How Simon Ashley Will Lead Ørsted’s Global People Strategy

Ørsted has named Simon Ashley as its next Chief HR Officer, effective 1 August 2026. 

According to the company, this move comes after a planned succession process. 

Outgoing CHRO Henriette Fenger Ellekrog has decided to “conclude” her executive career following seven years at Ørsted and twenty years as a CHRO across other organisations. 

She has said she will continue her professional journey by focusing on non-executive roles. 

Henriette explains: “It feels like the right time for me to conclude my executive career. It hasn’t been an easy decision, mostly because of all the great colleagues at Ørsted whom I’ll miss deeply. 

“I look forward to focusing my time on non-executive directorship opportunities, drawing on my experience to contribute in new ways.”

She will step down as CHRO by 1 June 2026. Between 1 June and 1 August, Ørsted’s people and culture division will temporarily be led by Benny Jakobson, who currently holds the position of Head of Global HR Business Partnering, Legal & Employee Relations.

Discussing his new appointment, Simon shares that he is: “Truly proud and excited to be joining Ørsted, the world leader in offshore wind.”

He continues: “I’m looking forward to working closely with the Group Executive Team and the People & Culture team as we help colleagues across Ørsted implement the new strategy and continue to champion the energy transition.”

Simon Ashley joins Ørsted

Simon is joining Ørsted following an extensive career in the energy sector. He has spent over 18 years at BP, where he most recently held the role of Senior Vice President of People and Culture for the company’s gas and low carbon energy and its trading and shipping  divisions. 

In this role, he covered 15,000 employees globally, responsible for delivering large-scale transformations related to people, culture and workplace change across BP. 

Rasmus Errboe, Group President and CEO of Ørsted, says of his appointment: “I’m incredibly pleased to welcome Simon to Ørsted. 

“His extensive experience in a global, complex organisation, his track record of leading change and his strong people‑leadership capabilities will be essential as we deliver on our strategy. 

“I look very much forward to partnering with him as we further strengthen our culture, develop Ørsted as the leading workplace for talent in offshore wind and build a strong foundation for the exciting years we have ahead of us.”

A robust people strategy amid global workforce restructuring 

As he begins his new role, Simon’s initial challenge will be taking on a global restructuring effort, amid Ørsted’s plans to reduce its workforce from 8,000 to 6,000 employees by the end of Q4 2027. 

In a statement, the company says this will help improve its competitiveness, with annual cost savings estimated at US$316m from 2028. 

To maintain its position as a global leader despite a reduced workforce, the company is working to become a more “efficient and flexible” organisation by prioritising upskilling and reskilling initiatives for its employees. 

Rasmus says: “Once we’ve achieved this, Ørsted will be a significantly stronger, more focused and competitive company. And amongst others, we’ll have our skilled employees to thank for this”. 

Learning and development at Ørsted

The company has based its approach to learning on the 70:20:10 model – 70% learning through experience, 20% learning through people and 10% learning through tailored courses and programmes. 

In order to ensure employee growth is embedded in the company’s culture, Ørsted has taken a continuous development approach to learning. 

Employees have regular meetings with their people leader to set goals and discuss their individual development plan, which is built in collaboration with the employee, their people leader and wider company resources. 

The company says it “nurtures talent at every level” to improve internal mobility, employee confidence and talent retention.