Offshore wind: grasp the nettle - Biographies

Duncan Botting - Chief Executive, SEGEC

Duncan joined Scottish European Green Energy Centre (SEGEC) in October 2009 as Executive Chair & Interim CEO.

Duncan previously worked for ITI Energy as CEO and prior to that ABB where he was Head of Technology & Business Development. He has over 30 years experience covering the complete spectrum of technical and commercial roles from apprentice to boardroom.

Duncan is a visiting professor at Imperial College London and the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. As an active member of the IET Energy Sector Panel, the Institute of Engineering and Technology and as Vice-Chair of the European Technology Platform for “SmartGrids” he is helping to shape thinking in the energy sector.

His work as programme director for the Electrical Network Horizon Scanning group has also helped to define practical technical, legislative, regulatory and environmentally sensitive approaches to the challenges posed by network infrastructure renewal and climate change constraints from 2010 to 2050.

Doug Everard - Project Director, Aberdeen Offshore Windfarm Ltd (AOWL)

Formerly Managing Director Power Capital Ltd – corporate financial advisory and consultancy and before that Chief Executive of the New and Renewable Energy Centre, UK renewables centre of excellence, developing technology companies and national testing facilities for wind, PV, high voltage electrical, wave and tidal technologies. Including strategic equity investments in power plant equipment developers (small and medium sized companies)

Previously Operations Director for EPR - the UK’s largest renewable energy company at the time - running project financed wind power and biomass plant. Before that spent 10 years at Kelda plc in a variety of senior positions including developing and running its renewables and waste to energy businesses, including two of the earliest commercial wind-farms in the UK. Previously held senior technical positions within Alstom power station division (conventional CCGT and coal).

MA in Engineering Sciences, Pembroke College, Cambridge & MBA from Cranfield School of Management. Fellow Institute of Energy and Member of Board of Governors Joule Centre.

Morag McCorkindale, Chief Operating Officer Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group

When with Aberdeen City Council Economic Development service Morag identified renewables as major opportunity for the city region and was responsible, in conjunction with partners, for developing the renewable energy industry development strategy:

• Led the development of the renewables strand of Aberdeen City Council’s diversification strategy and gained cross-sectoral support for its implementation
• Built and maintains productive relationships with partners and key stakeholders at all levels
• Recruited the founder members of AREG and grew the membership to 120 organisations
• Established AREG as a fully functioning independent company
• Developed a bid which secured £2.3 million from the Scottish Government
• Secured leverage of £4.5 million to date

Morag was previously a business advisor with Aberdeen Enterprise Trust where she advised over 1,500 entrepreneurs and assisted 102 businesses to start up. The business survival rate at 3 years was 75% which is 25% above the national average.

Kevin Moran - Director Strategy & Business Development, Wood Group Renewable Energy Services

Kevin Moran commenced working for Wood Group Renewable Energy Services as Strategy and Business Development Director in July 2008. His early career was in the Merchant Navy where he attained the rank of Chief Engineer Officer. He subsequently returned to education at Strathclyde University where he graduated with a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering. Following this he entered the Oil and Gas industry where he was a Senior Subsea Engineer with a leading Turnkey Well Engineering Contractor in Aberdeen. He gradually moved into positions with a more commercial focus, leading to his current position which links his marine and offshore knowledge into the renewables sector.

In his current role Kevin’s focus is on developing the on and offshore O&M business while working with the other Wood Group divisions to provide owners, developers and operators with a complete lifecycle solution from blade tip to beach. He is a Chartered Engineer and currently completing his thesis for his MBA at the Strathclyde University Graduate School of Business.

Jeremy Sainsbury - Natural Power

Jeremy is a director of the Natural Power and SeaRoc consultancies which total over 200 people dedicated to Renewable Energy based in 5 UK offices and 5 international , serving the onshore wind, offshore wind, wave, tidal, biomass and PV markets with full life cycle services and products. Jeremy has been in the renewable sector over 20 years with specialism in consenting and grid issues. He has led the NP team in over 2,000 MW of consents including 8 Section 36 consents and 2 offshore projects. Jeremy sits on the FREDS ministerial working group, RAB grid sub group, is SRF Vice Chair , SRF grid group co chair, AEP Scotland Committee and OWIG. He has been involved in major policy developments with planning, marine renewables, grid and small scale development for the past 10 years.

Tim Sheehan - Group CEO, Rotech

Tim Sheehan is a qualified Mechanical Engineer with 30 years of experience in the Oil and Gas Industry.

He held a variety of roles in the oil and gas industry including Sales Director with Balmoral Group, VP- Commercial for Technip in Houston and MD of Bibby Offshore. Notably, he has been both the MD of subsea contracting major Acergy UK and deputy regional vice president for Northern Europe and Canada. In that role he initiated investment in the Acergy Campus at Westhill.

He became CEO of Ferguson Modular in 2008 and has now joined Rotech as Group CEO.

Tim is also a member of the Subsea UK board, sits on the Organising Board of AIFF (Aberdeen International Football Festival, Serves on AREG Board and is on the local Branch committee of SUT (Society for Underwater Technology).

Iain Todd - Renewables Champion AREG

Iain Todd is an engineer, who has worked in both the private sector and the Civil Service. He has held senior posts in the HSE, the Department of the Environment, and the DTI, mostly on energy-related issues. Between 2000 and 2002, Iain was Director of Oil and Gas Development in Aberdeen; then between 2002 and 2004 he was the UK’s Director of Renewable Energy.

Since 2004 Iain has worked as a renewable energy consultant. Much of his time is given to his role as Renewables Champion to the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) In this role he has acted as project manager for the planned Aberdeen offshore wind farm, which is intended not only to act as a power station for the city, but also as a national test centre for offshore wind technology. This project recently received an investment of 40 million Euros as part of the EU economic recovery programme.

Iain is Hon Professor of Renewable Energy Policy at both Aberdeen University and the Robert Gordon University, and is a frequent presenter at conferences on renewable policy issues, most recently at the Global Wind Energy Conference in Beijing.

He is also chair of the Grampian Biomass Working Group.