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WindEurope elects Vestas CEO as new chair

On March 26, ’s (Brussels, Belgium) board of directors elected Henrik Andersen, group president and CEO of Vestas (Aarhus, Denmark), as the association’s new chair for an 18-month term. WindEurope is the industry association representing more than 600 companies and 300,000 jobs from across the whole value chain of wind energy in Europe.

Henrik Andersen’s term as chair for WindEurope is said to come at a crucial time for the wind industry, when Europe is accelerating its energy transformation and seeking to strengthen its industrial competitiveness. During the term it is expected that several important regulatory packages will be finalized, passed and implemented on national level.

The WindEurope board also elected Rasmus Errboe, group president and CEO of Ørsted, as its new vice chair

“We are in a defining moment for Europe’s future. We need an industry and an energy source that can deliver home-grown, secure and affordable energy, while strengthening Europe’s competitiveness,” says Anderson. “Wind energy can contribute to all of this, and now is the time for Europe to bolster its wind industry. The European Commission and member states have set high targets, but this momentum must translate ambition into implementation. I look forward to working closely with vice chair, Rasmus Errboe.”

As chair, Andersen has three key priorities to ensure a strong and independent European wind industry, including driving European competitiveness, accelerating electrification and strengthening the wind market’s environment.

Director of special initiatives to position ORNL’s lab for the future

Joe Hoagland has been named director of special initiatives at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Tenn., U.S.).

He joins the lab after more than 30 years with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), where his leadership helped drive a number of key strategic issues, including new opportunities in nuclear, the Integrated Resource Plan process, coal combustion strategies and various new technology deployments within the TVA region.

At ORNL, Hoagland will help steward complex opportunities that require alignment of multiple stakeholders, expertise and organizations, and convergence of science and operations. 

“Joe’s extensive experience in strategy, R&D, community and stakeholder engagement in the evolving energy marketplace will help us position the lab for the future,” says ORNL director Stephen Streiffer.

At TVA, Hoagland held numerous leadership positions, most recently as VP of innovation and research, leading a team of technology professionals in transformational research and management of innovation projects for TVA’s Power System of the Future. 

“The research capabilities at Oak Ridge make this one of the most exciting places in the world for energy and technological innovation,” Hoagland says. “I’m excited to join the team to help ensure that ORNL continues to be a leader in solving critical energy issues.” 

Hoagland chairs the Tennessee State Energy Policy Council and is a member of the boards of the Cherokee Farm Development Corp., Smart Electric Power Association, and American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation. 

He earned his doctorate and master’s degree from Washington State University in physical chemistry, after completing a bachelor’s in chemistry from Southern Utah University. He is currently an adjunct professor at the Howard Baker School for Public Policy teaching about technologies related to the power system.

 

QTI Fibers announces new CEO to drive strategic growth

QTI Fibers (Greensboro, N.C., U.S.) announces the appointment of Abhi Agrawal as CEO. This strategic leadership move is a part of QTI’s ongoing commitment to strengthen its position as a supplier of advanced materials and innovative technical solutions. The QTI Fibers portfolio of companies includes Quantum Materials, Twitchell Technical Products and Infinity Woven Products.

Effective immediately, Agrawal will oversee QTI’s businesses located in North Carolina and Alabama, with a focus on bringing together the collaborative strengths of Quantum Materials, Twitchell and Infinity. QTI Fibers has been a Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) portfolio company since 2022.

“It is an honor to join QTI and the NEP family of companies,” says Agrawal. He brings extensive leadership experience to QTI Fibers having served as president and CEO of multiple manufacturing businesses throughout his career. He spent the first 9 years of his professional career in strategy and operations consulting at Mitchell Madison Group and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he honed expertise in business strategy and operational improvements

Following his time at BCG, Agrawal spent 6 years at Dover Corp., where he led the Dover Digital Printing business, specializing in textiles and managing multiple global business units. His leadership in this role helped drive growth and operational excellence across the organization. Before joining QTI Fibers, Abhi served as CEO of Scram Systems, a private equity-backed public safety solutions company. Additionally, he served as president at Banjo Corp., a manufacturing business unit of Idex Corp. that serves the agricultural machinery industry.

“We are confident that Abhi's leadership will strengthen our foundation and drive innovation, quality and growth. With Abhi at the helm, we are well positioned to take QTI Fibers to the next level of success,” says Jason Sondell, managing director at NEP on behalf of QTI board of directors.

 

Norco chief engineer appointment to expand Winfrith capabilities

Norco Composites & GRP (Poole, Dorset, U.K.) announces the appointment of Donald Doull as chief engineer at its Winfrith facility. Doull joins Norco following a distinguished 34-year career in the Royal Navy, where he held senior engineering roles, served as naval base commander at HMNB Clyde, and played a key role in major defense programs.

“The opportunity to work within a highly capable, highly motivated team delivering innovative solutions to meet our customers’ needs is what excites me most about joining Norco,” says Doull. 

Bringing extensive experience in engineering and high-level project management, Doull’s expertise will be instrumental in expanding Norco’s capabilities at Winfrith. His leadership will support the company’s work on current and future defense programs, ensuring continued innovation and high-quality solutions for Norco’s customers.

“Donald’s experience and leadership within the U.K.’s defense sector make him a tremendous asset to Norc,” says Mark Northey, Norco managing director. “We are thrilled to welcome him to the team and look forward to the exciting opportunities ahead.”

Doull officially joined Norco on March 17 and is based at the company’s Winfrith facility. 

 

Anduril Industries announces key leadership promotions

 (Costa Mesa, Calif., U.S.) has promoted two executives, Christian Brose and Matthew Steckman, to enhanced roles within the company.

Brose has been named president and chief strategy officer. In this new capacity, he will be responsible for leading many of the company’s core growth-related functions, including corporate strategy, business development, government relations, communications and international business.

Steckman has been named president and chief business officer. In this expanded role, he will be responsible for leading many of the company’s core internal functions, including oversight of corporate operations, executive operations, divisional activities, business performance and revenue generation.

“Matt and Chris have been indispensable in making Anduril the company it is today,” says CEO Brian Schimpf. “They have been performing many of the functions of their new roles already, but their increased responsibility reflects how much more I will be relying on both of them to work across the company to shape and deliver on our long-term growth.”