RenewableUK has announced that the organisation’s next Chief Executive will be Dan McGrail, who is currently the CEO of Siemens Engines. He will take up his post in May. 

Mr McGrail (pictured) joined Siemens UK in 2004 and has worked in a variety of roles across the energy industry. Between 2010 and 2014 Dan led Siemens plans to develop and invest in offshore wind turbine manufacturing in the UK, securing the world-class offshore wind turbine blade factory and port facility in Hull, negotiating with the UK government and overseeing one of the company’s most significant factory investments in its recent history. The Final Investment Decision of £160m was announced in 2014, alongside a £150m investment by Associated British Ports to revitalise Hull’s Alexandra Dock.  

As Managing Director of Siemens Power Generation from 2014-2017, he expanded Siemens UK’s activities in the thermal power market. He became CEO of Siemens Engines in November 2017, leading the rebranding of the company and helping to secure significant growth.  

Dan McGrail said: 
“I’m very excited to be taking up this new role representing over four-hundred of the most dynamic companies working in the entire energy sector. RenewableUK’s members are driving the energy transition faster than anyone could have predicted, from our world-leading offshore wind industry to onshore wind and innovative marine power, energy storage and renewable hydrogen. We’ll need all these technologies to get to net zero at the lowest cost for consumers, and I can’t wait to start working with RenewableUK members as they invest in projects across the country, create thousands of new jobs and grow the UK supply chain in the years ahead”. 

RenewableUK Chief Executive Hugh McNeal said: 
“We’ve come a long way in the last few years and wind energy is at the heart of our future energy system. RenewableUK is delivering for our members and I’m confident that it will go from strength to strength with Dan in charge. He will be an outstanding CEO; he’s a creative entrepreneur with an exceptionally strong track record on bringing the industrial benefits of wind energy to the UK at scale. Having worked closely with him on the Hull project, I know how much he cares about continuing to expand the supply chain as a priority for the industry”.    

RenewableUK’s Chair Stephen Bull said: 
“Dan is joining us at a crucial time for the sector, as the Prime Minister has put the growth of renewables at the heart of his plans for a Green Industrial Revolution. Our industry will create tens of thousands of highly-skilled jobs and become the backbone of the UK’s modern energy system over the course of this decade. Dan is passionate about the energy transition and about creating an open, inclusive and diverse working environment which will attract talented people from a wide range of backgrounds to join us as we build the energy system of the future”.         

Mr McGrail is Vice-Chair of the Association of Decentralised Energy and served as Chair of the association from 2016 to 2019. He set up the Heat Network Industry Council to engage politicians and drive policy reform to build zero carbon heat networks. 
He graduated from Liverpool John Moores University in 2003 with a degree in International Business Studies and Spanish. During his studies he spent a year at the University of Alicante and is fluent in Spanish. After graduating, he qualified with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. More recently he completed the CBI Leadership programme, in London, Brussels and Washington DC. 

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: RenewableUK