The Chair of the REA, Mr Martin Wright, commented that Gaynor has been with the association since its inception and is well-known and respected throughout the industry. The REA board accepted her resignation with regret but is very pleased that she wishes to remain involved in order to explore new ventures and projects.
“Gaynor became the Chief Executive in February 2010” Mr Wright said, “and over that time the REA has grown in size and stature and moved to prestigious new offices in Victoria. The REA has appointed Heidrick & Struggles to assist us find the right candidate and those interested are invited to make contact with Claire Skinner. The brief of the new Chief Executive will be to represent the renewables industry in these economically and politically challenging times, to further develop our talented and enthusiastic staff, to support our members in the delivery of the UK’s 2020 renewable energy targets, and to continue to build closer relationships with our fellow trade associations.”
Ms Hartnell has said she will not step down until a new Chief Executive is found and will continue to work with the REA in a consultancy capacity thereafter. Under her leadership the REA has played a key role in shaping the UK’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), stabilising the Feed-in Tariff following the expansion of solar PV in the UK, ensuring that parts of the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) impacting on renewables are compatible with the sector’s expansion and kerbing some of the more destabilising changes that could have occurred within the government’s Renewables Obligation (RO). She also oversaw the REA’s merger with the Association for Organics Recycling whose members were increasingly diversifying into anaerobic digestion.
“The REA is in a very strong position and has a membership of over 1,000 companies” Mr Wright added. “The Board takes tremendous pride not just in the REA's successes, but also in its widely recognised independence and objectivity. The role is both challenging and high-profile, and we are expecting there to be considerable interest.”
Ms Hartnell said that she has been with the REA since its formation in 2001, which was preceded by six years working in trade associations trying to bring about a unified voice in the industry.
“That makes a total of almost 18 years in a similar setting” she continued, “and I now want to explore other opportunities. I will continue to lead the Association until a replacement is found, and thereafter I am pleased to be staying involved on a consultancy basis.”
The REA represents renewable energy producers across the UK and promotes renewables across all technologies including power, heat, transport and renewable gas. It is the largest renewable energy trade association in the UK and has over 1,000 members ranging from large, major multinationals through to sole traders.
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