Speakers

Taoiseach Micheál Martin

João Saldanha de Azevedo Galamba

João Saldanha de Azevedo Galamba was born in Lisbon, on August 4, 1976.

He holds a degree in Economics (Universidade Nova de Lisboa)

He took the doctoral program towards his Ph.D. in Political Science at the London School of Economics and taught Political Philosophy.

He worked at Banco Santander de Negócios, at DiamondCluster International, at the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union and at the Integrated Continuing Care Mission Unit.

He arrived at the Portuguese Parliament in 2009, being a member of the XI, XII and XIII Legislatures. He coordinated the deputies of the Socialist Party in the Budget and Finance Committee and was the Vice-President of the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group.

He served at the XXI Constitutional Government as Secretary of State for Energy and is currently Deputy Minister and Secretary of State for Energy at the XXII Constitutional Government.

Frans Timmermans

• Leading the Commission’s work on the European Green Deal and its first European Climate Law to enshrine the 2050 climate-neutrality target into EU law.
• Stepping up the commitment to the 2030 emission reduction target, increasing it to at least 50% by 2030.
• Leading international negotiations to strengthen the ambition of other major emitters by 2021, by when a comprehensive plan would be presented to increase the EU’s target for 2030 towards 55% in a responsible way.
• Leading the Commission's work on extending the Emissions Trading System to the maritime sector and reducing free allowances to airlines over time.
• Coordinating work on the Just Transition Fund, to support those most affected by the ‘green’ transition.
• Developing the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and mainstreaming biodiversity priorities across all policy areas from trade and industry, to agriculture and maritime.
• Coordinating work on the Commission’s zero-pollution ambition, adopting a wide-ranging approach covering air, water, and noise pollution across key sectors.
• Progressing on the circular economy and the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy for sustainable food, covering every step in the food system, from production to consumption.
• Ensuring proper enforcement and implementation of EU laws and instruments on climate, energy, environment and related policies.
• Ensuring that tax policies can contribute to achieving the EU’s climate ambitions, including the Carbon Border Tax and the review of the Energy Taxation Directive.

Instilling a new climate culture in Europe under a European Climate Pact — bringing together regions, local communities, civil society, industry and schools.

Tinne Van der Straeten

Tinne Van der Straeten has a Master in African Languages and Cultures and a Master of Laws.

In 2007 she got elected to the federal parliament of which she was a member until 2010.

After that she started working as a lawyer at Blixt. A boutique law firm where she gained 9 years of experience in the energy sector.

In 2018 she became alderman of Public Works in Koekelberg. A few months later she was re-elected to the federal parliament.

After a long period of government formation, she became Minister of Energy in October 2019.

Her expertise in energy is highly respected. People know her as a woman who tries to find common ground and build bridges between people, no matter what their conviction or political membership.

She works on the energy transition with passion and expertise.

Tinne Van der Straeten lives in Brussels. She was a board member for many organizations, such as the King Baudoin Foundation and the Centre of General Welfare of Brussels. Positions she quit wen she was appointed as minister of Energy.

She’s a mother of two.

Erna Solberg

The Prime Minister is the most senior member of the Government, responsible for coordinating and leading the work of the Government. Appointed: 16/10/2013 Erna Solberg was born and educated in Bergen: Norway’s ancient maritime capital and gateway to the Atlantic Ocean.

Erna Solberg has combined numerous national positions as Minister, Parliamentarian and regional politician with a strong commitment to global solutions for development, growth and conflict resolution. As Prime Minister, and former Chair of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, she has championed transatlantic values and security. In 2018 she assembled a global High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and introduced the topic at the G7 Summit. Her Government supports the World Bank’s PROblue initiative to prevent marine damage. From 2016 the Prime Minister has co-chaired the UN Secretary General’s Advocacy group for the Sustainable Development goals. Among the goals, she takes a particular interest in access to quality education for all, in particular girls and children in conflict areas.

This was also central in her work as MDG Advocate from 2013 to 2016. Solberg has secured significant financial support for the Global Partnership for Education and hosted the Global Finance Facility for women’s and children’s health pledging Conference in Oslo in November 2018.

Her firm belief is that investment in education will accelerate progress on all other SDG goals. She was awarded the inaugural Global Citizen World Leader Award in 2018 for her international engagement.

