Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom, April 2026 – North Star has reinforced its executive leadership team with three strategic appointments, strengthening its position as a leading service operations vessel (SOV) owner-operator in Europe and accelerating its international growth ambitions.
The company has appointed Duncan Palmer as its first Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), promoted Joanna Lang to Chief Legal & Compliance Officer (CLCO), and named Kenneth Coughlan as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), succeeding James Bradford following his retirement.
These leadership changes come at a pivotal time as North Star scales its offshore wind operations, expands its client base, and strengthens its talent pipeline across Europe.
As CHRO, Duncan Palmer will lead the company’s people strategy, focusing on building a high-performing and scalable organisation to support expanding maritime and offshore wind operations. He brings over two decades of experience in global talent strategy, having held senior roles at Sodexo, Prosafe, and Petrofac.
In her expanded role as CLCO, Joanna Lang will oversee all legal and compliance functions across the business. Her responsibilities span shipbuilding contracts, ESG reporting, governance frameworks, and international expansion initiatives. With over 25 years of legal and commercial experience, including leadership roles at Rovco, Rovop, and Subsea7, she will play a critical role in strengthening governance and risk management.
Kenneth Coughlan, as CTO, will lead North Star’s technology and innovation agenda, with a strong focus on fleet decarbonisation, newbuild programmes, and alternative fuel adoption. He brings deep technical expertise from his previous role at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, where he led maritime technical projects and low-carbon initiatives.
Commenting on the appointments, Gitte Gard Talmo, Chief Executive Officer at North Star, said: “These appointments bring exceptional expertise and proven leadership to the business, strengthening innovation, decarbonisation and governance across our fleet, and reinforcing our position as a trusted SOV partner across Europe.”
Headquartered in Aberdeen, North Star operates with a workforce of approximately 1,500 personnel and manages a fleet that includes 10 SOVs in operation or under construction, alongside 37 emergency response and rescue vessels supporting North Sea installations.
About North Star
North Star is a leading offshore vessel operator with a legacy dating back to 1886. The company is the UK’s largest operator of wholly owned emergency response and rescue vessels (ERRVs) and has expanded into offshore wind through its advanced service operation vessels (SOVs).
Backed by Partners Group, North Star continues to invest in innovation, sustainability, and talent to support the global energy transition while maintaining its commitment to safety, reliability, and operational excellence.
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