G+ Americas Forum
29 January, Providence RI (US)
The 2025 G+ Stakeholder Events are off to an excellent start following the success of the Americas Forum, a regional predecessor to the full G+ Stakeholder Forum planned for September in Korea. A hybrid event, the Americas forum welcomed over 60 attendees in Providence, Rhode Island, with delegates also joining virtually. This event was hosted at the Oceantic O&M / H&S Summit, of which the G+ were official sponsor, a collaboration echoing the core theme throughout the forum.
Panel I: 2024 – a year in review
The US Chair, Robb Hall (Equinor) kicked off the forum, introducing the G+ before inviting the first panel to the stage. Moderated by the US Vice Chair, Tom Cassidy (Ocean Winds), the group reflected on highlights from their 2024 projects and contemplated what the coming year will hold in the US for health and safety in the offshore wind sector. Will Kenyon (Ørsted), Geoff Neild (VW) and Juan Carlos Muleiro (Siemens) shared their optimism for the region as G+ members, acknowledging the uncertainty felt by many and thus the cruciality of an active health and safety culture in the industry at this time. Regarding G+ activities, the panel emphasised the value of an organisational body able to present the baseline, while not being legislative, to support all developers and ensure the safe growth of offshore wind in the Americas. They recognised the significance of a proactive organisation to prevent incidents, commending the applicability of G+ resources for companies new to the sector as well as the larger, renowned names.
Overall, the panel's passion for the industry was evident, where health and safety should radiate as a core value at every level of the sector. While there was a focus on the industry within the US, the importance of communication between stakeholders globally was also recognised as an opportunity to learn best practice from further afield.
Panel II: Together we are stronger
The importance of open communication regarding safety best practice was continued into the second panel of the afternoon, moderated by Robb Hall, emphasising the importance of collaboration with global and regional partners as the sector develops. Joined by Brandy Harrington (COS), Dustin Varnell (IMCA), Roderick Jackson (DEME) and Jay Sousa (Avangrid), the panel shared their experiences of collaboration in the US. This included adapting resources and lessons learnt from the oil and gas industry and applying them to the evolving offshore wind sector. As well as neighbouring industries, the panel valued learning from wider regions, such as Europe, with their decades of knowledge from an offshore wind sector of greater maturity.
Directing the discussion to G+’s role in supporting collaboration, the panel agreed that the holistic, baseline resources produced by the organisation allows workforces with differing backgrounds to work together safely, aligning their experiences. To continue supporting this, the G+ provides a platform for honest and open sharing, with the panellists unanimously agreeing that “Together, we are stronger.”
Closing remarks
Closing the forum, G+’s own Beate Hildenbrand thanked the panellists for their reflections on industry achievements and the importance of continuing collaboration going forward, citing “There is no competitiveness when it comes to safety.” Beate thanked the audience for their engaging and provocative questions, anticipating further events such as this as the presence of G+ grows across the Americas region.
Reassuring those with unease towards offshore wind in the US in the current political environment, this event radiated confidence and collaboration towards a positive future for the industry.
Not yet registered for the G+ 2025 Stakeholder Events? Sign up here for FREE registration to our European Webinar (12 March) and our full Stakeholder Forum (25 September – Incheon, South Korea).