Solberg has been leader of the Conservative Party of Norway (EPP, IDU) since 2004 and has held the position as Prime Minister since the General Election in 2013. She was re-elected in September 2017.

Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński

Pat O'Doherty

Pat O'Doherty was appointed Chief Executive of ESB in 2011, and appointed to the ESB Board in 2013. Previous to this, he headed up each of ESB's main businesses as Executive Director ESB International, Managing Director ESB Networks Ltd. and Executive Director ESB Power Generation. Mr O'Doherty holds a primary and masters degree in Engineering from University College Dublin (UCD) and completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School. He is a past trustee of The Conference Board of the United States, Director of Energy UK and Chair of the Apprenticeship Council of Ireland

Connie Hedegaard

https://conniehedegaard.com/#about

Connie Hedegaard was the European Commissioner for Climate Action from 2010 to 2014, during which she led the negotiations towards the adoption of the EU 2030 Climate and Energy Framework. As EU Commissioner, she was also responsible for the 2050 Roadmap for moving to a low carbon economy and represented the EU in the international climate negotiations.

Jean-Bernard Lévy

Jean-Bernard Lévy was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EDF Group on November 26th, 2014.
From December 2012 to November 2014 he was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Thales, a leading electronics and systems industrial group.
From 2002 to 2012, he was at Vivendi, a global communications and digital media company, based in Paris. He was Chief Operating Officer of Vivendi from 2002 to 2005, and CEO from 2005 to 2012.
From 1998 to 2002 he was Managing Partner, Corporate Finance at Oddo & Cie.
From 1995 to 1998 he was Chairman and CEO of Matra Communication.
Jean-Bernard Lévy was General Manager, Communications satellites of Matra Espace and then Matra Marconi Space from 1988 until 1993, when he became Chief of Staff to Gérard Longuet, the French Minister for Industry, Postal Services & Telecommunications and Foreign Trade.
From 1986 to 1988, he was Advisor to Gérard Longuet, the French Minister for Postal and Telecommunications Services.

Jean-Bernard Lévy began his career in 1979 with France Telecom as an engineer in Angers. In 1982, he became responsible for the management of senior staff and budgets, and was later promoted to deputy head of Human Resources.

Jean-Bernard Lévy, 63, is married with four children. He is a graduate of the École Polytechnique (1973) and Télécom ParisTech. He is an officer of the Légion d’Honneur and of the Ordre National du Mérite.

Kadri Simson

• Developing an integrated, interconnected and properly functioning European energy market.
• Ensuring rapid implementation of energy-efficiency and renewable-energy legislation, while assessing the need to review legislation where appropriate.
• Implementing the European Green Deal in the energy sector and supporting Member States towards their goals, notably with National Energy and Climate Plans.
• Respecting the energy-efficiency-first principle, improving the energy performance of buildings and the rate of renovations.
• Promoting clean energy and renewables through better interconnectivity and energy storage.
• Scaling up investment in clean energy through the European Green Deal Investment Plan.
• Supporting smart integration of the electricity, heating, transport and industry sectors.
• Helping to meet the EU’s electricity interconnection target, enhancing cross-border and regional cooperation.
• Diversifying sources of supply at competitive prices, maximising the potential of affordable liquefied natural gas.
• Contributing to the design of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the review of the Energy Taxation Directive.
• Further strengthening nuclear safety and safeguards, continuing nuclear decommissioning.
• Make full use of the EU Treaties in adopting proposals on energy by co-decision and qualified majority voting.
• Developing the Just Transition Fund to support those most affected by the ‘green transition’.
• Empowering consumers at the heart of the EU’s energy system.

Mairead McGuinness

Mairead McGuinness is the European Commissioner for financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union.

The Commissioner’s vision for the portfolio is focused on ensuring the financial sector’s strength and stability, so that it can deliver for people, society and the environment.

Before joining the Commission in October 2020, Ms McGuinness was First Vice-President of the European Parliament from 2017. She served as an MEP from Ireland for 16 years, and was a Vice-President of the Parliament since 2014.

As Vice-President, she oversaw relations with national Parliaments, led the Parliament’s dialogue with religious and philosophical organisations, and had responsibility for the Parliament’s communication policy.

