The Chairman of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has announced the appointment of Steve Sawyer as the Council's first Secretary General.

Brussels, 15 February 2007. Mr Sawyer, a US and Dutch citizen, will bring thirty years of international experience in the area of energy and climate change policy to GWEC.

"We are delighted to have appointed Steve as GWEC's first Secretary General," said Prof. Arthouros Zervos, GWEC's Chairman. "His unique experience on the international policy stage coupled with an in-depth understanding of climate change and renewable energy will represent a real step change for GWEC's global lobbying efforts. He is widely recognised as one of the greatest experts on these issues and a strong advocate of wind energy and other renewables technologies, and he will be a true asset to the organisation."

Steve Sawyer spent 30 years working for Greenpeace, primarily on a wide range of energy issues. He was the CEO of both Greenpeace USA ('86 to '88) and Greenpeace International ('88-93', and he served as Head of Delegation to many sessions of the Kyoto Protocol/ UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations, as well as heading delegations to the Johannesburg Earth Summit in 2002 and numerous sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development. Mr Sawyer is also a founding member of the REN21 Renewable Energy Policy Network and was a Member of the Steering Committee of the Renewables 2004 ministerial conference in Bonn.

Since 2004, Mr Sawyer has been an expert advisor to the Chinese government on the formulation of the country's Renewable Energy Law, which entered into force in 2006. Moreover, Mr Sawyer has provided expert advice to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and he is a reviewer for the Working Group III Report, which will be published on 4 May 2007.

Mr Sawyer has worked closely with the renewable energy industry in the framework of his activities. In particular, he was involved in a number of joint publications with GWEC (Wind Energy Outlook 2006), EWEA (Wind Force 12), EPIA (Solar Generation 2006) and EREC (Global Energy Scenario 2006).

"The alarm bell on climate change has now been well and truly sounded, and for me, the time has come to turn my hand to making a difference in a different way. I believe that the key battle for the next decade or two will be fought not over if we change our unsustainable energy system, but how and when," said Steve Sawyer. "The wind energy industry is in the strongest position to provide answers to these questions, and it must be a big part of the solution. It is a privilege for me to have the opportunity to help take this industry to the next level and ensure its voice is heard as loudly as it deserves."

Mr Sawyer is due to take up his new position on 2 April 2007.


For more information on the press release please contact: Angelika Pullen, Tel: +32 2 502 55 02, Mob: +32 473 947 966
or visit the GWEC website: www.gwec.net