Francesco Starace

Partner - EQT

Francesco Starace is a Partner at EQT, where he provides senior insight to support the infrastructure business line’s investment activity, portfolio companies and strategic initiatives.

With a career in the energy sector spanning over four decades, Francesco brings extensive international experience from senior leadership positions across the energy, engineering and infrastructure industries. Prior to joining Enel in 2000, he held several management roles at General Electric, ABB and Alstom Power Corporation across Italy, the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE. He later served as CEO of ABB Combustion Engineering Italia and subsequently as Head of Global Sales of the gas turbines division based in Baden, Switzerland.

At Enel, Francesco held a number of senior executive roles before becoming CEO and General Manager of Enel Green Power in 2008, where he successfully led the company’s IPO in 2010. From 2014 to 2023, he served as CEO and General Manager of Enel Group, driving the company’s transformation into one of the world’s largest renewable energy producers and operators of digitized electricity distribution grids, while accelerating the phase-out of fossil-fueled generation and the adoption of digital technologies.

Francesco currently serves as Chair of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Chair of the Board of the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative. He previously served two terms on the Board of Directors of the UN Global Compact from 2015 to 2021. He is also a Trustee of the American Academy in Rome and a member of the US-Italy Fulbright Commission Board.