Ex-TechnipFMC Director to Lead U.S. Dredging Giant's Foray into Offshore Wind

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, a U.S.-based dredging services giant, on Wednesday announced the appointment of industry veteran Eleni Beyko as senior vice president offshore wind – a strategic growth area for the company. 

Beyko, who started on Jan. 25, brings more than 20 years' experience in program engineering, business leadership and project management in the automobile and offshore oil and gas markets.

 At GLDD, she is responsible for developing its offshore wind operations, including strategy and business development, tendering and project execution. 

The company said that Beyko's appointment marks the company's latest push in the offshore wind field as it focuses on growth in the fiscal year 2021, supported by investments in its dredging fleet and in new opportunities in the emerging offshore wind industry, chiefly along the U.S. eastern seaboard. 

"Eleni has a record of demonstrated success across global platforms, and she'll be joining a team that sees offshore wind's potential growth as a true economic stimulus for America," said Lasse Petterson, GLDD's chief executive officer, and president. "This is the optimal time for us to leverage our expertise in this exciting and transformative market."

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation's planned subsea rock installation vessel could be operational and available to the U.S. offshore wind market as early as 2024. (Image: Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation)

Beyko, based at GLDD's Houston headquarters, reports directly to Petterson, who in December announced that the company is moving forward with regulatory design of the first U.S.-flagged Jones Act compliant, inclined fallpipe vessel for subsea rock installation. 

According to GLDD, the vessel represents a critical advancement in bolstering the offshore wind industry, including establishing a U.S.-based rock supply chain network spanning eastern seaboard states with active offshore wind leases. 

"I'm excited to join Great Lakes at the forefront of the emerging offshore wind energy industry. It's a natural business progression for a company with more than 130 years' experience in dredging, marine engineering, specialized vessel design and safe offshore operations," Beyko said. 

Beyko most recently served as director, Energy Transition for Americas at TechnipFMC, a global oil and gas services company.

She supported the company's transition into new and economically viable wind energy resources and managed the Makani wind-borne energy spar offshore platform installation in partnership with Shell and Google X. 

She spent more than a decade in automotive product development for Ford Motor Co., focusing on vehicle systems engineering through simulation and vehicle testing while advancing to executive leadership positions. 

Beyko has a doctorate degree in engineering, an MBA, and two master's of science degrees from the University of Michigan.