Meet the Leadership Team

Arndt E. Lutz is the Chief Executive Officer of Vertex Energy GmbH, where he oversees the company’s strategic direction and growth across utility-scale solar project development in Europe.

Mr. Lutz is a renewable energy executive with more than 20 years of international experience in solar PV and green hydrogen. His background includes senior leadership roles at REC Group, where he led North American module sales and project development, and at Conergy AG, where he served as Managing Director of U.S. operations. He also held executive roles at Nel Hydrogen Inc. and E.ON, gaining expertise across the development, financing, and deployment of clean energy infrastructure.

Throughout his career, Mr. Lutz has driven large-scale solar projects under both European feed-in tariff regimes and U.S. power purchase agreements, with a focus on delivering bankable, high-impact solutions.

A trained lawyer, Mr. Lutz holds law degrees from Fordham Law School in New York and Freiburg Law School in Germany. He is a dual U.S. and German citizen and speaks English, German, and Spanish.

Frank Faller is the Chief Technology Officer of Vertex Energy GmbH, where he leads the company’s technical strategy and innovation roadmap for utility-scale solar project development across Europe.

With over three decades of experience in the solar PV industry, Dr. Faller brings deep expertise spanning R&D, manufacturing, system design, and technology commercialization. His career has bridged leading roles in both research institutions and industry, enabling him to drive technical excellence from lab to large-scale deployment.

Prior to joining Vertex Energy, Dr. Faller held senior positions across the global solar sector, overseeing advancements in solar cell and module technologies, scaling production lines, and improving system performance. His work has played a pivotal role in shaping efficient, bankable solutions for large-scale PV projects.

Dr. Faller earned his Ph.D. from the University of Freiburg, in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE)—a globally renowned center for solar research and innovation.

Jieling Zhang-Malesic is the General Manager of Vertex Energy GmbH, overseeing the company’s operations, investments, and financial strategy across renewable energy projects in Europe and emerging markets.

With more than 15 years of experience in investment management, M&A transactions, and project finance, Mrs. Zhang-Malesic has played a key role in structuring and closing large-scale renewable energy deals across solar and wind sectors. She has successfully executed over 926 MW of renewable transactions globally, including in APAC, EMEA, and LATAM.

Her track record includes securing over $355 million in debt financing from development finance institutions such as EBRD, ADB, and DEG, and arranging more than $250 million in equity from utilities and global investment funds.

Prior to Vertex Energy, she worked with a major German infrastructure investment firm managing over €17 billion in assets. Mrs. Zhang-Malesic is fluent in Chinese, English, and German, with working knowledge of Spanish.