Global wind power giant Vestas has tapped oil & gas supermajor Shell for its human resources chief.
Anne Pearce in January 2024 will join the Denmark-based group as chief people & culture officer and take her place on its executive management team. She was previously a vice president of human resources at Shell and had worked for the oil giant since 2014.
The New Zealander, who has also worked for several major steel industry groups, joins Vestas as it and the rest of the western wind industry faces up to a string of challenges, ranging from changing regional demand patterns, cost pressures and a potential push from Chinese competitors into some core markets.
Vestas, which employs about 29,000 globally, in July said it expects to hire up to 1,000 staff to bolster its US manufacturing operations ahead of an expected upswing in demand in the American market.
Pearce’s current employer is also having its fair share of energy transition upheavals, with several senior departures from its renewables team and reports of employee discontent at a pivot back to oil & gas under CEO Wael Sawan.
Vestas CEO Henrik Andersen said: “The energy transition requires us to have the right people at the right time and place and elevating our P&C organisation further is key for us to create the organisation and operations that allow us to grow sustainably in the future. Anne is a seasoned international profile that brings a wealth of experience from leading companies, including an energy major like Shell, and we look forward to having her on team Vestas.”
Vestas just closed the third quarter of 2023 with 4GW of announced orders, sharply up on the same stage last year.
