![](https://www.citybiz.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Francisco-Salas.jpg)
Riverstone Holdings LLC, a leading asset management firm that invests in the private markets, primarily within energy, power, decarbonization and infrastructure, today announced that Francisco Salas will join the Firm as a Managing Director on February 13th.
Mr. Salas has over twenty-five years of experience in the financial industry, and was part of leading corporate and investment banking firms in New York and Latin America. During the last several years he served as partner, portfolio manager and head of business development for Altum Capital where he helped position Altum as a leading alternative asset manager in Mexico. Mr. Salas will be based in Mexico City and will further enhance Riverstone’s presence in the region. He will focus on managing existing investments and identifying highly compelling opportunities within decarbonization and other core sectors, as well as capital raising throughout Latin America.
David Leuschen and Pierre Lapeyre Jr., Co-Founders of Riverstone, said, “The energy sector in Latin America is quickly evolving due to structural demand growth, decarbonization policies and deregulation. For nearly a decade, Riverstone has served as a pioneer in private markets investment within the region. Riverstone is committed to accelerating its market leadership and 15-year franchise across the renewable and decarbonization categories.”
Francisco Salas added, “Riverstone understands that unprecedented disruption is expected in Latin America on account of sociopolitical factors, along with the desire for rapid adoption of clean energy sources. The Firm has a track record of identifying market trends and capitalizing on opportunities in the region, as demonstrated with the establishment of an office in Mexico City nearly ten years ago, as energy markets were opening to private investment. I look forward to bringing my experience to Riverstone as the Firm continues to expand its presence in the region and play a key role in innovating and establishing industry leading, purpose-driven, scaled companies.”
The addition of Mr. Salas builds on recent developments contributing to the growth and potential of Riverstone’s Latin American presence and broader decarbonization growth platform. Since the Firm established its Latin American headquarters in Mexico City in 2014, it has been a forerunner in private market energy investing across the region. Several notable achievements include:
- Operating one of the largest PV solar operating portfolios in Mexico (White River Renewables and A2 Renovables)
- Creating one of the leading clean mobility companies in the region (VEMO)
- Scaling up the largest distributed generation platform for commercial and industrial customers in Mexico (Energia Real)
- Investing in the manufacturing of leading battery technologies and electric motor companies in Mexico (Freewire and Infinitum Electric, respectively)
- Consolidating one of the largest private oil and gas portfolios in Mexico through Sierra Oil & Gas, Talos Energy and Fieldwood Energy (including the historic “Zama” oil field discovery)
- Establishing the second largest shale oil producer in Latin America via the first SPAC in the Mexican Stock Exchange (Vista Energy)
Mr. Salas joins an expanding team of Riverstone professionals with deep expertise in the decarbonization space. This includes the recent additions of Juan Pablo Visoso, Cynthia Kueppers and Laurel Buckner.
Bio of Francisco Salas
Prior to joining Riverstone, Mr. Salas was most recently a Partner at Altum Capital, a private debt asset management firm based in Mexico City, where he oversaw portfolio management and business development. Prior to Altum Capital, Mr. Salas served as Managing Director of Itaú’s Corporate and Investment Banking practice in Mexico; Head of the Consumer, Retail and Financial Institutions sectors in Latin America at Citibank; Managing Director of Consumer, Retail and of Mergers & Acquisitions for Latin America at UBS. Mr. Salas has a degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Finance from the Anahuac University.
About Riverstone Holdings LLC
Founded in 2000 by David Leuschen and Pierre Lapeyre, Riverstone Holdings LLC is an asset management firm that invests in the private markets primarily within energy, power, and infrastructure. Since inception, the Firm has raised $43 billion of capital to invest across the capital structure and in all major components of the industry’s value chain. Riverstone’s sole mission is to build great businesses and deliver strong returns to investors through our platform of investment strategies. For more information on Riverstone, please visit www.riverstonellc.com.