During her time in the Parliament, Ms McGuinness sat on a range of committees, covering agriculture, environment, public health, budgets, petitions and constitutional affairs. Her legislative work included leading for the EPP Group on the European Climate Law, the revision of medical devices legislation, and CAP reform post-2013. As an Irish MEP representing the border region, she was outspoken on Brexit and the consequences for the EU and Ireland.

In 2006-2007, Ms McGuinness chaired the Parliament’s investigation into the collapse of the Equitable Life assurance company which identified issues around weak financial regulation.

Prior to becoming an MEP, she was an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and commentator.

Sandrine Dixson-Declève

Sandrine Dixson-Declѐve has 30+ years of European and international policy, strategy and business leadership experience with a particular focus on climate change, sustainable development, green growth, conventional and sustainable energy solutions and sustainable finance.

She is currently the Co-President of the Club of Rome and divides her time between lecturing, facilitating change in business and policy models and advisory work. She holds several advisory positions for the European Commission: Chair, Expert Group on Economic and Societal Impact of Research & Innovation (ESIR); Assembly Member, Climate Mitigation & Adaptation Mission (DGR&I); TEG Sustainable Finance Taxonomy and Sustainable Finance Platform (DGFISMA); United Nations: Food Summit Action Track 5 Resilience and for companies/organisations/institutes such as BMW, UCB, Climate KIC, UCL-Bartlett School of Enviornment, Energy & Resources and the IEEP. Sandrine is also a Senior Associate and faculty member of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and a Senior Associate for E3G, Ambassador, for the Energy Transition Commission (ETC) and WEALL. In 2017 Sandrine co-founded the Women Enablers Change Agent Network (WECAN).

Sandrine was recognised by GreenBiz as one of the 30 most influential women across the globe driving change in the low carbon economy and promoting green business. She has spent her career bringing together business leaders, policy makers, academia and NGO’s. Until recently, Sandrine was Chief Partnership Officer for UN Agency Sustainable Energy for All and prior to that the Director of the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group and the EU office of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (2009-2016). During that period she was also appointed Executive Director of the Green Growth Platform bringing together EU Ministers and CEO’s.

Previous advisory and professional positions include: advising for HRH The Prince of Wales, Members of the European Parliament, European Commission Presidents, Commissioners and officials, Governments in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, international organizations (OPEC, ADB, OECD, UNEP, USAID, UNFCCC, IEA) and business leaders of large international, European and African companies. Sandrine was Vice Chair, European Biofuels Technology Platform 2008-2016; Board member, We Mean Business 2014-2016, Member of The Guardian’s Sustainable Business Advisory Board and on the Sustainability Advisory Board of the Oil and Gas major Sasol from 2007-2010.. She spoke on TEDx: The Sustainable Future series and has published numerous articles, book chapters and given presentations on green growth and competitiveness, innovation, low carbon energy solutions, climate change, sustainable development, transport, conventional and alternative fuel quality legislation as well as on trade & environment.

Peter Hinssen

Peter Hinssen is a serial entrepreneur, adviser and keynote speaker on the topics of radical innovation, leadership and the impact of all things digital on society and business.

Acclaimed Author

Peter is the author of four bestselling business books. ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ (June 2017) is about surviving in times of radical innovation. ‘The Network Always Wins’ (2014) explains how and why companies have no choice but to become a network when the outside world has evolved into one. In ‘The New Normal’ (2010), Peter writes about how companies should explore the limits of the digital world, and what happens when technology just becomes ‘normal’. ‘Business/IT Fusion’ (2008) is a guide about how to solve the conflict between business and IT. Peter is frequently asked to contribute to (international) publications and is a Forbes contributor as well as a LinkedIn Influencer.

Sought-after keynote speaker, business school lecturer & board member
Peter has given numerous keynote speeches around the world, among which those for Google Think Performance, Nimbus Ninety, Gartner, NEXT Berlin, Tedx, PayPal, MasterCard, Microsoft, CIO City, SAS, Accenture and Apple. He lectures at renowned business schools like the London Business School, the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine. He is also a multiple board advisor on subjects related to innovation and technology.

