- Appointment places climate, biodiversity and community impact at the center of Ørsted’s growth strategy
- New role aligns with Scope 3 decarbonisation and net positive biodiversity goals
- Governance and stakeholder expectations rising as offshore wind expands across Europe, Asia and North America
Denmark based renewable energy major Ørsted has appointed Anders Johannes Enghild as its new Head of Global Sustainability. The leadership change arrives at a pivotal moment for the company as it works to align rapid offshore wind buildout with increasingly complex demands across climate targets, biodiversity protection and community benefits.
The appointment follows the recent announcement that Ørsted’s long serving Head of Global Sustainability, Ida Krabek, will step down at the end of 2025.
A Role Built Around Climate, Nature and Community
Enghild has spent more than five years inside Ørsted and most recently served as Head of Climate, Nature and Community Sustainability. He previously worked as a Senior Consultant at Dalberg and earlier served on the Innovative Finance and Impact Investment Team at The Rockefeller Foundation.
Ørsted stated that the new role will oversee a team of climate, nature and community impact specialists tasked with strengthening the integration of sustainability across the company’s renewable projects and global expansion pipeline.
In the announcement, Enghild said:
“Ørsted is a climate company by design and delivering offshore wind is the single most important thing we do.”
“Doing it at pace and at scale is essential to meeting the Paris Agreement and building an independent, secure European energy system. Delivering it sustainably is what allows that pace and scale to be sustained over time.”
LinkedIn Message Highlights Cultural and Governance Priorities
Enghild expanded on his priorities in a LinkedIn post that struck a personal tone and highlighted internal governance expectations for the next phase of the company’s climate strategy.
In a LinkedIn post announcing the role, Enghild wrote that he is “really grateful to start a new chapter as Head of Global Sustainability at Ørsted,” adding a personal note of appreciation to his predecessor: “I want to say a big thank you to Ida, quite simply the best boss I have ever had. She showed me what caring and decisive leadership looks like. Those lessons will stay with me.” He reiterated the company’s climate orientation by stating: “Ørsted is a climate company by design and delivering offshore wind is the single most important thing we do,” and linked that mission to geopolitical and climate imperatives: “Doing it at pace and at scale is essential to meeting the Paris Agreement and building an independent, secure European energy system. Delivering it sustainably is what allows that pace and scale to be sustained over time.”
Enghild described the sustainability challenge as focused on two priorities. “For us, this comes down to two things,” he wrote. “1) Driving decarbonisation. Offshore wind already cuts lifecycle emissions by more than 98 percent compared to coal-fired power. But if we are to create a world that runs entirely on green energy, we must keep reducing the remaining emissions across how we develop, construct, and operate our assets. 2) Being good neighbours. Offshore wind is big infrastructure. We want to build in harmony with nature, create real value for local communities, and uphold human rights across our global supply chain, because trust and support are prerequisites for scale.”
RELATED ARTICLE: Ørsted Becomes First Energy Major to Complete Full Green Transition
The Broader Sustainability Strategy
Ørsted’s sustainability platform rests on three strategic pillars: decarbonisation, biodiversity and community impact.
On decarbonisation, the company recently reported a 98 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity and is now turning to Scope 3 to meet its 2040 net zero goal. On biodiversity, Ørsted seeks to achieve a net positive impact by 2030. On community benefits, the company said it aims to deliver tangible economic and social value for the regions in which it operates.
These objectives have gained traction as governments tighten climate regulation and as global offshore wind moves from niche climate solution to core energy infrastructure. The sector is confronting rising scrutiny over lifecycle emissions, impacts on marine ecosystems and the social license to operate in coastal regions.
What Investors and Executives Are Watching
For investors and corporate buyers, the appointment provides a window into how large renewables developers intend to manage sustainability maturity as project scale increases. Offshore wind deployment requires complex coordination across supply chains, ports, fisheries, labor markets and permitting authorities. Companies that fail to manage these frictions risk delays, social opposition or higher cost of capital.
Sustainability leadership also intersects with green finance instruments and eligibility under emerging EU Taxonomy rules, Scope 3 disclosure expectations, nature related reporting frameworks and corporate human rights due diligence.
Global Context
The global market for offshore wind continues to expand across Europe, Asia and North America. Europe is doubling down on energy security and domestic clean power after geopolitical disruptions. The United States is building out federal leasing and transmission while Asia is experimenting with hybrid revenue models and localized supply chains.
Ørsted intends to remain one of the sector’s pace setters. The elevation of sustainability to a core executive portfolio reflects the growing recognition that climate infrastructure cannot scale without public trust, policy clarity and credible nature and community outcomes.
The strategic significance extends beyond Denmark. Offshore wind sits at the crossroads of the Paris Agreement objectives and the Net Zero transition. How the sector integrates biodiversity and social value will influence global policymaking from marine spatial planning to ESG disclosure standards.
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