Abu Dhabi, UAE, 05 January 2022: The National Central Cooling Company PJSC (DFM: Tabreed), today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Antonio Di Cecca as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) with effect from January, 5 2022.
Antonio Di Cecca succeeds Jean-François Chartrain, who joined as Tabreed’s Chief Operating Officer in November 2017. During Chartrain’s four-year tenure, the company experienced an unprecedented period of portfolio growth and made major advancements in operational efficiency along with significant advancements in improved, streamlined customer service while posting record profits and shareholder dividends.
Khalid Abdullah Al Marzooqi, Tabreed’s Chief Executive Officer, said of the appointment: “Antonio joins Tabreed at possibly the most exciting time for the company, as it builds on the momentum following its wholesale rebranding, which itself swiftly followed the most impactful and ambitious programme of major acquisitions in Tabreed’s rich history.
“This recent progress has been largely influenced by the person Antonio is replacing – Jean-Francois Chartrain – and to him we owe a debt of gratitude. To say his input has been invaluable would be a huge understatement and his cool, calm demeanour will surely be missed by any of us privileged to have worked alongside him. It’s safe to say that I speak for everyone at Tabreed when I say we wish him and his family the very best for the future.”
Jean-Francois (known throughout the company simply as ‘JEFF’), joined as Tabreed’s Chief Operating Officer in November 2017, shortly after ENGIE invested in 40% ownership of the company. Prior to joining Tabreed, Chartrain was Head of Technical Department and Engineering at ENGIE Italia, where he served as well as Director of the District Heating of Aosta, in the northwest of Italy.
Chartrain said of his time with Tabreed that it had been transformational, with several key acquisitions such as the Downtown Dubai District Cooling Network and the Saadiyat Island and Al Maryah Island cooling plants in Abu Dhabi, exponentially increasing Tabreed’s portfolio and profitability. “Operationally, too, we have made huge advancements,” he remarked, “with our UAE O&M activities being overhauled to benefit our customers and increase our efficiency, which is vital for the environment and the communities in which we operate. I am very proud to have played a part in these important advancements and I look forward to seeing the company go from strength-to-strength in the future.”
Italian Di Cecca, 46, like Chartrain, hails from ENGIE, where he has performed numerous roles in the district cooling industry worldwide since joining in 2011, most recently as Head of Asset Management at the group’s Dubai headquarters. He was ENGIE’s Business Development Executive when the group carried out its 40% stake acquisition of Tabreed and has been instrumental in bringing together the two entities, representing both Tabreed and ENGIE internationally.
Antonio has extensive international experience of 20+ years within the energy sector, which includes a period of five years he spent working with the International Energy Agency (IEA). He is also an active member in many district energy associations as well as the technical committee of the World Utility Congress. Di Cecca is fluent in Italian, French, Spanish and English, and has a Master in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Torino (Turin, Italy), and a Specialized Master in Energy Engineering and Management from the Ecole de Mines de Paris (Paris, France).