Ben Backwell Email & Phone Number

I am the CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the industry body which represents the wind energy sector world wide.As CEO I am responsible for designing and implementing the wind industry’s growth strategy in conjunction with GWEC's board and Executive Committee. My work involves advocacy and government affairs, messaging, media and PR, thought leadership and other activities. During my time at GWEC, membership and revenues have grown by approximately 4X. GWEC has also able to attract funding from major philanthropic foundations in order to expand its policy and TA work. I have been strongly involved in climate diplomacy through the COP process, Clean Energy Ministerial and other fora. I initiated the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) in 2021 along with Denmark and IRENA, which now has over 15 countries as its members. I am also a co-founder of the Global Renewables Alliance, which groups together the main renewable energy technologies (Solar PV, Wind, Hydropower, Storage, Green Hydrogen and Geothermal). I initiated the Ocean Energy Pathways programme, which provides technical assistance to governments on ocean energy. I engage regularly with the IEA, IRENA, the World Bank Group, the COP Presidency, the UN and many others. I sit on various external boards and committees, including the IRENA Coalition for Action Steering Committee, the RE-100 Advisory Board, the IEA RIAB and others. I also make frequent public appearances and am frequently quoted in Tier One media publications such as the Financial Times, Reuters and Bloomberg.I was formerly a Managing Director at FTI Consulting, working with renewables and cleantech companies as part of FTI's Energy Practice. I am the author of "Wind Power; the Struggle for Control of a New Global Industry (Routledge 2017), which has been described as the "definitive" book on the global wind industry.I was previously an independent consultant and campaigner, and worked with EWEA setting up SolutionWind, a global industry campaign to promote the unique relevance of wind in the run up to COP21 in Paris.I was Editor in Chief of Recharge, a news provider for the global renewables sector after serving as European Correspondent and Senior Correspondent. Before getting involved in renewables in late 2008, I worked as a foreign correspondent and analyst for many years, specialising in politics, macro economics and energy markets. I have been based in Houston, Caracas, New York, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, and have covered OPEC and the IMF. I speak fluent Spanish and Portuguese.

Listed skills include Renewable Energy, Wind, Energy Policy, Business Strategy, and 25 others.

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  School Of Advanced Study, University Of London

  Political Science