ACO Team
Hari Achuthan – Chairman and CEO
Hari Achuthan is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of each of ACO Investment Group (ACO), Convalt Energy, Oxaio Networks and DigiCollect. ACO is the parent investment holding company of its portfolio companies including Convalt Energy, Oxaio Networks and DigiCollect. Convalt Energy founded by Hari Achuthan, is a developer and owner of renewable energy assets including solar, waste to power, wind, energy storage, power transmission and EV charging. Convalt is currently active in S.E Asia, India, Africa, and the United States. Convalt is currently planning to construct a solar panel manufacturing plant in Watertown, New York potentially making this plant the third largest solar module manufacturer in the United States.
DigiCollect, also founded by Hari Achuthan has built a fully digital ERP platform and proprietary applications for the power sector. These applications along with licensed patents from Oak Ridge National Labs and University of Tennessee provide the next generation smart grid technologies that are going to be absolutely critical for grid modernization and autonomous grid management with eventual switch to 100% renewable generation. Oxaio Networks is currently developing backbone ISP infrastructure in Myanmar and soon will be expanding its efforts in the United States and Africa with a core focus on quantum computing technologies.
Prior to founding ACO and Convalt, Hari was a Director at Credit Suisse Asset Management in the Alternative Investment group, where he covered hedge fund, real estate and private equity strategies. Prior to his role at Credit Suisse Asset Management, he worked at Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, where he led the group’s global pension strategy and transition management business providing cross asset solutions for public and corporate pension funds, sovereign funds and insurance companies.
In 2009, Hari was selected as one of the emerging leaders at Credit Suisse Asset Management and named one of the “Rising Stars in Public Pensions” by Money Management Letter. During his tenure at Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, the firm was consistently ranked as a top provider of pension strategies and transition management services. Hari has a B.S. in Applied Economics from Hofstra University and was a member of the Hofstra Football team from 1991 – 1994.
He has volunteered with the Jacksonville Police Athletic League and has been a frequent guest lecturer at Louisiana State University School of Business. Hari has also authored a series of papers on the transition management industry which have been published in Institutional Investor and Pensions & Investments.
Clas Rönnlöv – Director
Clas Rönnlov is a Director at ACO Investment Group and a Director of Corporate Finance at Convalt Energy. Clas is a former Citigroup executive who has spent more than 27 years at Citigroup as a senior banker. His experiences include being Citi Country Officer and Managing Director for Citi in Sweden from 2006 – 2014. Clas was also the Citi Corporate Officer and Managing Director with full P&L responsibility, as well as responsible for marketing, risk, compliance and control and overseeing all of Citi’s operations in Sweden.
From 2004 – 2014, Clas was head of Banking and responsible for marketing Citi’s products to Swedish clients globally while also performing the role of Risk Officer with sign off for all Swedish clients. Clas was educated at Stockholm University where he completed his degree in Macroeconomics in 1987. Clas was on the board of Swedish Banker’s Association from 2008 – 2014, American Chamber of Commerce since 2012, Ivaldi, Ivaldi Master, MSK and Armas since 2012 and GotaTraneberg Ice Hockey Club from 2008 – 2014.
Christopher Korzonkiewicz – Chief Administrative Officer
Christopher Korzonkiewicz is the Chief Administrative Officer at ACO Investment Group and Convalt Energy. Prior to joining ACO, Chris was employed at TIG Advisors as a senior trader where he was responsible for the execution of equities, futures, derivatives, commodities, and foreign exchange. He collaborated and co-built a global centralized trading desk and co-designed portfolio software that was applied throughout the firm.
Previously, Chris had worked at the New York Mercantile Exchange trading energy products where he managed an alpha generation strategy in energy futures. From 2006 to 2008, he was a global equity trader for Cotton Hall Asset Management. During the firm’s inception, he established and managed the operations and back office. Prior to joining Cotton Hall Asset Management, he was employed by Tiedemann Investment Group which he joined in August 2000.
He has vast experience in the global equity markets including arbitrage related deals. Chris has an MBA in Finance and a B.S. in Accounting from Hofstra University. He played four years of Division I Lacrosse while attending the university. Additionally, he holds a Certificate in Financial Risk Management from New York University. Chris is a dual citizen of both the United States and Switzerland.
Wins Tunnitisupawong – Senior Vice President
Wins Tunnitisupawong is a Vice President of Business Development for South East Asia at ACO Investment Group and is a Director of Convalt Energy, a subsidiary of ACO’s portfolio company. Wins will be focusing on the business growth and strategies of Convalt Energy within Southeast Asia. Prior to joining ACO Investment Group, Wins held multiple management roles within the energy and electrical distribution sectors with the most recent as General Manager of Rexel Thailand.
