Former Orsted North America offshore wind chief Thomas Brostrom will join Shell as its new senior vice president, global renewable solutions, the oil supermajor confirmed.

Brostrom will join Shell in 2021 with responsibilities that include “renewable power generation, including wind and solar”, said a statement sent to Recharge.

Shell New Energies chief Elisabeth Brinton said: “I am delighted that Thomas is joining the Shell team. He brings a wealth of experience in this field which will be key as we look to grow our capacity for low carbon renewable power generation and meet the evolving needs of our energy customers.”

Orsted announced earlier this week that Brostrom would return to Europe, replacing him with David Hardy as head of its Orsted Offshore North America unit.

Brostrom was one of the most high-profile figures in the regional offshore wind sector since Orsted launched into the US, and his appointment is another statement of intent by Shell as it strengthens its growing renewables business, which already spans onshore and offshore wind – including floating wind – PV and storage.

The oil and gas giant is among the frontrunners of the European fossil giants pursuing an energy transition strategy, with a plan to become carbon neutral by 2050 and promising more spending on renewables.