Nur Bernhardt, former director of energy strategy at Microsoft, has left his position at the tech giant to join startup Cloverleaf Infrastructure as vice president of energy. In his new role, Bernhardt will reunite with his former boss, Brian Janous, co-founder of Cloverleaf and former vice president of energy at Microsoft.
“After 8.5 years of ups and downs, I have decided to conclude my time at Microsoft,” wrote Bernhardt on LinkedIn. “In my new role, I intend to help large energy consumers unlock growth opportunities, as well as support utilities looking to attract major energy consumers like data centers and manufacturing factories to drive economic development.”
Cloverleaf Infrastructure is dedicated to acquiring land and working with utilities to prepare them for industries with high electrical demands, such as data centers, semiconductor factories, and hydrogen production. With Bernhardt’s addition, Cloverleaf hopes to strengthen its ability to develop these critical infrastructures.
Brian Janous, who had previously worked with Bernhardt at Microsoft, expressed his excitement to collaborate with him once again. “This is the second time in my career that I have had the pleasure of hiring Nur,” Janous said. “I am excited to have him on board and to partner with him in continuing to build an incredible team at Cloverleaf.”
Bernhardt’s experience at Microsoft, where he played a crucial role in energy strategy, will be invaluable to Cloverleaf as it seeks to position itself as a leader in developing energy infrastructure ready for the demands of the future.