BSSL Team
Paul Newman
Managing Director
Meet Paul Newman, our Managing Director at Brockwell Storage & Solar (BSSL). With a background in finance and extensive experience as part of the founding management team at Brockwell Energy, Paul leads our innovative initiatives in energy storage and solar solutions. His expertise in commercial structuring and financing, honed at KPMG and Hargreaves Services plc, drives our commitment to sustainability and innovation.
Ross Viner
Finance Director
Ross is a seasoned finance professional with over 14 years’ experience spanning large FTSE 100 businesses to VC backed start-ups, gaining exposure to a breadth of industries within the UK and internationally. In 2016 Ross joined Arenko building the finance function during the funding, build and operation of one of the UK’s first grid scale energy storage projects. This included developing the back and middle office functions to support trading of the asset across intra-day, day ahead and balancing mechanism markets. This created an in-depth understanding of the UK energy market and the challenges faced both commercially and operationally for assets supporting the transition to net zero. Prior to joining RNA Ross spent 18 months with 4Ways Healthcare, a teleradiology business, overseeing reporting for their recent acquisition by ECI Partners and senior debt re-financing.
Samuel Franklin
Finance Manager
Samuel is a Chartered Accountant (ACCA) and a qualified Accounting Technician (MAAT) with over 7 years of experience across diverse industries, including travel & tourism and the renewable energy sector. In 2018, Samuel joined Arenko, where he played a pivotal role in overseeing the reconciliation process for the trades within Arenko's portfolio of assets, spanning various markets. He also managed the day-to-day operations of the accounts team, ensuring the smooth execution of month-end processes. In January 2023, Samuel joined our team, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise gained in the renewable energy sector.
Herman Bayem
Technical Director
Herman joined RNA Energy in May 2022 and brings 18 years’ experience in R&D, Design Engineering and Project Delivery in the power system domain with an emphasis on renewable energy development and integration. Prior to joining RNA, Herman spent 18 months at Aggreko where he was leading the application engineering team responsible for the early design of hybrid microgrid systems. During the prior six years he was involved mostly in project delivery, deploying numerous wind farms and energy storage systems across Europe, first with Ecotricity and then with NEC Energy Solutions. He started his career as a research engineer focusing on renewable energy integration in power systems and subsequently as a grid interface representative owning the technical and contractual relationship between EDF and the transmission and distribution network operators in France. Herman holds an Engineering degree in Electrical Power Systems from the National Advanced School of Engineering of Yaounde, Cameroon and a PhD in Physics from University of Paris 11, France.
Gary Bird
Development Director
Gary has a long standing experience in project management and delivery. Prior to joining RNA Energy, Gary spent 9 years at Eco2 UK Ltd where he was responsible for pulling together major aspects of large biomass developments including grid connections, planning applications and environmental permitting to demanding schedules whilst demonstrating commercial awareness. Gary graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2006 with a BEng (Hons) in Environmental Engineering following a four year apprenticeship at Corus UK from 1997 to 2001 and has recently completed a part-time MSc in Climate Change at Birkbeck University.
Nicholas Andrews
DCO Project Development Manager
Nicholas leads multi-disciplinary teams through planning processes for nationally significant projects. In previous roles at global planning and engineering firms, he has helped public and private sector clients achieve excellent outcomes on transformational urban regeneration, transit-oriented development, public realm, renewable energy, and policy reform projects across Australia, the UAE, and the UK. Currently, he specializes in steering large-scale solar and storage projects through national planning pathways. Nicholas has expertise in planning, design, stakeholder engagement, and project management, and also teaches planning and design at global universities.
Alex Viney
Senior Project Developer (Land)
Alex made the move from the aviation industry in October 2020 and now specialises in client relationships and sourcing land for solar and battery storage projects. Alex has a passion for renewable energy and a keen interest in agriculture as her family has many years' experience in the farming industry.
Alex Ryan
Project Engineer
Alex joined RNA Energy in January 2022 and holds a bachelors degree and a masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from Trinity College Dublin. At masters level he specialised in computational methods of modelling aircraft noise. He has two years' experience in environmental engineering consultancy and during this time he has worked on projects related to the decarbonisation of both the transport and energy sectors. These include alternative-fuel bus trials for the Irish Department of Transport and biofuel schemes. He also has experience in the environmental impact assessment of infrastructure projects, residential developments and renewable energy developments, especially in relation to acoustics.
Jordan West
Senior Project Manager
Jordan joined BSSL in August 2024, bringing a wealth of experience in the renewable energy sector. He began his career in Australia, working with a company specialising in commercial rooftop solar, where he focused on grid connections and planning applications. As his career progressed, he took on an EPC role, gaining hands-on expertise in the procurement and management of installations. Jordan later transitioned to managing industrial-scale solar projects in the UK, overseeing all stages of development - from project initiation to ready-to-build status. With a strong background in planning, design, and project management, Jordan plays a key role in driving successful project outcomes at BSSL.