Oil major BP has appointed Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, former CEO of RWE Renewables, as its new executive vice president, gas and low carbon energy, and member of BP’s leadership team. Dotzenrath, who resigned from RWE in August, will join BP on March 1, 2022.
Bernard Looney, BP chief executive, said: “I am delighted that Anja has chosen to join us and help lead bp’s transformation from international oil company to integrated energy company. She is exactly the right person for BP, at exactly the right time – a globally respected and deeply experienced leader in renewable energy with a proven track record of transforming and growing businesses.
“I have been hugely impressed by the quality of her strategic thinking and her deep operational expertise. But as impressive as this is, I am even more impressed with how she has done it – leading teams with the right values and a strong sense of purpose. I look forward to welcoming Anja and working together to create value as we drive bp towards net zero and help the world get there too.”
Dotzenrath is an electrical engineer with more than 25 years of senior experience in energy, industry and management consultancy, including at the highest level in leading and transforming major renewable energy companies.
She led the development of RWE Renewables into one of the world’s largest renewable power companies and the second-largest offshore wind player globally, integrating the renewables businesses of E.ON and Innogy into RWE to form RWE Renewables in 2019.
Before becoming chief executive of RWE Renewables on its formation, Dotzenrath led E.ON’s Climate & Renewables business as chief executive and previously chief operating officer.
Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath said: “I spent much of my career building renewables businesses and I’m thrilled about the opportunity ahead with bp. Its global reach, ambitious low carbon growth targets and vision for a net zero future are a great platform for making a material contribution to a more sustainable and inclusive energy future. By integrating gas, renewables, hydrogen and biofuels at scale we can build a world-leading business in low carbon. I can’t wait to join the team and get to work on helping prove that purpose and profitable growth can work together.”
BP has said it aims to significantly expand its low carbon energy interests, with a target of having developed 20GW net of renewable assets by 2025 and aiming for 50GW by 2030. The company expects to invest around $2 billion in low carbon energy in 2021, rising to $3-4 billion in 2025 and aiming for around $5 billion in 2030.
So far in 2021 BP has entered offshore wind in both the US and UK, acquired a major solar development pipeline in the US and its solar joint venture Lightsource bp has continued to grow. By the end of the first half of 2021, bp had developed 3.7GW of renewable power capacity and had a further 21GW development pipeline.
Dev Sanyal, BP’s current EVP gas & low carbon energy, will leave the company at the end of 2021 and will join Varo Energy as CEO.