2014 Top 100 Power People 1 100 TOP 100 POWER PEOPLE 2014 The definitive who’s who of the wind energy industry © A Word About Wind, 2014 2014 Top 100 Power People Contents 2 CONTENTS Editorial: Introducing the Top 100 Power People 3 Compiling the top 100: Advisory panel and methodology 4 Profiles: Numbers 100 to 11 6 Q&A: Rory O’Connor, Managing Director, BlackRock 15 Q&A: David Jones, Managing Director, Allianz Capital Partners 19 Q&A: Torben Möger Pedersen, CEO, PensionDanmark 23 Top ten profiles:The most influential people in global wind 25 Top 100 list: The full Top 100 Power People for 2014 28 Next year: Key dates for A Word About Wind in 2015 30 Networking at A Word About Wind Quarterly Drinks © A Word About Wind, 2014 2014 Top 100 Power People Editorial 3 EDITORIAL elcome to our third annual Top from the six last year, but shows there W100 Power People report. is still plenty that wind can do to attract and retain women in senior roles. When we took on the challenge back in 2012 of identifying and assessing the Wind likes to think of itself as a pro- key people working in wind, it was a gressive industry, and in many ways it timely task. The industry was starting to is. But let’s not be blind to the ways in move out of established pockets in Eu- which it continues to operate like many rope, North America and Asia, and into other sectors, with males continuing to by Richard Heap, emerging markets around the world. dominate the top roles. This is a topic editor at A Word About Wind we will return to over the next year. It was a challenging process too — and, as my publisher Adam Barber and I have Still, let’s not let that deflect from discovered this year, it is one that the great work that professionals in doesn’t get any easier. The speed of the wind sector are doing in helping change in the sector and the churn at countries to wean themselves off reli- “This year’s top 100 the businesses within it make this an ance on fossil fuels; and developing sta- shows wind is a endlessly fascinating process. ble and sustainable energy supplies. dynamic industry, Let’s look at some key trends. Naturally, in trying to distil all of the with a great talent in this industry down into a top capacity to attract Forty-four of this year’s top 100 are 100 means there will be some surpris- completely new to the list, including es in the list, as well as some omissions. and retain talented three of our top five. There are also individuals from three re-entries, who were on our de- For instance, you won’t find many from other sectors.” but top 100 in 2012 but didn’t make the public sector in here, because we it onto last year’s list. This shows that wanted to focus on the power-brokers wind is a dynamic industry with a great — developers, investors and manufac- capacity to attract and retain talented turers — who spend the money and individuals from other sectors. shape the market. That is not to say that those who aren’t in this list are not This year’s top 100 also has a more important. We just don’t think they’re international flavour than before. As influential enough on the business side. you’d expect, it continues to be domi- nated by professionals who are work- We hope you are interested in what A Word About Wind ing in the established markets of Eu- we believe is a clear and objective www.awordaboutwind.com rope, North America and Asia. This is assessment of the growing international [email protected] where power in the industry resides. market and the people working in it. T: +44 (0)20 7193 6013 But it is inspiring to see greater We would like to thank our fantastic +1 (917) 310 3307 representation from those working in advisory panel for their hugely valuable emerging markets. We have included insight. We are grateful that these three 2nd Floor, individuals who are focused on new highly experienced individuals (profiled 167-169 Great Portland Street, markets, including Chile, Peru, Saudi on the next page) have taken the time London, W1W 5PF Arabia, South Africa and Thailand. As from their busy schedules to help us established markets struggle, this shows pull together this report. Editor: Richard Heap that established players are increasingly Designer: Lee Washington looking to new parts of the world. All the best — and here’s to a highly Sales & Membership: successful 2015! n Joe Gulliver However, the top 100 also shows that Publisher: Adam Barber there are areas where the industry can improve. Only eight of this year’s top 100 are women. This is an increase © A Word About Wind, 2014 2014 Top 100 Power People Compiling The Top 100 4 COMPILING THE TOP 100 To help select the Top 100, each year we