Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, leading renewable energy executive, to head bp’s gas & low carbon energy business
- Brings strategic vision and deep operational experience from running major renewables companies
- A proven leader who has grown and integrated businesses
- Turned RWE Renewables into one of the world’s largest renewable power companies and the second largest offshore wind player
bp today announced the appointment of Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath as its new executive vice president, gas and low carbon energy, and member of bp’s leadership team. Until recently she was chief executive officer of RWE Renewables, one of the world’s leading renewables businesses. Anja-Isabel will join bp on March 1st 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.”
Anja-Isabel 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.
"By integrating gas, renewables, hydrogen and biofuels at scale we can build a world-leading business in low carbon."
Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath
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, she 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’s strategy 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. bp 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.
As announced separately, Dev Sanyal, bp’s current EVP gas & low carbon energy, will leave the company at the end of 2021.
Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath
Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath was chief executive officer of RWE Renewables until August 2021, having led the business since October 2019. In this time, she led the major integration of the renewables businesses of E.ON and Innogy into RWE. RWE Renewables is now one of the world’s leading renewables businesses with interests in onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage, and operations across Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
Before joining RWE, Anja-Isabel had been with E.ON for eight years, latterly as chief executive of E.ON Climate & Renewables, and previously as the unit’s chief operating officer. From 2014 -2015 she served as chief commercial and development officer of E.ON Next Generation, E.ON‘s combined conventional and renewable power business. Before that, she led E.ON’s in-house consulting service, responsible for developing vision and strategy and driving operational improvements.
Prior to E.ON, Anja-Isabel had held a number of senior roles in management consultancy over 15 years, with a focus on energy and industry and spent four years in the energy and chemical industry.
Since 2018 she has been an independent member of the board of directors of Elkem, the Norwegian chemical company focused on environmentally responsible production of silicon, silicones and other products. Since 2020 she has also been a member of the council of the German climate and clean energy thinktank, Agora Energiewende.
In April 2021, Anja-Isabel was chosen as a member of the UK Government’s new Investment Council intended to advise the Government on foreign investment and improving the UK’s business environment for foreign investors.
As an Honorary Consul of Norway, since March 2021, she promotes friendly relations and commercial ties between Norway and Germany. A German national, Anja-Isabel has a master’s degree in electrical engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) and a master‘s degree in business administration (Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing.), both from RWTH University in Aachen.