Offshore Wind Conference 2025 Speakers

Mike Engelbrecht

Vice President, Sumitomo Electric UK Power Cables

Mike joined Japan’s Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) in 2022 and has been appointed as Vice President and Director of SEUK-CL (a wholly owned subsidiary of SEI) based in Inverness, Scotland.

Prior to SEI, Mike held the positions of CEO Ducab-HV (a new build Middle Eastern based power cable company in Dubai) and CEO Ducab Cables Division. He also served as a director of a joint venture company between Sumitomo Electric Industries and Ducab-HV, assuming the Chair between 2019 and 2022.

Mike commenced his career in cables for a South African company (CBi Electric: African Cables) where he honed his skills in various technical and commercial positions, culminating in appointment to GM of the Power Installations Division.

Mike brings a wealth of experience in the cable industry, possessing both technical and commercial expertise. His strategic business acumen and management of multi-cultural teams are key to his leadership style and will be instrumental as SEUK-CL looks to complete its factory build and commence with commercial offshore cable supply, in support of UK and Scottish offshore renewable and grid expansion activities.

Clare Foster

Partner & Head of Clean Energy, Shepherd and Wedderburn

Clare Foster is Head of Clean Energy at law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP and as a banking partner, she also leads the firm’s project finance practice. Clare is a dual qualified project finance lawyer and has been involved in the energy sector since the early renewable projects of the late 1990s. Clare advises clients on UK projects spanning the energy sector, including offshore (fixed, floating and tidal), onshore (wind, solar and battery storage), biomass, hydro, energy efficiency and other decarbonisation projects, and leads the team on most clean energy transactions. She leads the Edinburgh Climate Compact and was a director on the Board of RenewableUK from 2019-2022.

Rosemary Kennedy

Head of Revenues and Stakeholder Relations, Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm

Head of Revenues and Stakeholder Relations for Inch Cape Offshore Windfarm, Rosemary has worked in the energy industry for twenty years and on the Inch Cape project since 2021. Rosemary has a commercial background and has worked across a variety of roles and disciplines; she holds a degree in Financial Information Systems from Trinity College Dublin and an MBA from University College Dublin.

Stuart Lawson

Solutions Director and Co-Founder, Innovair

Stuart is a leader redefining the inspection of energy assets in challenging, remote, and hazardous environments. With over 18 years’ experience in Oil & Gas and wind energy, and a degree in Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, Stuart has delivered hundreds of offshore projects, combining technical expertise with advanced robotics and AI-driven solutions. As Solutions Director at Innovair, he’s passionate about making energy assets safer and more productive, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and his deep industry knowledge to help clients achieve efficient, reliable, inspections that maximise asset longevity.

Susie Lind

UK Managing Director, BlueFloat Energy | Nadara Partnership

usie is the Managing Director of the BlueFloat Energy | Nadara Partnership in the UK where she leads the development of 5GW of floating offshore wind. Susie has worked in the energy sector for 15 years in development, construction, operation and decommissioning of projects including on and offshore wind, solar and battery. Previous roles include executive director positions at EDF (UK) and EDF Renewables. She remains a qualified lawyer, notary public and Writer to His Majesty’s Signet.

Claire Mack

Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables

Claire has been Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, the representative voice of Scotland’s renewable energy industry, since October 2017. She is responsible for leading the organisation’s work to grow Scotland’s renewables sector and sustain its position at the forefront of the global clean energy industry.

Claire is a member of the First Minister’s Energy Advisory Board and is co-chair of the Renewable Energy Strategic Leadership Group. She is also co-chair of the Scottish Government Marine Energy Industry Group.

Claire is a member of SSEN’s Network for Net Zero Stakeholder Group and a member of the Centre for Work-Based Learning in Scotland Advisory Group.

