Shell Veteran Colin Crooks Appointed CEO of Environmental Solutions Provider ACT
AMSTERDAM, 23 January 2024 – Colin Crooks, former CEO and Board Chair of Shell Energy Retail and most recently Shell Senior Vice President of Renewables and Energy Solutions Europe, will join ACT Group as CEO effective April 1, 2024.
Crooks succeeds Bram Bastiaansen, who co-founded ACT in 2009 and grew the company into a leading global environmental solutions provider. Bastiaansen remains with ACT as an advisor to the board, focusing on M&A, large-scale commercial projects and strengthening relationships with ACT’s many global customers.
ACT partners with businesses in a wide range of sectors, from global corporates to small- to medium-sized companies. It provides expert-backed, end-to-end decarbonization and environmental solutions, empowering companies to achieve their ESG goals and meet environmental regulatory requirements set by governments and authoritative bodies at regional, national, and international levels and on a global scale.
"ACT is a tremendous opportunity to lead a team that’s passionate about accelerating the global transition to sustainable energy,” said Crooks. “Bram and Jaap Janssen built ACT into a highly regarded partner for companies, delivering environmental solutions backed by scientific integrity. We will continue to focus on helping organizations achieve meaningful, positive environmental impact — no matter how or where they want to scale and grow.”
Crooks brings decades of experience in energy solutions, including a decade in renewable energy, to ACT. His 31-year tenure at Shell included a stint as CEO of its First Utility (later Shell Energy) Retail business among several other leadership positions. In 2020, he stepped up to lead their renewable & energy solutions activities in Europe with the goal of accelerating the transition to a more sustainable economy. Over the course of his career, Crooks’ work has spanned high level roles supporting both B2C and B2B energy sourcing and generation efforts.
Over the past year, ACT helped clients source more than 120 TWh in renewable energy, among many other sustainable initiatives. In 2023, ACT acquired Green Project Technologies, a U.S.-based software company delivering a SaaS platform to simplify emissions accounting. This acquisition enabled businesses to partner with ACT to calculate, manage, reduce, mitigate, and disclose their emissions efficiently. ACT also opened its sixth global office in 2023, adding London to a growing list including its Amsterdam Headquarters, and offices in New York, Paris, Shanghai, and Singapore.
Olivier van Riet Paap, partner at one of the world's leading private asset growth investors Bridgepoint, investors in ACT, stated, “Colin has a proven track record of success. He consistently delivers integrated value and excels at balancing growth and risk, while enhancing organizational culture and customer focus in international companies active in the energy transition. I have no doubt that he is the right leader to build on ACT’s impressive standing as an ESG powerhouse supporting companies and institutions globally in their drive to build a sustainable future.”
Media Contact:
Davis MacMillan
Davis.macmillan@rfbinder.com
+1 212 994 7509
Office hours: 8am-6pm ET