GE Vernova has appointed Hakan Ozmen as chief executive of its Wind division, effective 1 January 2027, as the group continues efforts to stabilise the unit. He will join the company on 1 November 2026 as Wind CEO designate before formally taking over the role, GE Vernova chief executive Scott Strazik said. He succeeds Vic Abate.

A transition coming amid a turnaround effort

According to Scott Strazik, the leadership change coincides with progress in offshore wind project execution and with efforts to improve profitability in the onshore wind services business. He cited the close-out of Vineyard Wind and continued execution of the Dogger Bank project. The segment remains active elsewhere, as shown by Northland completing installation of all 73 Hai Long turbines in Taiwan and VicGrid selecting ACCIONA for the 2 GW Gippsland offshore wind transmission project. He also pointed to a pathway towards materially improving onshore wind services profitability, along with a product roadmap aimed at building the future order book.

"Substantial work remains, but we have reached a much firmer foundation to build upon to lead the Wind industry forward and position the business to thrive inside of GE Vernova," Strazik said. He added: "As we look to close out 2026 and towards the future, I am as confident as I have been about our Wind business."

A career built at Prysmian

Hakan Ozmen has spent most of his career at Prysmian Group, where he held several senior leadership positions, including chief executive of Prysmian North America and executive vice president of Telecommunications. He also led the group's global transmission and subsea projects business. In that role he oversaw 21 manufacturing facilities and a large installation vessel fleet, alongside the development of next-generation HVDC (high-voltage direct current) technology.

Most recently, he led Gridspertise, a grid modernisation software and services platform. He began his career at Siemens AG. He holds an Industrial Engineering degree from Orta Doğu Teknik University and an MBA from Yeditepe University, both in Turkey.

A phased start in the role

Based in the United States, Hakan Ozmen will spend his first two months visiting operations and working with teams. He will then determine his base locations at existing GE Vernova and Wind sites in early 2027.

Vic Abate, whom he succeeds, has held leadership roles across GE and GE Vernova, in the Wind, Gas Power and Advanced Research Center businesses.