Claire was awarded the University of Strathclyde’s STELAR award for executive leadership within the industry in 2021 and is also an honorary fellow of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

Prof. Juergen Maier CBE, FRS, FREng, FIET, FCGI

Chair, Great British Energy

Juergen Maier served as the former Chief Executive of Siemens UK. Over his 33 year career with Siemens, he held several senior roles in the UK and Germany. During Juergen’s leadership, the company played a pivotal role in UK’s decarbonisation of the electricity system.
Juergen takes a strong leadership role for UK’s industrial, infrastructure and manufacturing community. He served on the Board of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills from 2014 to 2016 and his work has supported several previous government Industrial Strategy initiatives.
Juergen believes that businesses should play an active role in society and community matters. To further this mission, he co-founded the social enterprise vocL.
In July 2024, Juergen was appointed as Start Up Chair of Great British Energy to drive forward this new, operationally independent company.

Eddie McAvinchey

Banking & Investments – Scotland, National Wealth Fund

Eddie is the Scotland representative of the National Wealth Fund and is based in Edinburgh.  His role covers NWF’s activities across both the public and private sectors.  The NWF was launched in October 2024 to provide £27.8bn of capital to support the delivery of the Government’s pending industrial Strategy.  Prior to joining NWF, Eddie was an Executive Director at the Scottish National Investment Bank, and Head of Corporate Finance at Edinburgh-based merchant bank Noble & Co.  Earlier in his career he established Clydesdale Bank’s first renewable energy team and its project finance product offering.

Ian Milne

Head of Business Development, Balmoral

With more than 13 years’ experience in the global offshore energy sector, Ian has in-depth sales management and business development knowledge of marine construction projects. With a passion for renewable energy, he joined Balmoral in 2019 to develop and enhance the company’s presence within the sector. With Balmoral now an established player within Offshore Wind, supporting some 11GW of fixed and floating installations with subsea protection and buoyancy, Ian’s focus is on the strategic growth of the business in domestic and international markets. Ian is a member of various industry associations and regularly promotes the wider Scottish supply chain.

Liam Moore

Senior Engineer, 2H Offshore

Liam has 6 years’ of engineering experience in design and numerical analysis of offshore structures used in energy production including risers, moorings and cable systems. He has had various roles in a number of detailed design, feasibility and verification projects. These include both local and global modelling of a variety of offshore structural systems for a various floating offshore wind projects. These include coupled assessments looking at floating foundations, turbine, mooring systems and power cables to support developer and vendors on floating wind projects. He has been based in the 2H’s Aberdeen office for the past 6 years.

Paul Olvhoj

Business Development Manager, Orkney Future Ports

Paul is Business Development Manager at Orkney Harbours and came to Orkney from the Port of Sunderland in 2019. He spent his time at sea in the Royal Navy and then around the world conducting wireline and geotechnical surveys offshore. The role covers all of the harbours business streams, mainly in the oil & gas, offshore renewables and cruise sectors and Paul is commercial lead of the major projects planned in Scapa Flow and further afield in Orkney as part of the Orkney Future Ports infrastructure programme that aims to develop Orkney into a world class marine hub.

Roger Salomone

Head of Public Affairs UK & Ireland, Vestas

Roger has been Head of Public Affairs UK & Ireland at Vestas since March 2022. He has two decade’s experience across the oil and gas, renewables and manufacturing sectors. Roger joined Vestas from ExxonMobil where he held a series of roles including leading communications for the company’s EU affairs office, advising the exploration business across Europe and Africa, and heading up public affairs for the UK business. Earlier in his career he worked in the trade association representing UK manufacturers, European energy market consultancy and the UK electricity market.

Elliot Shilling

Head of Business Acquisition, Beam

o I studied oceanography at the University of Plymouth before starting my career at Gardline as a Trainee Commercial Manager, gaining insight across all aspects of the business. Since then, I've worked in project management and commercial roles for various survey and inspection providers. I was part of the pioneering team at XOCEAN that introduced Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) to gather data for offshore wind projects and their maintenance. At TGS, I focused on developing Data as a Service offerings. I joined Beam in January 2024, where I am responsible for business acquisition and expanding our marine site characterisation business unit.

