Former adviser to Biden joins Hanwha

By Park Jae-hyuk

Hanwha Solutions Qcells Division decided recently to hire Fox's executive vice president and head of government relations, Danny O'Brien, a top aide to President Joe Biden during his time in the Senate and his penultimate presidential campaign in 2008.

The solar module manufacturing unit of Hanwha Group said earlier this month that O'Brien will serve as an executive vice president and head of corporate affairs at Qcells North America.

“We are thrilled to welcome Danny to Qcells,” Hanwha Solutions Q Cells Division CEO Lee Koo-yung said. “Danny is an exceptionally respected professional with decades of geopolitical and public policy experience. We look forward to benefitting from his leadership as we help lead the global energy transition.”

The company said that the new executive vice president, who previously worked as chief of staff to Biden and two other senators, will lead the policy, communications and sustainability teams as Hanwha expands across the clean energy value chain in the U.S.

“There is no industry more exciting or more important right now than clean energy, and Qcells is a leading player with a proven commitment to renewable energy in the U.S.,” O'Brien said in a press release. “I am honored to join this company at a time when it is creating jobs and building a domestic supply chain that delivers clean energy solutions to communities across the country.“

Earlier this year, Hanwha Solutions announced its plan to invest $2.5 billion to build North America's largest solar module manufacturing complex in the U.S. state of Georgia and the expansion of its Dalton module factory in the southeastern state.

Biden also hailed the Korean firm's plan, describing the largest solar investment in U.S. history as a “big deal” for Georgia's working families and the American economy.

“Hanwha's Qcells investment will create thousands of good-paying jobs in Georgia, many of which won't require a four-year degree,” the U.S. president said in a statement at that time.

Since Biden's inauguration in January 2021, Korean firms have vied to hire former senior-level U.S. federal government officials, in order to reinforce their government relations teams in North America.

In February last year, Samsung Electronics hired former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert as an executive vice president and head of corporate affairs for the company's North American subsidiary. At that time, LG Group appointed former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin as head of its Washington office.

In addition, POSCO hired Stephen Biegun, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, as an adviser for its American business in 2021. Coupang also appointed Alex Wong, former deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, as its head of public affairs in June 2021.