After spending close to 12 years working with Chinese solar cell and module maker JinkoSolar Co., Ltd. in various positions, Gulnara Abdullina has switched over to one of JinkoSolar’s peers and direct competition, LONGi Solar.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Abdullina has joined LONGi Solar as Vice President Europe, based out of Frankfurt, Germany.
At JinkoSolar, Abdullina started out as a Senior Sales Manager in May 2009, growing to become Global Business Development Director, and finally leaving the firm in February 2021 as General Manager, Africa and Middle East.
In a farewell note shared on her profile, Abdullina recalled having joined JinkoSolar in 2009 when the company had only 300 MW capacity as a wafer manufacturer as a ‘first foreigner to lead international sales’ that has now evolved into a ‘market leader with 70 GW of modules deployed’.
Describing her job responsibilities at JinkoSolar, Abdullina explained she was expected to attain bankability with major lenders, building teams and growing markets from scratch, set up overseas manufacturing, leading negotiation and execution of GW-level supply agreements, including for 1.17 GW Sweihan project (see 1.17 GW Sweihan Solar Project Energized).
LONGi Group, which has been the world’s largest solar wafer manufacturer for years, has been quickly expanding its solar module production capacities as well, and shipped more than any other solar manufacturer last year (see LONGi Largest Solar Module Supplier In 2020). At the same time, it has been on the hunt for senior solar staff around the world; in Europe, for example, it hired in May 2020 a General Manager, Engin Yaman, who joined from Talesun Solar, where we was Managing Director Americas, and who works now with responsibilities for Central Europe in the team of Abdullina.
