Ennis Rimawi Founder and Managing Director of Catalyst Private Equity
Ennis Rimawi is the Founder and Managing Director of Catalyst Private Equity, whose first fund is a Middle East / North Africa region energy and water sector investment fund launched in late 2006.
Catalyst PE Fund I was the region’s first energy/water technology fund. Catalyst’s current portfolio ranges from solar energy, energy efficiency, to specialized energy efficiency tools companies. Over the past 20 years Ennis’ focus has been on clean energy, technology business building, turnarounds, manufacturing, and investment structuring in the US and Arab region. Over the past 8 years Ennis has been dedicated to Catalyst’s energy and water technology/services fund and renewable energy project development. He began his career at Ford Motor Company and later founded ONEWORLD Software Solutions (Boston) and led the turnaround of Estarta Solutions (Jordan), which is partially owned by Microsoft and Cisco.
Ennis is the Chairman of Millennium Energy Industries (www.meisolar.com, a regional leader in solar solutions based in Jordan, with the world’s largest solar heating reference in operation for over 2 years), former Chairman of X3M International (UAE/Saudi Arabia) acquired by Aker Solutions ASA (www.akersolutions.com) in Nov. 2011, and a Director of Tercel Oilfield Products (UAE and Egypt). Ennis is also the Vice Chairman of Falcon Maan Solar Power, a flagship 23MW solar PV project developed by Catalyst, and one of the 1st solar PV IPP’s in the Arab region. Additionally he is a co-founder of EDAMA, Jordan’s leading energy business association, and the MIT Arab Alumni Association, and a member of the YPO, YAL, and Young Global Leaders (WEF). Also a board member of non-profit, Tamweelcom, a top micro-fund. Ennis is a graduate of MIT’s Leaders for Manufacturing Fellows Program. BS in Engineering Systems (’91) MIT, a MS in Environmental Engineering (’96) MIT, and an MS from the MIT Sloan School of Management (’96).