Tidal energy developer SIMEC Atlantis Energy has appointed Graham Reid as the new Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Atlantis.
He will take over from Tim Cornelius who has agreed to take up a new role as a Senior Adviser to the Group and will consequently resign his position as Chief Executive Officer, effective January 18, 2021.
"Graham is an experienced and highly capable CEO, leader and engineer, with extensive international experience in the energy and infrastructure space. Graham was most recently CEO of RES Americas, and prior to that CEO of Arcadis Middle East, a member of Network Rail’s project delivery board for the London bridge station project and earlier in his career was the UK Managing Director and an Executive Board member of Hyder Consulting plc," SIMEC Atlantis Energy, which operates a tidal energy project in the UK said.
"Having delivered more than 5GW of wind, solar and storage projects in previous roles, Mr. Reid has been selected by the Board of Directors to build on the successful development history of the Company and to use his considerable project management and delivery experience to steer Atlantis through the delivery phase of the Uskmouth Power Station conversion project, the build-out of fuel production plants, the expansion of the MeyGen project and the development of further hydro asset opportunities," the company added.
As for the outgoing CEO Tim Cornelius, the company said he'd continue to support the Board and Company on a range of matters, including ongoing relationship management with key stakeholders, customers, and strategic partners.
John Neill, Atlantis Chairman, said: "Tim is an exceptional entrepreneur and I can understand why he wants to take the next steps in his career. On behalf of the board I would like to thank Tim for his contribution to the Company over the past 15 years and for agreeing to remain as a Senior Advisor to the Board of Directors and mentor to the leadership team. We are pleased that we will continue to benefit from his domain knowledge, experience and relationships built up over many years and I would like to wish Tim every success in his future endeavours."
"I am delighted to welcome Graham Reid and congratulate him on his appointment as the incoming CEO of Atlantis. The board conducted a very thorough, independent and rigorous recruitment process to select Graham. Graham is an experienced corporate leader with a proven track record of successful project management and delivery. His skills are very well suited to ensure the safe and timely delivery of our flagship projects which in turn will create value for our shareholders and stakeholders. I very much look forward to working with Graham in the period ahead.”
Graham Reid, the incoming CEO said: “I am delighted to be joining SIMEC Atlantis at such an exciting time in its growth trajectory. This is a unique opportunity to become part of an exceptional business delivering several first-in-class projects that will make meaningful contributions to a lower-carbon economy.
"SIMEC Atlantis is a recognized pioneer in the development and operation of renewable and sustainable energy projects and I very much look forward to playing my part in the successful delivery of the Uskmouth conversion project and the build out and commissioning of fuel production plants across the country. I am also relishing the opportunity to work with the Atlantis team to progress our exciting marine energy and hydro portfolios.”
Tim Cornelius, the outgoing CEO, said: "For more than 15 years, Atlantis has been a huge part of my life and I owe our investors, stakeholders, staff, current and former directors and the Chairman a debt of gratitude I will never be able to fully repay. I am delighted to continue my involvement with the Company as we enter the next exciting phase of our journey – from origination to construction and commissioning.
"Now is the right time to introduce new skills into our leadership team to ensure that we have the right mix of experience in place to deliver on all of our flagship projects and Graham is highly credentialed and vastly experienced in project management and successful project delivery. It has been privilege to be a part of the Atlantis journey so far and I very much look forward to being able to continue my association with the wonderful group of people who work there and the inspiring group of stakeholders who support them.”