The Cleantech Group(TM) today announced the establishment of its
European headquarters in London with the appointment of Torsten Merkel
to European director. In his new role, Mr. Merkel will accelerate the
growth of the cleantech community throughout Europe. The opening of
the London office comes less than two months after the opening of
Cleantech China(TM) in Beijing.
"This is a clear signal of our commitment to expand our coverage
across all asset classes in Europe, while increasing capital flows and
accelerating the adoption of cleantech globally," said Nicholas
Parker, chairman and co-founder of the Cleantech Group(TM). "We have
been expanding our reach in Europe over the past three years through
our European Cleantech Forums(TM), the Cleantech Group's European
Advisory board and our membership services, so Torsten will be in a
strong position to meet the growing needs of the European investor,
corporate and entrepreneurial communities in the coming years."
Mr. Merkel brings extensive experience to his new position with
the Cleantech Group. Most recently he was conference manager for
Euromoney Energy Events, where he managed a global portfolio of
renewable energy finance events including business development,
research, marketing and program development. He is fluent in German,
English and Russian and has a working knowledge of French and Hindi.
"The Cleantech Group(TM) is the premier organization connecting
cleantech innovation and capital in Europe and I am delighted to join
at a time when this sector is experiencing significant growth and
attracting mainstream investors," said Mr. Merkel.
Mr. Merkel will be available at Cleantech Forum(TM) XIII, the
largest gathering of top-tier cleantech investors, innovators and
thought leaders in Europe. The Cleantech Forum(TM) XIII is being held
in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 14-16, www.cleantech.com/frankfurt.
Cleantech Group(TM), LLC
The Cleantech Group(TM) LLC provides insight, opportunities and
builds relationships that catalyze and accelerate the growth of
cleantech markets globally. The Cleantech Group(TM) family of
companies are the founders of the cleantech investment category and
bring investors, executives, thought leaders, policy makers, and
entrepreneurs together to facilitate the growth of cleantech globally
through six business units; the Cleantech Venture Network(R),
Cleantech Advisors(TM), Cleantech Indices(TM), Cleantech Search(TM),
Cleantech China(TM), and Cleantech Innovation Institute(TM). Since
introducing cleantech as a viable investment thesis in 2002, the
efforts of the Cleantech Group(TM) companies have spawned a new
investment class with an annual growth rate exceeding 50%, with more
than $3.5 billion in venture capital invested in North America and
Europe in 2006.