Appointment of Philippe Kavafyan as Chief Executive Officer

Date: 2023-06-16

Venterra Group Plc, the offshore wind energy services business, announces the appointment of Philippe Kavafyan as Chief Executive Officer. He joins the group in mid-September and, following a short transition, becomes Chief Executive Officer with effect from 16 October 2023.  Philippe takes over upon the retirement of Rob Jewkes who is a member of the team that founded the business with Ayman Asfari in 2021. 

Venterra was formed to create a global services champion supporting the offshore wind industry’s rapid expansion and leading role in the energy transition. It is building a service offering across the wind farm lifecycle comprising Engineer, Build and Support services through a combination of acquisition and organic development to generate accelerated growth in the fast-expanding market. 

Philippe joins from Aker Horizons in Norway and was previously Chief Executive Officer of MHI Vestas Offshore Wind in Denmark. His career spans the evolution of the energy sector over the last three decades, including 20 years in the wind industry.  He has held leadership positions in major equipment manufacturers that have pioneered onshore and offshore wind in the energy transition. These include General Electric, Areva and MHI Vestas Offshore Wind. In addition, he has represented the industry in leading trade bodies, notably as Chairman of WindEurope. Philippe is a graduate from Ecole Polytechnique and from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines in Paris, France. 

Ayman Asfari, Executive Chairman, said; ‘The board is delighted to appoint one of the industry’s most senior and respected executives to lead us in delivering our vision for wind power’s vital role in the energy transition. Philippe has been a pioneer and leader in onshore and offshore wind from its inception in Europe, and has experience of rapid industry transformation.  His combined industry knowledge and relationships will be invaluable as we build a platform of specialist services across the wind farm lifecycle to serve our customers. I would like to thank Rob Jewkes who has been a key founding figure in creating Venterra within the time he committed to us. He has led the team in building the strong foundations on which we will continue to grow.’ 

Philippe Kavafyan said; ‘Offshore wind is now facing a fantastic step change in growth and the industry will scale up through strategic partnerships. Developers will benefit from a set of capabilities and services they can rely on, with the strength to unlock additional capacity. The market’s volume growth is global and sits against a backdrop of fast changing technology putting the entire value chain under pressure, from engineering to supply chain and logistics. Venterra is investing to help developers reach their own demanding targets. I look forward to working closely with our customers, the Venterra team and our member companies to deliver on this compelling vision.’  

Rob Jewkes said; ‘I’m extremely grateful I have had the opportunity to be part of the Venterra story to date, and proud of what we have achieved building a collaborative culture and taking Venterra from the stage of concept and business plan to proven thesis and established operational reality.  We have a fantastic team, and I am excited we have found a great successor to join them. I wish Philippe and Venterra every success in the future.’