Initially starting his career through GE’s Commercial Leadership Program in 2002, he went on hold commercial and management positions at GE Industrial Systems, GE Energy, GE Supply and Rexel. Throughout his career Wins specialized in utilizing variable frequency drives, solar and LED lighting technologies to support utilities, architectural engineering firms, oil & gas companies and EPC companies, to maximize energy efficiency for their customers. Wins holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle, U.S.A and an MBA in International Business from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Emmanuel Yapo – Principal Investment Officer
Emmanuel Yapo joined Convalt Energy and its parent company ACO Investment Group as an Investment Principal. His main focus will be in deal structuring and origination. Emmanuel has been investing in infrastructure for more than 10 years. He worked at Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets Inc. (MIRA), Macquarie’s US infrastructure investment platform, and Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation (MIC), a NYSE-listed infrastructure fund focusing on transportation and energy infrastructure assets in the United States.
He executed more than $1.5 billion of investments and $1.0 billion of leveraged recapitalization in the aviation infrastructure sector. He also served as Director of Corporate Development at MIC’s aviation infrastructure and airport services’ portfolio company. Prior to Macquarie, he worked in financial planning and analysis at General Electric and auditing at Mazars Group. Emmanuel holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a MSc from ESCP Europe. Emmanuel graduated from General Electric’s Financial Management Program. Emmanuel also is a Senior Adviser to Aquamarine Investment Partners.
Thirumoorthy Ramachandran – Managing Director
Thirumoorthy Ramachandran is a Managing Director of ACO Investment Group and head of Convalt Energy’s India operations. Thiru has over 30 years of experience in the power sector in India. He also serves as a renewable sector advisor for Larsen & Toubro, one of the largest EPC firms in India.
He has sourced more than 15 solar transactions for his previous employer, Sterling & Wilson, a company owned by the Shapoorji Pallonji Group. He has developed an extensive network across India in the power sector and has delivered power solutions for corporate and government entities.
Jay Dhaliwal – Senior Vice President
Jay Dhaliwal is a Senior Vice President at ACO Investment Group He is also a Director and Corporate Secretary for ACO’s portfolio companies domiciled in Singapore namely: Convalt Energy, DigiCollect and Oxaio Networks. Jay has over 18 years of professional experience having held multiple management roles with experiences in Portfolio Management, Finance and Resource & Energy Markets. Initially starting his career as a Consultant within the superannuation and pension fund industry with WestPac Group – Asgard in 2003. From 2005-2017, He moved on to take on Commercial and Major Infrastructure Project Management roles with Citic $9.6 Billion Sino Iron project and managed sustaining capital PMO Portfolio for BHP Billiton Iron Ore. Jay has also been a Commercial Controller of one of the world’s largest natural gas project–$54 Billion Chevron Gorgon LNG and Thai National Oil Company – PTTEP in Australasia
He has also built an extensive network throughout his career with in-depth understanding of Transformational Technology Innovation, Major Infrastructure Projects and the Renewables Market Industry.
Jay holds a BCom in Accounting & Finance –Distinction in Finance Portfolio Management and Technologies from Curtin University – Australia. Additionally, He also holds a Professional Certificate in Project Management.
Chufeng Vachoima – Project Coordinator
Chufeng is the Project Coordinator at ACO Investment Group and Convalt Energy based in Lao PDR. Chufeng received a Bachelor degree in Economics from Australia. After graduating from University, he began working as a project officer at the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime Project on ‘Increasing food security and promoting small farmer enterprise development’. In this role, he had a considerable amount of responsibilities. He actively participated in and assisted the implementation of activities to ensure its success. He also contributed to the design and evaluation of project’s activities including establishing micro finance, forming small business and production groups, and linking the groups to market.
Previously, he joined the United Nations World Food Programme as a Programme Assistant where he collaborated with local government agencies in designing and implementing the School Meals Programme. Apart from working with the United Nations agencies, Chufeng also has experience working for the government when he joined the National Statistic center in 2005. There, he contributed to the 2005 population census where he was responsible for data modification.
Chufeng is a Lao citizen and will be supporting Convalt Energy LLC’s office in Laos.
Nguyen Trong Nguyen – Country Representative, Vietnam
Mr. Nguyen Trong Nguyen(pronounced Win Win) has more than 35 years of professional experience in architectural design and planning, industrial design, social services, community development, mainstream politics, policy formulation, business strategy, real estate, infrastructure, aviation navigation, aviation infrastructure, renewable energy, high technology solution development, finance and investment project development of which 20 years are dedicated for the development of businesses and projects in Vietnam.
