NEC XON Appoints Campbell as General Manager of Energy Division

Hilary Campbell, General Manager, Renewables and Energy Storage, NEC XON.

ICT solutions integrator NEC XON has appointed Hilary Campbell as general manager of its renewables and energy storage business.

Campbell, who takes over from Herman Viljoen – currently CEO of Strategic Projects – brings experience and expertise in the renewable energy sector to her new role, according to a statement.

Campbell will lead the Alternative Energy team, tasked with helping to develop energy project concepts for clients based on compliance with energy and electricity regulations in South Africa and across Africa.

According to the company, she has known NEC XON since 2013, when she served as an expert advisor for energy and energy storage projects.

Johannesburg-based NEC XON is a combination of systems integrator XON and NEC Africa, the African business of global technology giant NEC Corporation.

The company has been operating in Africa since 1963 and offers communication, energy, safety, security and digital solutions. It operates in 54 African countries and has a presence in 16 of them.

Through its partnerships with subsidiaries NEC Corporation and NEC Energy Solutions, NEC XON has gained experience in the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) market over the past decade, with NEC’s BESS installed base exceeding 1 GW.

According to Campbell, NEC XON’s ability to support projects in regions where local suppliers lack the technical skills or financing creates an opportunity for renewable energy development, particularly for projects involving BESS and engineering, procurement and construction services.

“Campbell’s perfect timing in aligning with the launch of the first three IPP programmes has enabled her to gain extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of renewable projects, from technical and legal to financial, having worked on many of them for funders and developers,” says Magnus Coetzee, Director of Infrastructure and Energy at NEC XON.

“This enabled her to enter the large renewable energy and energy storage sector as a holistic project advisor and technical consultant for companies, banks, developers and consulting firms.

“It is her experience and skills in every part of a renewable energy project, essential to ensuring its success for both customers and NEC XON, that make her such a valuable asset to lead the alternative energy team.”

Campbell has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Laws (LLB) from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

In 2010, she transitioned from a corporate lawyer specializing in M&A in the technology and energy sectors to a renewable energy specialist role. Campbell has used her engineering and renewable energy skills to advise on early stage solar and wind projects in South Africa and across the African continent.