RWE appoints Sopna Sury to head European and Australian renewables portfolio following Wünschel’s move to Vonovia

RWE appoints Sopna Sury to head European and Australian renewables portfolio following Wünschel’s move to Vonovia. credit: RWE

(IN BRIEF) RWE announced that Katja Wünschel, CEO of its renewables business in Europe and Australia, will leave the company on 31 March 2026 to join Vonovia as Chief Development Officer. Sopna Sury, currently Executive Board member at RWE Generation with responsibility for hydrogen, will take over the role of CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia on 1 April 2026. In her new position, Sury will oversee onshore wind, solar development and battery storage activities across both regions. Markus Krebber praised Wünschel’s achievements and stated confidence in Sury’s leadership. Nikolaus Valerius will assume oversight of the hydrogen business after Sury’s transition. Sury has held prior strategy and management roles at RWE Renewables, Uniper and E.ON.

(PRESS RELEASE) ESSEN, 9-Dec-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — RWE will undergo a leadership transition in 2026, as Katja Wünschel, currently CEO of RWE Renewables Europe & Australia, prepares to leave the company at the end of March next year. Wünschel, who has led RWE’s onshore wind and solar activities in Europe and Australia, will join the Management Board of Vonovia, where she will assume the role of Chief Development Officer.

RWE has appointed Sopna Sury as her successor, effective 1 April 2026. Sury will take over responsibility for the company’s renewable business across Europe and Australia, including development, construction and operation of onshore wind farms, solar assets and battery storage projects. The unit forms a core component of RWE’s strategy to scale renewable generation capacity across its key global markets.

Sury currently serves on the Executive Board of RWE Generation, where she has led the development of RWE’s hydrogen business. Following the transition, Nikolaus Valerius, CEO of RWE Generation, will assume responsibility for the hydrogen segment in addition to his existing duties.

Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE AG, thanked Wünschel for her contributions and welcomed the appointment of Sury:
“Sopna Sury is a highly capable leader with deep experience in renewables and within RWE. She will carry forward our growth ambitions in onshore wind and solar in Europe and Australia. I am very much looking forward to the continued collaboration. I would also like to congratulate Katja Wünschel on her new role with Vonovia — her commitment and expertise have driven the expansion of our renewables portfolio over recent years. We thank her for her outstanding work and wish her every success in her future position.”

Before leading the hydrogen business, Sury held senior roles within the Group, including Director Strategy, Regulation and Integration Management at RWE Renewables, and previously worked in various leadership functions at Uniper and E.ON.

Her appointment signals continuity in RWE’s renewables management and reinforces its expansion path as the company accelerates the build-out of green generation in Europe and Australia.

For further enquiries:
Birgit Hiller
RWE AG
Director Group Corporate
Communications & Public Affairs
T +49 (0) 201 5179-5155
E birgit.hiller@rwe.com

RWE
RWE is leading the way to a modern energy world. With its investment and growth strategy, RWE is contributing significantly to the success of the energy transition and the decarbonisation of the energy system. Around 20,000 employees work for the company in almost 30 countries worldwide. RWE is one of the leading companies in the field of renewable energy. RWE is investing billions of euros in expanding its generation portfolio, in particular in offshore and onshore wind, solar energy and batteries. It is perfectly complemented by its global energy trading business. Thanks to its integrated portfolio of renewables, battery storage and flexible generation, as well as its broad project pipeline of possible new builds, RWE is well positioned to address the growing global demand for electricity, particularly driving by further electrification and artificial intelligence. RWE is decarbonising its business in line with the 1.5-degree reduction pathway and will phase out coal by 2030. RWE will be net zero by 2040. Fully in line with the company’s purpose – Our energy for a sustainable life.

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SOURCE: RWE