Matt is a co-founder of Silicon Ranch and served as CEO of the company until becoming Chairman in July 2019. As Chairman, Matt works closely with the company’s executive leadership to set and implement its ambitious growth strategy. Under his leadership, Silicon Ranch has become one of the fastest-growing developers, owners, and operators of solar energy plants in the U.S., with a portfolio that includes more than 1.6 Gigawatts of PV systems that are contracted, under construction, or operating coast to coast. Matt brings a unique background to Silicon Ranch having been a business owner and having served eight years as Tennessee Commissioner of Economic Development. He has also worked with industry leaders from across the U.S. and around the globe to bring investments and jobs to Tennessee. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Matt served 10 terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Philip Bredesen served as Tennessee’s Governor from 2003 until 2011 and Mayor of Nashville from 1991 until 1999. He is known for his bipartisan approach to problem-solving and his careful fiscal management. Among those who have served in senior elected positions, Governor Bredesen has a unique depth of healthcare experience in both the private and public sectors.

Prior to entering public service, Bredesen worked in the healthcare industry. Between research trips to the public library, he drafted a business plan at his kitchen table that led to the creation of HealthAmerica Corp. in 1980, a Nashville-based healthcare management company. The company eventually grew to more than 6,000 employees and was traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The company was sold in 1986. Additionally, Gov. Bredesen is considered a serial entrepreneur, having helped start and mentor several successful companies, many of which subsequently became publicly traded on various stock exchanges.    

Louise is responsible for managing Shell’s New Energies Business Finance team, which oversees the projects and investments for the business. The group is active in a diverse range of operations including Nature-Based Solutions, New Fuels, Connected Energy, Shell Technology Ventures, On- and Offshore Wind, and Solar.

Louise joined Shell in 2012 and has largely focused on M&A and Corporate Finance, firstly in the downstream business before moving to head up Corporate M&A. She has contributed to the success of many deals as part of Shell’s $30 billion divestment programme, including the sell-down of Shell’s equity stake in Woodside Petroleum in Australia and the break-up of Shell’s 50/50 Joint Venture in the U.S. with Saudi Aramco.

Before joining Shell, Louise spent most of her career working in investment banking in both London and Calgary, advising natural resources companies on strategic initiatives and executing M&A and capital raising transactions.

Boris has been part of the Energy transition for more than 20 years. Before joining Shell, Boris built a global project development and finance team for ET Capital, developed utility-scale projects in California for saferay, and led Q-Cells’ efforts to establish a successful EPC and O&M business in North America. Before his time in the renewables industry, Boris was a Manager in Accenture’s Utilities practice, where he oversaw projects in CRM and Distributed Generation.

Byron is a Managing Director of Mountain Group Partners, an investment firm dedicated to investing in and actively guiding transformational businesses in the Life Sciences and Technology sectors. Founded in 2002, Mountain Group Partners principals have invested in more than 30 seed and early stage companies in these sectors. Within technology, Mountain Group Partners’ investments focus on Business Services and Consumer & Healthcare, targeting those ideas with quantifiable development risk and a rapid path to market. 

Byron has also taught entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management and been an active angel and venture capital investor.