Meet the Team

Our team of innovative, tenacious, passionate, and highly-skilled individuals thrive on developing a better future for New Zealand through robust, fit-for-purpose, and industry-leading solar energy solutions. We’re committed to best in class, first to market, and delivering projects our clients can be proud of.

Infratec Team December 2023

We value:

Thinking differently to bring creative solutions to the table – everyone has unique attributes to contribute!
A ‘partnership first’ approach – we commit to collaboration between colleagues and clients, from contract to commissioning.
Safe and supportive work communities – we have each other’s backs.
Working smarter to get it done – we pull together and use our tenacity to deliver.
Championing community good – we’re making an impact one step at a time.

Whether it’s securing a contract, hitting project milestones, or commissioning New Zealand’s largest solar farm to date, every step is a moment we can be proud of.

With individuals hailing from 12 different countries and cultures, we’re proudly diverse. We believe this gives us powerful perspective as we grow. If you’ve been nodding along as you read this, why not get in touch? You might be a perfect fit for the Infratec team!


Management Team

Nick Bibby

Nick has over 20 years’ experience in the civil, environmental and renewable energy sectors. Nick developed his civil engineering knowledge with Downer NZ and refined his skill set as an Environmental Engineer with Cardno NZ. Based in the UK with RES, Nick led a team that designed and constructed large scale onshore wind power projects in the UK, Scandinavia, Turkey and South Africa. Nick has worked on small scale wind, solar and HV transmission projects in Europe and lead a FEED development of a 300MW biomass plant in England.

Since joining Infratec, Nick has project managed the Kiritimati 11kV mini-grid + Solar/Diesel project and programme managed the Cook Islands EPC delivery. Nick now heads the Infratec NZ Team which identifies and secures development through to construction, ensuring continuity of a strong development portfolio.

When not trying to cover the world in solar panels, Nick divides his time between endless DIY projects, climbing mountains and attempting to surf.

Training & Qualifications:

·         BE (Hons) Forestry Engineering, University of Canterbury (1999)

·         CEng (UK), MICE (2014)

Nick Bibby

Nick Bibby

GM - Infratec NZ

Nick has over 20 years’ experience in the civil, environmental and renewable energy sectors. Nick developed his civil engineering knowledge with Downer NZ and refined ...

Ricky Smith

Ricky has 30 years’ experience in the NZ electricity industry. Starting out with New Zealand Electricity with the Clyde hydro power station construction, Roxburgh hydro substation refurbishment, the HVDC Pole 2 hybrid project at Benmore. Later, he worked for Meridian Energy as a Diagnostic and Performance Engineer, optimising hydro generation maintenance. Ricky was involved with the construction and commissioning of Te Apiti Wind Farm and lead electrical engineer for West Wind. 

He worked for Transpower in Wellington for 12 years, having several roles, including project managing the Haywards’ synchronous condenser refurbishment and closing out and operationalising the Siemens HVDC Pole 3.   As a Senior Manager, he went on to lead specialist engineering teams, responsible for the maintenance and operation of Transpower‘s assets, including HVDC converter stations and Cook Strait cables, synchronous condensers, STATCOMs, static VAR compensators, transmission and substation primary equipment, protection and automation.

Training & Qualifications:

BE (Hons) Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Canterbury

Trade Certificate Electrical Fitting

Ricky Smith

Ricky Smith

GM NewPower Energy Services

Ricky has 30 years’ experience in the NZ electricity industry. Starting out with New Zealand Electricity with the Clyde hydro power station construction, Roxburgh ...

Jamie Aitken

Jamie has over 20 years’ experience in finance roles across several industries, from media and newspapers in the UK to more recently the energy sector in NZ. Jamie has previously had senior management and finance roles with Pioneer Energy and Meridian’s Energy for Industry (EFI) customer Build, Own Operate heat and power business, as a subsidiary, and then a successful on-sale to Pioneer Energy.  With Pioneer he was Finance Manager of the retail and energy solutions business and led the successful transition of Pioneer becoming a Tier 1 electricity market participant and Trader. Jamie joined Infratec in June 2021.

When not working, Jamie can be found chasing after his young son who has recently learnt to cycle, snowboarding on fair weather days and DIY and gardening around the house. 

Training and Qualifications:

BCom, Accounting and Business Management

Chartered Accountant Australia and New Zealand, CAANZ

Jamie Aitken

Jamie Aitken

CFO

Jamie has over 20 years’ experience in finance roles across several industries, from media and newspapers in the UK to more recently the energy sector in NZ.

