‘Success potential of Siemens Gamesa enormous’ says incoming chairman

The turbine firm’s board of directors announced today that Bruch had been appointed chairman and that he will succeed Miguel Ángel López, who has resigned with immediate effect.

The appointment comes as Siemens Gamesa recorded full-year losses of nearly €1bn last week.

The company will begin to implement its Mistral turnaround plan from January in an attempt to return it to profitability.

‘Get a grip’

Commenting on his appointment, Bruch said: “The medium and long-term success potential of Siemens Gamesa is enormous. Without wind there can be no energy transition. Structurally some things have to change in the wind market so that turbine manufacturers can be profitable, but above all we have to get a grip on our home-grown problems.”

He added: “First and foremost, this requires passion and attention to detail, which is what I expect from management and employees. We have to tackle the problems step by step and show progress quarter by quarter.”

Career path

Bruch, who is also chief executive of Siemens Energy AG – its oil and gas division – has worked in the energy industry for more than two decades.

He was previously head of project development at RWE before moving to the multinational chemicals and gas firm Linde AG, where he worked for 16 years. He joined Siemens Energy in 2020.

Gratitude

Jochen Eickholt, chief executive of Siemens Gamesa, said he was grateful to López for his contribution to the company, in particular his work building relationships with governments and institutions.

He added: “I look forward to working together with Christian Bruch in bringing our company back to a place of profitability and in driving the transition to renewable energy systems all over the world.”