As Business Development Officer for Parkwind, Laura supported offshore wind projects in Australia and New Zealand.

In Australia, she worked on the Blue Mackerel project, a proposed 1 GW offshore wind farm off the coast of Victoria, with the potential to become Australia’s first offshore wind farm. She attended government meetings, coordinated project deliverables, and represented Parkwind in industry forums. In New Zealand, where the regulatory framework was still taking shape, she took on a more strategic role: managing public affairs, leading lobbying efforts, engaging with Māori communities, and contributing to the review of draft offshore renewables legislation.

The project was Laura’s first in-house experience after several years in private legal practice, and it opened an unexpected door. She discovered a genuine interest in public affairs and found real purpose in contributing to legislation that could shape New Zealand’s energy future. She also learned to translate complex regulatory issues for engineers and project teams, bridging cultural expectations between Belgian headquarters and local teams. “I learned to be patient, to navigate internal politics, and to anticipate when to push and when to hold back. These are aspects of business I had only observed from the outside and now I understand them from within.”