Lightsource Renewable Energy (“Lightsource”), Europe’s leading solar energy
company, is pleased to announce that Dr Ece Gürsoy, Chief Legal Officer,
director and company secretary at Lightsource is the winner of The Legal 500
UK in-house individual of the year: Environment category for 2016.
Dr Gürsoy was appointed Chief Legal Officer at Lightsource in 2011. She
previously worked on project finance, infrastructure, energy and
privatisation projects in various sectors at Dentons LLP in London and at
White & Case LLP in Istanbul.
At Lightsource, Dr Gürsoy currently heads up an in-house team of 15 highly
qualified lawyers, working hand-in-hand with departments across the whole
business from initiation of a project to completion and delivery. The
company is also one of the UK companies accredited by the Solicitors
Regulation Authority to offer training contracts to trainee solicitors.
Under Dr Gürsoy’s leadership the team has helped Lightsource to grow the
solar sector from cottage industry to a utility-scale industry in the UK.
She has overseen landmark projects including the reorganisation of the
company and management buy-out, development of the world’s first deep-water
floating solar array at the QE2 reservoir, completion of a 25-year corporate
PPA with Belfast International Airport and the largest sterling-denominated
bond in the solar industry globally.
Nick Boyle, CEO at Lightsource, said: “I am proud of the achievements of our
in-house legal team. As a leading generator of solar energy in the UK and
Europe we rely heavily on legal expertise when developing new projects. The
role of our in-house legal team is instrumental to the success of our
business and I am delighted to have the support of an outstanding team, led
by Ece.”
Dr Ece Gürsoy, said: “I am delighted and honoured to have received The Legal
500 award. The solar sector has come a long in a very short space of time
and we are very proud to have been involved in creating a set of bankable
legal structures and documentation to support this phenomenal growth. The
role of modern in-house lawyers is set to change the legal profession and
the way the legal sector works. In-house lawyers are not just lawyers, they
interplay across law, regulation, analysing business problems and providing
workable legal structures for the business.”
The Legal 500 UK Awards 2016 recognises and rewards the best in-house and
private practice teams and individuals over the past 12 months. It is handed
to the most prominent legal practitioners, based on the most comprehensive
research into the UK legal market, which involves over 70,000 interviews
being conducted to ascertain the winners.
About Lightsource
Lightsource Renewable Energy Holdings was founded in 2010 and has achieved
an unrivalled track record in the installation of both ground mount and
rooftop solar projects.
Currently the leading solar photovoltaic (PV) energy generator in the UK and
Europe, and one of the top ten largest solar PV energy generators globally,
Lightsource has deployed more than Ł2.2 billion of solar assets and manages
an operational portfolio of more than 1.3 Gigawatts (GW) – enough to power
more than 350,000 households each year. Its in-house team of experts create
bespoke photovoltaic (PV) solutions for business and domestic use, offering
full service capability from initial design and planning through to ongoing
operations and maintenance.
A British domiciled company, it has more than 300 staff based at offices in
London, Bath, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin. To find out more, visit
www.lightsource-re.co.uk.
About Dr Ece Gürsoy
Dr Ece Gursoy is the Chief Legal Officer, Director and Company Secretary at
Lightsource Renewable Energy Holdings Limited, Europe’s leading solar energy
company.
Prior to Lightsource, Ece extensively worked on project finance,
infrastructure, energy and privatisation projects in various sectors during
her practice at Dentons LLP in London and at White & Case LLP in Istanbul.
Ece has advised on a number of multinational client investors on issues in
relation to restructuring and financing under English and Turkish law as
well as regulatory aspects of those projects. Ece is admitted to the Law
Society of England and Wales and Istanbul Bar Association and holder of a
LL.M degree in corporate and commercial law from University of London and
PhD degree in European Competition Law from King’s College London.
Under her management in 2016, the Lightsource Legal Team has been awarded
the second place as the In-house Energy and Resources team by The Lawyer and
was the winner of Halsbury Legal awards as the In-house Legal Team of the
Year.
