Paul Varello
Founder and Chairman
Paul has more than 50 years of experience in the engineering and construction industry including 30 years in C-level management positions. Before founding Commonwealth Projects in 2014, he was Founder and Chairman of Commonwealth Engineering and Construction, a project management company specializing in the design and construction of refining, LNG, chemical and gas processing projects.
He also served as Chairman and CEO of Sterling Construction Company, CEO of American Ref-Fuel Company, President of the Process Sector of Fluor Corporation and Monitor Trustee for the Federal Trade Commission overseeing the LNG tank business of CB&I.
Paul is a Registered Professional Engineer in Louisiana, Texas and California, and holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Villanova University. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
Farhad Ahrabi
President and CEO
Farhad joined Commonwealth following a seven-year tenure at Cameron LNG, during which he oversaw the development, construction and subsequent operations of a 14.5 mtpa LNG facility in Hackberry, Louisiana. Prior to that, he had been active in LNG during his 28 years with BG Group.
In recent years, Farhad has also served as an Independent Director at ARC Resources Limited, a leading Canadian energy company with a diverse asset portfolio focused on responsible energy development.
He holds a PhD. in Reservoir Engineering from the University of Exeter (England) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wales.
Management Team
Scott Ray, Chief Operating Officer
Scott oversees overall operations of the company, including execution of Commonwealth LNG’s engineering, procurement, construction and permitting. Scott has over 30 years of domestic and international engineering and management experience and has constructed multiple liquefaction facilities around the globe.
Nick Eusepi , Chief Financial Officer
Nick is responsible for the management of all financial and accounting activities of Commonwealth LNG, including business planning, budgeting, forecasting and negotiations. He’s experienced in raising various types of capital through debt and equity placements and knowledgeable in the intricacies of project finance. Nick’s background is from the public accounting arena where he specialized in audit and attest work, along with various other financial consulting roles.
Daniel McGinnis, Chief Commercial Officer
Dan oversees all commercial activities of the Commonwealth LNG project. He has extensive experience developing projects in the LNG sector, with a depth of knowledge in strategy, business development, marketing and trading, government and regulatory issues and media relations.
Jesse Lee , Executive VP, LNG Marketing
Jesse is responsible for implementation of Commonwealth’s global LNG marketing strategy. He brings more than 20 years of international business development experience, including the negotiation and execution of long-term LNG offtake agreements with strategic customers in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the U.K., China and India
Jeremy Smith, Senior VP of Finance
Jeremy is responsible for raising capital to support Commonwealth LNG’s development activities and construction of our facilities post-FID. Jeremy has over 20 years of capital raising and financial structuring experience. He previously worked at Anadarko Petroleum where he led the global financing efforts that raised $18 billion in lender commitments supporting the 2019 FID of Mozambique LNG.
Erik Jansson VP / Engineering & Procurement
Erik leads the technical execution of all activities related to Engineering and Procurement. Erik has over 30 years of industrial experience including oil and gas, power generation, general industrial, commercial, environmental compliance and modular fabrication.
Hans Verswijver, VP / Permitting & Marine
Hans oversees all activities relating to waterway transportation, logistics, safety and permitting. A 30-year veteran in shipping, logistics, and transport of liquefied petrochemical gases, he has spent the last 5 years exclusively developing LNG projects.
Jonathan Allcock, Senior Project Engineer
Jonathan has been involved in several dozen topsides, jackets and associated bridges across the globe. He has over 30 years’ experience in the design and fabrication of oil and gas platforms, wharves and outfalls inclusive of dredging.
Lyle Hanna, Dir. of Communications
Lyle handles external communications and media relations for Commonwealth LNG. He draws upon more than 30 years of experience in the energy industry, including support of projects in LNG, petrochemicals, refining and waste-to-energy. He has managed brand identity for companies ranging from startups to major industry participants.
Amye Willard, Dir. of HR & Administration
Amye is responsible for developing and implementing company HR policies and procedures. She also directs office administration for Commonwealth LNG, including building services, office management, corporate travel and logistics. Amye draws upon 20-plus years of diversified business experience, including previous LNG project development.
Advisory Board
Don Cruver, Chairman of the Board
Founder of Cruver, Robbins & Fu, LLP and a highly experienced international lawyer/executive with decades of engineering and construction industry experience.
Rod J. Ragan, Director
President and co-founder of Energy Allied International having over 40 years of major project experience in upstream and downstream oil and gas, petrochemical, industrial and power projects. Rod is also President at Sandpiper Chemicals LLC, a 1 million ton/year methanol plant under development.
David Sargent, Director
Managing Director at Duff & Phelps with over 30 years of M&A origination, execution, management experience and board experience with middle-market public and private companies.
Joe Cutillo, Director
CEO at Sterling Construction Company with nearly 30 years of executive management experience and a deep understanding of emerging opportunities in heavy civil construction, industrial, and adjacent markets.
Jeff Early, Director
Former Texas Regional President for The Northern Trust Company’s wealth management division with 40 years of experience. Mr. Early also serves on several local community boards including: Sam Houston Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, UTHealth, Salvation Army, and Coronado Club.
