Willem Beer has over 15 years of investment banking experience with a specific focus on the utility, power, clean energy and infrastructure sectors. Mr. Beer advises corporations and partnerships, project developers, energy technology firms, financial sponsors and government entities in the electric and gas utility, renewable and thermal power generation and emerging clean energy spaces on a wide range of strategic matters.
Mr. Beer’s notable transaction activity while at Centerview includes advising Duke Energy on its activist defense against Elliott, I Squared Capital and Atlantic Power on the $310mm sale of Curtis Palmer to Innergex and Hydro Quebec, Summit Utilities on its $2.2bn acquisition of CenterPoint’s Arkansas and Oklahoma Gas LDCs, Exelon on its separation into two publicly-traded companies, Duke on its $2.1bn sale of a 19.9% interest in Duke Energy Indiana to GIC, Evergy’s Strategic Review and Operations Committee on its review of strategic alternatives, Exelon on its proposal to acquire JEA, I Squared Capital on the $1.1bn sale of Cube Hydro Partners to Ontario Power Generation, SunPower’s Special Committee on its separation into two publicly-traded companies, P2 (Pattern Development) and Riverstone on the sale of P2 to CPP in combination with Pattern Energy, Williams Partners on the $2.1bn sale of its interest in the Geismar Olefins facility to NOVA Chemicals, TerraForm Power on the 51% sale to (and new sponsorship agreement with) Brookfield, TerraForm Global on its sale to Brookfield, JP Morgan IIF / Summit Utilities on the acquisition of Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corp, the Corporate Governance Committee of TerraForm Power on amending its acquisition of Vivint solar assets from SunEdison, the Unsecured Creditor Committee with respect to the restructuring of Energy Future Holdings.
In addition, Mr. Beer’s transaction activity outside the power and utility sector includes the sale of a majority interest in American Greetings to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
Prior to joining Centerview in 2015, Mr. Beer was a Vice President in the Power, Energy & Infrastructure group at Lazard, where he started his career.
Mr. Beer received his BS from New York University (Stern School of Business).