MHI Vestas is to replace its top two executives with wind industry veterans Philippe Kavafyan and Lars Bondo Krogsgaard.
Chief executive Jens Tommerup and co-CEO Tetsushi Mizuno are stepping down effective 1 April “in accordance with the joint venture agreement’s principle of changing its leadership every four years”.
Their replacements will take the same roles. Chief executive Kavafyan has more than 25 years in energy and 12 in wind with companies including Adwen, EDF, GE and Areva. Krogsgaard was most recently CEO at Nordex and was previously with Dong and Siemens.
“MHI Vestas Offshore is increasing its strategic focus on expanding into new markets and further consolidating its position in core markets,” said the company.
“Accordingly, as joint venture shareholders, MHI and Vestas sought new leaders, outside of either parent company, with extensive wind experience and knowledge from and familiarity with diverse markets,” it added.
At board level Vestas CEO Anders Runevad has been appointed to MHI Vestas chair while Mitsubishi chief technology officer and current chair Michisuke Nayama takes up the deputy role, again as of 1 April.
The latter said of the outgoing executives: “MHI and Vestas would like to thank both Jens Tommerup and Tetsushi Mizuno for their hard work and dedication in starting up MHI Vestas and introducing a new turbine that earned the market’s confidence.”
Image: MHI Vestas
MHI Vestas swaps top team
By EBS