Our people

Stephen Wheeler is Managing Director of SSE Renewables. Together with his team Stephen is responsible for delivering SSE Renewables’ strategy to drive the transition to a net zero future through the world class development, construction and operation of renewable energy assets.

Stephen was previously Managing Director of SSE Thermal, focused on decarbonising the company’s flexible generation and energy storage portfolio, as well as Managing Director of SSE Ireland, where he was responsible for driving SSE's leadership position in Ireland in renewable energy development and operations, and in green energy supply. Before joining SSE, Stephen spent over 10 years working with ABB and Siemens internationally, specialising in the development and construction of thermal generation assets.

Stephen is a graduate of Electrical Engineering at University College Dublin, with an MBA from the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, and a past Chairman of Wind Energy Ireland (WEI).

Paul Cooley is Director of Offshore at SSE Renewables, where he has end-to-end accountability for the development, construction, and operation of SSE Renewables offshore energy assets including the company's 8GW-plus pipeline of in-construction, consented and in development offshore wind farms in the UK and Ireland. Previously he held the roles of Director of Generation Development and Director of Performance Improvement within SSE’s Wholesale business and was also General Manager for SSE/Airtricity in Ireland.

Prior to joining the energy industry, he held various senior positions within the chemicals and manufacturing industry in the UK, Ireland and overseas, including operational, regulatory and engineering management roles at DuPont, Koch Industries and the Quinn Group. He has an Honours degree in Electrical Engineering from Queens University, Belfast and lives in Troon with his wife and three children.

Alexandra Malone is Director of Corporate Affairs for SSE Renewables. She has responsibility for policy development, stakeholder engagement, community and government relations, communications and brand across all the jurisdictions in which the business operates. Previously she held several senior positions in Corporate Affairs and worked in SSE’s Energy Portfolio Management business.

Prior to joining SSE in 2012, Alexandra worked for the Government of Canada focussing on energy and climate policy. She holds a BSc from McGill University and a Master’s in Resource Management from Dalhousie University.

Kate Wallace Lockhart is Head of Sustainability, responsible for the development and implementation of SSE Renewables’ sustainability approach, climate change strategy and just transition plan. With almost a decade of experience working within the SSE Group sustainability team, Kate has played a central role in establishing and building the Group’s sustainability approach including, in her previous role as Head of Social Impact, its world-leading strategy for supporting a fair and just transition to net zero. Kate's background is in economics, with an active interest in behavioural science. From April 2021, Kate has been Chair of the Living Wage Scotland Leadership Group.

Dan Pearson is Director of Business Development, responsible for leading and supporting SSE Renewables’ outstanding Business Development teams in building our pipeline and expanding into new technologies across our core and international markets. As the business looks to deliver on its strategic goals, Dan has renewables executive level responsibility for identifying and executing high-quality growth options, from bids to M&A prospects to partnerships, across all technologies and markets.

Dan joined the company from RCG (The Renewables Consulting Group), where he was Director and Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for the global growth of the business. With a background in marine engineering, Dan has gained extensive experience in the renewable energy industry across two decades. He has particular expertise in the origination and development of wind, solar, and hydro projects, and a track record of successfully entering new markets.​​​​​​