Time to Make a Difference…
I am thirty three-year-old Brit, I live and work in the USA and I will be one of the 1000 talents attending UNLEASH this year in Denmark. I moved to the US in 2010, have an American wife and a two-year-old little boy named Harry. When Harry was born, it changed my entire life perspective, but more on that later…
My career in Wind thus far….
I have been blessed by the way my career has developed, it has been molded around some of the key interests and passions in my life. I started working in the energy industry in 2006 for Centrica, the UK’s largest energy company. In 2010, I was part of a small team to which created and built the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Lynn & Inner Dowsing. The fact that it is a mediocre 194MW, is a testament to how rapidly the industry has evolved. Turbine technology has advanced, wind farms and turbines are larger and more efficent. What’s great about Renewable Energy is that it can be embraced over a variety of conditions and landscapes, and there are solutions to fit every country.

For the past 5 years, I have worked in the American wind sector. Currently I am Operations Manager for Vestas, the largest wind energy company in the world. I oversee a 1.7 GW wind portfolio across Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. We have a team of over 100 employees — they work tenaciously everyday to ensure wind farms maximize production amid prioritizing a safety-first operation. By the end of 2018, we plan to have a further 1GW installed in my region — this will include launching Operations for North America’s largest wind farm here in Colorado. I pride myself on being a “doer”, being able to pivot, I’m not afraid to change course, nor do I fear failure. However, I gain satisfaction by delivering results, providing platforms for people to succeed. Not because it is my responsibility or job title, rather because I genuinely enjoy navigating through tough challenges and problems in order to deliver sustainable solutions.
Turning a blind eye is immoral
When my son Harry was born, it made me realize, I am extremely lucky, privileged infact. Not everyone is blessed to have a daily life that we take for granted. A community, a child, a family in Syria or Zimbabwe in less privileged nations, should have the same opportunities to succeed in life as the communities, children, and families have in the USA or in Britain. A child should have every opportunity to succeed despite its families economic background. “A good Samaritan does not turn a blind eye”, nor do they keep walking on by when an individual is in obvious need. A child should not be in poverty in any situation. We as human beings, as Americans, Brits, Europeans, as progressive millennials, should not turn a blind eye in the name of creed or situations that do not affect our personal daily lives.

Ultimately, the sustainability goals the UN have established reflect simple moral code. It pains me to see children, Harry’s age, in poverty without access to clean and sanitary water supplies. That shouldn’t happen. How can we turn a blind eye to this? We shouldn’t. We can’t. It’s immoral. We cannot let political agendas drive doubt about Climate Change. Climate Change is real. There is no doubt — it is scientifically proven. Harry, along with other children around the world, deserve to experience a world I have had; a world that can be a better place that is more sustainable so that his generation and future generations can experience a better future, a future we want for them.
Are we all talk?
It is time to put talk into action. I hope as one of the 1000 talents attending UNLEASH in Denmark, to be among some very talented entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, academics, and industry leading experts, I can add value in helping put “the talk”, ideas, and plans into firm deliverable actions.
We need to deliver some real results to help individuals and communities that most are unable to have exposure to in daily life. Undoubtedly, without UNLEASH I am sure many of us would never have the exposure. One thing my Dad always taught me, when you get an opportunity you grasp it with both hands and you make the absolute most of it. I hope we grasp this unique opportunity because…it is time to make a real difference. That time is not 2018, 2020, after the next political party, or in 10 years…..that time is NOW.
