GE Renewable Energy has appointed Jan Kjaersgaard as the new CEO of its offshore wind business to succeed John Lavelle who will stay on board to assist with a transition over the next several months. 

Kjaersgaard joined GE from FLSmidth, where he was most recently the president of the cement business. He previously worked as the VP of global sales for Siemens’ onshore and offshore businesses before becoming the CEO of Siemens Wind Power Americas and, later, Siemens Wind Power EMEA.

Jérôme Pécresse, president and CEO of GE Renewable Energy, said: “Offshore wind is poised to grow dramatically in the coming years, and Jan is ideally suited to take GE’s offshore wind business to the next level during that global growth curve.”

Lavelle is retiring after a nearly 40-year career. Under his leadership, the company installed the first ever offshore wind farm in the US, developed the Haliade-X, the industry’s first 12 MW plus turbine and the most powerful turbine built to date.