RenewableUK has announced the results of an election held this summer for a new Chair and Vice Chair of our Board, along with six members who have been co-opted to the Board, including five new appointees. 

Paul Cooley, SSE Renewables Global Offshore Wind Director, was elected by the rest of the Board as its new Chair and Una Brosnan, SVP Head of Ireland at Mainstream Renewable Power was elected Vice Chair. Both are currently Board Members and will take up their new roles this month.

The six co-optees are Laura Fleming, Country Managing Director for Hitachi Energy in the UK and Ireland; Cristina Garcia Duffy, Technical Director at ORE Catapult; Adam Morrison, Ocean Winds Country Manager UK; David Rooney, Senior Vice President, Offshore Sales Northern and Central Europe for Vestas; Iain Sinclair, Executive Director, Global Energy Group and Tristan Zipfel, EDF’s Director of Strategy and Analysis. Laura Fleming is continuing as a co-opted Board member; the other five are new co-optees. They will be in post for a year, starting this month.

They have been appointed to ensure that the Board fully represents onshore and offshore technologies by including developers, operators and supply chain companies, as well as grid, leasing, policy and regulation experts. The gender balance of the new Board will be 56% male and 44% female.

RenewableUK’s CEO Dan McGrail commented: 
“Between them, our new Chair, Vice Chair and six co-opted Board Members bring an enormous wealth of professional experience, knowledge and talent from innovative companies in our sector which will strengthen and enhance the way we work. They’re taking up their new roles at a crucial moment for the industry, as we remain determined to push ahead with vital new projects to deliver cheap power and boost our energy security at a time of challenging economic conditions worldwide which is unprecedented in our sector. 

“While the energy industry as a whole still has more to do to better reflect wider society, the degree of gender parity in our new Board highlights the growing diversity of leadership that we’re achieving in the renewables sector. I’m looking forward to working with all our Board members to support and encourage greater inclusivity at every level across our industry”.

RenewableUK’s new Chair Paul Cooley, SSE Renewables Global Offshore Wind Director, said: 
“It’s a huge honour to be appointed Chair of RenewableUK at such an important time for our industry. Renewable energy lies at the very heart of the UK’s path to tackling climate change, providing greater energy security and delivering long-term sustainable prices for consumers. Alongside the huge opportunity this presents, we also face a growing list of challenges. How we respond to these challenges, not just as an industry but as a country over the next number of years, will be pivotal to our future success.

“I’m immensely looking forward to working with Dan and the dedicated, talented team at RenewableUK. Working together as an industry with government, supply chain and other stakeholders, we can deliver greater success for our industry and ensure renewable energy is central to the UK’s future energy independence and the wellbeing of society.”

Vice Chair Una Brosnan, SVP Head of Ireland at Mainstream Renewable Power said: 
“We are at a pivotal time for our industry with challenges extending the right across energy security, climate, cost and social alignment. Accelerating collaborative working across the lifecycle of projects and with communities will be key for our industry if we are to realise sustainable delivery of targets and drive equity across the supply chain”. 

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