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Winds of change: EDF power solutions SA promotes Gerda Schoobee to Head of Corporate Legal and Compliance
Almost five years after she joined renewable and low-carbon energy provider EDF power solutions South Africa as a Junior Legal Counsel, Gerda Schoonbee has been promoted to Head of Corporate Legal and Compliance at the Cape Town-headquartered IPP.
Being promoted to Head of Corporate Legal and Compliance at EDF power solutions South Africa is “an exciting new chapter”, said Gerda Schoonbee, bringing with it the opportunity to lead the independent power producer (IPP)’s corporate legal team and compliance department, “while continuing to play a strategic role in driving sound corporate governance across the organisation”.
Headquartered in Cape Town, EDF power solutions South Africa (formerly EDF Renewables South Africa) is a prominent IPP that develops, finances, builds, and operates large-scale renewable and low-carbon energy infrastructure, including wind, solar PV, biomass, and battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Operating in South Africa since 2009, the company currently manages over 1.5 GW of capacity in operation, under construction, or nearing financial close.
Schoonbee noted that her promotion from Group Company Secretary and Legal Counsel to Head of Corporate Legal and Compliance is particularly meaningful as she approaches her five-year anniversary at EDF. She joined as a Junior Legal Counsel in December 2021, following her first in-house role at Solar Capital Pty.
A law and commerce graduate of the University of Pretoria, Schoonbee began her legal career as a Candidate Attorney at commercial firm Klagsbrun Edelstein Bosman Du Plessis, before moving in-house in the months following her admission in 2020 to become Junior Legal Counsel and Company Secretary at Solar Capital Pty, a prominent, privately owned South African IPP that specialises in the development and operation of large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities.
Having acquired expertise in corporate law, board governance, and regulatory frameworks throughout her career, Schoonbee says she’s focused on adding strategic value within the corporate governance, legal, and compliance space - especially in the renewable energy sector, “where impact and purpose align”.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities I have had to grow, learn and contribute, and for the support, guidance and collaboration of the many colleagues and peers who have been part of this journey,” she added, while sharing the news this week of her promotion to Head of Corporate Legal and Compliance.