Author archives

CIBC hosts, James Wright and Ines Serrao, sit down with Michael Rucker, CEO of Scout Clean Energy, to discuss the evolving renewable energy landscape, focusing on the wind, solar, and storage sectors. The conversation explores challenges such as tariff uncertainties, repowering projects, and the potential impacts of changes to clean energy tax credits, while emphasizing the importance of accelerating renewable energy deployment to meet growing electricity demand.

Darrel Koo, Director of Analytics at Orennia, joins Luisa Fuentes, Managing Director and Head of Natural Resources and Transition, US Corporate Banking, and James Wright, Managing Director and Head, US Corporate Banking, to explore the transformative impact of AI on energy demand and power infrastructure, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in the evolving landscape of data centers and renewable energy.

Invenergy’s Meghan Schultz, EVP and CFO, and Shashank Sane, EVP Transmission, join Luisa Fuentes, Managing Director and Head of Natural Resources and Transition, US Corporate Banking, and James Wright, Managing Director and Head, US Corporate Banking to explore the urgent need for advanced transmission infrastructure and HVDC technology to meet US energy demand, while navigating financing and regulatory challenges.

Melany Vargas, VP Head of Hydrogen at Wood Mackenzie, joins Luisa Fuentes, Managing Director and Head of Natural Resources and Transition, US Corporate Banking, and James Wright, Managing Director and Co-Head, US Corporate Banking to discuss the future of hydrogen development in the United States.

Lesley Hunter, Senior VP of Policy & Engagement at ACORE, joins Luisa Fuentes, Managing Director, Head of Natural Resources and Transition, U.S. Corporate Banking and James Wright, Managing Director and Co-Head of US Corporate Banking to discuss the new administration under President Trump, the key people involved, and energy policy formation.

Denise Tait, CIO at Arevon and Ines Serrao, Managing Director and Head of Renewables for U.S. Corporate Banking at CIBC, join co-hosts Luisa Fuentes and James Wright to discuss the growing battery storage market in the U.S., how Arevon is playing in that space and some of the regulatory/political challenges facing the market.

Matt Willis, Partner at Hull Street Energy and Neil Davids, Managing Director in CIBC’s Energy Transition team, join co-hosts Luisa Fuentes, Managing Director, Head of Energy Transition and Sustainability, Corporate Banking and James Wright, Managing Director and Co-Head of US Corporate Banking to discuss how different trends are impacting power demand in the U.S., including data centers, AI technologies, and manufacturing resurgence, and the role of natural gas to ensure energy reliability and affordability.

Greg Remec, Senior Director, Fitch Ratings, and Richard Sanders, Executive Director, Corporate Banking at CIBC join CIBC co-hosts Luisa Fuentes, Managing Director, Head of Energy Transition and Sustainability, Corporate Banking and James Wright, Managing Director and Co-Head of US Corporate Banking to discuss the rating agency approach to energy transition.

On the inaugural episode of The Energy Shift, James Wright and Luisa Fuentes speak with Ray Long, CEO of ACORE to digest the key takeaways from this year's ACORE Finance Forum and themes for the year ahead.

The conversation assesses the current dynamics of emerging technologies in the energy transition, the barriers preventing faster commercialization of vital climate technologies, and opportunities for success in this rapidly evolving space.

Roman Dubczak, Deputy Chair of Capital Markets, hosts a discussion with our energy transition team in the United States, James Wright, Managing Director and Co-Head of US Corporate Banking, and Luisa Fuentes, Managing Director & Head of Energy Transition & Sustainable Finance, US Corporate Banking.