COPENHAGEN, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Denmark's Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind farm developer, said on Tuesday it had appointed a new chief financial officer and a new head of operations as it seeks to overcome a string of project cancellations and financial losses.
The group said Trond Westlie, a former CFO of Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk and Norway's Telenor, would become its new head of finance, while Patrick Harnett will become head of operations (COO), with effect from April 1.
Harnett, who joined Orsted in 2016, is in charge of project development and construction of Hornsea 3, which will become the world's single largest offshore wind farm when completed.
The offshore wind industry finds itself battling a perfect storm of rising inflation, interest rate hikes and delays in the supply chain struggling to cope with growing demand.
In November, Orsted said its finance and operations chiefs were stepping down with immediate effect after the company reported large financial losses due to delays with U.S. projects.
Seeking to restore investor confidence, Orsted in February trimmed its investment and capacity targets and paused dividend payouts as part of a major review.
The new appointments will help ensure the successful implementation of its strategy, the company said.
"They'll bring strong international financial skills and execution skills to the group executive team," Orsted board Chair Thomas Thune Andersen said in a statement.
On Nov. 1, the company scrapped two U.S. offshore wind projects, flagging $5.6 billion in related impairments after delays as costs soared.
Rasmus Errboe, who has acted as interim CFO since Nov. 14 last year, will return to his position as CEO of the Europe region by the end of March, Orsted said.
Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen; Editing by Terje Solsvik and Clarence Fernandez
Source: Reuters