Due to significant progress in growing the business through sector diversification and international expansion, we have recognised the need to create and establish two distinct, but complementary, departments for our Planning and Environment services teams.
As we continue to drive further market growth, there is a need to ensure focus and the expansion of capacity and specialist skills in each area.
Chris Pendlebury, who successfully led our combined Planning and Environment team through the recent growth in both onshore and offshore, will continue to lead our Environment Global Business Unit, which comprises ecology, hydrology and GIS services.
Our Global Planning Business Unit will be led by a new UK director of onshore planning and a European director of offshore planning, in recognition that the onshore and offshore markets require different approaches.
Until we make these important new appointments, our director Jeremy Sainsbury, will act as interim global director of planning, supporting both onshore and offshore teams by spearheading our offering.
He said: “We’re growing to match the market and restructuring to meet the organisational challenges and specialist skills required to meet the expectations of clients and the industry. The ongoing support and encouragement of our board and owners enables us to continue leading the way in problem solving for the delivery of the expansive targets needed to reach net zero.”
Colleagues in both Planning and Environment teams will continue to work together, as they do with colleagues across the business, to deliver for our clients. This will include coordinating and harmonising on tenders, project delivery and our approach to the market – a continuation of our ‘One Natural Power’ philosophy.
Stephen Trotter, managing director at Natural Power, said: “Onshore developments are driving strong growth through our environmental services team, and as offshore projects become larger and more complex, we have seen success through our joined-up approach between countries. As these markets continue to develop, we need to expand our specialist teams to support clients and we’ve already seen tremendous benefits through recruiting sector expertise.
“These changes to our structure will enable us to increase our client focus at senior levels and provide more management support to our frontline teams as we grow the business.”
As growth in the renewables market accelerates and we adapt to the pandemic, we now need to ensure we have the structure and capacity to deliver the next stage towards our global carbon targets