OnPath appoints partnership and community manager

Leading UK renewables developer OnPath Energy has appointed Tom Chaplin as partnership and community manager to lead its engagement work across England.

Based at the company’s Sunderland head office, Tom will be the main point of contact for communities near OnPath’s nine English onshore wind farms, as well as in areas where new renewable projects are underway or in development. 

He will work closely with residents, landowners, community groups and stakeholders to help deliver long-term benefits.

Tom began his career in television, working on programmes including Eastenders and Monarch of the Glen, before returning to the North East to pursue communications and stakeholder engagement roles. 

He holds a master’s degree from Newcastle University Business School and has worked with regional organisations including Port of Blyth and the National Renewable Energy Centre.

Tom said: “After nearly a decade working in renewables, I’ve found that the stakeholder engagement work I’ve done in that time has been the most rewarding part of the job and the opportunity to do that full time with OnPath Energy is something I’m relishing. 

“It gives me the chance to get involved with a wide range of developing and mature projects, and to have a real impact on the business’s success through the positive relationships that we develop across our communities.

“I’ve had a really warm welcome from the team and am enjoying starting to get to know the people and places that I’m going to be working with.”

OnPath Energy currently operates two wind farms in the North East – Lambs Hill, near Stockton and Moor House, near Darlington – which together generated over 56,000 MWh of electricity in 2024, powering the equivalent of 19,300 homes. 

The two sites also contributed more than £51,000 to local community benefit funds last year as part of the company’s OnPath Together approach.

Robin Winstanley, sustainability and community director at OnPath Energy, added: “We place people, communities and planet at the heart of everything we do, and believe that better projects come through listening, collaborating and delivering with care and consideration.

“Tom has a very impressive track record in effective and meaningful stakeholder engagement and is an excellent addition to the OnPath community team.”

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