Global Wind Energy Council appoints Michael Hannibal as new Chair

18 June, 2025

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Global Wind Energy Council appoints Michael Hannibal as new Chair

18 June, London | The Global Wind Energy Council have appointed Michael Hannibal as new chair following a board meeting in London. Hannibal, who is a Partner at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Chief Commercial Officer at Stiesdal Offshore, will take over for two years following the end of Jonathan Cole’s tenure leading the Council.

Michael Hannibal, GWEC Chair, said: "It is an honour to take on the role of Chairman of the Global Wind Energy Council at this key time for the wind industry. The industry has been delivering record years of growth and is forecast to keep doing so. Our focus at GWEC will continue to be on accelerating that growth in new markets all over the world.

"GWEC has been representing this pioneering and innovative industry for 20 years, and I am excited to work with the Council's global team and diverse membership to continue scaling up wind capacity. New markets are taking shape on every continent, both onshore and offshore, and I am excited about ensuring GWEC's vital work ensuring wind energy forms the foundation of the new global energy system continues.

"Wind energy delivers clean and secure energy and is critical to avoiding a climate catastrophe. It is an honour to support GWEC on its mission, and to advocate for the wind industry on the global stage."

"I would also like to congratulate my predecessor Jonathan Cole for his excellent leadership through the previous two years. Jonathan was an outstanding advocate for the sector and oversaw growing reach for GWEC's work, while helping the organisation deftly navigate a number of challenges. I am enormously thankful for the offer of support Jonathan, and former chair Morten Dyrholm, have offered me, it echoes the collaborative approach that GWEC champions."

Ben Backwell, GWEC CEO, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome Michael Hannibal as the new Chair of the Global Wind Energy Council. It is an exciting time for the wind industry, with emerging markets in APAC, Latin America, Middle East and Africa rapidly developing, and mature markets tackling bottlenecks and accelerating deployment.

“The development of offshore wind in the next two years will continue at pace, while floating offshore wind is also moving out of the commercialisation phase; Michael’s expertise in all these areas will help steer GWEC and the global wind industry through the next period of growth.

“I’d like to thank Jonathan Cole for his support for the GWEC team throughout his chairmanship. He has helped navigate a complex period for the sector, but one which also helped deliver record growth across the world. His leadership has been an enormous asset to the organisation, and we look forward to continuing working with him as he supports GWEC in an ambassadorial and advisory role.

“GWEC also extends its thanks to Girish Tanti, who will continue as Vice Chair and Chair of GWEC India, and Elbia Gannoum who will continue as Vice Chair (Associations).

Michael Hannibal joined Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners as Partner in 2017 as head of CIP’s Offshore Platform. In April, he joined Stiesdal Offshore as Chief Commercial Officer, with a key aim on accelerating the group’s floating wind technology. That followed CIP and Stiesdal Offshore announcing a partnership focused on developing floating wind projects.

Michael Hannibal has a track record of more than 20 years with renewable energy business, including more than 7 years as CEO Siemens Offshore Wind. Mr. Hannibal played a key role in the remarkable growth of the wind sector and been a major driver of the constant development of offshore wind, the industrialization of the offshore wind sector and making offshore wind real, and part of the energy mix in many countries. He was also a key player in getting the world’s first floating offshore wind turbine established in 2009 and getting floating wind matured.

One of the new chair’s first roles will be to lead the celebrations of GWEC’s 20th anniversary in Lisbon next week. More than a hundred industry pioneers, key political figures and renewable energy titans will attend a gala dinner in Portugal’s capital to celebrate two decades of driving international collaboration and continued wind growth and looking ahead to the exciting future of the sector. The gala is happening alongside the inaugural Global Associations Summit, which will see almost 40 wind associations from across the world come together to align on topics such as grids, permitting, social acceptance, misinformation and finance.