Wharton Club of NY Career Development team is proud to host the CEO Talks series designed to help you gain insights into our spotlight CEO’s career path and the drivers for their success.

We’re pleased to host Bill Lenihan, CEO of Zola Electric, a power company democratizing energy access in Africa, Latin America and Asia with solar + smart storage power solutions. We’ll start the discussion with Bill’s career journey from private equity to running an energy company serving Africa and emerging markets and the lessons he’s learned along the way. We’ll then open it to the group for Q&A. This is a great opportunity for you to hear his perspective on investing, general management, and emerging markets.

About Bill Lenihan:
Bill Lenihan joined ZOLA Electric in March 2015 and currently serves as CEO where he oversees engineering, commercial, operations, finance, and corporate development. Under Bill’s leadership, ZOLA has expanded from 1 to over 10 countries on two continents, providing its hardware and software solutions to over 1 million people most in need of energy access. Bill brings a strong background to ZOLA, with experience at companies including Goldman Sachs, Bain & Company and Calera Capital. As Managing Director at Calera Capital, a private equity firm managing $2 billion of capital, Bill led the firm's investment efforts in the consumer and industrial sectors. His experience includes efforts around geographic expansion, channel development, new product introductions, efficiency improvements, and acquisitions. Prior to joining Calera Capital, Bill was with Goldman Sachs & Co. where he managed and pursued investment opportunities within the Principal Investment Area. He began his career with Bain & Company, Inc. and CS First Boston. Just prior to joining ZOLA, Bill served as Executive Vice President, International for Switch Lighting where he launched Switch’s Japan business and early stage development of Europe. He received a B.A. cum laude in Business and Economics from UCLA and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a dual degree in Strategic Management and Finance.

When:
Thursday, May 20, 2021
5:00 PM ET - 6:00 PM ET

Cost:
WCNY Supporting Members - $10 (WCNY supporting membership costs $95/yr at Join/Renew Membership)
Other Wharton Alumni & Alumni Guests - $20
Gold & Benefactor Members - $0

Meeting Access Information:
A link, accessible by personal computer, tablet or smartphone, will be emailed to all registered guests 24-48 hours prior to the event to the "Primary Email" address listed in your profile.  Please login to update your profile and confirm that the email address listed is correct.  We will attempt to provide the ability to ask questions at the end of the presentation and time permitting.
 
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Cancellations must be made at least 48-hours (business day) prior to the event date by sending an email to Gabriela Sanchez. Refunds or credits for future events are not available for any no-shows or late cancellations. Click here for full details.