Meet the team
PEARSE O'CONNELL
PEARSE O'CONNELL
PEARSE O'CONNELL
FOUNDER & CEO
Chief Executive Officer
With two decades in gas pipelines and energy infrastructure, Pearse has led development, engineering, construction, and emergency response across major international programs.
He delivered 4,500 km of pipeline design at Shell and 400 km of new corridor routes at Santos, supporting mega-scale gas field development.
Qualified a PMP®, RMP®, and CSCP, Pearse’s experience includes solar, wind, green & renewable hydrogen, SAF & HVO production, and HVO GT power plants.
As founder, Pearse positions BOOM as a leader in hydrogen infrastructure, ensuring technical and commercial discipline through every stage of project delivery.
ROBERT SCHOLTE
PEARSE O'CONNELL
PEARSE O'CONNELL
CO-FOUNDER & CTO
Chief Technical Officer
With 30+ years in project development, engineering management, and execution,
Robert brings deep expertise across hydrogen, SAF, HVO, and large-scale energy infrastructure.
He served as Senior PM for Shell / Worley on Europe’s largest HVO & SAF plant (€1.2B) and led hydrogen FEED projects for Ørsted, and global SAF engineering at Bilfinger.
Robert’s leadership spans compressed gas infrastructure, modular integration, and scalable deployment, ensuring engineering consistency and high-performance delivery.
At BOOM, he directs technology strategy, pipeline development, and full lifecycle execution for integrated hydrogen systems.
JAGOBA CUBES
PEARSE O'CONNELL
JAGOBA CUBES
CO-FOUNDER & COO
Chief Operations Officer
With 25+ years at CEPSA, Jagoba led operations, growth, and energy infrastructure delivery across Europe and Latin America.
He managed the €1B Caracara field lifecycle, holding senior roles in O&M, asset management, joint ventures, and commercial execution across 11 countries.
As Growth Director, he built and led multi-country partnerships and portfolio expansion, aligning capital efficiency with long-term strategic growth.
At BOOM, Jagoba oversees operations, business development, and strategic partnerships—ensuring delivery performance, regulatory integration, and commercial scale-up across BOOM’s hydrogen infrastructure portfolio.
ANDREW COCKBURN
ANDREW COCKBURN
ANDREW COCKBURN
CHIEF PIPELINES & INTEGRITY OFFICER
With 25+ years in pipeline operations, Andrew is a specialist in safety-critical infrastructure and asset integrity for large-scale gas systems.
As Global Integrity Manager & Technical Authority (TA2) at BG Group, he held global responsibility for €10B+ of infrastructure—overseeing many thousands of kilometres of high-pressure pipelines, processing plants, and LNG terminals across continents.
On the 810km Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, he served as Technical and Integrity Manager, ensuring safe, reliable operations through every project phase.
At BOOM, Andrew leads pipeline design, integrity management, and operational readiness, drawing on his hydrogen feasibility experience to embed risk reduction and safety excellence in every system.
MARINA PARADELA
ANDREW COCKBURN
ANDREW COCKBURN
CHIEF LEGAL & COMPLIANCE OFFICER
With 25 years of legal, regulatory, and commercial experience, Marina specializes in hydrogen and renewable energy law across European markets.
At Repsol and Cepsa, she led major hydrogen and energy transition projects, overseeing legal frameworks, compliance, and risk management. She contributes to the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance and CertifHy®, and teaches as Professor of Hydrogen Management in transition-focused programs.
Her expertise includes contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation—supporting infrastructure and funding readiness.
At BOOM, Marina drives regulatory approvals, structures bankable commercial agreements, and ensures full legal compliance to support sustainable growth at scale.
JAN VAN DER BERG
CARLOS GONZÁLEZ PETÓN
CARLOS GONZÁLEZ PETÓN
DIRECTOR - H2 PIPELINES
ENGINEERING & EXECUTION
With 40+ years in pipeline engineering and project delivery, Jan brings unmatched experience in hydrogen pipeline design, safety, and operations.
As a Hydrogen Infrastructure Technical Authority, he has led multiple detailed designs for hydrogen pipelines, covering process conditions, material selection, emergency response, and integrity management.
His expertise spans the full asset lifecycle—from design and construction to O&M and risk mitigation, managing many thousands of kilometres of gas transmission lines.
At BOOM, Jan drives technical execution, system reliability, and safety assurance to deliver scalable hydrogen transport infrastructure.
CARLOS GONZÁLEZ PETÓN
CARLOS GONZÁLEZ PETÓN
CARLOS GONZÁLEZ PETÓN
SENIOR ADVISOR
Governance, Business Development & Operational Excellence
Carlos is a seasoned energy executive with a proven track record in asset management, business growth, and governance.
The former CEO of Mitsubishi Power Europe, Carlos founded its 1st Spanish subsidiary and scaled operations to 10 countries, leading multi-market strategy and hydrogen transition programs. At AES, he oversaw facility EPC, gas pipelines O&M, and safe operations of power plants.
Now VP of Business Development at TES, he advances green hydrogen and e-NG projects in partnership with IPPs, OEMs, and renewable developers.
At BOOM, Carlos supports corporate governance, strategic growth, and the design of profitable, scalable energy infrastructure ventures.