Author: The Greenpower Team
We can confirm our Chief Executive Officer Paul van Veggel has stepped down from his position after four years at the helm to embark on a new professional challenge and Trustee Michele Augousti has taken on the position and become interim CEO.
Paul took over the role in September 2018 and spearheaded the organisation through our 20th anniversary year in 2019. He has played a key role in keeping Greenpower accessible to participants during the Covid-19 pandemic and strongly advocated for the education system to include hands-on initiatives in a bid to get young people back on track after the prolonged disruption to their learning.
Despite two years of turbulence due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are now in the stages of an exciting new season, with more than 600 teams taking part in the unique design-build-race car challenge in 2022. Our calendar will culminate with the International Finals on 9 October, due to be held for a second consecutive year at Goodwood.
Outgoing CEO Paul van Veggel said: “I have taken the difficult decision to step down from my role as CEO of Greenpower after four successful years to pursue new career opportunities. There’s no questioning the challenges that have been faced due to the pandemic, but we have regrouped well in the past twelve months. I hand over the reins at a time of great importance for Greenpower, when the need to encourage more young people into STEM has never been greater. I am so proud of all that we have achieved and the difference we have made to so many young people and take away very fond memories from my time at Greenpower and wish the charity and all its teams all the best for the future.”
Interim CEO Michele Augousti added: “We respect Paul’s decision to step down and thank him for the significant contribution he has made to Greenpower over the past four years. Our charitable purpose is more relevant than ever, to help address a skills gap in engineering and to encourage young people of all backgrounds to pursue STEM careers. I have been working with Paul over the past weeks to enact a smooth transition of duties; Greenpower is set for a bumper 2022 as we continue to bounce back from the challenges of the pandemic.”
