In a significant leadership change, SOLA Group announced today that CEO Dr. Dom Wills stepped down effective March 2024. Dr. Wills has been at the helm since 2018, overseeing the consolidation of SOLA Future Energy and Aurora Power Solutions under the SOLA Group brand. During his tenure, SOLA transitioned from a 1MW embedded solar PV market leader to a utility solar independent power producer with over 600 MW of projects in construction and operation. Dr. Wills will remain with the company as a full-time executive board member.
Reflecting on his tenure, Dr. Wills stated, “The challenge over the past seven years has been to shift the company from small and medium scale rooftop projects under 5MW to one that is making a larger difference by building and owning projects more than 100MW. This has been a very rewarding challenge in raising capital, growing the team, focusing the strategy, and ultimately executing on the promises to our clients. I’m confident that the new leadership, which has been on much of this journey, is well prepared and committed to taking the company to further new heights.”
Effective March 1, 2024, SOLA Group will introduce three new Managing Directors to guide the company’s future. Each director will report directly to the board, reflecting SOLA’s vertically integrated business structure.
Katherine Persson will assume the role of Managing Director: Assets, overseeing Project Development, Project Finance, Asset Management, and the Group Sustainability and Human Resources teams. Dr. Ian Burger will become Managing Director: Technical, responsible for Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Operations. Jonathan Skeen will take on the position of Managing Director: Commercial, overseeing Business Development and Group Finance.
The newly appointed directors bring extensive industry knowledge and expertise, having played key roles in major projects such as Project Springbok, a 195 MW DC multi-buyer solar PV plant; the Adams wheeling project, the country’s first large-scale renewable wheeling plant selling power to Amazon; and the 386 MW Lichtenburg wheeling cluster, delivering 256 MW to Tronox and 130 MW to African Rainbow Minerals under Africa’s largest corporate PPA.
SOLA Group Board Chairman Simon Haw commented, “Our board is extremely proud of the journey taken to become South Africa's only 100% locally owned vertically integrated IPP. The new leadership structure provides an efficient and optimal way to run our development, financing, construction, and operation companies. SOLA Group is now perfectly poised to provide choice and hope to South Africans as we start an exciting new beginning in how we produce and procure energy. We congratulate the new management on their appointments and wish them well as they write the next chapter of our exciting story.”
This leadership change comes amidst rapid growth in South Africa's renewables industry and increasing complexity and opportunities within SOLA’s vertically integrated value chain, which spans the development, financing, design, construction, operation, and ownership of renewable energy assets.