Renewable UK’s Emma Pinchbeck will become chief executive of Energy UK in July this year, the trade body announced this morning (29 January).
Pinchbeck, who has served as Renewable UK’s deputy chief executive for the past four years, replaces Lawrence Slade who stepped down at the end of last year.
Meanwhile Audrey Gallacher will continue to serve as interim chief executive while Pinchbeck is on maternity leave.
The new chief executive will begin on a part-time basis before becoming full-time in September.
Pinchbeck sits on the boards of Scottish Renewables, Imperial College and Innovate-UK.
Prior to Renewable UK, Pinchbeck headed the climate change team at WWF-UK where she led a team campaigning on the Paris Agreement, on international aviation emissions, and on the UK’s coal phase out.
She said: “The energy transition is upon us, and I am thrilled to be joining Energy UK at this critical time.
“The rapid innovation and technological advances in recent years mean that it is no longer necessary to compromise to get affordable, green and reliable power, and that is fantastic news for the UK economy and for British households.
“The energy transition is not a niche green movement but an economic shift at the heart of our energy system, and Energy UK members have shown global leadership in meeting the challenges and seizing the opportunities of this new market.
“I am delighted that as chief executive of Energy UK, I will be in a position to support them as the transition gathers pace and, with my track record of working on climate change, I look forward to bringing my experience to help our members to achieve their decarbonisation ambitions – particularly in the year that the UK government will host COP26 in Glasgow.”
Chairman of Energy UK Lord Hutton said: “It is an exciting time in the energy sector, with rapid change being seen in both the retail market and the power sector, and with new innovative products and services which are transforming the way customers interact with the market.
“I know Emma will be the right person to lead the organisation during this time of considerable change and that she, with the wider Energy UK team, will continue to ensure we have a clear and influential voice on the key issues facing the sector and that our members’ voice is heard.”