Viaro Energy CEO Francesco Mazzagatti
Who is the CEO of Viaro Energy?
Francesco Mazzagatti is the founder and CEO of Viaro Energy․ Viaro Energy was incorporated in February 2020 to support the Viaro group’s entry into the upstream oil and gas sector in the North Sea․ Mazzagatti has served as CEO of Viaro Energy since its founding․ Prior to starting Viaro Energy‚ he stacked up eight years of experience in international energy trading with Napag Italia‚ which he founded in 2012․ Other top executives at Viaro Energy include CFO Francesco Dixit Dominus and COO Graham Taylor․
Who is Francesco Mazzagatti?
Mazzagatti is an Italy-born businessman and founder and CEO of Viaro Energy‚ an independent upstream oil and gas company whose working interests contribute up to 9% of UK gas output on a gross basis. His early career included work in logistics and global energy trading before transitioning to the upstream oil and gas industry․
Mazzagatti is a serial entrepreneur. In his teens‚ he founded Pascal Srl, a logistics firm, in Italy, in 2004, and then Napag Italia in 2012‚ an oil and chemicals trading company that later registered with major oil and trading companies worldwide‚ including Vitol, Litasco, ENOC, Galp and Trafigura.
Mazzagatti’s educational qualifications include a diploma in Sustainability Leadership and Corporate Responsibility from London Business School and an International MBA from Buckinghamshire New University․
A passionate philanthropist, Mazzagatti is also CEO of the SRM Foundation‚ a UK charity he established to support the clean energy transition and fund environmental restoration projects and support initiatives that relieve financial hardship and unemployment among disadvantaged groups.
What Are the Key Milestones in Francesco Mazzagatti’s Career?
Francesco Mazzagatti’s career is marked by his expansion from energy-sector experience into leading an independent energy investment business. He has been active in the energy industry since 2012 and established Viaro Energy in 2020 to expand into upstream oil and gas investments. A major milestone came in 2020 with the acquisition of RockRose Energy, which provided a foundation for further growth in the North Sea. In 2021, Viaro expanded its portfolio by acquiring Dutch assets from Hague and London Oil (HALO) and gas interests from SSE E&P UK Limited.
In 2023, the company added Spark Exploration UK assets and agreed to a significant development partnership with Hartshead Resources. These milestones demonstrate his emphasis on acquisitions, portfolio diversification, and long-term investment in the European energy sector.
What Are Francesco Mazzagatti’s Most Significant Business Acquisitions?
Francesco Mazzagatti’s most significant business acquisitions have been carried out through Viaro Energy and its subsidiaries. The acquisition of RockRose Energy in 2020 was a defining transaction that established a strong foundation for the company’s North Sea expansion. In 2021, Viaro acquired the Dutch portfolio of Hague and London Oil (HALO) and producing gas interests from SSE E&P UK Limited, broadening its geographical reach and production portfolio. In 2023, it acquired Spark Exploration UK’s assets in the West of Shetland and secured a 60% working interest and planned operatorship in Southern North Sea developments through an agreement with Hartshead Resources. Viaro also acquired a 15% interest in EnQuest’s Bressay field and associated FPSO vessels. In 2024, it announced further expansion through a West of Shetland licence acquisition.
How did Francesco Mazzagatti build Viaro Energy?
Mazzagatti has developed the Viaro Energy portfolio mainly through a series of acquisitions․ RockRose was its first acquisition, and came at a cost of £247 million. The North Sea-focused firm was listed on the London Stock Exchange when Viaro energy acquired it, in 2020.
From here, Mazzagatti made several accretive acquisitions amid challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK Energy Profits Levy while other oil and gas companies reduced their presence in the North Sea and the UK․
What companies does Francesco Mazzagatti own?
Mazzagatti started Viaro Energy and is majority owner․ Companies House reports that he owns or controls more than 75% of the shares and voting rights in Viaro Investment Limited‚ which owns or controls more than 75% of Viaro Energy Limited․ Viaro Investment Limited is the group’s parent company.
What is Francesco Mazzagatti's connection to the North Sea?
Viaro Energy‚ headed by Francesco Mazzagatti‚ has interests in over 60 fields across the UKCS and Dutch North Sea․ It has been among the most active investors in the North Sea in recent times.
Mazzagatti told the Energy Council in 2023 that Viaro chose to operate in the North Sea because it was a low-risk option geopolitically and economically.
Mazzagatti says it is important for the UK to maintain North Sea oil and gas production for energy security. North Sea oil and gas production is conducted in compliance with UK environmental regulations‚ including regulations related to methane emissions‚ and helps decrease the UK's dependence on imported LNG.
He sees North Sea oil and gas development and clean energy efforts as complementary as the country transitions to net zero.
What is Francesco Mazzagatti's energy business?
It’s Viaro Energy. It's a private London-based independent oil and gas exploration and production company operating in the UKCS and Dutch North Sea The company's primary operating subsidiary is RockRose Energy․ More than 70% of Viaro Energy's portfolio is gas․