Rajesh Athirathnam

Director of Engineering & Technology

Raj is a Director of Engineering & Technology in the Portfolio Services group, where he focuses on current and new process technology evaluations and emerging technology readiness levels across Ara’s industrial portfolio. He will also manage engineering contractor engagements.

Raj has over 25 years of engineering, technology, projects, and operations experience working for process licensors, end users, and EPC companies including Honeywell UOP, KBR, Pall, and Koch Industries. Raj joins the APS team after spending around 10 years with Honeywell holding titles of General Manager – Global LOB, Senior Director of Engineering, and Global Director of UOP Equipment.

Raj holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering Degree from National Institute of Technology – India, a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University – College Station and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston – Victoria. Raj is a certified Professional Engineer (Mechanical), Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Six Sigma Green Belt.

Michelle Blowe

Executive Assistant

Prior to joining Ara Partners, Michelle served as the Assistant to a notable group of Neurosurgeons at Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian in the heart of New York City, gaining invaluable experience in a high-stakes and fast-paced environment. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Communications from Baruch College, blending her passion for strategic thinking with a strong communication foundation.

Outside of work, Michelle spends most of her time going to the gym, enjoying nature and spending time with her pets.

Christina Chen

Decarbonization Associate

Prior to joining Ara, Christina was Senior Decarbonization Consultant at Ramboll, a global engineering and consulting firm, where she worked to develop and verify greenhouse gas inventories, life cycle assessments, and air quality assessments for commercial and government clients. In this role, she specialized in building and implementing custom tracking tools for LCAs and brings extensive expertise in conducting techno-economic and emissions analyses, particularly in the heavy-duty trucking industry, alternative fuels space, and marine port/terminal sectors in the state of California. She is a CARB-accredited LCFS verifier. Prior to Ramboll, she was a Scoville fellow for the Natural Resources Defense Council covering nuclear and state/federal energy policy.

Christina holds an MS in Technology and Policy from MIT, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Yale. When she is not geeking out about transportation decarbonization and urban planning, she enjoys running by the Charles, figure drawing, and all forms of dancing.

Sheun Cheng

Senior Associate, Infrastructure

Sheun Cheng is a Senior Associate at Ara, focusing on the Firm’s Infrastructure Strategy. Prior to joining Ara, Sheun was an Investment Manager at Queensland Investment Corporation, focused on the renewable and energy transition sectors.

Prior to that, Sheun was a Vice President at RBC Capital Markets, where he advised on M&A transactions in the energy and utility sectors. Sheun holds a BSc in Actuarial Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Nick Connors

Director of EMEA, Investor Relations

Nick Connors is the Director of EMEA Investor Relations at Ara, bringing over 20 years of investment and capital-raising experience. He focuses on expanding the firm’s investor network and building long-term relationships across the region.

Before joining Ara Partners, Nick founded TORC Capital, a boutique placement agent specializing in capital raising across Europe and the Middle East. Prior to that, he represented Itaú Asset Management, where he worked with institutional investors in the UK and continental Europe.

Earlier in his career, Nick was part of the UK Institutional Sales team at HSBC Global Asset Management. He also spent time at Pioneer Alternative Investments within their fund of hedge funds business. His experience includes working at a global macro hedge fund in New York and holding roles at Merrill Lynch, Société Générale, and GE.

Nick earned a B.Sc. (Hons) in Business Management from the Dublin Institute of Technology. From a farming background in Ireland, he is now based in London with his wife and two children. Outside of work and family life, Nick is a passionate rugby fan.

Alexander Davis

Senior Decarbonization Associate

Alex is a Senior Decarbonization Associate at Ara Partners.

Prior to joining Ara, Alex was Decarbonization Strategy & Risk Manager at Air Liquide, a world leader in industrial gases, where he owned the North American cluster carbon roadmap, oversaw carbon reporting, and acted as a Subject Matter Expert on product carbon footprint. Alex also worked on the design and execution of low carbon offers in the US. Additionally, he held roles at Air Liquide in Operations Control and Strategic Development.

