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Sandhya Ganapathy has lived and worked worldwide, gaining first-hand exposure to multiple cultures, religions and perspectives.
It's a fair supposition she understands the message ecologist Barry Commoner advanced in his pathbreaking 1971 book, The Closing Circle — that "everything connects to everything else."
"Life is not always black and white. For me, it's always shades of gray," she said.
Sandhya, a passionate proponent of clean energy, is the CEO of EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) and a member of the Management Team of EDP Renewables (EDPR).
EDPR is a global leader in renewable energy and the world's fourth-largest wind energy producer. Working there, Sandhya said, is a chance to constantly uncover new ways to put "seed into the ground" — and "harness the powers of the sun and the wind and make a difference for a better tomorrow."
Sandhya joined EDPR in 2012 as Head of Investments and Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) North America. It was a pivot from her earlier roles in banking. "I wanted to be where the world was moving towards in terms of not only energy but also focus and infrastructure investment. And then I started thinking about renewables, obviously," she recalled.
"Many of us had ambitions when we were small. I had my baby steps, and I'm glad where things eventually landed," she said.
From 2017 to her CEO appointment in early 2022, she served as Global Head of Investments and M&A, responsible for M&A, investment and capital allocation decisions, and asset rotation for EDPR across its geographies. She was also a member of EDPR's investment committee.
Sandhya has extensive experience in renewable energy evaluations, leading acquisitions and evaluating investments enabling geographical and asset class diversification. She ran EDPR's asset rotation or self-financing strategy, putting herself at the helm of one of the company's core income generators and critical enablers of future growth.
Before joining EDPR, Sandhya worked as an investment banker for more than a decade with regional and global banks across multiple geographies. She holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon and is a Chartered Accountant from India.
Today's podcast explores how this ambitious woman from a small city in India's southernmost state of Kerala is making a big impact on the global clean energy stage.
Sandhya grew up in Kochi, also known as Cochin, a coastal city
widely known as the "Queen of Arabian Sea." It offers international travelers opportunities to catch glimpses of life across the centuries, from pre-history through the modern era.
"It's where the Western world discovered India. The Portuguese explorer, Vasco de Gama, landed very near my hometown. I had a lot of influences growing up, and you will find this in different parts of India. There is always the influence of the West and influence from the Persians. It's very intercultural. I also went to a Catholic school and had that perspective. This experience makes one much more global," she said.
Sandhya was born into a "family of accountants." So even though her mother wanted her to become a physician, and she took a combination of economics, business, accounting, and law during her university days, she ultimately followed the family path.
"The Chartered Accountancy program in India is not solely focused on accounting, which is the beauty of it. There is so much of taxation that we study and a lot of auditing and law. Personally, my affinity was always towards law," she said.
The law background gave her excellent preparation in argument, which is incredibly important in negotiating and cleared the way for her later role as a self-described "deal junkie."
"Depending on what kind of deal you do, it takes between three to nine months, sometimes a year. And when you finish a deal, there are 60 seconds of absolute bliss. I've always chased those 60 seconds of absolute bliss, and so I truly believe I'm a deal junkie," she said.
I invite you to listen to the podcast to hear more about Sandhya's path from India through Pittsburgh to Houston, where she currently lives and works. It's a fascinating journey that landed her exactly where she said she's thrilled to be — at the forefront of the clean energy revolution.
BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
NOTEWORTHY QUOTE:
“Depending on what kind of deal you do, it takes between three to nine months, sometimes a year. And when you finish a deal, there are 60 seconds of absolute bliss. I’ve always chased those 60 seconds of absolute bliss, and so I truly believe I’m a deal junkie.”
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ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 16-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
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