Full Name
Raj Swaminathan
Job Title
Vice President, Business Development
Company
CMS Enterprises
Speaker Bio
Rajesh (“Raj”) Swaminathan offers the REBA Board of Directors his unique perspectives of both an Energy Provider and Buyer and of a strategic and diverse thought leader and innovator. During his career, Raj has served both as an Energy Provider for CMS Enterprises, the independent power producer (“IPP”) subsidiary of CMS Energy which has under operation and development almost 1 GW of renewable energy, and as a Buyer of renewable energy in a variety of roles for Consumers Energy, the combined electric and gas utility subsidiary of CMS Energy.
As Vice President, Raj currently directs renewable energy development and acquisitions for the non-regulated business, CMS Enterprises. Additionally, in his former roles for the utility, he has also directed customer (Buyer) transactions and utility-owned renewable development. For the last 3 years, Raj has served REBA as the CMS Enterprises’ Leadership Council representative on the Advisory Board.
Raj is a diverse candidate himself, having grown up in Mumbai, India and immigrated to the U.S. CMS Energy’s subsidiaries have all adopted an industry leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) culture, and Raj promotes this DEI culture within his organization. An example of CMS Energy’s DEI culture is Forbes recently naming the utility subsidiary, Consumers Energy, as the top utility company in the country in its latest ranking of "America's Best Employers for Diversity."
Raj’s more than 20 years of experience with developing innovative solutions for commercial and industrial customers on both the non-regulated and regulated side of the business makes him well suited to understand regulatory challenges to accelerating renewable energy choices for Buyers and to work with a variety of stakeholders and find common ground and practical approaches. Raj can offer insight into how utilities could be encouraged to cooperate and offer increased renewable energy alternatives to Buyers by bridging the interests of Buyers and utilities. Raj’s global energy project development, financing, acquisitions and divestitures experience allows him to provide diverse perspectives, identities and thought leadership. Raj has also served as director on utility boards in Brazil and Venezuela and at a U.S.-based internet startup.
Previous REBA Board service: Advisory Board (‘19-‘21)
As Vice President, Raj currently directs renewable energy development and acquisitions for the non-regulated business, CMS Enterprises. Additionally, in his former roles for the utility, he has also directed customer (Buyer) transactions and utility-owned renewable development. For the last 3 years, Raj has served REBA as the CMS Enterprises’ Leadership Council representative on the Advisory Board.
Raj is a diverse candidate himself, having grown up in Mumbai, India and immigrated to the U.S. CMS Energy’s subsidiaries have all adopted an industry leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) culture, and Raj promotes this DEI culture within his organization. An example of CMS Energy’s DEI culture is Forbes recently naming the utility subsidiary, Consumers Energy, as the top utility company in the country in its latest ranking of "America's Best Employers for Diversity."
Raj’s more than 20 years of experience with developing innovative solutions for commercial and industrial customers on both the non-regulated and regulated side of the business makes him well suited to understand regulatory challenges to accelerating renewable energy choices for Buyers and to work with a variety of stakeholders and find common ground and practical approaches. Raj can offer insight into how utilities could be encouraged to cooperate and offer increased renewable energy alternatives to Buyers by bridging the interests of Buyers and utilities. Raj’s global energy project development, financing, acquisitions and divestitures experience allows him to provide diverse perspectives, identities and thought leadership. Raj has also served as director on utility boards in Brazil and Venezuela and at a U.S.-based internet startup.
Previous REBA Board service: Advisory Board (‘19-‘21)