Serial Entrepreneur
For more than fifteen years, Peter led a life of technology start-ups. His first company e-COM was acquired by Alcatel-Lucent, his second, Streamcase, by Belgacom, and Across Technology by Delaware Consulting. His third venture (Porthus) was quoted on the stock exchange in 2006 and acquired by Descartes. Between start-ups, he has been an Entrepreneur in Residence with McKinsey & Company, with a focus on digital and technology strategy. Peter’s current company nexxworks helps organisations become fluid, innovate and thrive in The Day After Tomorrow.

Laurence Tubiana

Laurence Tubiana is CEO of the European Climate Foundation (ECF). In addition to her role at ECF, she is the Chair of the Board of Governors at the French Development Agency (AFD), and a Professor at Sciences Po, Paris. Before joining ECF, Laurence was France’s Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21, and as such a key architect of the landmark Paris Agreement. Following COP21, she was appointed High Level Champion for climate action.

Laurence brings decades of expertise. From 1997—2002, she served as Senior Adviser on the Environment to the French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. From 2009—2010, she created and led the newly established Directorate for Global Public Goods at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She founded in 2002 and directed until 2014 the Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI). She has held academic positions including Sciences Po and as Professor of International Affairs at Columbia University. She has been a member of numerous boards and scientific committees, including the Chinese Committee on the Environment and International Development (CCICED).

Grainne Seoige

Born in Spiddal, Co. Galway in a bilingual household, Gráinne Seoige began her TV in 1996 with the launch of Teilifís na Gaeilge (now TG4) anchoring the 10pm news bulletin.

She is the only news anchor to have presented the inaugural news bulletins on two Irish terrestrial stations - TG4 and TV3, and she is the only television personality to have worked with all four Irish television stations - TG4, TV3, Sky News Ireland and RTÉ.

Grainne subsequently became Features Editor with ITV's breakfast show, Daybreak and presented on the BBC One primetime series That's Britain.

A graduate of NUI Galway, Grainne was presented with the Hewlett Packard Duais don Gaeilge in 2007 in recognition of her work in the Irish language.

Steven van Belleghem

https://www.stevenvanbelleghem.com/about-steven/

Steven believes in a bright future where companies play the long-term game with their customers. His passion is spreading ideas about the future of customer experience. Steven believes in the combination of common sense, new technologies, an empathic human touch, playing the long-term game and taking your social responsibility to win the hearts and business of customers over and over again.

Steven is the author of multiple international bestselling books including ‘The Conversation Manager’, ‘When Digital Becomes Human’, ‘Customers the Day after Tomorrow’, ‘The Offer You Can’t Refuse’ and a technology thriller called Eternal.

Leonhard Birnbaum

Kerstin Andreae

Kerstin Andreae was born in Schramberg, 21 October 1968. She studied economics at the Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg.

After having received her diploma in 1996, she worked as a project manager at the agency for Health and Cure Technologies, MediKur in Hamm, at the Social Science Research Institute on Gender Issues at the Protestant University Freiburg as well as for “Das grüne Emissionshaus”, a financial services provider in the area of wind power in Freiburg.

From 1999 to 2002, Ms Andreae was member of the Municipal Council of Freiburg. In 2002, Ms Andreae was elected Member of the German Bundestag for the constituency of Freiburg.

From 2002 to 2007, Ms Andreae was Member of the Finance Committee and spokesperson for local politics of the Alliance 90/The Greens Parliamentary Group. From 2007 to 2012, she acted as economic policy spokesperson.

From 2012 to 2017, Ms Andreae was elected vice-chair to the parliamentary group, responsible for coordinating the areas of economic, fiscal, financial, labour and social policy.

In 2017, Ms Andreae became economic policy spokesperson of the Alliance 90/The Greens Parliamentary Group. She was founder and coordinator of the Wirtschaftsbeirat, the economic advisory council to the parliamentary group.

Since 1 November 2019, Ms Andreae has been the Chairwoman of the General Executive Management Board of BDEW.

Ms Andreae is married and has three children. She lives in Berlin

Christian Rynning-Tønnesen

Christian Rynning-Tønnesen, born 1959, has been President and CEO in Statkraft since 2010. He came to Statkraft from the position as CEO in Norske Skog (2006 - 2010), and CFO in Norske Skog. He came to Norske Skog from a variety of different leadership positions in Statkraft between 1992 and 2005. Earlier he was a consultant and energy specialist in McKinsey Norge 1989-92, refinery analyst and product coordinator in Esso Norge 1985-89 and researcher at SINTEF 1984-85.

