energy transition.
Local Energy Advisor USA Offshore Wind
Andy Geissbuehler is a senior renewable energy consultant with more than 25 years of commercial and operational experience in the global energy business, specifically in business development, project finance, EPC project execution, marine logistics, strategic sourcing and industrial footprint.
Andy held executive positions with major multinationals such as ABB, Alstom and GE. With P&L responsibility for Alstom's wind business in North America, he led the transition into offshore wind, followed by heading GE's US offshore operations and the delivery and installation of the first US offshore windfarm, Deepwater Wind's Block Island.
Andy joined Norwegian Energy Partners in 2018 as an Energy Advisor focusing on offshore wind. With his significant OEM experience, Andy will deliver his expert knowledge on the US market, project execution and supply chain.
Local Energy Advisor USA Oil & Gas
Jan Eckhoff is an accomplished business leader that has been active in the oil & gas upstream and midstream industries for more than 25 years. Houston has been his home for more than sixteen of those years. He is a client oriented international sales, business development, project and business manager leveraging technology to create value for clients and partners.
He has successfully developed businesses and built organizations that grew tenfold and returned a healthy year after year. As business development and sales manager, he has successfully launched and sold new products and solutions, opened new accounts, reached and exceeded sales targets and managed strategic accounts. As project manager, he has run international projects with teams in several countries.
He is a multilingual communicator with a clear understanding of global business practices. He has capacity to work in, and understand, diverse cultures and their business practices.
Jan holds a Master's degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.