David Sanders joins PA Consulting’s utilities practice
Professional services firm PA Consulting has recruited clean energy and technology expert David Sanders to its energy and utilities wing. He will now serve as part of the senior leadership team in its climate response unit.
Aris Karcanias, Global Head of Energy and Utilities at PA Consulting, remarked, “We are thrilled to welcome David to the Energy and Utilities team. David’s arrival is part of a very exciting period of growth for the Energy and Utilities practice, and further validates our position as a leading advisor in the climate response and energy transition arena.”
PA’s energy and utilities experts work with businesses to anticipate the future, champion innovation and lead transformative solutions to unlock potential across energy and utilities markets. PA’s climate response unit was created to address the next generation of challenges which businesses face from the mounting climate crisis. It will focus on helping clients deliver on the energy transition, while realising net zero commitments.
Joining as a Partner to the practice, Sanders will now work with businesses globally to anticipate the future, champion innovation, and lead the energy transition to unlock new potential. His specialist areas will be across hydrogen, electric vehicles and low carbon technology scale-ups.
Sanders added, “I am impressed by PA’s ambitions across the sector, as it continues to build out its market-leading Energy and Utilities practice. PA’s deep expertise in innovation, coupled with their skills in helping clients rapidly scale-up technology is a perfect complement to the work I have been doing over the past 30 years. I’m excited to be part of a team with exceptionally deep expertise and look forward to collaborating with our clients.”
Bringing with him over 30 years of experience in strategy consultancy, corporate advisory and innovation, Sanders has spent the duration of that time within the energy and clean technology sectors. For the past 17 years, he has focused on clean energy, with an emphasis on renewables, hydrogen and electric vehicles. He has led projects with clients in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas throughout the value chain, including emerging technology companies, manufacturers, utilities, energy companies, investors, and government agencies.
Prior to arriving with PA, Sanders led FTI Consulting’s clean energy practice, and before that, he was Commercial Director of Dearman, a technology company developing a zero-emission engine for vehicles and back-up power generators. Earlier in his career, he also spent time at strategy consulting firms L.E.K. Consulting and Roland Berger. In addition to consultancy work, he has co-founded technology businesses in food production, composite materials, internet telephony, and mobile telecoms software.
PA will hope his recruitment will help it cater to the challenges faced by the energy and utilities sector, where demand for its services is already increasing. Recent projects have seen the firm lead the transition of Denmark’s largest energy producer, Ørsted, to green energy, and boost California's use of renewable energy by developing the world's biggest battery with US power company Vistra Energy.