Rynning-Tønnesen holds a Master of Science from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Michael Liebreich

Michael is Chairman and CEO of Liebreich Associates, through which he provides advisory services and speaks on clean energy and transportation, smart infrastructure, technology, climate finance and sustainable development. He is also the Founder and Senior Contributor to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. He is a member of the UK Department for International Trade’s Capital Investment Advisory Board and a Visiting Professor at Imperial College's Energy Futures Lab and most recently joined Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL) as a Senior Adviser.

Michael serves on a number of advisory boards, including WWF Switzerland, The Hawthorn Club, an international network for professional women in the energy industry, Women in Sustainability (WiSER), Environment and Renewable Energy, Shell New Energies, the OECD Centre on Green Finance, Imperial College’s Masters programme in Climate Change, Management and Finance, Carbon Limiting Technologies Sustainable Technologies Fund, and Ignite Power, a fast-growing provider of distributed solar power in Africa. Michael is a member of the Strategic Committee for the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions (Solar Impulse Foundation) and a member of the selection committee for the Bloomberg New Energy Pioneers, a programme he created in 2008 and chaired until 2014.

Michael is Founding Chairman of the Liebreich Foundation (Philanthropic) and Association EcoVillages, a Swiss charity focusing on sustainability of mountain regions. He has recently completed a charitable project building a solar power system to support a Neo-natal unit in Sierra Leone (www.projectbo.org).

Between 2012 and 2018 Michael was a Board Member of Transport for London, where he sat on the Finance Committee and chaired the Safety, Sustainability and HR Panel. He is a former member of the high-level advisory group for the UN Secretary General's Sustainable Energy for All initiative, has served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Councils on Sustainable Energy and the New Energy Architecture, and the advisory board of the Clinton Global Initiative Energy and Climate Change Working Group. Prior to founding New Energy Finance, Michael helped build over 25 companies as a venture capitalist, entrepreneur and executive, and before that he worked for McKinsey and Company.

Michael has an MA in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, where he won the Wyatt Prize for Engineering and the Ricardo Prize for Thermodynamics. Michael has an MBA from Harvard, where he was a Harkness Fellow and Baker Scholar. Michael has won lifetime achievement awards from BusinessGreen and the UK Renewable Energy Association, and has been a two-time finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

Michael skied for Great Britain at the 1992 Albertville Olympics.

Nigel Topping

Jean-Marc Ollagnier

Jean-Marc Ollagnier is the chief executive officer of Accenture in Europe, with management oversight of all industries and services in Europe, which accounted for nearly $15 billion of Accenture’s revenues in fiscal year 2019. He is also a member of Accenture’s Global Management Committee.

Prior to being named to his current position in March 2020, Jean-Marc was group chief executive of Accenture’s Resources group serving the energy, utilities, chemicals, forestry products, metals and mining industries.

Between 2006 and 2011, Jean-Marc served as managing director for Accenture’s Resources group in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. And prior to this role he was country managing director of Accenture in France and the Benelux countries.

Outside of Accenture, Jean-Marc co-chairs the Global Energy Board with Lord Browne (former Chairman of BP), which brings together leaders of the world’s energy industry. He frequently contributes to publications and international fora such as the United Nations Global Compact, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Economic Forum on subjects related to energy, energy transition, market deregulation, climate change, sustainability, as well as the digital transformation of industries.

Located in Paris, France, Jean-Marc joined Accenture in 1986 and became partner in 1997. He holds a degree in engineering from Telecom Paris, with a specialty in computer science.

Lawrence Slade

Lawrence Slade joined GIIA as CEO in January 2020, having most recently been Chief Executive of Energy UK since 2015. He has been involved in the energy industry since the late 1990’s working in countries all over the world. Lawrence is a member of the UK Government’s Committee on Fuel Poverty, an Advisory Board member of Connected Kerb, a Board Trustee and Audit Committee member of the Money Advice Trust (who run the National Debtline and Business Debtline), and is also a Fellow of the Energy Institute.

