Lloyd’s Register has appointed the industry-respected wind turbine specialist Steve Gilkes to lead its ambitious technical support programme for operators and manufacturers serving the wind sector.
Gilkes, who has started the role of Global Wind Turbine Leader after joining the organisation from GL Garrad Hassan, will be based in Bristol and is expected to bring a wealth of experience to the job, having spent more than 21 years in the industry before joining Lloyd’s Register earlier this month.
“Offshore wind farms are moving to deeper waters and the number of turbines being deployed in each farm is increasing. With this growth come the complexities of developing new, safe wind turbine technologies; the technical assurance needs of companies operating in the wind power generation sector are increasing, ” Gilkes said. “I am looking forward to the challenge of growing the technical expertise of the Lloyd’s Register Group to drive forward our technical support in wind and marine turbine technology.”
Gilkes joined Garrad Hassan in 1995 and was head of mechanical engineering of their turbine design department in 2009. He began his career in 1977 in avionic systems for British Aerospace Plc and worked in their flight test department on Jaguar aircraft. A move to Wind Energy Group Limited saw him rise to the position of Principal Aerodynamicist in 1990 when he was accountable for aerodynamic design of blades, aerodynamic noise suppression, load testing and monitoring prototype developments.
He joins Lloyd’s Register’s energy team at a time when the energy division is enjoying strong income growth — 15% in the last fiscal year — by enhancing its specialist technical expertise through acquisitions and further expanding its capabilities in the renewable sectors.
Lloyd’s Register has committed more than £150 million in the last five fiscal years to acquire companies displaying technical leadership in their specialist fields, including: Scandpower AS, a leader in independent risk-management; and Human Engineering Ltd, one of the world’s top human-factors consultancies.
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Offshore WIND staff, January 19, 2012