DENVER – October 28, 2026 -- Onward Energy, an independent power producer with a 6.6 GW portfolio, has appointed Chief Financial Officer Patrick Welch as CEO and promoted Adam Heath to CFO, both effective October 27, 2026.
Welch moves from interim CEO to the permanent role and joins the board
Welch, CFO since 2023 and currently Interim President and CEO, will also join Onward's board of directors. He has more than 34 years of energy and power experience, including 18 years in CFO roles at Atlantic Power, JP Energy Partners and Jonah Energy.
Onward initially recruited him to build its finance function. He has since led the company through major financing transactions, built an enterprise risk management program and developed talent and organizational structures meant to support scale.
Chairman Barry Welch ties the appointment to portfolio growth
Barry Welch, chairman of the board (no relation to Patrick Welch), said the new CEO's strategic leadership will guide Onward as it keeps growing a portfolio of 55 solar, wind and natural gas projects across 21 states.
Heath steps up from capital markets to lead the finance organization
Heath, currently Vice President of Capital Markets and Financial Strategy, succeeds Welch as CFO. He has more than 19 years of experience in energy and infrastructure finance, including roles at Caithness Energy, RBC Capital Markets and WestLB AG.
At Onward, Heath manages corporate and project financing, treasury and risk management. Patrick Welch said Heath has done an outstanding job leading the company's treasury and capital markets activities and is well positioned to lead finance as CFO.