Iain Sinclair

Executive Director, Global Energy Group

Iain is the Executive Director of Global Energy Group, leading strategic growth in renewable energy markets, with a focus on infrastructure development and investment at the Port of Nigg. He has over 20 years of experience in the renewable energy supply chain, holding senior executive roles in heavy engineering and materials manufacturing. Iain serves as Vice Chair of Scottish Renewables, a board director of Renewable UK, a non-executive director at Offshore Wind Growth Partnership and Mocean Energy and Chairs the Scottish Offshore Wind Ports Alliance.

Mark Baxter

Project Director and Chair of SOWEC Developers Group, Ocean

Mark is the Caledonia Project Director at Ocean Winds, bringing over 15 years' experience in the Energy industry, including Offshore Wind during delivery of Round 3 consents and working within Networks on Smart Grids.

He joined Ocean Winds in 2020 working as the Head of Development during the Construction of Moray East and was appointed as Caledonia Project Director in February 2022. In November he was announced as Chair of the SOWEC Developer Group.

Throughout his career he has made significant contributions to the development and delivery of large-scale infrastructure projects across Transport and Energy.

Bruce Buchanan

Engagement and Policy Manager, Offshore Wind Directorate, Scottish Government

Bruce has worked for the Offshore Wind Directorate, Scottish Government, since its inception in April 2023. Prior to this post, Bruce worked within the Marine Planning & Policy division of Marine Scotland for a period of 10 years. In the earlier part of Bruce’s civil service career, he gained some 20 years’ experience working with the fishing industry through postings with Marine Scotland Compliance at Ayr, Lerwick and Edinburgh.

Jonathan Cole

CEO, Corio Generation

Jonathan Cole is CEO of Corio Generation, the global offshore wind business headquartered in London. Corio is home to one of the world's largest offshore wind portfolios with around 25 GW of projects in development across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Corio is a portfolio company of Macquarie Asset Management, operating on a standalone basis. Jonathan is Chair of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and has held prominent industry positions including chairing the Global Offshore Wind Health and Safety Organisation (G+). Prior to joining Corio, Jonathan helped create and then ran Iberdrola’s Offshore Wind Business for over a decade.

Charlotte Dick

Consultant, BVG Associates

Charlotte is a consultant at BVG Associates, specializing in economic modelling and business strategy. She delivers expert insights in supply chain assessments, market skills analyses and marine spatial planning. Her recent projects include analysing Scotland’s onshore wind pipeline, assessing global floating offshore wind markets and developing an online skills pathway for Ireland’s offshore wind industry. With a background in the US geothermal and battery storage sectors and experience as a mathematics teacher in the UK, Charlotte combines technical expertise with strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills. Her passion for data analysis drives impactful, data-driven solutions for the renewable energy sector.

Raymond Hall

Renewable Energy Policy Officer, Scottish White Fish Producers Association

Born and raised in Arbroath, employed as the Renewable Energy Policy Officer for the Scottish Whitefish Producers Association (SWFPA). My primary goal is to ensure that the current generation of fishers, as well as those that follow, can continue to enjoy the same opportunities that have defined my own fishing career. My work focuses on navigating the intersection of renewable energy development and the fishing industry, advocating for policies that protect the interests of coastal communities. Beyond my professional life, I am deeply passionate about my family, which remains my greatest priority.

Charlie Jordan

CEO, ScottishPower Renewables

Charlie Jordan’s career with ScottishPower began in 1997 where he joined the then Technology Division of the business. He joined Renewables in 2002 as a Project Engineer at Cruach Mhor onshore windfarm (UK) and went on to manage the construction of many onshore windfarms across the UK before joining the Offshore business in 2009.

Charlie led the development and construction of Iberdrola’s first Offshore Windfarm at West of Duddon Sands before taking on the role of Project Director for the group’s flagship £2.5bn East Anglia ONE Offshore Windfarm, the largest infrastructure investment in the Iberdrola portfolio at the time, later becoming CEO of East Anglia ONE Ltd.