Nguyen Nguyen is currently the Vietnam Representative for ACO Investment Group focused on development of renewable energy projects and “Smart City” infrastructure development via its portfolio companies Convalt Energy, Oxaio Networks and DigiCollect. Nguyen Nguyen is also the Vietnam Representative of The MITRE Corporation, a non-profit corporation specializing in aviation technology and air traffic solutions. Since 2009, Nguyen Nguyen has been the Vietnam partner responsible for Asia operations at AIRIS International Holdings, LLC headquartered in Houston, Texas, a private corporation specializing in aviation infrastructure development. Nguyen Nguyen is also the founder of Anson Limited and Cando Co., Ltd. in Vietnam with business activities in trading, investment consulting service, real-estate, project development and government relations. Mr. Nguyen was the former Executive Officer of the Overseas Vietnamese Business Club (OVBC) with offices in Ho Chi Minh, Ha Noi, Can Tho and Vung Tau cities of Viet Nam, and is a member of the Business Association of Overseas Vietnamese / BAOOV with activities spanning globally. Nguyen Nguyen also served on the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi for the 2012 term.
Before returning to Viet Nam to live and work, Mr. Nguyen was the first appointed Vietnamese-American Commissioner on Community &Economic Development in the USA for the City & County of San Francisco and a Senior Consultant policy staff to the California State Senate as well as Director of several community-based organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA.
Nguyen Nguyen is trained in architecture, industrial design, mental health and youth counseling at the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco State University and Presbyterian Pacific Medical Center (Dr. Don Cohon) in San Francisco, USA respectively. He is fluent in English, Vietnamese and French.
Ysabel Métais Tilloy - General Counsel
Ysabel Métais Tilloy is the General Counsel of ACO Investment Group and its portfolio companies including Convalt Energy. Ysabel has almost 20 years of professional experience as a lawyer, advising companies in business and contract law, intellectual property law (copyright and trademark) and information technology including Internet, e-commerce and data protection. Her practice encompassed transactional as well as litigation matters.
She holds a J.D. in Tax and Business law, cum laude (University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas - 1998) and a Post-graduate Master’s degree in Artistic, Literary and Industrial Property law (University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas - 1999) and was admitted to the Paris Bar.
Prior to joining ACO and Convalt, she worked with well-known US, UK and French law firms in Paris, such as August & Debouzy or DLA Piper, where she advised and represented major players in varied service and consumer goods industries, including banking, software, video game, e-commerce, luxury, hotels, airlines, retail apparel, medical services, press and media, film and entertainment sectors. She also worked for the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly in New York.
Ysabel is a dual citizen of both Switzerland and France. She speaks French, English and Spanish.
Hitesh Patel – Operating Executive of ACO Investment Group
Hitesh Patel is a Partner and an Operating Executive of ACO Investment Group. Hitesh is a strategic and proactive leader with over 30 years of experience in building and directing globally renowned organizations through the implementation of proven strategies to ensure consistent growth and long-term fiscal success. As a promising and talented aeronautics focused engineer with Continental Airlines at the beginning of his career, he was selected as the Director of Technical Operations at JetBlue Airways in New York at the inception of this now successful airline.
In 2004, Hitesh was recruited to lead the operations and launch of Kingfisher Airlines in India as Executive Vice President. In 2013, Veling Aircraft Leasing in Mauritius selected Hitesh as Chief Executive Officer where he played a pivotal role in the reinforcement of company architecture, the development and implementation of novel policies, and the mentorship of the Veling Aircraft team in preparation for future expansion.
Through a stellar record in the administration of P&L aspects, derivation and execution of MM$ budgets, and oversight of mergers & acquisitions, Hitesh is regarded as a visionary in large-scale start up efforts and global leader within the aviation industry. This expertise extends to operational management, fiscal planning, business development, management of fleets, and marketing & sales.
Throughout his career, Hitesh has received recognition for his thoughtful leadership & refined decision-making in the development of teams across the globe with proven success in bringing meaningful change across integral operational domains. In navigating convoluted business requirements, identifying performance gaps, and further constructing strategic initiatives, he has been able to grow businesses onto a global platform. With a proven track-record in personally fostering productive partnerships and alliances with industry leaders and in building consensus across multiple organizational hierarchies, Hitesh has demonstrated unparalleled expertise in communication reinforced by fundamental know-how in key sectors.
Hitesh received a BS in Aeronautical Engineering and MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.