AREG NEWS: New directors join AREG board

June 6, 2022
AREG NEWS: New directors join AREG board

Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) has appointed five new board members as it further strengthens its support to members and promotes the North-east of Scotland as a world leading destination for the production and use of renewable energy.

The new board directors will help to guide AREG in its next stage of development following a significant 68% increase in membership in the last year.

The board members were appointed following nominations from its 230 member companies and a ballot of candidates. They are:

  • Sven van den Bedem, Energy Transition Manager, Shell. He brings over 17 years’ energy leadership experience and has headed large scale decarbonisation and renewables projects and is helping to transition the business towards net zero.
  • Nassima Brown, Co-founder and Director of Business Strategy, Fennex. She brings significant global energy sector experience with a career spanning over 20 years in nine different countries and expertise in AI and cloud computing technology as Fennex accelerates digital transformation in the sector.
  • Jason Hendry, Managing Director for England and Renewables Strategy, Peterson, who has 25 years’ experience in managing operations in highly regulated industries. He oversees the provision of logistics support to offshore assets and is responsible for developing and progressing the company’s renewables strategy globally.
  • Rodney Hutchison, Legal Director, MacRoberts LLP, who previously acted as company secretary and general legal counsel for AREG and brings over 20 years’ experience as a commercial lawyer, supporting the transition of energy businesses.
  • Alfonso Martinez-Felipe, Senior Lecturer, University of Aberdeen, who is the author of 48 peer-reviewed research papers. He is senior advisor of the PrototAU student engineering team and hydrogen champion at the Centre for Energy Transition and is a vocal promoter of new and cleaner technologies.

The new appointees join existing board directors Jean Morrison (Chair), Gordon McIntosh and Philip Bell. Aberdeen City Council will also be appointing a representative.

Jean Morrison, Chair of AREG said: “We are privileged to have a diverse and talented group of renewable industry leaders at the helm of our not-for-profit organisation, and we anticipate that the diverse experience of our new board members will add significant value at this important time for the energy sector as we work together to achieve net zero targets.”

AREG is set to launch a new policy forum this month, adding to its communications and young professionals networks. The organisation, one of the original energy transition organisations established nearly 20 years ago, has led and supported major renewable projects and supported growing interest in scaling low carbon solutions to enable net zero.

Get in touch

AREG is the original energy transition organisation, working on behalf of members to empower the energy supply chain and champion its expertise. Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to find out more about membership.

Contact Us
“

AREG has played an important role in the growth of Scotland’s renewable energy sector, engaging the supply chain and developing the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. However, we are only at the very beginning of the transition that AREG was established to both lead and support so there are still opportunities for companies to get into the constantly evolving renewables supply chain. We look forward to continuing our work together as renewables builds on its place as Scotland’s main source of power, and as we seek to deliver real change in the crucial areas of heat and transport.

Scottish Renewables
“

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has worked closely with AREG since its formation. The recent progress in the developments of offshore wind projects by Equinor and Vattenfall are as a result of the work of the group over many years. The north-east is known as the oil and gas capital of Europe. At the Chamber, we believe the region must evolve its position to being recognised as the energy capital. Whilst hydrocarbons will continue to be essential in driving our economy for years to come, the generation of renewable resources will play an increasingly important role in providing cost-effective power, innovative development and economic growth.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
“

The enthusiasm and dedication of the early group that would become AREG was fundamental in us choosing to launch All-Energy in Aberdeen. The first tiny show was held in 2001, and AREG’s Chairman at the time, Jeremy Cresswell, played such an active role that I often describe him in terms such as All-Energy’s ‘midwife’. All-Energy is now the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference in terms of number of attendees, space booked, and number of exhibiting companies. As AREG became firmly established, their presence and support for the event grew spectacularly over the years. We thank them most sincerely for their invaluable input.

All-Energy
“

Vattenfall has forged a strong working relationship with AREG through the development of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. AREG has worked tirelessly on behalf of the North East and it can take enormous credit for the growth of sustainable energy in the region and the path it has cleared for the region to capture further investment.

Vattenfall
“

Aberdeen City and Shire is emerging as a key location for renewables by successfully transferring its world-class oil and gas expertise into the sector and AREG has done much to advance this through a broad range of initiatives. It has acted as a catalyst in driving further investment in the local economy by engaging with companies, Government, public bodies and existing projects and we have been pleased to support their efforts. Scottish Enterprise will continue to engage with AREG as we increase Scotland’s use of renewable energy.

Scottish Enterprise