GWO Welcomes David Goodfellow as New Board Member

GWO is pleased to announce David Goodfellow as its newest Board Member and the new Vice Chair of its Audit & Compliance Committee. This election follows Dr Marko Ladehoff’s departure from the Board of Directors and role as Chair of the Audit & Compliance Committee in summer 2026.  

An Electrical Engineer by training, David has worked in the renewable energy industry since 2010. He brings 24 years of experience from within the Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) field and currently serves as the Global HSE Director, Strategy & Development for the Nordex Group.  

With a strong track record of involvement in driving industry standards through the RenewableUK safety committee, VDMA, WindEurope and IWEA, David worked as part of the team that established SafetyOn. He has also served as Chair of the Technical Advisory Committee, guiding the UK onshore wind industry in the development of best practice guidelines and technical reports.

Commenting on this appointment, he remarked:  

“As a strong believer in common industry standards as a foundation for safer work environments, I am excited to support GWO in advancing its strategic objective to ensure the highest level of safety and competence in workforce training.”  

Jakob Lau Holst, CEO of GWO, added:  

“I am delighted to welcome David Goodfellow to our Board of Directors and as Vice Chair of the GWO Audit & Compliance Committee. David was the driver behind Nordex Group joining GWO, ensuring the adoption of GWO training standards throughout the organisation. His dedication to raising industry standards is aligned with our vision to develop safety and technical competence, as the leading body for workforce development. I look forward to welcoming David’s contributions, as we work together to propel our organisation and the industry forward.”  

David has been appointed in accordance with Article 5.5 from the GWO Articles of Association (AoA). The replacement director taking over from the departing director will be confirmed at the next Board election at the GWO Annual General Meeting (AGM), planned for the end of Q1 2027.

About GWO

GWO is a not-for-profit industry association founded and owned by its members who are drawn from globally leading renewable energy manufacturers, owners and operators. Our members strive for an injury free work environment, setting common international standards for safety training and workforce development. Since 2012, GWO training standards have become widely adopted by wind industry employers seeking quality, safety and reassurance for their technicians in construction, installation, operations and maintenance around the world. Today, more than 190,000 technicians are trained according to GWO standards.  

GWO Member Companies

Acciona Energia, Avangrid, BayWa r.e, CGN Wind Power, Copenhagen Offshore Partners, CRRC, Cubico, Dominion Energy, ENERCON, Engie, Envision, Equinor, Eurus Energy, FairWind, GE Renewable Energy, Global Wind Service, Goldwind, Iberdrola, Mingyang, Muehlhan, The Nordex Group, Northland Power, Ocean Winds, Ørsted, Pattern Energy, Qair, RES Group, RWE Renewables, Shanghai Electric, Skyborn Renewables, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, SSE, TAKKION, Vattenfall and Vestas.

All photos and graphics copyright GWO.

Media Contact Details

Sara Bastholm, Head of Communications & Engagement