The boss of Danish offshore wind giant Orsted has announced he will resign from his post.
Henrik Poulsen, who has served as Orsted president and chief executive since 2012, will step down from the role on January 31 2021.
But it is understood Mr Poulsen is set to be nominated for the company’s Board of Directors at the next annual general meeting in March next year.
Orsted, formerly oil and gas firm Dong Energy, has 11 operational wind farms in the UK.
The Danish firm will look to complete its 175-turbine Hornsea One project, the biggest in the world, this year.
Mr Poulsen said: “It’s been an incredible ride over the past eight years, and I have a tremendous amount of affection for Orsted, its vision, and not least its people.
“Together, we’ve transformed a Danish utility predominantly based on fossil fuels into a global leader in green energy, which was ranked as the world’s most sustainable company earlier this year.
“In the process, we’ve increased the market value of the company by several hundred per cent. We’re now at a point where the transformation is completed, and we’ve built a strong platform for global growth.
“I’ve concluded that it’s the right time for me to step down and free up time to pursue other challenges. It’s been difficult to reach this conclusion, but it’s nonetheless the right decision.”
Thomas Thune Andersen, Orsted chairman, added: “With Henrik’s decision to step down as CEO by 31 January 2021 at the latest, the board of directors has initiated a process to identify the next CEO of Orsted.
“The board will evaluate both internal and external candidates, with a focus on finding the best candidate for the job. We’ll make an announcement once the process has been completed.”
