WindEurope has named Tinne Van der Straeten, Belgium’s former Energy Minister, as its new Chief Executive Officer. Van der Straeten will succeed the current CEO, Giles Dickson, on February 2, 2026, after his ten years of service.
“The WindEurope Board extends its gratitude to Giles Dickson for his decade of leadership, which was crucial to the organisation’s development,” stated WindEurope in a press release on January 12.
As Belgium’s Energy Minister from 2020 to 2025, Van der Straeten played a pivotal role in expanding the country’s wind energy sector and fostering consensus on Belgium’s energy crisis response in 2022, according to the European wind energy organisation.
Van der Straeten has been instrumental in European energy initiatives, chairing the North Sea Energy Cooperation in 2020 and 2025, leading the European Energy Council in 2024, and vice-chairing the IEA Ministerial Meeting in 2022. More recently, she served as a Belgian Parliament Member.
As WindEurope CEO, Van der Straeten aims to maximize wind energy’s role in enhancing Europe’s affordability, industrial competitiveness, and energy security. WindEurope highlights, “With geopolitical challenges emerging, Europe must reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels. Wind energy is central to achieving this transition.”
WindEurope states that wind currently supplies 20% of Europe’s electricity, projected to rise to 34% by 2030 and over 50% by 2050 with appropriate policies.
The organisation warns that Europe’s wind energy growth is insufficient, as the EU installed just 13 GW of new capacity in 2025, under half the necessary amount to meet the 2030 energy and climate goals.
“The wind sector is at a pivotal moment. The industry is poised to create over 600,000 jobs by 2030 but is hindered by permitting and infrastructure delays. I am eager to collaborate with stakeholders to unlock wind energy’s full potential for Europe,” said Tinne Van der Straeten.
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