PIA, an advisory with a purpose
PIA was born in November 2020. Our purpose is to provide quality expertise to support our clients develop infrastructure, that mitigate the climate emergency and contribute to human progress.
Ms. Aljounaidi, our founding partner, observed that the lack of quality expertise, is hindering the timely development of green infrastructure.
PIA's proposal is to provide a comprehensive knowledge of infrastructure projects to inform its clients on technology, design, revenue generation, regulatory and economics to support them through tendering, contracting and financing.
Meet The Team
Lamis Aljounaidi started her career in 2006 and gained an experience in infrastructure development and economics with a focus on renewables and networks.
Through her employment with DFIs (Agence Française de Développement, the World Bank) and with the French Energy Regulator (CRE), she has been involved in a large number of infrastructure projects financing and multiple financing instruments. She has also contributed to high stakes tariff and regulatory decisions.
After setting-up, accompanying the growth and leading Tractebel Engineering France's advisory practice from 2015 to 2020, Lamis set up PIA as a response to the market's need for dedicated multidisciplinary expertise to support the transition to low carbon infrastructure.
Lamis's strength lies in her multidisciplinary approach to infrastructure projects : the markets in which they are integrated, their economics, the technical features that allow them to respond to market needs and generate revenue, their financials and the financials of their off-takers, their contracts and their counterparts.
Throughout the first part of her career, she contributed to 50 infrastructure projects in Europe, MENA, Central Asia and Africa, half of which successfully reached financial close.
Lamis taught macroeconomics and energy economics at Sciences-Po Paris, Hydropower Projects Financing at CentraleSupelec and Financing of major energy projects at Ecole des Ponts ParisTech. She has an engineering degree from Ecole Polytechnique (X02) and from Ecole des Ponts Paristech (Ponts 06) and a masters degree in development finance from Sciences-Po Paris (Sciences-Po M 07).
Lamis Aljounaidi
Founder
Passionate about green infrastructure and affordable energy and water services
Lamis is well trusted by her former clients and employers
Meet our Network of Highly Skilled Experts
Taoufik has 35+ years of experience in the electricity sector at the national office of electricity and water in Morocco (ONEE) where he held the positions of Director of Planning & Strategy, Director of Renewable Energies, and Director of IPP projects. He has been closely involved in electrical interconnections with neighboring countries (Spain and Algeria).
Prior to that, Taoufik worked at EDF (in France), in the Studies and Research Department in Clamart.
As a consultant, Taoufik has carried out several assistance and consultancy missions with different institutions such as ADB, World Bank, MCC, ESCWA, GIZ, SDF, as well as large companies operating in the construction and development of energy infrastructures.
He also teaches power sector planning and hydroelectric production processes to 3rd year students at the Ecole Centrale de Casablanca and the Université Polytechnique Mohammed VI de Benguerir.
Taoufik Laabi
Power sector institutions, planning and renewables
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Michael Schack
Low carbon utility services
Michael has 30 years of experience in the industrial groups ENGIE, in varied management positions in both France & Germany. As well as 8 years at Air Liquide, in the R&D and commercial units in France & Japan.
At ENGIE Michael was Director of Heating and Cooling Networks. He took responsibility for the Business Development support of green mobility, decentralized energy and sustainable cities, especially in emerging countries.
Since early 2022, Michael has assumed the role as a Business Angel and a consultant in energy transition projects. On the side he is working with his local city council to reach carbon neutrality by 2038.
Michael Schack is binational French/German engineer. Michael is a graduate of Ecole Polytechnique de Paris and holds a PhD in solid state physics.
Maryse is a senior leader in hydropower and renewable energy with more than 35 years of experience. She gained her strong expertise by working at Alstom and General Electric. She was involved in most of the key projects; including many Pumped storage hydro projects, wind offshore, tidal projects, concentrated solar and has a good understanding of new renewable and grid evolution.
As a senior executive, she gained experience on strategic vision, market intelligence, economic analysis, project optimization and management of large project (international teams, consortium)
Since 2020, Maryse participates to advisory board and works as senior consultant for hydro project.
Maryse is graduate from Ecole Polytechnique de Paris and Sciences-Po Paris
Maryse Francois
Hydropower and storage
Benjamin Sternkopf
Battery storage
Benjamin is an electrical engineer with over 10 years of direct experience in energy storage (BESS).
He was involved with the first commercial utility-scale storage system in Europe - WEMAG Schwerin. He brings in a vast international experience as a system and storage engineer for BESS in the UK, Mexico, US, China, South Korea.
Since 2015, Benjamin has been freelancing, offering assistance in energy storage projects. He has helped build BESS departments (e.g. trainings, on job trainings, backstopping) and contributed to the adaption of products for BESS (e.g. power converters, BMS)
Benjamin has a Dipl.-Ing. (German equivalent to MSc) in electrical engineering at RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
How We Work: Our Network
As a young start-up, PIA is supported by its long term partners
Leading firms
Engineering, Finance, Law
We collaborate with leading firms to fulfill the needs of our clients.
Our multidisciplinary approach is supplemented by our partners' in-depth expertise
Seasoned experts
Our network of experts provides us with unparalleled understanding of project challenges, acquired through career-long employment with DFIs, Regulators and European and African utilities
Engineering talent agencies
Developing the multidisciplinary talents needed to accelerate the low carbon transition is integral to our purpose.
Our partners support our growth by presenting promising young talent
Our Values
Client centricity
It's about Your project, Your constraints and Your values
Flexibility
We adapt to your constraints
Competence
The know-how required to get your project to the next stage
Trustworthiness
Honesty, reliability and integrity are pillars of our purpose
Collaboration
We work with you and your partners to get things done
Impact driven
We help you create value