Challenge, not management
A non-executive director tests the plan and holds the executive team to it. I ask the questions an operator would ask on site, and leave running the company to the CEO.
Non-executive director
Non-executive director (NED) for renewable energy and battery storage companies.
I take non-executive director and non-executive chair roles in companies backed by private equity and infrastructure funds: solar, wind, battery storage, EV charging and energy services, in Spain, Portugal, the rest of Europe and the UK. I bring the operator's side of the table. I co-founded Cable Energía, which Shell bought in 2022 and Acciona in 2025, and today I chair Capflex Energía, which develops and sells battery storage projects in Spain.
How I work as a NED
Investment, strategy and risk
The committees where an operator adds most in an energy company: what to build, what to buy, and what can go wrong between the model and the asset.
Accountable to the company
Appointed with the fund, accountable to the company and its board. Conflicts are declared before the first meeting.
In English or Spanish
Board papers and meetings in either language, for UK and European funds with assets in Iberia and for Spanish companies with foreign investors.
Where operating experience pays off
Battery storage and hybrid projects
Grid access, permitting, construction and financing of batteries in Spain, from the chair of a 500 MW storage developer.
Buy-and-build platforms
Integrating acquisitions and putting a professional team in place, which is how I start companies at Vida Sustainable Ventures.
Preparing an exit
Cable Energía was bought twice, by an oil major and then by an energy and infrastructure group. A company is made buyable years before the sale.
Entering Spain and Portugal
For funds with UK or European portfolios moving into Iberia: the market, the regulation and the people.
Roles I consider
- Non-executive director (NED) or independent director
- Non-executive chair
- Member of investment, strategy or risk committees
- Board adviser to a fund's portfolio company in energy
Where and how
Spain and Portugal in person; the rest of Europe and the UK in person or remotely. Time commitment and terms are agreed with the board and the fund before appointment. I chair Capflex Energía, a battery storage developer in Spain, and declare it as a potential conflict.
Questions about NED roles
Is Ignacio López Martín available as a non-executive director (NED)?
Yes. He takes NED, independent director and non-executive chair roles in renewable energy, battery storage, EV charging and energy infrastructure companies in Spain, Portugal, the rest of Europe and the UK, especially those owned by private equity or infrastructure funds.
What is the difference between a NED and an independent director?
In UK practice a non-executive director sits on the board without managing the company; an independent NED also has no ties to the main shareholder or to management. In Spain, non-executive directors are consejeros externos, which include independent directors (consejeros independientes) and directors who represent a shareholder (consejeros dominicales). He works in both systems.
Which boards does he chair today?
Capflex Energía, which develops and sells battery storage projects in Spain (500 MW portfolio), and Supercubo. He is also co-founder of Eolinet Renovables and The Seafolk, and Founder & Managing Partner of Vida Sustainable Ventures, a venture builder in Seville.
How is a NED role proposed to him?
Through the contact form at vidaventures.es or via LinkedIn. No personal email address is published.