Bharti Patel

Bharti has 13 years of experience in the energy industry, working in New Zealand and in the UK for local and international clients. Her experience includes working for Transpower and consultancies including AECOM (NZ) and TNEI Services (UK).

Bharti developed a passion for renewable and low carbon network projects while working in the UK. Her work involved feasibility of development projects and included a focus on power system studies to enable connection of renewable generation.

While at Transpower Bharti worked for the System Operator as an operations engineer. In this role she was responsible for planning outages on the system by assessing power system and market impacts to meet regulatory requirements. She then moved to a project management role where she delivered strategic and tactical projects which included forging new ways of working within the business.

Joining Infratec in October 2021 she is excited to be leading the engineering team to build innovative solar and battery projects in NZ and the Pacific.

In her spare time, you’ll find Bharti gardening or on walks in Wellington’s town belt.

Training and Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

  • Bachelor of Commerce, Operations Management

  • Prince 2 Practitioner

  • ICAgile Certified Professional

Bharti Patel

Bharti Patel

Engineering Services Director

Bharti has 13 years of experience in the energy industry, working in New Zealand and in the UK for local and international clients. Her experience includes working for ...

Grant Smith

Grant has previously had senior management roles with Meridian Energy, from its startup project team, then with strategy and acquisitions, retail and trading risk management before establishing Meridian’s Energy for Industry (EFI) customer Build, Own Operate heat and power business, as a subsidiary, and then a successful on-sale to Pioneer Energy. With Pioneer he was GM Strategy and Business Development and led the successful acquisition of Aniwhenua hydro station and the establishment of Southern Generation LP, Pulse LP and Ecotricity LP. More recently he was lead advisor to Ecogas LP in winning Auckland Council’s 30 year kerbside organics tender, and building the first private market based anaerobic digestion facility at Reporoa, Central North Island. In addition to the Infratec NZ role, he is on the board of the Bioenergy Association of NZ (BANZ), and Ecogas GP Ltd.

When not working, Grant can be found sailing in the Marlborough Sounds or catching up with his family and young grandchildren. More solar farms and more grandchildren probably means less sailing ahead. 

Grant Smith

Grant Smith

Chief Executive Officer

Grant has previously had senior management roles with Meridian Energy from its startup project team, then with strategy and acquisitions, retail and trading risk ...

Business Development Managers

Tom Wheatley

Tom is a masters qualified Senior Project Manager with excellent financial and communication skills. With a natural entrepreneurial flair and strong project management background, he enjoys working collaboratively in diverse teams to achieve positive outcomes.

 

Throughout a core project management/consulting career he has embarked on several ventures including futures trader in London, financial adviser qualification, crypto mining and trading, director at a NZ electricity retailer start-up and co-founder at a blockchain storage company.

 

Project experience ranges from large scale SAP implementation projects for international companies in the banking, industrial and retail sectors, with a recent focus on the NZ health sector.  

Key projects include; Ministry of Health radiology service improvement project, operating theatre software upgrade; clinical letter dictation software; speech recognition solutions; rollout of Microsoft Suite to 3000+ users to support the COVID pandemic working model; moving local Payroll solution to the cloud.

 

Tom loves new technology and fresh challenges.

Tom Wheatley

Tom Wheatley

Senior Development Project Manager

Tom is a masters qualified Senior Project Manager with excellent financial and communication skills. With a natural entrepreneurial flair and strong project management ...

Chris Service

Chris is the ESCO Market Lead. He is passionate about making a positive impact and specialises in shaping sustainable energy solutions that match the needs of his clients, in what are often remote and challenging conditions. Chris’s clients vary from commercial businesses to national utilities which require bespoke solutions and have a broader community development edge to their activities.

Chris joined Infratec in 2018 and has spent the last decade conducting new business development activities in renewables across Africa and Europe.  In Europe, Chris was responsible for new market entry for Sungevity International, driving the company’s international growth strategy and expansion into Italy and Belgium. In Africa, Chris supported the growth of rural Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) in rural off-grid communities in Uganda, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Burkina Faso and bringing solar energy services to remote communities for the first time.

When not pushing for impact with renewable energy, Chris is always up for a mission just for the fun of it, be it setting up a mini-golf team for the sole purpose of attending a World Cup or convincing his kids cycling in the rain is fun.

Training and Qualifications:

  • PGDipTech – Energy Management, Honours with Distinction (RE System Design, Remote Access Power Supplies), Massey University (2012)

  • BA – Environmental Management (2005)

  • Social Returns on Investment Certificate (2013)

Chris Service

Chris Service

ESCO Market Lead

Chris is the ESCO Market Lead. He is passionate about making a positive impact and specialises in shaping sustainable energy solutions that match the needs of his ...

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