In his role as UK Country Manager Richard will lead the UK business including being responsible for Ørsted’s regulatory and external affairs activities and championing employee engagement in the UK. Richard brings more than 15 years’ experience working in the renewables sector to the role and is currently Head of External Affairs for Ørsted in the UK, having previously held senior roles in Ørsted’s legal, commercial and market development teams.
Benj has spent almost four decades in the energy sector and has been with Orsted since 2012. In that time he has also held a number of senior external roles, including chairing the Offshore Wind Industry Council, leading the work to deliver the Offshore Wind Sector Deal with the UK Government, and chairing G+, the offshore wind sector’s global health and safety organisation, during its formative years.
Benj Sykes, UK Country Chair at Ørsted, said: “After many rewarding years leading the UK business and our European Consent and Permitting teams, I’m delighted to be taking up this new position as Ørsted’s UK Chair.
“Wind energy is fast becoming the backbone of the UK’s energy system, delivering secure, home-grown electricity and securing investment, jobs and opportunities for UK businesses to grow in this fast-expanding sector. As UK Chair I’ll be focused more than ever before on driving the continued growth of offshore wind, working with senior stakeholders across the sector and ensuring the UK has a well-informed and constructive public debate on the future role of offshore wind.
“I look forward to continuing to contribute to Ørsted’s success in my new role, and playing my part in ensuring that offshore wind delivers its full potential for Britain.”
Richard Bodal Hansen, UK Country Manager at Ørsted, said: “I am delighted to be stepping into this role at a pivotal moment for the offshore wind industry in the UK. Recent global events have highlighted the urgent need to increase the UK’s energy security and decrease our reliance on volatile global gas markets. Offshore wind will be a critical element of our decarbonised energy system in the coming years and the regulatory and political environment necessary to deliver this successfully continues to evolve and become increasingly complex.”
“I look forward to working with colleagues in government and industry to ensure Ørsted continues to play a leading role in the next phase of growth in the UK and the continued success of our world leading offshore wind sector.”
