Our latest People Powered profile features Mikkel Hedegaard Kristensen, SVP/Director of Offshore Engineering at RWE.
With over 20 years of global experience in engineering, manufacturing, and innovation leadership, Mikkel has a proven track record of scaling operations, driving efficiency, and leading cross-functional teams in the renewable energy and industrial sectors.
Senior Recruitment Partner and Astute’s offshore wind specialist, Mel Noble, sat down with Mikkel to learn more about his journey and insights into the future of offshore engineering.
Could you tell us a bit about your career to date?
I might not be your typical senior leader.
I left school after ninth grade in Denmark, which is the first 10 years of mandatory education.
Both I and the school agreed that I was done with formal education – at least for the time being.
The upside back in the early ’90s was that you could get a job quite easily.
It was common to head to the factory or shipyard and get stuck in.
I started working in a factory, and after about six months, the factory head told me if I wanted to stay, I’d need to get a proper education.
So I became a Machine Fitter – it was very hands-on, learning a bit of everything in the metal industry.
That included machinery, mechanics, ship engines, offshore equipment – you name it.
But halfway through my apprenticeship, I already knew I wouldn’t be doing this forever.
I wasn’t going to grow old next to a milling machine.
I started taking on project management roles while still in training.
I was lucky – the company acquired another factory, and I was put in charge of moving the equipment over.
That was my first experience managing projects.
Not long after that, I was asked to become a team lead – at 17 years old – for a group of 15 people.
Since then, I’ve stayed in leadership roles, always in technical domains.
I moved into the wind industry early on, which was natural coming from Denmark, and for the past 25 years, I’ve worked exclusively in that space.
My roles have always revolved around new technologies, offshore projects, and being part of the globalisation of wind energy.
It’s been an incredible journey through an industry that’s constantly evolving.
And during that time, how do you think your leadership style has evolved?
That’s a great question.
Through my time at companies like Vestas and Siemens, I’ve had the chance to work globally – in the US, China, Spain, England, India, and beyond.
Being immersed in so many different cultures and leadership environments has definitely shaped how I lead today.
But at my core, my style is rooted in the Scandinavian approach – built on trust.
I believe most people come to work wanting to make a difference, and as a leader, your job is to provide direction and help align that energy.
That fundamental belief hasn’t changed, even if the way I deliver it has evolved over the years.
What’s one career move or project that’s really shaped your approach to innovation and operational excellence?
That’s a tough one – there have been so many great projects.
But if I had to pick one, it would be helping to start a company called Dencam during the early days of the wind industry.
An industrial investor approached me with equipment originally designed for making ship components and asked if we could build a company around it.
So, I tried the startup route – bought the land, built the factory, hired the first employee.
The original business model didn’t work, so we had to pivot.
We analysed the company’s capabilities and repurposed the technology to manufacture full moulds for wind turbine blades.
That change helped revolutionise the industry – moving from hand-made blades to machine-moulded ones with high precision.
It opened up new possibilities in manufacturing and performance.
It was a steep learning curve: late nights, lawsuits, technical failures… but also a lot of innovation, resilience, and partnership.
That experience taught me the importance of taking risks, being adaptable, and surrounding yourself with people willing to go on the journey with you.
What advice would you give emerging engineers or leaders hoping to make an impact in offshore wind?
Something I wish I’d learned earlier in life is the value of asking for help – and knowing what you don’t know.
If you can master those two things, you’ll avoid a lot of unnecessary mistakes.
You’d be amazed at how many leaders are happy to give you their time or advice if you just reach out and ask.
Whether it’s navigating a tough leadership challenge or tackling a new project – don’t be afraid to lean on others.
Also, get to know your blind spots.
It’s not a weakness – it’s self-awareness.
If there are areas that don’t motivate you or where you lack experience, build a team that complements you.
Find people who thrive in those areas.
Once someone fills that gap, it’s no longer a blind spot – it’s a strength.
That approach has made a huge difference in my own journey.
What emerging technologies do you believe will most disrupt offshore wind in the next five years?
That’s a tough crystal ball to read, but let’s give it a shot.
Over the past 20 years, offshore wind has been dominated by the “rotor and rain” race – bigger and bigger turbines, higher towers, longer blades.
The idea that “the rotor is the motor” still holds true.
But we may be reaching a plateau.
Turbine sizes now rival, or even surpass, the scale of aircraft like the Airbus A380.
While that plane was a technological marvel, its overall business case didn’t stack up – airports had to be rebuilt to accommodate it.
Similarly, the scale of today’s turbines is putting pressure on the entire offshore infrastructure – harbours, vessels, logistics.
So I think the size race will slow down.
The next wave will focus on industrialisation, standardisation, and especially digitalisation.
We’ll see more emphasis on turbine performance, uptime, and lifetime extension.
Offshore turbines generate massive amounts of data – around 25,000 signals per hour – and much of it is unused.
With the rise of data analytics and AI, we can unlock new insights, optimise performance, and transform how we maintain and operate these assets.
This is where we need new, bold, and brilliant minds to challenge the status quo.
