Simon Hodson has decided to step down from his position as Chief Executive of Gridworks at the end of March 2024. After five years as CEO, he now wishes to pursue personal and family responsibilities which require more of his time than is compatible with his role.
Simon has led Gridworks successfully since its creation by the UK’s development finance institution, British International Investment in 2019. He leaves Gridworks in a strong position, having established the company as a market-leading developer and investor in Africa’s electricity networks.
The Board of Gridworks, led by Chairman Patrick Crawford, has put in place a process to appoint a permanent successor.
During Simon’s time as CEO, Gridworks has made high-impact investments in SPS and Virunga Power that will bring clean power to thousands of households and businesses across southern and eastern Africa, including a large-scale electricity distribution project in the world’s poorest country, Burundi.
Under his leadership, Gridworks is working on ground-breaking investments, like Amari Power Transmission and Moyi Power, that will help to demonstrate that African transmission & distribution can be an investible asset class. Amari will be one of the continent’s first privately financed independent transmission projects, and the first in a number of similar projects that Gridworks is pursuing. Gridworks’ work in the transmission sector signals the beginning of a market change similar to the proliferation of electricity generation IPPs in Africa that began in the 1990s.
Moyi Power is a solar-hybrid utility that will serve a million people in three cities in northern DRC that currently have no access to the electricity grid. By demonstrating an innovative and replicable approach to creating greenfield utilities that deliver energy access, Moyi has triggered donor and investor interest, both in DRC and across the continent more widely.
Patrick Crawford, Chairman of Gridworks, said:
“I thank Simon for his great leadership and contribution to Gridworks. He has helped to take the company from a start-up to a well-respected, market leader in African electricity networks. Simon has helped to close important transactions that will provide reliable, affordable and clean power to millions of people. In addition, he has been an effective and patient advocate for the role of the private sector in Africa’s transmission and distribution sector.
“The Board of Gridworks has put in place a process to appoint a new Chief Executive. We want that person to build on what Gridworks has achieved, pursuing the same strategy and business model focused on developing and investing in electricity network businesses that help deliver energy access, economic development and climate benefits.”