Ja Kao

President and CEO
Onyx Renewable Partners L.P.

Ja Kao is the President and CEO of Onyx Renewable Partners L.P. (“Onyx”). Onyx is a renewable energy development company established by funds managed by Blackstone Energy Partners. Onyx is focused on greenfield development and M&A opportunities in the North American solar and wind sectors. Ja has over 15 years of finance and legal experience, as an investment banker and tax lawyer, structuring and placing complex financial instruments and structuring and executing M&A transactions across sectors, including financial services, media, telecom, energy (both traditional and renewable), consumer products and industrials.

Prior to joining Onyx, Ja worked at The Blackstone Group, where she was a Managing Director on the Structured Solutions team of Blackstone Advisory Partners. While at Blackstone, she led the renewable energy investment banking practice, covering wind, solar and other technology companies. Ja structured multiple tax equity financing transactions for solar and wind projects. Prior to The Blackstone Group, Ja was a tax associate at the law firm of Shearman & Sterling, LLP in New York and worked on complex M&A, capital markets, cross-border finance and private client matters from 2001-2008.

Ja received a JD, cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA with a major in Economics from Brandeis University.

Ja serves as Chairman of the Board of Assessment Review for the town of Pound Ridge, NY and serves on the Board of Directors and Treasurer for the not-for-profit group, Internationals Network for Public Schools.