SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Omnidian, the only provider of technology-enabled, comprehensive protection plans for investments in residential solar systems, announced today the hiring of a vice president of products and vice president of finance as the company responds to growing market demand for an end-to-end solar asset management solution. Omnidian currently has 60,000 residential solar assets under management with strong growth expected in 2018.
To respond to shifting customer expectations – both from asset owners and individual homeowners – Omnidian has hired solar operations and maintenance expert Cedric Brehaut as vice president of products. Brehaut is a pioneer in the solar services space and is commonly known as the market analyst who ‘wrote the book on asset management and O&M’. After helping SunEdison create and develop its asset management services business, he founded SOLICHAMBA, which quickly became the authority on performance monitoring, O&M, and asset management markets, offering consulting services and publishing numerous research reports in partnership with GTM Research, a Wood MacKenzie business.
In early 2018, Brehaut worked with Omnidian to contextualize consumer survey research the company had commissioned with an independent market research firm to better understand the expectations and preferences of the next wave of residential solar customers. That research confirmed that consumer demand for protection plans guaranteeing system performance was a key driver of purchase intent as the market shifts from early adopters to mainstream customers.
“The tipping point for me to stop my research and consultancy business and join Omnidian was the resonance the product has with consumers,” said Brehaut. “Omnidian’s research demonstrates that as solar moves up the adoption curve from early adopters to early majority, there is significant consumer value in services that offer peace of mind that their investment will work as promised. Omnidian is removing the performance risk from residential solar and giving homeowners the confidence to go solar without fear. The trust that Omnidian provides is essential to the growth of distributed solar in the years to come.”
Omnidian’s new vice president of finance, Caroline Bec Cox, is an accomplished energy finance executive with extensive experience in investment banking, capital markets and strategy. As a senior investment banker at RBC Capital Markets and Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., Bec Cox established herself as a trusted and respected adviser to many boards and executives in the energy industry. She has led and participated in more than a hundred financings, mergers, acquisitions and advisory projects, representing billions in transaction values.
These new hires add to an already high-caliber solar dream team that has managed nearly half of all the residential solar assets in the U.S., including the portfolios of Sunrun, SolarCity, Spruce and Sungevity, as well as the former managing director of financial services for KPMG, and former chair of the Retail Marketing and Advertising Association and Top 50 Marketer in America (AdAge).
“A big part of our success has been the experience of our team,” said Mark Liffmann, Omnidian’s CEO. “This all-star team of solar veterans has allowed us to quickly establish ourselves as the only true end-to-end solar asset management solution and gain the trust of our customers. Most importantly, our passion for delivering a great client experience and contributing to a successful solar energy market motivates our team every day. We’re looking forward to the expertise, experience, and enthusiasm that Caroline and Cedric bring to our team.”
About Omnidian
Omnidian’s mission is to protect and accelerate capital invested in the residential solar industry. Our state-of-the art proprietary technology provides continuous monitoring for residential solar systems and large-scale residential portfolios and offers the industry’s only end-to-end performance guarantee including proactive service alerts and field service for the life of residential solar systems. We give homeowners peace of mind, and we liberate the capital and resources of large-scale residential portfolios for our Fortune 1000 clients. Omnidian is supported by the DOE SunShot Program which accelerates the development of highly impactful solar technologies. For more information, visit www.omnidian.com.
