Grain LNG, a 50/50 joint venture between Centrica plc (“Centrica”) and Energy Capital Partners (“ECP”), announces the appointment of energy veteran Peter Abdo as Chief Executive Officer effective October 1st.
Abdo is an accomplished energy executive with more than 30 years of experience across the global LNG, natural gas, power and commodities markets. He most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer, LNG and Global Origination at Uniper, where he led the company’s global LNG activities, including trading, origination and shipping. During his tenure, Abdo played a significant role in Uniper’s response to the disruption of Russian pipeline gas supplies and the development of alternative LNG supply arrangements for the German economy.
Prior to joining Uniper in 2017, Abdo spent approximately a decade at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Commodities, where he served as a Senior Managing Director. Over the course of his career, he has worked across Europe, Asia and the United States and has developed extensive relationships throughout the international energy and LNG markets.
“Peter is a highly respected leader with a wealth of knowledge across the global LNG market and a proven track record of building and managing complex international energy businesses,” said Martin Scargill, Chair of the Grain LNG Board of Directors and MD of Centrica’s gas infrastructure arm. “His commercial expertise, strategic perspective and customer focused mindset make him the ideal person to lead Grain LNG through its next phase of growth.”
“Grain LNG is a world-class infrastructure asset with an exceptional team committed to safely supporting the United Kingdom’s energy security,” said Matt Delaney, member of the Grain LNG Board of Directors and Partner at ECP. “We are thrilled to have Peter lead Grain’s talented employee base and build on the strong foundation we have at Grain.”
“I am delighted to join Grain LNG and to have the opportunity to lead one of Europe’s most critical energy infrastructure businesses,” Peter Abdo said. “I am especially excited to work alongside Grain’s talented employees, build on Grain’s strong reputation for safety and reliability and collaborate with Grain’s best in class investors in the infrastructure and global energy space. Together, we will build on the terminal’s strong foundations and continue delivering the highest standards of safety. With LNG infrastructure and prime location at its core, we will in parallel seek avenues for growth by diversifying Grain’s strategic capabilities to serve customers across the value chain.
Simon Culkin, Grain’s current Managing Director, will be stepping down from his Managing Director role on August 14th while Peter Abdo will become CEO effective October 1st. Richard Ozsanlav, CFO, will become interim CEO for the interim period. During his tenure, Culkin played an instrumental role in the development of Grain from its earliest stages into Europe’s largest LNG import terminal. His deep commitment to the business, its people, its customers and the communities in which Grain operates has left an enduring legacy.
“On behalf of the Board and shareholders, we would like to thank Simon for his invaluable contributions to Grain LNG,” said Martin Scargill. “Simon’s dedication and leadership have been critical to Grain’s growth over the years.”