Alex graduated magna cum laude from the University of Michigan with a BSE in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Multidisciplinary Design. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling with his wife, spending time outside hiking and skiing, and watching college football.

Jane Giuffrida

Content and Events Manager

Jane Giuffrida is the Content and Events Manager on the Marketing and Communications team at Ara Partners. With nine years of experience in marketing, she specializes in thought leadership, events, and brand storytelling, driving strategic communication and top-line growth.

Prior to joining Ara, Jane was the Director of Marketing at a Marketing and Communications agency, where she led client growth strategies for VC-backed startups. In addition to her role developing marketing strategies for clients, Jane oversaw the execution of more than 30 annual agency events, including a flagship three-day conference.

Jane graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Sociology. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, running, and spending time outside with her fiancé and Golden Retriever.

Syed Inam

Senior Associate, Energy

Syed Inam joined Ara in 2025 as a Senior Associate and is focused on the investment and asset management process for the Energy strategy.

Prior to joining Ara, Syed was an Associate at ArcLight Capital Partners where he supported the development of AlphaGen, an 11 GW gas fired generation platform consolidated from six distinct portfolio companies. He was active in evaluating investment opportunities in the power, midstream and renewable sectors. Syed began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at BMO Capital Markets, where he was focused on M&A and project finance for operating, brownfield and greenfield infrastructure projects in North America.

Syed holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business, York University.

Colin St. Maxens

Senior Policy Advisor

Colin St. Maxens is a Senior Policy Advisor at Ara Partners, based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He provides strategic guidance on trade and tax policy, ensuring Ara’s portfolio companies are positioned to succeed in a complex global landscape.

Prior to joining Ara, Colin spent over a decade in the U.S. Senate, working for the Senate Committee on Finance and serving as a key advisor to Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho. As a policy advisor to the Senate Finance Committee, he drafted and negotiated significant trade legislation, such as the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade and the suspension of Russia’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations status. He also represented the Senate Finance Committee in high-level trade negotiations, including World Trade Organization Ministerial Conferences, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forums, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, and the U.S-Kenya Strategic Investment Partnership.

Colin earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. Outside of work, Colin enjoys playing golf, hiking, and fishing. He lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife, daughter and dog.

Haodong Meng

Senior Accountant

Haodong Meng is a Senior Accountant at Ara and is involved in various aspects of Ara’s finance operations team, including accounting, audit, and investor reporting for the funds.

Prior to joining Ara in 2025, Haodong was a Senior Associate at PwC, a global professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Haodong primarily worked on audits of domestic and international private entities in the traditional engineering industry.

Haodong received a Master of Law from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and a Master of Accountancy from Rice University. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Chumani Mokoena

Associate

Chumani Mokoena is an Associate at Ara, where he focuses on identifying and evaluating prospective investments, executing transactions and portfolio company management. 

Prior to joining Ara, Chumani was a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Co serving major global utilities with renewables, gas, coal and nuclear power strategy and operations. Chumani received his BS in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison, and MS in Nuclear Science and Engineering from MIT.

Camille Traverso

Analyst

Camille Traverso joined Ara Partners as an Analyst in 2025, supporting the broader investment team. Before joining Ara, Camille was an Investment Analyst at Erisbeg, an Irish private equity firm specialising in SME buyouts. Camille also worked with the ESG team at RiverRock, a London-based alternative investment management firm.

Camille holds an MSc in Finance from Trinity College Dublin and a BBA from INSEEC Bordeaux.

Private: Michael Aguilar

Associate

Michael Aguilar is an Associate at Ara, where he is focused on identifying and evaluating investment opportunities as well as transaction execution and portfolio company management.

Prior to joining Ara, Michael was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Global Energy Advisory group at Evercore, where he advised public and private companies on M&A transactions, restructurings, capital raises and take-privates. At Evercore, Michael worked extensively with clients in the Hydrogen, Clean Fuels and Industrial Decarbonization sectors.

Michael holds a BA in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis.