Our leadership team

Nathalie is CEO of JERA Nex bp. Nathalie has 20 years of experience in the energy and infrastructure sector and has been involved in project development and management of companies and multi-technology generation assets and teams. Previously, Nathalie was CEO of JERA Nex, the global renewable energy developer, investor and operator launched by JERA in 2024. Nathalie joined JERA in 2021 to lead its global offshore wind business, before stepping into the leadership of the global renewables business and launching JERA Nex.

Before joining JERA, she served as the CEO of Otary where she was responsible for the development, construction, execution and operation of offshore wind, playing an active role in shaping the regulatory framework for renewables and offshore wind in Europe, and management of stakeholders and government relations. She also headed the Special Projects division at Deme Group, a world leader in marine contracting and engineering, where she was responsible for the offshore renewable portfolio, decarbonization projects and innovation. Earlier in her career she held leadership positions and management roles in finance, M&A and technology start-ups.

She takes an active role in championing cross cultural collaboration, innovation and mentorship of young professionals.

Ioanna Exarchou is CFO Offshore Wind at JERA Nex bp and has more than 18 years of experience in the energy sector across banking, consulting and industry having held roles in finance and control, M&A, equity research and business development.

Ioanna worked at ExxonMobil, Wood Mackenzie and Citigroup before joining bp’s Mergers & Acquisitions team in 2013.

In 2019, Ioanna moved to bp’s renewables finance team, supporting the implementation of bp renewables strategy through the systematic monitoring and shaping of the renewables capital allocation framework. As VP renewables deal structuring, Ioanna was project director and commercial negotiator in a number of offshore wind business development opportunities across Europe, Asia Pacific and the US. In 2022 Ioanna joined the bp Offshore Wind leadership team as Vice President Business Excellence, responsible for market intelligence and bid solutions, partnerships and deal structuring and offshore wind portfolio development.

In 2024 Ioanna was appointed Business Advisor to the Executive Vice President of Gas & Low Carbon Energy and held responsibility for management of the EVP office across all activities including investment governance, business performance reviews, and strategic project execution.

Ioanna holds an MBA from SDA Bocconi and an MSc and BEng in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College and the University of Surrey respectively.

Zlati Christov is the Chief Investment Officer at JERA Nex bp. In his role, Zlati is responsible for investment and portfolio strategy, energy portfolio, M&A and partnerships.

Previously, Zlati was Chief Investment Officer at JERA Nex, bringing 20 years’ experience in corporate finance, investment banking, M&A and private equity to JERA Nex’s leadership team. Zlati joined JERA Nex in September 2024 and was responsible for overseeing JERA Nex’ investment strategy for its growing asset portfolio across geographies and technologies as well as leading its M&A and partnerships execution team.

Prior to joining JERA Nex, he was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley where he led the renewable energy and energy transition investment banking client coverage in EMEA. Over the course of his career Zlati has worked closely with many of the leading European and international utilities, renewable energy and clean technology companies, including advising JERA on the acquisition of Parkwind in 2023.

Zlati has an MBA degree from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and BA degrees in Economics and Business Administration from the American University in Bulgaria.

Alfonso Montero López is the Chief Technical Officer for JERA Nex bp, the 50:50 joint venture between JERA Nex and bp focused on developing offshore wind globally.

Alfonso has spent more than 20 years working on major energy projects in engineering and project management positions. He most recently served as Vice President of Offshore Wind Engineering at bp, where he established a world-class engineering function and built a best-in-class engineering team in global offshore wind. During his time at bp, Alfonso was globally accountable to provide the engineering and technical capabilities and solutions to support offshore wind development teams deliver optimised asset designs.

Before joining bp in 2022, Alfonso worked at Iberdrola for 14 years across a range of businesses including offshore wind. In his role as Offshore Project Services Director, he was responsible for engineering, construction, contracts management, quality, health and safety, and resources management across Iberdrola’s offshore wind business. With a proven track record of success in the offshore wind industry, Alfonso continues to drive innovation and excellence in the renewable energy sector.

Alfonso has an MBA in the Global Energy Sector from Stratchclyde University and Comillas University, in addition to an Industrial Engineering degree in Spain.

