Paul Gazzard

Having spent the early part of his career in Private Banking asset management Paul later transitioned into the commercial financing sector. Between 2002 and 2010 he participated in the listing of three clean technology companies 
on the AIM market of the LSE operating at the senior Executive level.

Paul went on to the role of COO of a listed Group specialising in international manufacturing and sales of branded products which was admitted onto AIM 
in 2010. Since then, Paul has worked as a consultant and Non-executive Director across various listed companies in the financial services and tech sectors advising on corporate and financing related matters which has led 
to his work in the energy sector.

Working in the BESS space for a decade, Paul has to his credit co-founding Arlington Energy in 2017, building up that company to manage one of the 
UK’s largest development pipelines as well as building and managing over 
10 BESS sites into construction and operation in the UK.

Meriel Laikin

Meriel has 7 years experience in the development and financing of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) assets across the UK.  She has demonstrated strong leadership in driving the development of a 2GW in-house pipeline in the platform acquisition of Arlington Energy in 2022. Having previously worked on acquisitions and disposals of 200MW of assets and using her comprehensive understanding of project viability, Meriel successfully navigated the complexities of development to ensure all projects were designed to be constructable, financeable, and adaptable for dynamic trading strategies.

More recently, Meriel has been working collaboratively with network operators to optimise the grid connection dates and reinforcement requirements of BESS projects.  In 2024 alone, her efforts resulted in the acceleration of connection dates by 35 years, while also reducing the reinforcement requirement costs by £40m.

Alex Mitchell

Alex is a highly accomplished Chartered Town Planner with an outstanding 18-year track record in the development industry. His expertise spans multiple sectors, with a particular focus on renewable energy. With a strategic mindset and exceptional project management skills, Alex consistently drives projects forward with precision, efficiency, and foresight, delivering success in the planning applications he has managed.

His strong commercial acumen and extensive UK-wide network make him a vital asset to our leadership team. Renowned for navigating complex planning landscapes, he has successfully delivered a diverse portfolio of high-profile projects. Alex’s attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to excellence set him apart as a leader in the sector. His appointment strengthens our ability to deliver challenging projects whilst ensuring bankability for our funding partners. We are privileged to have him on board as we continue to bolster the roll-out of renewables in the UK.

Tom Holdaway

Tom started his career in the UK’s nuclear industry, managing a portfolio of projects to support the UK’s ambitions to construct a new fleet of nuclear power stations. From there Tom joined a start-up as the Chief Development Officer, developing combined renewable energy, agriculture and water projects in agriculturally challenged regions of the world, primarily in Africa. These first-of-their-kind projects won international plaudits from global institutions such as the United Nations for their proposal to address both climate change and food security whilst ensuring a harmony with the local communities in which the projects were sited.

Tom joined Arlington Energy in 2022 and was part of the development team which developed a 1.7GW pipeline of UK BESS, which was subsequently sold to a sovereign wealth fund in October 2022. Tom then led the development of a 1GW portfolio of transmission BESS projects, overseeing all development areas including funding and planning before joining Marzipan.