Management Team

Willem Smit - Chairman, LowC Communities

A Dutch national with a breadth of experience and know-how spanning 40 years, Willem has established himself as a renowned business leader and visionary in the world of energy, focusing on strategy and business development. Willem has lived in 7 countries and done business in over 50, possesses superb communication and interpersonal skills and is fluent in six languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

In recent years he has become convinced of the necessity for renewable energy and is one of the founding fathers of Ampere Equity Fund, Utrecht, The Netherlands. In addition to his role as Chairman and Managing Director of LowC, Willem is also Chairman of Voltere Capital Partners, Geneva, Switzerland, (focused on renewable energy technology and development), and a non-executive Director (nominated Customer Champion) of Thames Water , Reading, UK.

Previous positions include: Director, Barking Power, Dagenham, UK; Chairman, Stadtwerke Kiel, Kiel, Germany; Vice-Chairman, Braunschweig Versorgung, Brunswick, Germany; Vice-Chairman, Nordic Energy Oy, Helsinki, Finland; Director, Hidroelectrico del Cantabrico, Oviedo, Spain; Managing Director, Continental Europe, TXU Europe, London, UK; Commercial Director, Eon Benelux, The Hague, The Netherlands; CEO and President, Gulf Oil Trading Corporation, New York, USA / Gulf Oil International, Vienna, Austria; and has benefitted from more than 20 years experience within Shell International in various senior management positions worldwide. Willem holds an MSc in Theoretical Physics from Groningen University (The Netherlands).