The industry is still evolving, and there’s so much left to do.
Given the current skills shortages across the sector, how can we encourage more people to consider a career in offshore wind?
I think it starts with purpose.
People are motivated by different things, but offshore wind has a compelling story.
You get to work with cutting-edge technology, on a global scale, while also contributing to a more sustainable future.
That combination of innovation and impact is incredibly powerful.
We also need to show that this isn’t just an industry for engineers – it’s for project managers, technicians, analysts, and creatives too.
There are so many career paths and opportunities to grow.
On top of that, we should be building stronger partnerships with universities and technical schools, offering internships, mentoring, and clear pathways into the industry.
And as leaders, we have to be visible – we need to share our stories and open doors for the next generation.
How do you build and lead a high-performing team in the offshore sector?
I don’t think there’s something specific to the offshore sector there, to be honest.
I think that’s more about high performance generally.
Every leader has their own style, and for me, the foundation for everything we do is trust.
Whenever you want to have a team out there, you need to trust your team.
You need to be open to having difficult dialogue – and I really mean difficult dialogue, not just the typical one-way conversation with employees.
As a leader, I’ve seen multiple generations – Boomers, Gen Z, or whatever we call them – come into the workplace.
It’s becoming a two-way dialogue.
They’ll give you tough feedback, and working together as a team requires openness and a safety net.
For me, that safety net is trust.
You need to create an environment where people dare to be open and honest.
Of course, you need qualified and talented people.
But if you want to move from good to great, it’s because your team dares to talk openly.
I spoke earlier about blind spots – your team must be willing to embrace theirs.
But they won’t do that unless they feel safe enough to share and show a desire to develop.
So, for a leader now and especially in the future, it’s about creating that culture of trust and openness.
Aside from trust, what sort of traits do you look for when you’re hiring?
These days, I’m predominantly hiring leaders, so it’s been quite some time since I hired a pure engineer.
But generally speaking, attitude and behaviours are things I can’t teach.
If I had to choose the perfect candidate, I’d rather miss a few years of experience or specific tools than miss the right attitude towards the task.
I can train you on tools and build up your capabilities, but if you don’t come in with the right attitude and appreciation for teamwork, that’s much harder – if not impossible – to instill.
There’s a saying: “hire for attitude,” and while it needs to be balanced, if I had to deselect a candidate based on something, I’d choose the one with a great attitude over someone with 10+ years of experience but the wrong mindset.
Six years might be good enough if the person brings the right spirit.
What drives your passion for renewable energy and offshore engineering?
I’m lucky – I get to travel to different sites around the world.
And when you see these installation vessels coming in… I mean, if you’re based in the UK, I’d recommend heading to the East Coast on a weekend to see some of these harbours.
You’ll see massive constructions sailing in – vessels picking up five full turbine sets: five towers, five nacelles, fifteen blades.
Suddenly, Grimsby or wherever they’re docked has a 150-metre skyline.
What’s going on offshore is amazing.
These wind farms, substations – entire power plants – come to life after journeys that can take 5 to 7 years.
For me, it’s fantastic to see the people who worked on them, their pride, and the impact it has on the community.
These projects last 25 to 35 years, and they often revitalise small harbour towns by creating long-term jobs.
For many people, working on these projects becomes a career spanning generations.
Seeing that kind of permanent, positive change in society – and being recognised for your work when you walk into town with your company jacket on – is something to be proud of.
It’s a great feeling.
What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received and how did it impact your journey?
In general, I’ve found that the advice that frustrates me the most is usually the advice I need to listen to the most.
When someone gives you feedback and your immediate reaction is “oh, come on,” that’s when you need to sit on your hands, breathe a few times, and really let it sink in.
Feedback is a gift.
There’s a great analogy I use: feedback is like the red wool socks your mother-in-law gives you at Christmas.
You always say thank you – but whether you actually wear them is up to you.
The same goes for feedback.
Someone took the time to think about you and share something.
That’s worth something.
I’ve had many great leaders and mentors in my career – and hopefully will have more in the years to come.
One particularly impactful piece of advice I got early on was this: when you work with technology, you have to be brave. I said, “I’m already brave,” and the person said, “No – you have to be brave and bold.”
As a young leader, I had plenty of boldness.
That wasn’t the issue.
But then they said something that stuck with me: If you’re too far ahead of everyone else in your organisation, even if you’re right – you’re still wrong.
That really landed with me.
Technology must move people too, not just itself.
If you’re too far out ahead, people can’t see the vision – and it’s easy for them to dismiss it or call you a fool.
Being a leader isn’t about being five steps ahead – it’s about knowing how far ahead you can be while still bringing others along with you.
I’ve always been impatient.
I call it passion, but let’s be honest – it’s also impatience.
That advice helped me realise that being the visionary doesn’t mean much if you can’t take people on the journey.
Only time will tell if you were right.
But in the moment, if you’re alone on the hilltop, people won’t follow.
So, the advice to “be bold and brave—but bring people with you” came at exactly the right time in my career, and it’s stuck with me ever since.
