Solarcity appoints new Chief Financial Officer
New Zealand’s leading solar energy services
company appoints new Chief Financial
Officer
Matthew Ward
Auckland, 20 April 2020 – solarcity, New
Zealand’s leading solar energy services company has today
appointed Matthew Ward as Chief Financial Officer.
For the past eleven years Matthew was CFO at NZX-listed Oceania Healthcare where he led the company through its $200m Initial Public Offering in 2017. Matthew also brings experience in capital markets and banking, undertaking mergers and acquisitions while at Macquarie Bank.
As CFO at solarcity Matthew will lead the company’s financial and commercial performance, ensuring the business can effectively respond to opportunities and risks to meet its strategic goals and deliver on its vision.
"It’s a great time to be joining solarcity and I'm looking forward to being part of helping to achieve the company’s vision for a Grid for Good in New Zealand. I’m excited to be joining the Executive Team at a pivotal time for the company, and a crucial time for New Zealand, as we navigate our way through the current crisis into a brighter and more sustainable future. Despite the obvious challenges that it presents for the economy, it also provides a unique opportunity to gain clarity on the drivers of commercial performance and profitability and assess how we are creating value for our customers."
Neil Cowie, CEO of solarcity says, “We are extremely excited to have someone with Matthew's experience join the business. Matthew has an outstanding record of achievement and a proven track record in capital markets as well as the finance and banking sector which our business will greatly benefit from. I am delighted to welcome Matthew to the solarcity team and look forward to his contribution to our successful future."
Matthew is a commercial CFO with a strategic growth mindset who thrives in customer and people focussed environments. Matthew’s initial focus will be ensuring the business remains resilient and continues to anticipate and adapt to what matters most to its customers, staff and other stakeholders.
About solarcity
solarcity is New Zealand’s
leading solar energy services company. Over the past 35+
years it has put more solar systems on Kiwi homes and
businesses than any other company. It was the first solar
company in the world to achieve Toitū carbonzero
certification and is still the only solar energy services
business in NZ with that green credential. Independently
audited and respected worldwide, Toitū carbonzero is a
significant endorsement of solarcity’s commitment to
sustainability and the environment. Additionally, solarcity
is one of the fastest growing green companies in New Zealand
and is one of the Government’s Focus 500 companies that
are targeted to contribute significant benefits to the New
Zealand economy. solarcity is backed by Sir Stephen
Tindall’s K1W1 investment fund and the nation’s oldest
private equity fund, Pencarrow. An award winning financing
mechanism developed by solarcity and Westpac locks in a
fixed, low cost, inflation free price for solar energy over
a 20 year term, which removes any and all technology
risk.
www.solarcity.co.nz
About solarZero
solarZero
is a smart solar energy service which allows homeowners to
power their homes by streaming the sun’s energy and
converting to usable electricity - at a price which can be
up to 30% cheaper than buying electricity from the grid.
This unique solar energy service requires no upfront costs,
users only pay for their energy consumption. The hardware
of the system remains the property of solarcity, who manage
the installation, maintenance and servicing (while the
homeowner enjoys the benefits without the investment). The
solarZero system comprises of solar panels and a smart
Panasonic storage battery - allowing stored power to be
accessed even when the sun isn’t shining.
www.solarcity.co.nz/solarzero