Climate tech-focused venture capital investor Clean Energy Ventures (CEV) announced the appointment of Dr. Charlotte Kirk as Investment Principle for the launch of the firm’s European presence through its new London office.

Founded in 2017, CEV invests in companies commercializing disruptive and capital-light advanced energy technologies and business model innovations that can reshape how energy is produced and consumed, and can achieve significant scale by taking advantage of market-driven forces to address global climate disruption. Criteria for each investment include a capability of mitigating at least 2.5 gigatons of CO2e emissions cumulatively between the initial investment and 2050.

The new appointment follows the closing earlier this year of CEV’s second flagship fund, raising $305 million, and targeting the mitigation of 75 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Alongside the closing, CEV announced the establishment of a London office, with plans to bring its strategy to climate technology entrepreneurs across Europe.

In a social media post announcing the appointment, Kirk said:

“Excited to launch Clean Energy Ventures European presence, as our new office in London. Through our latest $305 million fund, we now back the best companies & strongest teams on both sides of the Atlantic – across the US and here in Europe.”

Kirk joins CEV from Australian iron ore producer Fortescue, where she served as Head of Technology, and as a founding member of the company’s venture capital fund, where she led multiple investments into industrial transformation-focused renewable energy solutions. In her new role, Kirk will help drive CEV’s European growth, according to the firm, helping to lead investment strategy, technical due diligence, deal execution and portfolio support.

CEV Co-Founder and Managing Partner Daniel Goldman said:

“The breadth and depth of Charlotte’s technical and commercial expertise, coupled with her strong network of collaborators across the global energy and climate tech ecosystem, will help supercharge CEV’s investments across all corners of the globe.”