The Annual Higginson Lecture 2025

Clark MacFarlane, former UK Chairman and European CEO, Siemens Gamesa, will give this year's Higginson Lecture entitled Offshore Wind in the UK, the backbone or spineless, sustainable - but how?

In 2024, 74% of the UK’s electricity was generated from low carbon sources.  Wind was the largest source for the first year ever, accounting for 30% and renewables generated more than 50% of the electricity for four consecutive quarters (Q4 2023 – Q3 2024), again for the first time.  What have been the enablers to this in terms of the technology, environmental, industrial and political factors applied, and what are the opportunities and challenges in future?

The speaker, Clark MacFarlane, graduated in engineering from Sheffield University in 1986 with an MEng, only the second such cohort taking a 4-year Engineering Integrated Masters degree in the UK, having been sponsored by NEI Parsons in Newcastle upon Tyne (acquired by Siemens in 1997).

Clark MacFarlane has recently retired after a 42-year career within the Siemens family, 35 of which were in the energy industry.  In the past 25 years, Clark has been CEO or Managing Director of 5 UK / European businesses covering power generation, defence, building technologies, IT solutions and services and, latterly, wind power (Siemens Gamesa).

Clark had been a Board member of Renewable UK for 8 years and Vice-Chair of the joint industry / government body, the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC), championing the supply chain for 13 years.  Leading the way, Siemens Gamesa opened its unique facility in Hull in 2016 and has since doubled in size to a workforce nearing 1500.  Clark currently chairs the Department of Engineering’s Strategic Advisory Board here at Durham University.

Light refreshments will be served from 17:00 in the Higginson Atrium and the lecture will take place in E005, Christopherson Building at 18:00.