Energy Capital & Power Appoints James Chester as CEO

Energy Capital & Power (ECP), Africa’s leading energy investment platform, has announced the appointment of James Chester as Chief Executive Officer, effective June 26, 2024.

As Co-Founder and Senior Director at ECP, Chester brings extensive experience in events, strategic communications, custom publishing, and investment promotion across Africa’s fastest-growing markets. Chester has led key projects such as the South Sudan Oil & Power conference – ECP’s longest-running event – and the Libya Energy & Economic Summit, collaborating closely with government and private sector stakeholders to highlight national investment opportunities and achieve measurable results.

Chester has also played a pivotal role in connecting American companies to African investment opportunities through the inaugural US-Africa Energy Forum in 2021 and subsequent events in Houston, including the Angola Oil & Gas networking event earlier this year. As CEO, he will continue to innovate and develop new strategies to attract global capital, knowledge, and technology to Africa's energy sector, adapting to the evolving energy investment landscape and driving growth and development in the industry.

“We are thrilled to appoint James Chester as CEO, given his longstanding commitment to the company, robust financial acumen and in-depth market knowledge. Having led ECP projects in South Sudan, Libya and the US – as well as played an active role in each of our departments – James knows the business inside and out and will undoubtedly infuse new spirit and direction to our existing product and service offerings,” says Kelly-Ann Mealia, ECP Chairperson.

The appointment comes as ECP executes a dynamic 2024 events calendar including the Angola Oil & Gas conference in Luanda on October 2-3; MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power conference in Dakar on December 3-4; African Energy Week in Cape Town on November 4-8, organized in partnership with the African Energy Chamber and the Libya Energy & Economic Summit in Tripoli on January 18-19, 2025.

“It is an honor to lead ECP into its next chapter of success, with a focus on aligning our strategic vision and advancing Africa’s energy sector progress. I look forward to bringing new partners on board, expanding audience reach and evaluating how we can better serve the markets in which we operate,” notes Chester.