Vestas announce new APAC President

Vestas has appointed Purvin Patel as its new president of Asia Pacific.

Patel joins Vestas from a position as CEO of facilities management company ISS UK & Ireland.

He has more than 25 years of commercial and operational leadership experience, and has previously served in leadership positions at US retail chain Walmart, UK home improvement firm Kingfisher Group and Indian supply chain solutions company RadhaKrishna Foodland.

Patel succeeds Clive Turton, who will leave the company after heading up Vestas Asia Pacific since 2017.

Under Turton’s watch, 4.5GW of Asia Pacific wind farms using Vestas turbines were brought online, according to Windpower Intelligence, the reserch and data division of Windpower Monthly. This includes 1.8GW in China and 1.1GW each in Australia and India, as well as smaller capacities in Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia and South Korea.

The manufacturer currently has a further 4.2GW of capacity in various stages of development in Asia Pacific.

Juan Araluce, executive vice president and chief sales officer, said that the appointment shows Vestas Asia Pacific aims to meet the challenge of expanding renewables in a region with growing electricity needs.

Araluce said: “Wind and renewable energy have become mainstream, and Purvin’s solid operational background will be a strong asset as we broaden our presence in the region’s existing fast-growing markets and leverage our joint venture in Japan.

“I’d also like to thank Clive Turton for his contributions to Vestas throughout the last four years and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.”

Vestas cites Wood Mackenzie’s Q4 2020 Onshore Market Outlook, which showed demand for renewable energy is expected to grow significantly across the Asia Pacific region in the next decade.

Demand is expected to grow in key markets such as India, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and Australia.

Patel will need to draw on his commercial and operational background, with his role set to be key in “driving a stronger and more consolidated regional setup” in Asia Pacific.

“Vestas has established itself as the global leader in onshore wind and pioneered wind energy in many markets in Asia Pacific region,” Patel added.

“Together with our strong manufacturing footprint and increased emphasis on offshore wind and development, there’s a huge potential for Vestas to grow profitably in Asia Pacific, and together with the great team in Asia Pacific, I look forward to grasping these opportunities. “

Patel also served as country manager and CEO of ISS Facility Services India, which has about 60,000 employees. There, he was behind strategic and transformation projects at board level.