board of directors, management and advisors
Claudio Morandi, Director
In 2008, he established Valreco AG, based in Zug, Switzerland, a financial services and investment company specialising in direct investments in public and private corporations, corporate finance, restructuring and mergers and acquisitions. As the founder and Managing Director of Valreco, he has been involved in a number of notable transactions, including the restructuring of one of Europe’s largest hedge funds and the reorganisation of distressed investments for a private German corporation in the biodiesel industry.
Previously, as an Investment Manager of Mercer International Inc., he was instrumental in the acquisition of a number of German industrial companies. During his tenure with Mercer, the company’s net assets grew by acquisitions and restructurings fivefold. Subsequently, as the Senior Vice President of Investment Banking at MFC Bancorp, a successor company to Mercer, he initiated and co-managed several transactions including the acquisition and integration of Bank Rinderknecht AG.
Claudio has graduated as Certified Banker & Merchant at the KV Business School of Zurich, Switzerland in 1982. After having passed basic military services, he gained his Diplomas in National and Business Economics in Zurich. He is fluent in German, English and French and speaks some Italian. Claudio is a resident of Winterthur, Switzerland.
Andrew Holland, Director
He commenced his career in the financial services industry at Arthur Andersen in the Audit & Business Advisory Department and went from there to Investec where he held the position of Associate Investment Director responsible for developing funds under management and discretionary portfolio management. Subsequently, as an Investment Director, he joined Truestone Capital (Mauritius), a niche investment management and advisory firm which provided financial advice and investment management to High Net Worth Clients in the UK.
Prior to relocating to South Africa in 2014 he held the position of Senior Private Banker at Kleinwort Benson, now Kleinwort Hambros, a long established and large international private and investment bank where he was responsible for the development of investment and taxation strategies for clients as well as the ongoing management and monitoring of portfolios.
He currently holds the position of Managing Director & Chief Investment Officer for Ivory Wealth Management, a fully regulated privately owned Financial Services Business in multiple jurisdictions providing Private Client Investment Management and Financial Advisory services to an international spectrum of high net worth clients.
Andrew will assist and advise Pineapple Power Corporation and its Board of Directors in the management of corporate development, investment banking, investor and financial relations and funding sources in the Southern African financial centres, predominantly Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Clive de Larrabeiti, Advisor, Corporate Finance
Clive de Larrabeiti has over 30 years of experience in the financial industry and public equity markets, both in Europe and North America. He began his career in the financial industry as a stockbroker in Canada and was subsequently based in London, England, where he successfully founded and established the UK branch office of a Canadian-based international investment banking boutique.
Subsequent to this, he has served as a senior officer, director and corporate finance advisor to several North American and European public companies and has also consulted and advised a number of North American and European private and public companies in corporate communications, investor relations, financial, corporate and project management.
He is the founder and major shareholder of Pineapple Power Corporation PLC.
Richard Offer, Advisor, Corporate Finance
Richard has worked with numerous board and management teams to identify the optimal financial structure for their company to achieve its strategic objectives.
His previous roles include Head of Regional Sales/ECM for both HSBC and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson where he played a pivotal role in their Asian businesses as a member of their ‘Executive Committee’.
Richard’s career started in London with De Zoete & Bevan, one of the City of London’s largest stockbrokers. Following the merger with Barclays, Richard transitioned to BZW Investment Management where he gained his experience in portfolio management where for 10 years he focused on Asian markets. Richard is a ‘Fellow of the Security Institute’ in the UK.
Dr Graham Cooley, Corporate Advisor
Dr Graham Cooley has over thirty years leading product and technology strategic development in the energy sector at the forefront of new technology introduction in the power, energy storage and hydrogen sectors. A proven deal maker with a track record of structuring and closing corporate deals. A proven fundraiser, having raised over £600m for technology companies from sources including venture capital, private equity, public investment markets, strategic corporates and grant bodies. A lifelong environmental campaigner and commentator on all things related to the energy and sustainability sectors.
Graham started his career in the power sector in 1989, joining the CEGB and becoming Business Development Manager at National Power plc and then International Power plc, developing energy storage and new generation technologies.
Graham was CEO of Sensortec Ltd, founding CEO of Metalysis Ltd, a spin out from Cambridge University, and founding CEO of Antenova Ltd. Graham joined ITM Power as CEO in 2009. ITM Power was the first hydrogen related company to be listed on the London Stock Market, and has been developing electrolyser equipment for over 20 years. In December 2022, he stepped down as CEO of ITM Power. Graham is also a member of the UK Government’s Hydrogen Advisory Council, and a board member of RenewableUK.
Graham has a PhD in physics, an MBA, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Metals, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM), the Energy Institute (FEI), and The Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET) and was the 2022 recipient of the Bessemer Society Lifetime Fellowship Award.
formation criteria
It has been the Board of Directors’ experience that many corporations appreciate the velocity with which a listing on a stock market may be achieved through a reverse takeover of an original, clean, cash rich shell versus a fresh application to list their company or through a merger with an older company, which may have historic operating problems and tenacious existing Board members.
Pineapple Power Corporation has been formulated with a clear vision of the processes involved in an envisaged RTO. Due to the extensive experience of the Board of Directors and Advisors assembled for the purpose, the Company expects that this vision will result in a successful transaction occurring in the shortest possible space of time. This might result in an increase in asset value expected through the acquisition of an operating company generating revenues or holding significant assets.
