Laura Jane Thomson is an English qualified solicitor and seasoned commercial power and renewable energy export with 18 years of extensive legal and asset management experience. Known for her problem-solving skills and ability to negotiate and close out complex projects, and managing complex construction disputes

Since November 2019, Laura has been serving as the general counsel at EWEC. In this role, she is a key member of the executive management team, overseeing the legal and regulatory functions, and also managing asset management, procurement and human resources for periods during her tenure.

Laura has led several major integration and transformation projects at EWEC. Notably, she played a pivotal role in establishing EWEC as an independent entity from the former ADPower Group of Companies (now TAQA), the integration of the load dispatch centre from TAQA Transmission into EWEC; and as board secretary implementing a comprehensive remodelling of corporate governance within the organisation as part of a major organisational review and restructure.

Under her leadership, EWEC has also established its economic and technical regulatory functions, ethics and compliance functions, and HSE functions.

Managing a diverse team, in the legal team Laura oversees the construction and operations, projects and commercial, project finance and business operations functions. With her team Laura has reached financial close on six projects with many more in the pipeline; is monitoring construction and operations on 19 more. Including managing the integration of the first nuclear power plant in the GCC into the grid and overseeing EWEC’s participation in the ongoing cost management and review process.

Before joining EWEC, Laura was the head of asset management for the UAE and Bahrain at Engie from December 2017 to November 2019. In this role, she managed Engie’s shareholding in six gas-fired CCGT power and water plants in Abu Dhabi. Laura was an active board member of nine companies across the GCC, gaining extensive experience in the power sector.

Her role involved maximising the contribution of the UAE’s and Bahrain’s assets to Engie SA Group’s P&L, coordinating with company management to provide access to Engie’s global resources, and leveraging her legal expertise to assist with contractual relationships, financing structures, and legal disputes.

Laura’s journey at Engie began in December 2012 as a senior legal counsel, where she supported the operations and business development function in bidding for large-scale projects. She played a crucial role in negotiating project and project finance documents and managing legal issues during the construction, commissioning, and operation phases of Engie’s assets in the region.