Global investment firm Carlyle announced today the appointment of former Goldman Sachs head of commodities research Jeff Currie as Chief Strategy Officer of Energy Pathways.

In the newly created role, Currie will have responsibility for analyzing commodity market trends and evaluating new investment opportunities across energy markets and the commodity supply chain central to the energy transition.

Currie served at Goldman Sachs for nearly three decades, and helped build the firm’s commodities business, and becoming one of the highest-profile commodity market strategists on Wall Street.

Currie said:

“I am excited to join Carlyle, a firm with a leading global energy franchise that is uniquely positioned to build these new energy pathways, and take advantage of this growing global opportunity across commodity markets.”

According to Carlyle, the new appointment comes as the energy transition enters a new phase, with the decarbonization of the global economy across requiring transitions across energy production, distribution, transportation, refining, efficiency, and end usage, spurring new energy pathways to balance energy availability, security, and affordability.

Carlyle Chief Executive Officer, Harvey Schwartz, said:

“The need to decarbonize our global economy is one of the most significant investment opportunities today. Jeff is a leading expert on global markets and commodities and his experience and insights will help us better address the unprecedented market dislocations arising from the global energy transition for the benefit of our investors.”

The firm stated that new role reflects its “ambition to deepen our capabilities in energy markets as we continue to pursue the significant global investment opportunities that arise from the energy transition.”

Marcel van Poecke, Chairman of Energy at Carlyle, and Pooja Goyal, Chief Investment Officer of Infrastructure and Head of Renewable and Sustainable Energy at Carlyle, added:

“Pursuing investment opportunities across the global energy transition requires a deep understanding of global commodity markets and the complex intersecting forces of energy availability, security, and affordability. We are thrilled to welcome Jeff who can add a further layer of analysis to aid our investment decision-making.”