Rafia Merchant, CAIA

Spearmint Energy is a green merchant energy company founded to combine innovative financial solutions with deep knowledge of power trading and renewable energy development.

The Acquisitions, Investments & Financial Advisory team plays a key role in reconciling ENGIE’s growth ambitions and long-term shareholder value creation objectives. Our role is to provide valuation and structuring guidance throughout the business development process and to secure the most competitive sources of funding for our projects. On a yearly basis the team typically works on over 100 investment files representing more than $20 billion of gross investments (development/M&A), raises $1 billion+ of Tax Equity, $0.5 billion+ of Common or Structured Equity, and $1+ billion of Project Finance or other forms of non-recourse financing.

Founded in 1994, the vision of the Women’s Energy Network (WEN) is to be the premier global, nonprofit organization that educates, attracts, retains, and develops women working across the Energy value chain. WEN’s mission is to provide networking opportunities and foster career and leadership development of those who work in the Energy industries. WEN currently has more than 5,000 members across 20 chapters.

Financing the development of Large-Scale Renewable Power, Transmission, Distributed Generation, Battery Storage and Energy Efficiency projects for the state of New York, using debt capital markets, derivatives, off-balance sheet structures and public-private partnerships. NYPA is the largest public power entity in the United States, owning 16 generating facilities that provide nearly 25% of New York State's power (over 80% renewable), and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines that represents about one-third of New York State's high-voltage backbone system.

- Appointed by Chief Risk Officer to approve transactions across sectors utilizing the bank's balance sheet - Perform independent assessment of deal's bankability and assign internal risk rating - Coordinate with Head Office risk officers as needed

- Client coverage of Commodity Traders (Energy and Metals) across the Americas - Originating and structuring asset-backed credit instruments to finance physical/financial trading operations, working capital and non-recourse projects

- BNP Paribas Energy Trading GP - Private Equity and Corporate client coverage - Energy Infrastructure and Project Finance transactions - Merchant Power, Renewable Energy

- Commodity-Linked Structured Finance Origination - Asset-backed hedging and financing solutions for Energy Infrastructure and Project Finance transactions - Private Equity and Corporate investors - Merchant Power, Renewable Energy, Refineries, Ethanol Production assets

- Macquarie Energy LLC - Originate, structure and execute swaps, options, heat-rate options and other energy derivatives - Independent Power Producers, Utilities, Municipals, Cooperatives, Retail Energy Suppliers

- J.P. Morgan Ventures Energy Corp. - Energy Derivatives structuring and origination

- J.P. Morgan Securities, Inc. - Coverage of Independent Power Producers and Utilities - Valuation of distressed Energy assets - Relative Value Trading between high-yield/ distressed bonds, loans, mezzanine debt and CDS - Capital Structure and Liquidity analysis (debt coverage, bond covenants, cash flow forecast models)

Completed the MS degree while working full-time

Short-listed for Rhodes Scholarship Graduated with Distinction (GPA: 3.9) Mathematics Teaching Assistant

Major: Finance & Accounting Minor: Mathematics Short-listed for Rhodes Scholarship Graduated with Distinction (GPA: 3.9) Mathematics Teaching Assistant