The Global Wind Organisation (GWO) has elected Vestas chief specialist and global subject matter expert for health and safety Paul Robbins as its new chair.
Robbins has been vice chair since 2018 and takes over from Eloy Jauregui, Acciona Energia safety director, who stepped down following completion of his two-year term.
Robbins, whose tenure will last until 2022, will be supported by vice chairs Karin Borg, who is head of corporate HSE at Siemens Gamesa and Jill Lees, director of HSE and sustainability at RWE Renewables.
“GWO has become the world’s most influential body in the field of wind energy health and safety,” said Robbins.
“Representing the largest employers in wind energy – both OEMs and owner operators – our strategy is to create safety without borders, so minimum standards for safety and technical training can be available anywhere in the world, driving down the risk of injury and improving our industry’s performance and, efficiency and productivity through reduced duplication,” he added.
Robbins began his career in 1981 as a communications engineer and climber with the Royal Air Force, going on to become a trade trainer and course designer for Working at Heights, engineering and safety.
While Jauregui was chairman of GWO the organisation more than doubled in size to approximately 90,000 people.
“Over the next two years, we see the opportunity for greater safety as paramount. If we can bring GWO standards to new markets, especially emerging markets and nascent offshore wind regions, we can help make this industry injury free,” said Robbins.
GWO chief executive Jakob Lau-Holst added: “I am delighted to welcome Paul as GWO’s new chairman and congratulate all our elected members, not least Jill Lees of RWE and Karin Borg of SGRE who support Paul’s leadership.
“The industry is well represented at GWO – seven of the world’s 10 largest OEMs and five of the world’s 10 largest owner-operators sit round our table at the GWO General Assembly. We hope to add more representation very soon as we embark on the next stage of this organisation’s history.”