OSLO, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Danish energy trader

InCommodites, backed by Goldman Sachs ( GS ), has appointed

former Gunvor executive Rich Brockmeyer as its new CEO for North

America as it plans to accelerate its push into the U.S. power

and gas market, the group said on Wednesday.

Brockmeyer most recently oversaw North American natural gas

and power operations at energy trader Gunvor, where he also

served on the executive committee, and will join InCommodities

from September 2, the company said.

He will work from Stamford, Connecticut, where InCommodities

will set up a new office and oversee the expansion of the

trading firm's U.S. gas and power trading desk.

"We are not just expanding - this will be an aggressive

buildout to scale and seize opportunities in a quickly changing

North American market," Brockmeyer said in a statement.

The company has traded power in North America since 2020,

and already has an office in Austin, Texas, and has expended

into gas trading in 2024.

Its North American business currently consists of around 30

people, a number expected to at least double in the coming

years, InCommodities said, expecting the U.S. energy market to

grow rapidly.

While the renewable energy build-out will create more market

volatility, increased demand from data centres and artificial

intelligence applications as well as the expansion of storage,

are also reshaping demand and flexibility, Brockmeyer said.

This creates a clear need for faster, tech-driven approaches

to trading, giving an edge to InCommodities, which already takes

a data-driven decision making process and utilises algorithmic

trading, he added.

The company, in which Goldman Sachs ( GS ) and some other investors

own a 15% stake, is one of Europe's fastest-growing energy

trading companies, with expansion previously focused on new

renewable energy offerings and Asia-Pacific power markets.