I am deeply committed to accelerating the clean energy and clean mobility transitions. I believe entrepreneurs are the driving force behind these critical shifts, and my mission is to empower them by ensuring they have access to the right talent, funding, and strategic culture to thrive. By bridging these elements, I aim to help shape the future of the global cleantech landscape.
With over 17 years of experience in the cleantech sector and more than 34 years in business, I was the founder and CEO of Hyperion Executive Search, a global executive search firm specialising in placing top-tier leadership—C-suite, Board, and Heads of Department roles—within clean energy and e-mobility companies. I am now the Managing Director of Hyperion Search Ltd. My passion lies in leveraging my expertise and network to help cleantech entrepreneurs scale their businesses, ensuring the sector’s sustained and rapid growth.
In addition to leading Hyperion Search, I host the Leaders in Cleantech podcast, where I engage with CEOs, founders, and thought leaders on the front lines of cleantech innovation. Through these conversations, I aim to spotlight the technologies and journeys shaping our future.
Beyond my role as Managing Director, I actively mentor, advise, and serve as a non-executive director for several cleantech organisations and initiatives, including Rockstart Energy, Greentech Alliance, and Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre. I hold an Executive Leadership Certificate from Cornell University, further grounding my commitment to supporting the leaders transforming our world.
Whilst I love the day job, my primary love is for my family, being blessed with a beautiful wife, three amazing children, and two crazy cats. I read voraciously, and otherwise spend my spare time at the gym, running or walking out in the countryside.
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29 May 2025
From CEO to Chair: How Monica Collings Built a Board Career with Purpose — and What You Can Learn from It
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Many senior executives contemplate “going plural” at some point in their careers — moving from hands-on operational leadership into portfolio work as a non-executive director (NED), chair, or advisor.
But what does it take to do that successfully? What’s the right time, and how do you make the leap from executive to board-level contributor — without losing your edge or sense of purpose?
That’s exactly the journey Monica Collings has taken — from CEO of Vattenfall UK and So Energy, to non-executive chair, advisor, mentor, and one of the cleantech industry’s most respected voices on inclusive leadership, resilience, and strategic culture-building.
I've known Monica for some time and I was delighted to sit down with her recently on the Leaders in Cleantech podcast, where we explored her shift to a plural career, the lessons she brought from the frontline of the energy crisis, and the impact a good board can have when done right. You can listen to the full episode here — but here are some takeaways for anyone considering a path to the boardroom.
🎯 It Starts with Values – Not Just CVs
“I love work,” Monica told me. “But I wanted to do it differently — to help more organisations benefit from my experience, and to have more time for family, while still doing meaningful, fulfilling work.”
That transition wasn’t a retreat — it was a reframing. Monica’s career pivot wasn’t about “slowing down” after years in the hot seat. Instead, she built a portfolio aligned with her values: growth-focused businesses in the energy transition, sustainable infrastructure, and companies that value purpose alongside profit.
That purpose-led clarity is crucial for anyone thinking of becoming a NED or Chair. Board work can look glamorous from the outside, but it requires commitment, discretion, and a willingness to advise without operating. You need to bring insight — and leave your ego at the door.
🛠 What Can You Bring to the Table?
One of the most common questions I hear from experienced professionals is: What qualifies me for a board role?
Monica’s answer is refreshingly direct. “It’s not just about financials. It’s about pattern recognition. I’ve been in that CEO chair. I know what’s coming before it hits. I know how lonely it can be, and I can help.”
Her operational experience — leading teams through the energy crisis, overseeing mergers, scaling customer-centric businesses — now makes her a sought-after board member. But she doesn’t just rely on her résumé. She stays close to the business. She visits sites. She talks to frontline staff. “I’m not a NED who just turns up for the biscuits,” she laughs.
If you’re a would-be NED or Chair, ask yourself:
- Have I led teams through complexity?
- Can I bring a different lens to the boardroom?
- Do I know what not to do, as much as what to do?
Often, what early-stage companies need most is not abstract strategy — but seasoned judgement, cultural wisdom, and the ability to challenge with empathy.
🤝 Why Founders and Boards Need Each Other
Many founders think of boards as a necessary evil. In truth, a well-structured board is a superpower. And for CEOs, especially first-time or scaling leaders, a trusted Chair can be a lifeline.
As Monica said: “The best boards reflect the real problems the company is facing. That might be performance, or succession, or culture. Vanity projects don’t belong at the board table.”
And while boardrooms can (and should) challenge, they also provide support. “I see my role as helping the CEO see around corners — and asking the questions others might avoid.”
Her advice to board candidates? Bring your whole self — but understand the role. “It’s not your job to run the business. It’s your job to make sure the business can be run well.”
🧭 Monica’s Latest Move — And How We Helped
At Hyperion Executive Search, we’ve been privileged to place exceptional board talent across Europe’s cleantech sector — including placing Monica as the Chair of Plug-N-Go, a high-growth business accelerating the roll-out of EV charging infrastructure.
Her appointment brings together her operational depth, her passion for the energy transition, and her boardroom wisdom — a powerful mix in any growth-stage company.
🚀 Thinking of Making the Leap?
If you're a senior executive contemplating a transition into plural roles — or an investor or founder seeking board-level firepower — there's never been a better time.
The cleantech sector needs wise, inclusive, operationally-minded leaders who can guide companies through uncertainty and opportunity alike.
Take a leaf from Monica’s book: be intentional, be curious, and remember — your second career might just be your most impactful yet.
