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About

Squirrel Energy is on the path to become a leading developer of distributed BESS systems and e recognised experts in smart grid energy solutions

With a BESS target size between 100kVA and 5MVA, Squirrel Energy operates in the niche between small residential and large utility-scale battery storage projects.  We are an Australian company founded in 2022 by directors Joris Eerkens and James Long.

James Long is an entrepreneur, property developer and founding partner of the CPM group of companies, which include CPM Advisory and Project Management and CPM Civil. He has extensive skills and a proven track record in successfully growing start-up companies.Joris Eerkens is an expert in the Renewable Energy industry. Joris has held various senior management positions and delivered many projects, including more than 850MW of solar farm developments with Canadian Solar. He started his own Renewable Energy consulting company, Enerkens, in 2021, which included a development business that has evolved into Squirrel Energy. The associated consulting business has merged with CPM Advisory.

Our values

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Detailed Thought, Nimble Action

We invest the time to investigate opportunities and create a well thought out strategy, then we act quickly.

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Curiosity & Collaboration

We are safe to question the way things are done, so that together we can come up with better, more sustainable solutions.

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Focused on Opportunities

We approach opportunities with an open mind and attitude to match.

THE team

Joris Eerkens
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Joris Eerkens

Founding Partner & Managing Director

Joris has over 26 years of experience in the Renewable Energy, EPC construction and management consulting industries. He has held various Senior Management positions, leading teams at Canadian Solar, McNab Constructions and Baulderstone Hornibrook.

A solution-focused entrepreneur and passionate about achieving quality outcomes in a cooperative team environment, Joris seeks to ‘set up for success’. He supports his team members to their strengths and fosters client relationships.

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James Long
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James Long

Founding Partner

James is an entrepreneur, property developer and founding partner of the CPM group of companies. He has extensive skills and a proven track record in successfully growing start-up companies as evidenced by the success of the various companies in the group.

A Senior Manager with extensive experience in design and construction projects, James focuses on delivering results for clients. With a track record of innovation and “looking outside the square”, James has had success in bringing projects under budget and ahead of time.

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Christine Hayward
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Christine Hayward

Financial & Governance Advisor

A Fellow Certified Practicing Accountant and Fellow of the  Governance Institute of Australia, Christine has over 25 years of experience in various senior finance and accounting positions. She is also a board member of the CPM group of companies.

Christine has an extensive track record aligning core financial and operational business support services with organisational strategies and has supported companies across a broad range of industries, including Infrastructure, Transport and Construction. She has held various executive roles including CFO, company secretary and acting chief executive at Titan Energy. Both realistic and aspirational in her approach, she has a proven ability to effectively establish and improve business operations through strategic financial planning and establishment of the associated financial and management control structures.

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Jostin Meekels
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Jostin Meekels

Engineering and Project Management Lead

Jostin is a skilled project manager and chartered professional engineer with broad practical and technical experience in the energy and civil infrastructure sectors. He has successfully planned and executed complex multi-disciplinary projects that encompass all engineering disciplines in central and remote regions. For example, delivering field compression stations and supporting infrastructure for the Santos GLNG project and constructing utilities infrastructure (power, water, communications and housing) for ExxonMobil’s Papua New Guinea LNG project.

Jostin holds a Master of Project Management, a Bachelor of Engineering and is a Chartered Professional Engineer and a Registered Professional Engineer in Queensland.

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Nirav Mahajan
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Nirav Mahajan

Strategy and Commercials Lead

Nirav is an experienced strategy and implementation manager with 10 years of experience in advising C-suite and senior leadership on wide ranging business topics.

At DHL Consulting in Germany, he played a pivotal role in the growth and post-merger strategy of an e-commerce startup to achieve 2x growth on a €200 million base in three years and has delivered multiple product concept and go-to-market sustainability driven freight solutions (e.g. a multi-modal (rail plus road) product and commercial model to achieve 4x emission reduction for DHL Freight). 

Nirav holds an Electronics Engineering degree and MBA from the esteemed Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in India.

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Squirrel Energy is additionally supported by the advisory board of the CPM group of companies as well as various financial, strategic and technical experts within this group. The mix of skills and expertise of the Squirrel Energy team positions the company well for future success and growth.

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