In 2021, Charlie was appointed Offshore UK & Project Management Director, responsible for driving the group’s offshore development pipeline including execution of large-scale construction projects.

In addition to his role at ScottishPower, Charlie is a Director of the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) as well as a contributing member of various Offshore Wind NGO’s.

Charlie studied Civil Engineering at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

Stephen McKellar

Head of Grid & Systems, Scottish Renewables

Stephen McKellar is Head of Grid & Systems at Scottish Renewables where he leads on policy efforts for UK electricity network reform. With prior experience in network and regulatory roles for the Scottish Government, he advocates for Scotland's renewable energy sector, shaping decarbonisation strategies in collaboration with government and regulatory bodies.

Maggie Olson-Jow

Policy Manager, New Technologies, Scottish Renewables

Maggie Olson-Jow is the Policy Manager for New Technologies at Scottish Renewables. She focuses on hydrogen, wave & tidal, and INTOG. Our vision is for a Scotland leading the world in renewable energy. The sectors we represent deliver investment, jobs, social benefits, and reduce the carbon emissions which cause climate change. Our members work across all renewable energy technologies, in Scotland, the UK, Europe and around the world.

Maggie’s work as the Policy Manager for Hydrogen, Wave & Tidal, and INTOG involves managing and supporting the development of Scottish Renewables’ policy positions, which aim to create the conditions for the sustainable growth of Scotland’s renewable energy industry, and communicating these effectively to key policy and regulatory decision makers.

Hannah Page

Consents Lead, Thistle Wind Partners

Hannah is the Consents Lead at Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) with overall responsibility for the delivery of the onshore and offshore consents for TWP’s two ScotWind projects - Ayre and Bowdun. A Chartered environmental professional, with over two decades of Environmental Impact Assessment and consenting experience across a wide range of sectors, including energy and renewables, both onshore and offshore in the UK and Australia. Hannah is an enthusiastic advocate for the offshore wind sector and the vital role it plays in addressing the climate emergency.

Colin Palmer

Director of Offshore, Scottish Renewables

Colin is Director of Offshore at Scottish Renewables, the representative voice of Scotland’s renewable energy sector. He is responsible for leading the organisation’s work in supporting and enabling the development and built out of Scotland’s world leading fixed and floating offshore wind pipeline, and in helping realise the tremendous wave & tidal energy opportunity Scotland has.

Before joining Scottish Renewables, Colin was Director of Marine at Crown Estate Scotland for a period of 5 years in which his responsibilities included leading the ScotWind and INTOG offshore wind leasing rounds.

Colin has always been passionate about the development and delivery of renewable energy having previously worked at SSE where, amongst other roles, he was the development phase project manager on the Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm project.

He has degrees in marketing and in engineering project management.

Ian Taylor

Project Director, Thistle Wind Partners

Ian sets the strategic direction for TWP and leads the team’s work on planning, consenting, and developing its newly won ScotWind project sites. He has moved into this role after seven years as DEME’s Offshore Country Manager for both the UK and Ireland, where his focus was on the construction of offshore wind farms.

Ian’s renewables experience stretches back to 2002, starting as TXU UK’s (subsequently taken over by EON) commercial manager for renewable projects. He then headed up SLP Energy’s business, developing and constructing a portfolio of onshore wind and successfully securing and developing the Sheringham Shoal project as well as several offshore wind construction projects.
He joined Good Energies as an Investment Director, managing its portfolio of onshore wind assets as well as setting up and managing, as CEO, a rooftop PV development company in Paris before taking a lead role in the Dutch firm Typhoon Offshore, in the development to FC of the Gemini offshore wind project.

To all his roles, Ian brings cross-sectoral engineering experience forged during the early years of his career when he worked as a design engineer for companies such as Rolls Royce and Alstom. He holds an MBA from Cranfield School of Management and took his first degree in Mechanical Engineering.