Siemens Gamesa has ratified its new chief executive, Andreas Nauen (pictured), as executive director on the board at its 2020 General Shareholders’ Meeting in Bilbao, northern Spain.
The meeting also ratified the appointments of Harald von Heynitz and Rudolf Kraemmer as independent directors, and Maria Ferraro, Andreas Hoffman and Tim Oliver Holt as proprietary directors.
The company also passed a motion to reduce the size of the board of directors from 13 to 10 directors.
Shareholders also approved the 2019 financial statements, together with a dividend of €0.05173 per share.
During the meeting it was confirmed Siemens Gamesa will present a new strategic plan at a Capital Markets Day scheduled for August 27.
Addressing the meeting, chairman of the board of directors Miguel Angel Lopez said: “The threat posed to the world by climate change is now better understood and more accepted than it has ever been, and while the Covid crisis may temporarily obscure this, we believe now is the time to act and that the post crisis recovery can be stimulated by climate action.
“Wind energy is one of the very few proven solutions to the climate challenge, and it will play a key role in providing affordable, clean and sustainable energy for decades to come.
“The industry and the company are experiencing a difficult period, but I firmly believe that we are laying the right groundwork to achieve long-term profitability and success.”
In the meeting, the new chief executive highlighted the need to lead a change in the business in order to overcome the setbacks of this financial year, accentuated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and to regain profitability at the company.
Nauen said: “We must turn the business around to ensure that we are performing at our maximum potential. This will take time, but we have already started to implement measures to optimise all our operations.
“This change of course is even more urgent and necessary in the onshore area, so we will work with determination to achieve it.”
Angel Lopez added: “Although we are the most international wind power manufacturer and we benefit from our global operations, we are proud of our Spanish heritage and we will keep our headquarters here, in the Basque Country.”