Skyborn Renewables has appointed Michael Klingele as Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective 1 July 2026. Klingele succeeds Thomas Karst, who will step down on the same date after four years at the company and will remain for a one-month handover period.
Klingele brings more than 30 years of experience in offshore wind and large-scale infrastructure, spanning the full project lifecycle from development through to delivery. He has held senior leadership and board-level positions across Europe and Asia, and is recognised for the successful turnaround of the Formosa 2 offshore wind project in Taiwan.
In his new role, Klingele will oversee Skyborn’s global operations and project delivery, with a particular focus on Gennaker — the largest offshore wind project in the German Baltic Sea — and on advancing Skyborn’s strategy of standardising its project execution processes across its international portfolio.
Commenting on the appointment, Michael Klingele said: “Skyborn has built a strong platform with a highly experienced team and an impressive global project portfolio. I look forward to working closely with colleagues across the organisation to further strengthen execution, drive performance, and support the next phase of Skyborn’s growth.”
Patrick Lammers, CEO of Skyborn, welcomed the appointment while acknowledging Karst’s contributions: “Thomas has made an outstanding contribution to Skyborn over the past years, demonstrating strong leadership across multiple roles at pivotal moments for the company — from the establishment of Skyborn, through Yunlin delivery, to reaching key milestones including upcoming Gennaker FID.”
Skyborn Renewables, headquartered in Hamburg, covers the full offshore wind value chain from greenfield development to asset management. It is a portfolio company of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a leading infrastructure investor and part of Blackrock, operating across Europe, APAC and the United States.