bring together a senior advisory panel to provide an outside perspective. Stephen Crane He took over at REpower (now Senvion) in 2007 and, in his role Former Senior Adviser, as CEO, doubled turnover to €1.3bn. Per left REpower in 2011 UK Green Investment Bank and since then he has been active in a number of supervisory boards as well as acting as industry adviser to a number of private Stephen has 25 years’ experience in project and structured finance at three of the market’s lead- equity funds, benefitting from his 11 years’ of executive experi- ing institutions, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, ence in the global wind business. Royal Bank of Scotland (including NatWest) and Deutsche Bank. Per is senior advisor to MCF Corporate Finance in Hamburg; senior advisor to Atrium Partners in Copenhagen; and senior advi- He has 15 years’ experience of financing in the wind industry (on- sor to Apricum CleanTechAdvisory in Berlin. shore and offshore) and from both lending and advisory capaci- ties. He was part of the team that helped establish the UK’s Green Christian Kjaer Investment Bank being heavily involved in their initial investments Former CEO, serving as their interim managing director for offshore wind. European Wind Energy Association He is currently a senior consultant for Ernst & Young’s environ- Christian has been working in the wind energy mental finance team. sector for more than 15 years. Per Hornung Pedersen In 2006 he was appointed CEO of the European Wind Energy Senior Adviser, Association in Brussels, after four years as the organisation’s policy Renewables Funds director. After resigning from EWEA in April 2013, he founded Faraday Consult, a Brussels-based public affairs and strategic com- Per spent 20 years in various managerial positions munications consultancy. at companies in a range of sectors before joining the wind industry in 2000, as CFO in NEG Micon/ Christian has been a member of the boards of directors at the Vestas. He moved to Indian turbine manufacturer Suzlon in 2004, Global Wind Energy Council and of the European Renewable En- with responsibility for international operations. In his four years ergy Council in Brussels from 2006 to 2013. Christian was expert at the company he took this strong Indian company to the sixth reviewer on the IPCC’s 4th and 5th Assessment Reports on Cli- largest turbine manufacturer globally. mate Change (2007 and 2013) and review editor on the IPCC’s Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources (2011). n Ranking Process o make the ranking process as credible as possible, and list according to their connections, experience, financial power; Tin order to reduce the level of editorial subjectivity in the and leadership. This enabled us to come up with our rankings. process, we used the following methodology: The final rankings and the written views expressed in this We started by creating a list of 200 senior professionals from report are those of A Word About Wind’s editorial staff, and the global wind industry. We sent this list to our advisory panel not necessarily those of the advisory panel, who have not to identify who should be included in our shortlist. This list seen the top 100 before publication. A Word About Wind’s predominantly reflects those working in the private sector, decision is final and no correpondence will be entered into. including developers, investors and manufacturers, and not those in the public sector or at industry trade bodies. We have made every effort to be comprehensive, and to ensure that profiles are accurate and up-to-date at the time We then whittled this list down to a shortlist of 130 individu- of publication (11 November 2014). However, if there are als, which we sent back to the panel for further investigation important factual inaccuracies that you feel need correction, and assessment. The panel roughly banded the people on this please contact [email protected]. n © A Word About Wind, 2014 2014 Top 100 Power People 5 Always aim high EWEA 2015 Annual Event And achieve more Build your network and knowledge at Europe’s premier wind energy conference and exhibition. Attended by the industry’s most powerful people, the next EWEA Annual Event will propel wind energy centre-stage just before world leaders meet at the UN climate summit in Paris. Plan your trip Want to do business and revolutionise the future? www.ewea.org/annual2015 SUPPORTED BY: ORGANISED BY: © A Word About Wind, 2014 2014 Top 100 Power People Making Their Mark / Profiles 6 MAKING THEIR MARK The wind energy market is evolving, but who is actively shaping its future? Find out now ou know the background.