Tributes have been paid to Ian Bonnon, founder and chairman of Offshore Wind Consultants (OWC), after the company confirmed he died earlier this week.
Mr Bonnon, who spent nearly 40 years working in offshore wind, oil and gas and subsea, passed away on February 22 having been diagnosed with liver and bone cancer in December 2020.
He previously made a full recovery from lung cancer two and a half years ago.
Mr Bonnon has been described as an “upbeat and positive” person who will remain a “much-loved figure” of the offshore renewables industry.
He spent a number of years working in both oil and gas, specialising in R&D, the repair and strengthening of offshore structures and asset management, and the subsea cable industry.
In the late 1990’s Mr Bonnon moved into the offshore renewables sector as the engineering director for BOMEL.
The firm was later acquired by Noble Denton, which was in turn taken over by GL.
Following the successful merger of the organisations, Mr Bonnon left to form OWC in 2011.
Under his leadership the London-headquartered wind engineering adviser grew into a multi-national company with bases in Germany, Taiwan, the US, Japan and South Korea.
A fundraiser for Cancer Research has been launched in memory of Mr Bonnon, with OWC pledging to match donations made to the charity.
William Cleverly, managing director of OWC, said: “Ian had his own unique blend of professionalism combined with a mischievous side, which brought a special feeling to those with whom he worked. So much more than our Managing Director and then Chairman, he put into action true leadership, mentoring, and brought out the best in people.
“Ian had a great sense of humour and fun, was a keen golfer, achieving a hole in one, a collector and dealer of specialist antique glass and really enjoyed the thrill of an auction. He was also very generous with his time, and for many years was the Chairman of his local football club, giving an opportunity for youngsters to develop their skills on and off the pitch.
“Charity was close to Ian’s heart, and as Ian was looking towards retirement, he had set up his own – The IDB Charity. He had already raised excellent sums of money supporting cancer and homelessness charities and had planned to do so much more. Ian was a devoted family man and Ian’s good works with his charity will be continued by them.
“Whilst Ian was OWC’s Chairman, it is his warmth, compassion, kindness and huge charisma for which he will be most remembered. He will be greatly missed.”
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