Equinor’s UK boss is preparing to become the top advisor to the Norwegian energy giant’s chief executive.
Hedda Felin became senior vice president for Equinor’s UK and Ireland offshore operations three years ago, working out of its regional base in Aberdeen.
She is preparing to return to Norway in September where she will take up her new position as principal advisor to CEO Eldar Saetre.
During her tenure Ms Felin has overseen development of the huge Mariner project east of Shetland, as well as the setup of Hywind, the world’s first offshore floating windfarm, off the coast of Peterhead.
It has come amid a shift in focus for the company, which last May changed name from Statoil to illustrate its focus as a broad energy firm.
Ms Felin said: “These roles don’t last forever and I’ve been here for three extremely exciting years.
“The UK has grown to be one of the most significant areas outside of Norway. So I feel in that respect it is a very natural time for me to move on and I have a very interesting opportunity to work with the executive committee and in the CEO’s office as the principal advisor to the CEO.
“So I take that as a complement and that the job in the UK has been going well.
“It is a bit emotional but it feels good.”
She will be replaced by Arne Gurtner, who is the current vice president of technical excellence offshore operations, development and production international.
Mr Gurtner has been with the company since 2008 in various roles focussing on the development of production technology.
During her time, Ms Felin has also overseen Equinor’s acquisition of the operating stake in Rosebank, one of the largest untapped fields in the UK, from Chevron.
With the firm now operating two large projects in the UK, she said now was the time for a new challenge.
In her new role, she promised to show off the work Equinor has done in the UK to the CEO.
She added: “We’ve had significant growth both in terms of number of people and the number of assets. We’ve now got two big operatorships offshore in addition to the exploration portfolio and offshore wind portfolio.
“Now I can see the company from another angle and I will definitely talk about the UK to the CEO every day. I will bring him to Aberdeen – that’s the plan.”
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