Cleantech Group Opens London Office as Part of Global Expansion

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Cleantech Group™ today announced the establishment of its European headquarters in London with the appointment of Torsten Merkel to European director. In his new role, Mr. Merkel will accelerate the growth of the cleantech community throughout Europe. The opening of the London office comes less than two months after the opening of Cleantech China™ in Beijing.

“This is a clear signal of our commitment to expand our coverage across all asset classes in Europe, while increasing capital flows and accelerating the adoption of cleantech globally”

“This is a clear signal of our commitment to expand our coverage across all asset classes in Europe, while increasing capital flows and accelerating the adoption of cleantech globally,” said Nicholas Parker, chairman and co-founder of the Cleantech Group™. “We have been expanding our reach in Europe over the past three years through our European Cleantech Forums™, the Cleantech Group’s European Advisory board and our membership services, so Torsten will be in a strong position to meet the growing needs of the European investor, corporate and entrepreneurial communities in the coming years.”

Mr. Merkel brings extensive experience to his new position with the Cleantech Group. Most recently he was conference manager for Euromoney Energy Events, where he managed a global portfolio of renewable energy finance events including business development, research, marketing and program development. He is fluent in German, English and Russian and has a working knowledge of French and Hindi. “The Cleantech Group™ is the premier organization connecting cleantech innovation and capital in Europe and I am delighted to join at a time when this sector is experiencing significant growth and attracting mainstream investors,” said Mr. Merkel.

Mr. Merkel will be available at Cleantech Forum™ XIII, the largest gathering of top-tier cleantech investors, innovators and thought leaders in Europe. The Cleantech Forum™ XIII is being held in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 14-16, www.cleantech.com/frankfurt.

Cleantech Group™, LLC

The Cleantech Group™ LLC provides insight, opportunities and builds relationships that catalyze and accelerate the growth of cleantech markets globally. The Cleantech Group™ family of companies are the founders of the cleantech investment category and bring investors, executives, thought leaders, policy makers, and entrepreneurs together to facilitate the growth of cleantech globally through six business units; the Cleantech Venture Network^®, Cleantech Advisors™, Cleantech Indices™, Cleantech Search™, Cleantech China™, and Cleantech Innovation Institute™. Since introducing cleantech as a viable investment thesis in 2002, the efforts of the Cleantech Group™ companies have spawned a new investment class with an annual growth rate exceeding 50%, with more than $3.5 billion in venture capital invested in North America and Europe in 2006.