Patricia Hawthorn, Partner at UK law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn, has been appointed Chairman, while Gordon MacDougall, Managing Director, Western Europe at renewable developer RES, has been appointed Vice-Chairman, of Scottish Renewables.
Hawthown replaces Ronnie Bonnar, Managing Director, Repsol UK, who has Chaired Scottish Renewables since 2013.
She said: “With renewables now making an increasingly significant contribution to our energy mix, it is an exciting time to take on the role of Chairman of Scottish Renewables, an organisation which acts as a powerful advocate for the benefits provided by Scotland’s renewable energy sector.
“Given the opportunities and challenges presented by the move from support under the Renewables Obligation to competitive auctions for Contracts for Difference and the upcoming UK and Scottish Parliament elections, it is more important than ever that Scotland’s renewables sector speaks with a strong and united voice and that the interests of our members across all technologies are robustly represented by their industry body.
“I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor, Ronnie Bonnar, whose invaluable contribution helped Scottish Renewables navigate its way through some significant changes to the industry over the last two years.”
Since joining Shepherd and Wedderburn in 2007, Patricia has focussed on consenting four of the offshore windfarms planned for Scottish and UK waters.
She previously served as Scottish Renewables Vice-Chairman from 2013-2015. She also Chairs the offshore wind workgroup in Scottish Renewables and is a member of Renewable UK’s consents and licensing group.
Pixie Energy is an incubator and a facilitator of strategic research and project work, focusing on energy regulation, policy and markets at the local and national level. Find out more about Pixie Energy