Management Team

Paddy Padmanathan is a seasoned engineering and energy expert with over 40  years of experience. He is a key member of ACWA Power’s executive leadership team, having spearheaded its expansion from a startup in 2005 to where it is today.

Paddy has guided ACWA Power’s cost leadership and business strategy which is focused on reliably and responsibly delivering electricity and desalinated water, at competitive prices. He is also steering ACWA Power’s leadership in renewable energy, enabling it to be at the forefront in reducing the cost of clean energy on a global scale.

Prior to joining ACWA Power, Paddy was Vice President and Corporate officer at Black and Veatch, where he was responsible for developing privately financed power, water and wastewater projects at over a dozen countries.

Paddy holds a degree in Engineering from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, and in addition to his executive responsibilities at ACWA Power, also serves on the Board of Directors of several companies involved in power and water development across the globe.

Mr. Nanda is responsible for ACWA Powers’ growth and remains functionally in charge of new business development, legal (projects), acquisitions & divestiture, and corporate and project finance. Mr. Nanda has also led the structuring and financing of Independent Water and Power Projects IPP / IWPPs across Asia, Middle East, Africa and Turkey. He is currently overseeing ACWA Power’s expansion across MENA, Southern Africa and South East Asia.

Before joining ACWA Power Mr. Nanda was the Regional CFO for Engie’s Middle East, Asia & Africa region. Mr. Nanda sits on the Board of several power and utility companies owned and operated by ACWA Power and also serves as an independent Investment Committee member for an Infrastructure fund managed by INVESTEC Bank in South Africa.

Mr. Rana has over 17 years of power and water sector experience covering all areas of project development, structuring, project financing, security offering and other areas of operational finance and tax structuring. Before becoming CFO, Mr. Rana was Director of Accounting, Controls & Taxation at ACWA Power and CFO for AES Middle East Region.

Mr. Rana is a Chartered Accountant who qualified in 2001 from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan.

Mrs. Anabtawi is responsible for Human Capital, Organizational Health, Corporate Alignment and Integration and Marketing & Communications at ACWA Power. With over 24 years of experience, Yara has been in various leadership roles covering a multitude of sectors including energy, investment banking, IT, automotive, education and healthcare in several geographies including the US, North Africa and the GCC.

Yara holds a B.Sc in Management and Information Systems from Brigham Young University, a Master’s degree in Management and Information Systems from the Florida Institute of Technology, a Post Graduate Degree in Education from the University of Sunderland, UK and a certificate in International Management from Thunderbird University. Mrs. Anabtawi sits on the boards of several power and utility companies owned and operated by ACWA Power.

Mr. Saez has over 25 years of experience in the power and water sectors, with special focus on project engineering and execution across different continents. Before becoming Chief Technical Officer, Mr. Saez was President & C.E.O. of a large Saudi EPC contractor.

Mr. Saez has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and completed his Master’s degrees in Power Engineering as well as Energy Business. Mr. Saez sits on the Board of several power and utility companies owned and operated by ACWA Power.

Mr. Guy Richelle holds a MS in Nuclear Engineering  from the University of Liege in Belgium and an MS in Climate Change from King’s College in London and has 40 years’ experience in the energy sector. He joined ACWA Power as Senior Advisor in charge of Transformation in 2020.

Mr. Richelle spent the first 15 years of his career in the nuclear industry, working for Westinghouse and Eskom. He joined Engie in 1998 and held different positions of increasing responsibility as Head of Business Development in the Middle East, Regional CEO for Middle East, Asia and Africa, and COO of International Power. After leaving Engie in 2017, he served as Vice-Chairman of NOMAC and member of ACWA Power Nomination and Remuneration Committee. He has worked in in many countries including Algeria, Oman, the UAE, Thailand and South Africa.

Julio Torre-Gutierrez serves as the Chief Portfolio Management Officer for ACWA Power and as the President and Chief Executive Officer of First National Operations and Maintenance Company (NOMAC). Julio has been part of the leadership team at ACWA Power since 2009, and brings over 35 years of experience within the power generation and water desalination industry. He has played a pivotal role in developing NOMAC, both in terms of management and control, and has spearheaded its position today as one of the most reputed and trusted operation and maintenance companies in the world. Julio is responsible for over 2,500 highly diversified employees in 24 sites in 11 countries, with operations yielding 34,000 MW of power generation and 5.9 million cubic meters of water desalination per day.

Prior to this, Torre-Gutierrez served as Vice-President for Business Operations at Duke Energy International where he held positions of increasing seniority over a 23-year period, based in the United States and Latin America.

Torre-Gutierrez is a graduate of North Carolina State University and holds a B.S in Nuclear Engineering.