Our Team
Wendy Franks, Founder & CEO
Wendy has over 20 years of experience in principal investing and business building across multiple technologies and jurisdictions within the renewable energy and clean technology sectors globally. She previously served as the Chief Strategy Officer, Head of Hydrogen and New Initiatives at Northland Power, where she successfully built the battery storage business. Wendy led to full financing and construction of the Oneida battery storage project, the largest battery storage project in Canada ($800 million of capital, 250 MW), partnered with NRStor and Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corp, and with funding from the Canada Infrastructure Bank ($535 million). Before Northland, she was Senior Principal, Relationship Investments at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board where she managed a $4 billion investment portfolio spanning both private and public equity. Wendy served on the Canada Electricity Advisory Council supporting the Federal government on how best to develop a low-carbon, reliable and affordable electricity grid, as well as the boards of Renew Power, one of the largest renewable power companies in India and Essential Utilities, an NYSE-listed water and natural gas utility. She currently serves on several decarbonization councils.
Wendy holds a Ph.D. in Bioelectronics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, in addition to degrees in chemical and electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo.
Mike Zajmalowski, Power Lead
As the founder of Yottawatt Energy Consulting Inc., Mike specializes in guiding energy projects through all stages of their lifecycle, from inception to commercial operations. With over 25 years in power markets, including roles at OPG, OPA, IESO, and Northland Power, Mike has a robust background in the energy sector. He has extensive experience working in Power Trading, Project Development, Power System Planning, Market Operations & Electricity Market Compliance. He has assisted his clients in bringing energy projects to market from development to commercial operations, making him an expert at navigating the complex landscape of power generation, distribution, regulation, assessment and compliance.
Amit Modi, Development Lead
Amit Modi is a seasoned project development executive with over 18 years of experience leading complex, sustainable infrastructure projects from concept through to financial close. He brings deep expertise in site selection, permitting, contracting, and risk mitigation across a range of technologies, including renewable natural gas, green hydrogen, and waste-to-value solutions.
Prior to CPXP, Amit served as Chief Development Officer at Andion North America, where he built and led a high-performing team of development professionals and was instrumental in advancing a pipeline of utility-scale RNG projects to commercial readiness. His strategic leadership, combined with a rigorous stage-gate approach to de-risking, has consistently enabled projects to secure investment and regulatory approval.
At CPXP, Amit serves as Development Lead and Advisor, bringing his cross-sector experience, commercial acumen, and hands-on execution capabilities to accelerate the delivery of bankable green hydrogen infrastructure.
Dan Benoit, Project Finance Lead
Dan Benoit is a seasoned and accomplished financial professional with a proven track record of raising over $10 billion in infrastructure capital. His experience encompasses mergers and acquisitions, as well as business development and investment banking. Before working as an independent consultant, Dan was CIO at Brookfield Renewable and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Oshawa Power. Dan has successfully developed and executed financing strategies for a variety of businesses, with particular expertise in renewable energy, energy storage, and regulated electric utilities. Dan joins us as a consultant focussing on project finance, CIB and senior debt.
Richard Florizone, Customer Lead
Part scientist and part strategist, Richard has a track record of creating major partnerships to achieve transformative growth. He has provided trusted strategy and policy advice to senior leaders in public, private, and multilateral institutions for over two decades, including as CEO of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and President of Dalhousie University.
Richard previously served as Director of MDA Space and has held leadership and advisory roles with the Boston Consulting Group, Bombardier Aerospace, and the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from MIT and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
Michael Shadbolt, Advisor
Michael is a lawyer and renewable energy executive with extensive experience and a deep understanding of energy project development and financing issues. He has over 27 years of legal experience in the energy sector, specializing in global acquisitions and partnership transactions within the renewable energy industry. Michael provides advisory support to the CPXP team on matters including site contracts and customer agreements.
Rahul Saili, Vice President - Finance
Rahul Saili, CFA is an experienced energy specialist with over a decade in the sector. He most recently played a key role in launching the New Energy division of an international Energy Developer and advanced several of their energy transition initiatives. Prior to that, Rahul spent nine years in investment banking, advising on cross-border mergers and acquisitions within the energy industry. At CPXP, Rahul leads financial strategy and supports business development efforts, drawing on his strong commercial, financial and sectoral insights.
Partners & Advisors
GHD is a global, multidisciplinary professional services network providing clients with integrated solutions across advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction. We have worked with hydrogen for over 50 years, and in the last 10+ years, we have supported numerous low carbon hydrogen production, distribution and end use projects across the globe. GHD strongly supports our clients, such as CPXP, who are leading the development of clean hydrogen solutions to help heavy-emitting sectors reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
