Vitol today announces it has appointed Eduard Ruijs to the newly-created role of Head of Transition. Eduard will join Vitol from BlackRock, where he was a Managing Director and Head of EMEA – BlackRock Global Infrastructure Funds.
As Head of Transition, Eduard will oversee the development of Vitol’s growing portfolio of transitional and sustainable investments. To date, Vitol has committed over $2bn to identified sustainable projects and has an extensive pipeline of new projects currently under review.
Today’s portfolio comprises a range of activities and geographies; from renewable generation to biogas, methane capture and the electrification of transport. In addition to optimising its performance, Eduard will lead the portfolio’s future development, identifying promising new technologies and developments that fit strategically with Vitol’s core energy business.
Eduard has many years’ experience in infrastructure and energy. He began his career at Kearney before moving to The Boston Consulting Group and NIBC Infrastructure Partners. In 2011 he joined First Reserve Corporation as a managing director focused on the energy sector, before moving to BlackRock in 2017.
Russell Hardy, CEO, Vitol said: “We are pleased to welcome Eduard to Vitol. We are focused on positioning Vitol for the energy transition and investing in the world’s future energy needs. Eduard’s experience and understanding of the energy and infrastructure sectors will be key to building the success of this growing portfolio.”
Eduard Ruijs, added: “The success of the energy transition will require huge investment from both the private and public sector. I am delighted to be joining Vitol, the largest independent trader of energy to drive this new and exciting part of the business forward.”
Eduard will join Vitol in May and be based in the London office.
About Vitol
Vitol is a leader in the energy sector with a presence across the spectrum: from oil through to power, renewables and carbon.
Vitol’s clients include national oil companies, multinationals, leading industrial companies and utilities. Vitol serves clients from some 40 offices worldwide. It is invested in energy assets globally including: 16 m m3 of storage globally, 500 k b/d of refining capacity, over 6,400 service stations and a growing portfolio of transitional and renewable energy assets. To date it has committed over $2.2 bn of capital to sustainable energy initiatives worldwide. In addition to a sizeable presence in renewable generation, Vitol is investing in initiatives to decarbonize other uses of energy, such as renewable gas for transport, the electrification of fleet vehicles, hydrogen and RNG for pipeline gas, as well as carbon capture and storage for heavy industry. Revenues in 2021 were $279 billion.