Stuart Beattie and Natasha Kumar will be taking over as managing director for BayWa r.e’s UK service business. Image: BayWa r.e.

BayWa r.e. has announced some changes to its senior management team, to herald in the new decade. 

Oliver Niedhöfer is leaving the UK division, and Stuart Beattie and Natasha Kumar will be replacing him as managing director for the UK service business. 

Beattie joined BayWa r.e. in 2018 when the company acquired Becon Consultancy, as a managing director. Kumar is the company’s in-house legal counsel and has ten years of experience in the renewables sector. 

Meanwhile, Niedhöfer is taking on a new role in BayWa r.e. focusing on the development of global services and the support of its digitalisation strategy. 

Tobias Bittkau, global director of services, comments: “The changes in the UK will significantly support our continuous global growth and the development of our digital services. We are able to deploy the experience gained in the UK over the last couple of years on an international level and thus propel the company forward, whilst at the same time implementing strong and innovative management in the United Kingdom, one of our core markets.”

The announcements come as the company continues to expand its operations in the UK. It first began operating in the country in 2014, and now has a portfolio of more than 2GW of solar and wind under operation. 

Natasha Kumar added: “It is an exciting time for BayWa r.e. in the UK and we’re committed to helping the UK meet its green energy goals. I am delighted to play a part in the company’s strategic path to develop completely new approaches to green energy services.”

In December, BayWa r.e. opened its third office in the UK in Edinburgh. This followed a year that saw the company sign a number of significant contracts, including with Octopus investments to provide operations and maintenance services for 13 of its UK solar farms and with Tesco, as part of its major green electricity project

Stuart Beattie said: “There are a lot of opportunities in the UK at the moment, and in 2020 we are planning to significantly grow our existing services as well as introducing new services. 2019 was a great year for us and I am confident that we will be able to repeat this success. 

“I am very much looking forward to working with Natasha, and I wish Oliver all the best for his new role!”

Along with the management changes, the company has announced that it has merged its operational entities BayWa r.e. Operation Services Limited and Becon Consultancy under the name “BayWa r.e. Operation Services” from the 1 January.