Ørsted appoints new COO

Ørsted has named Richard Hunter Chief Operating Officer (COO) and a new member of the Ørsted Executive Committee, effective June 1, 2021. Richard Hunter previously worked for Bombardier Transportation as President of Rail Control Solutions and Wayside.

The position was created as a result of a decision made earlier this year to reorganize Ørsted in order to position it for future growth. As COO, Richard Hunter will oversee Ørsted’s EPC & Operations for the entire company, with the exception of the Onshore business, which is organized in a separate business unit.

EPC & Operations is Ørsted’s offshore wind farm and combined heat and power plant EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) provider and operator. The EPC organization manages multiple large-scale offshore construction projects simultaneously around the world, while the Operations organization manages 28 operational offshore wind farms that supply carbon-free power to more than 18 million people worldwide, as well as combined heat and power plants in Denmark that deliver green power and district heating.

Richard Hunter has spent his entire career as an executive leader in the global and UK-based railway industry, most recently as President of Bombardier Transportation’s global Rail Control Solutions and Wayside business. Richard Hunter has held executive positions in engineering, manufacturing, and operations in Europe and Asia-Pacific during his 17 years with Bombardier, and he has led projects and product supply in over 50 countries.

“I’m truly excited to see Richard join the Executive Committee as our COO. Richard is a world-class executive and has the right set of skills to continue the development of EPC & Operations as a crucial part of our actions to create a world that runs entirely on green energy. Richard has a strong technical foundation in engineering, he has impressive international experience leading manufacturing, operations, and development across the globe, and last but not least, Richard has proven himself to have a strong commercial mindset delivering high value to the business and customers.”

Mads Nipper, CEO and Group President

Richard Hunter will be based in Gentofte in Denmark and work on a regular basis from Ørsted’s London office as well as from other locations worldwide.

“I really look forward to joining the team at Ørsted. Having worked for many years in businesses delivering the most environmentally friendly and sustainable forms of transportation, I’m honoured to take this role with one of the largest renewable energy companies in the world with a clear ambition to be a leader in the global energy transformation.”

Richard Hunter

Ørsted makes an effort to run inclusive recruitment processes involving candidates of different genders, ethnicities, and national backgrounds. The final selection process for the role of COO included several nationalities and female candidates.

About Richard Hunter:

Education:

• BSc (Hons), Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University College London (1989)
• Fellow, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK (2008)
• Fellow, Institution of Engineering & Technology, UK (2007)

Professional experience:

Bombardier Transportation (2004-2021)

• President, Rail Control Solution and Wayside, UK
• Managing director, UK
• President, Asia-Pacific, Thailand
• President, Business Unit Asia, REA, Singapore

Land Transport Authority, Singapore (1996-2004)

• Senior project manager, E&M
• Senior Project Engineer

London Underground (1986-1996)

• Communications Engineer & Assistant Supervising Engineer, Jubilee Line Extension