Kristof Verlinden is Chief Operating Officer of JERA Nex bp. He is responsible for Operations & Maintenance (O&M), O&M Readiness & Global Asset Management, Digital & IT, Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE), and Research & Innovation (R&I) across the global business. He also serves as Lead Security Officer for operational projects, overseeing both physical security and cybersecurity.

Prior to his current role, Kristof was Head of O&M at JERA Nex bp, where he oversaw all operational projects, both operated and non-operated, and supported the O&M strategy for offshore wind projects in development.

Kristof joined Parkwind in 2010 as Head of O&M, leading operations across the company’s Belgian wind farm portfolio and the Arcadis Ost 1 offshore wind farm in Germany.

Before joining Parkwind, Kristof held a range of technical, training, project management and customer service roles at ADB, a Siemens company. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Test, Validation and Condition Monitoring Engineer at Hansen Transmissions International, now ZF Wind.

Ben Hunt is SVP Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability at JERA Nex bp. Ben was previously VP of Communications and Public Affairs at JERA Nex, having joined JERA in September 2023. He serves on the board of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Ben has more than 15 years’ experience in senior communications and public affairs roles. Prior to joining JERA he was Global Head of Corporate Affairs at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Director of Communications at Amadeus SA and Head of External Communications at Nokia. Ben was formerly a Financial Times journalist covering the technology and telecommunications sectors. Ben has a degree in Law and Politics from the University of London and an MA in Middle East Politics from Exeter University.

Mr. Yamada is SVP Japan at JERA Nex bp. He is responsible for the offshore wind business in Japan as well as the one operational and two development stage offshore wind projects in the country. Before the company’s launch, Mr. Yamada was Managing Executive Officer, Domestic Offshore Wind Power, at JERA, joining in April 2025.

Mr. Yamada joined JERA from MHI Vestas Japan Co., Ltd., the sole distributor of Vestas in Japan, where he was CEO. He joined MHI Vestas Offshore Wind (MVOW) in Denmark in 2014 as Chief Strategy Officer after leading the establishment of MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, an equally owned joint venture between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Vestas. He oversaw company strategy, marketing and communications, and public affairs for six years. In April 2020, he returned to Japan to serve as Vice President, Regional Manager of Asia Pacific before being appointed CEO of MHI Vestas Japan Co., Ltd., Mr. Yamada started his career at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. in 1987, working in sales for large-scale thermal power plants, and sales, business strategy and business development for wind turbines in MHI.

Since June 2020, he has served as Senior Vice President of the Japan Wind Power Association (JWPA).

Matthias Voss is SVP – General Counsel for JERA Nex bp. In his role, he has oversight of the company’s legal function, including compliance and the company secretariat, and is responsible for the global integration of those functions across the group.  He is based at JERA Nex bp’s headquarters in London and provides strategic legal advice to the leadership team and senior management.

Matthias has more than three decades’ experience advising on global energy, natural resources and infrastructure projects. Prior to joining JERA Nex bp in September 2025, he was a partner at Allen & Overy, latterly A&O Shearman, where, after his initial years in London and Paris, he spent more than 22 years building and leading teams across China, Japan and Korea, developing a deep understanding of the APAC region. Most recently he was A&O/A&O Shearman’s Managing Partner for Tokyo and Seoul.

Matthias is passionate about energy transition and clean energy solutions. In 2025, he was ranked Band 1 Projects & Energy International by Chambers APAC and designated a Green Ambassador by the Legal 500 Green Guide APAC.

Matthias has a Master’s Degree from Durham University in East Asian Studies and obtained his Diploma in Legal Practice and Postgraduate Diploma in Law from Nottingham Law School.

Suzanne is the SVP of Human Resources for JERA Nex bp. In this role, she leads the HR function with a focus on fostering a unified culture and supporting the growth and development of the new joint venture.

With 25 years of experience in commercial HR leadership positions, Suzanne brings rich experience helping organizations design and build high-performing, inclusive teams. Her career spans the breadth of the energy sector, including exploration & production, downstream operations, petrochemicals manufacturing, trading, renewables and M&A.

Most recently, Suzanne led HR delivery for bp’s Corporate Functions teams, partnering with C-suite executives to drive strategic initiatives including global transformation activities. She brings global experience to JERA Nex bp, having led teams across the US, Asia Pacific, and Europe.

Suzanne holds an MSc in HR Consultancy.