ID

Issam Dairanieh

Operating Partner at Ascent Capital Holdings

Greater Chicago Area

Overview 

Issam Dairanieh is currently an Operating Partner at Ascent Capital Holdings, leveraging his extensive experience in executive education and strategic leadership in the areas of biofuels, cleantech, renewable energy, and venture capital. With a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he has held key roles at BP, including Managing Director of BP Ventures, and served as CEO of the Global CO2 Initiative, showcasing his expertise in driving innovation and growth in the energy sector.

Work Experience 

  • Operating Partner

    2018 - Current

    ACH is a special purpose investment company established to recapitalize the assets held by a major investment fund with a focus on sustainability.  ACH is capitalized by some of the world’s largest and most sophisticated investors. Crestline Investors is the lead investor and manager of ACH. As an operating partner, Issam provides strategic support to current portfolio companies and assists in assessing and developing future options for ACH.

  • CEO

    2016 - 2018

    Led a global effort to develop and commercialize technologies capturing and converting CO2 into commerially viable products. Led the innovation arm of the organization by funding early stage technologies and led the commercialization arm by investing in late stage technologies. Created a global syndicate to develop standardized guidelines for Life Cycle Analysis and Techno-Economic Analysis of processes converting CO2 to products.

  • Managing Director, BP Ventures

    2011 - 2016

    Issam led BP's corporate venture team which is a strategic investment group that amis at accelerating techology development, and creating strategic and financial returns . AUM > $220m. Issam has completed 13 investments (from deal origination through deal execution and portfolio management). In addition to serving on the board of 5 portfolio companies, Issam sat on the governance board of (a) ICAM, a $100m advanced materials BP initiative and (b) the Digital Center of Excellence. Issam also served as a co-director of the first Technology accelerator in the Middle East ( Abu Dhabi) focused on Sustainability.

BP Midstream Partners is a fee-based, growth-oriented master limited partnership recently formed by BP Pipelines.

  • US Venture Director,

    2010 - 2011

    Built a US Venture team and led the execution of most of the team's deals.

  • Technology Principal

    2007 - 2009

    Technology assessment of potential investment opportunities. Authored multiple white papers and investment theses in a number of alternative energy sectors including Energy Storage, Carbon Conversion and Utilization, Solar Thermal Power Generation, Marine Energy and Geothermal Energy.

  • Renewable and Alternative Energy Program Manager

    2006 - 2007

    Assess emerging clean energy technologies and provide insights to strategic business positioning.

  • Commercial Development Manager

    1998 - 2006

    Issam started as a research scientist at BP Chemicals working on the commercialization of new product applications. Issam led on the interactions and joint development agreements with key customers in the packaging and engineering materials value chain. Issam then moved to a commercial development manager role in the Aromatics Busienss Unit. Between 2012 and 2014, Issam served as a co-head of BP's Materials' Science Network.

BP Midstream Partners is a fee-based, growth-oriented master limited partnership recently formed by BP Pipelines.

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