Susanne, tell us a bit more about you. What is your professional background and your involvement in the wind energy industry?

I’m a trained economist with experience in finance, sales, marketing, and HR. Since 2018, I have been Head of HR and marketing and hold a seat in the management team here at Deutsche Windtechnik Sweden. I drive strategic initiatives, develop our staff, and work closely with my Swedish and German colleagues to ensure the Swedish entity's success. We always strive to retain, develop, and support our employees in their professional development.

Are you involved in the wind energy industry beyond your work at Deutsche Windtechnik?

Yes. I'm also part of the Campus Varberg management group for Energy Technicians. Campus Varberg offers specialised programs in energy technology, emphasising practical and applied learning to meet industry demands. I work closely with teachers and students to ensure high-quality and relevant training there.

I’m doing this because we need to invest in future professionals. For example, we will need more service technicians, engineers, and project managers. In Sweden, wind energy is already the third-largest energy source, and demand is rising. We need to ensure we can meet the demand with skilled and well-educated personnel.

You were just elected as a board member of Svensk vindkraftsförening. Congratulations! What motivated you to run in the first place?

The Swedish Wind Power Association is a non-political, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting wind power development and advocating for its members' interests. We strive for effective wind power development in Sweden, fair economic conditions for producers, and dissemination of new technology knowledge. With over 30 years of experience, we count 650 members and collaborate with authorities and organisations both nationally and internationally.

I am deeply committed to attracting more individuals to our sector, especially from other industries—bring in fresh perspectives and expertise. I want to leverage my position to raise awareness about the many rewarding opportunities working in wind energy brings with it. Among those are reducing our environmental impact, driving social acceptance, researching and developing energy storage, exploring new business models...

That sounds great. How do you plan to achieve that?

As mentioned before, I’m already actively involved in education and training. But I want to go further and do more. And with my experience in HR, leadership, and decision-making, I believe I can drive more positive change. For example, I want to further advance the industry’s competence supply through various projects. Combine that with my marketing experience, and we can improve visibility and get more opportunities to advocate for the potential and advantages of working in the wind industry. 

You mentioned that attracting skilled professionals is one of the wind industry's biggest challenges. What other challenges do you see?

Indeed, it is. The industry's other major challenge is the speed with which we make decisions around wind energy, its projects, laws, and regulations. It takes too long. Policymakers must make quicker decisions to facilitate the industry's expansion. It’s the only way to ensure we can meet Sweden’s climate goals by 2040. Regulatory uncertainty, grid integration issues, and permitting delays hinder the timely implementation of wind energy projects, slowing the sector's progress. Together with decision-makers, we need to figure out how we can act more quickly and implement measures to expand wind energy.

I envision a landscape where wind power is central to the country's energy mix, providing clean and reliable electricity while creating jobs and driving economic growth. But that can only happen if politicians, decision-makers, and other influencers work hand in hand.