🎧 Listen to Monica’s full Leaders in Cleantech episode here: leadersincleantech.com
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23 May 2025
Europe’s Cleantech Edge – and the Risk of Losing It
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Reflections from my conversation with Danijel Visevic, Managing Partner at World Fund
If you're in the European cleantech ecosystem, you've probably heard of World Fund—the €300 million climate tech VC that’s made headlines for its size, ambition, and science-driven approach. But hearing Danijel Visevic, one of its founding partners, talk about the journey, the vision, and the challenges they’re tackling, adds a whole other layer of perspective.
I recently sat down with Danijel for the Leaders in Cleantech podcast, and it was one of the most open, wide-ranging, and—at times—passionate conversations I’ve had on the show.
From Journalism to Venture Capital – With a Mission
Danijel’s journey isn’t your typical VC origin story. He started out as a journalist, driven by a deep concern for the climate crisis. That led to a stint in politics, including five years working in Angela Merkel’s government. Ironically, he watched first-hand as Germany dismantled much of its early leadership in solar and wind, while incumbents clung to combustion engines, and sold off solar tech and manufacturing leadership.
It was this frustration—and a long-standing friendship with Tim Schumacher—that led him to co-found World Fund. As Danijel puts it:
“I was searching for a way to combine purpose and something financially sustainable. Venture capital was the last place I expected to find it, but it’s where the real leverage is.”
Deep Tech, Deep Decarbonisation
What sets World Fund apart is their rigorous focus on climate impact. They don’t just look at good ideas—they quantify decarbonisation potential. Their investment thesis and threshold? A technology must have the potential to avoid or remove 100 megatons of CO₂e per year. All the climate VCs I work with have some criteria on impact as well as financial return. I like this metric.
That leads them to back a wide range of sectors—from battery recycling (like their portfolio company Cylib) to quantum computing, food systems, space tech, and software tools that optimise consumption.
Most of their capital goes into hard science—hardware, chemistry, manufacturing, energy infrastructure. This requires not only patient capital, but patient conviction.
“Climate is not a vertical—it’s a horizontal. It touches everything,” Danijel said. “And to decarbonise at scale, we need the atoms as much as the bits.”
The Series B Cliff – A European Problem
One theme we returned to throughout the conversation was the Series B funding gap in Europe. This is where things start to get dangerous for startups: they’ve proven the tech, maybe even shown early traction, but need €50–100 million to scale.
Too often, that money just isn’t available in Europe. And so companies:
- Go bankrupt
- Sell their IP to China
- Get acquired or relocated by US investors
Danijel didn’t mince words here:
“We invest billions into research—and then let the IP be bought by other continents. It drives me crazy.”
It’s a structural problem. While the US has 729 funds with over $100 million AUM, Europe has just 44. And only five European funds are over the €500 million mark.
Worse still, regulations like Solvency II discourage pension funds and insurers from investing in VC—penalising them more for backing 500 startups than buying Greek bonds.
So What Needs to Change?
Danijel offered a wish list of reforms:
- Fix Solvency II and make venture a viable asset class for institutional investors
- Grow European funds at a sustainable but more ambitious pace
- Attract more high net worth and family office capital into climate VC
- And crucially—scale exit options so companies don’t always need to list on NASDAQ or look abroad for growth
And Then There's the Talent
Naturally, I asked Danijel about talent—and how much of a role it plays in the investment process. His answer?
“Team is not everything—but it’s the most important part of every company.”
He spoke passionately about the need for honest, mission-driven founders, and about avoiding burnout in a sector where people often give too much of themselves. He also highlighted how World Fund’s LP network—many of them former operators or industry leaders—can open doors to talent and support portfolio companies in very practical ways.
In one case, an LP introduced Cylib’s founder to a former BASF exec—who’s now on the team helping them scale.
As Danijel put it:
“If you burn for something, take care not to burn out. Don’t take yourself too seriously. You’re doing something great—stay healthy.”
Words more founders and investors could live by.
Communications, Complacency, and the Cleantech Bubble
Towards the end of the conversation, we turned to communications—a topic close to both our hearts. Despite all the capital, innovation, and talent in the cleantech ecosystem, we’re still losing the narrative to incumbent industries.
Danijel had some sharp insights here:
“We’re not as good as we should be at communicating the benefits of our technologies. The gas lobby, the meat lobby—they’ve been playing this game for decades. We’re just getting started.”
And he’s right. Whether it’s hydrogen hype, meat subsidies, or public misunderstanding of EVs, we often fail to explain why cleantech isn’t just greener—it’s better. Cheaper. Faster. Cleaner. Tangibly so.
As Danijel said:
“If you’ve driven an EV once, you don’t want to go back. Same with good alt protein. But we need to make that first experience happen.”
Final Thoughts
This episode left me energised and frustrated in equal measure.
Energised—because there are people like Danijel, funds like World Fund, and so many VCs and founders in the cleantech ecosystem, backing bold, science-based innovation with long-term vision.
Frustrated—because Europe is still at risk of squandering its edge in climate innovation through underinvestment, overregulation, and poor storytelling.
Capital matters. So does tech. But if we don’t back the right founders—and help them build the right teams—we’ll never scale the solutions we so desperately need.
🎧 You can listen to the full conversation on all podcast platforms and YouTube, here's the Apple Link- https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/danijel-vi%C5%A1evi%C4%87-world-fund/id1442356042?i=1000709247348
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