Emma Pinchbeck

Emma Pinchbeck is the Chief Executive of Energy UK, a position that she has held since July 2020. She is an expert in whole-economy decarbonisation and the energy transition. She also holds several board advisory positions. Emma had her first baby in October 2019 and shares childcare with her husband. She is passionate about efforts to improve diversity in the energy industry. From 2016-2020, she served as Deputy CEO of the trade body Renewable UK, in which role she also sat on the Board of Scottish Renewables. Prior to this, Emma was Head of Climate Change at WWF-UK. She has an MA from the University of Oxford

Ismail Ertug

Member of the European Parliament since 2009

Vice-President of the S&D Group since September 2019

full Member and Coordinator (until September 2019) of the S&D Group in the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN);

Substitute Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)

Member of the Delegation of the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee EU-China

Substitute Member of the Delegation of the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee EU-Arab Peninsula

Member of the executive board of the Europa-SPD

Markus Rauramo

Markus Rauramo is the President and CEO of Fortum, the power and gas company that drives the change for a cleaner world. Mr Rauramo has been serving Fortum since 2012 as CFO and as Executive Vice President Fortum’s consumer and heat businesses. Prior to joining Fortum, Mr Rauramo worked for Stora Enso, one of the world’s largest forest industry companies in various international strategy and finance positions. Markus Rauramo holds a master's degree in Economics and Political History from the University of Helsinki.

Antonio Cammisecra

Antonio Cammisecra is the Head of the Global Infrastructure & Networks business line at Enel Group since 1 October 2020.

Prior to that, he was Head of Global Power Generation since October 2019 and served as Chief Executive Officer of Enel Green Power and Head of the Africa, Asia and Oceania region since 2017. Until 2019 he was also Head of the North and Central America region.

He joined the International Department of Enel Group in 1999. He was then appointed Business Development Manager for Latin America, working in various countries in South and Central America.

He joined Enel Green Power on its foundation in 2009, as Head of Business Development Italy, and in 2012 was named Head of Operations and Maintenance Hydro, Wind & Solar.

In 2013, he became Head of Global Business Development, leading a team of more than 200 people, working in over 20 countries across 5 continents.

Antonio Cammisecra was born in Naples (Italy) in 1970. He graduated cum laude in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Naples “Federico II" in 1996. In 2004 he obtained an Executive MBA at Bocconi University, Milan.

Wojciech Dabrowski

Wojciech Dąbrowski has been holding management positions in the power sector for 10 years. Since the 20^th of February 2020 he has been the President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A. Prior to this, as of November 2017, he was the President of the Management Board of PGE Energia Ciepła S.A., where he has built a solid heating sector business line within the PGE Capital Group. He has also many years of experience working at management and top management positions in the central and local and regional government administration. He has also worked as a legal and investment consultant on applications for the European Union funds and has managed the teams involved in investment projects. He was overseeing preparations and implementations of investment and modernisation projects as well as M&A activities and also enterprise restructuring and development projects improving their operations and profitability. Graduate of Warsaw University, Faculty of Law and Administration where he obtained the master of law degree. He has also completed postgraduate studies at the Warsaw University of Technology Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering, in the Operation of steam, gas, and combined-cycle power plants and combined heat and power plants, as well as at the Kozminski University and the University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management - Public Administration Management.

Andrei Marcu

Andrei Marcu has vast experience in managing policy-focused organisations, creating partnerships, managing stakeholder relations and fundraising. His focus has been on sustainable development, climate change and energy. In different capacities, he has been engaged in multilateral negotiating processes and subsequent implementation action, both at the global and sectorial level. He has acted as negotiator for developing countries, coordinator for the G-77 and China, and as representative of the international business community. He pioneered cooperation between the UN system and multinational corporations when serving as Manager of Private Sector Cooperation in the United Nations Development Programme.

During his career, Mr. Marcu has performed at the highest managerial level, both in business organisations and in non-profit organisations. This includes: Sr. Vice President and Head of Regulatory and Policy Affairs at Mercuria Energy Group; CEO of Bluenext, a Paris based exchange; Managing Director for Climate & Energy at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in charge of Energy and Climate and as Vice Chair of the Energy and Environment Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris; Senior Associate to the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Senior Advisor on Climate Change and Emissions Trading at Bennett Jones LLP in Canada; Founder, President and CEO of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), a business association with offices in Geneva, Brussels, Washington and Toronto. Mr Marcu founded the organisation and made it into one of the leading global business NGOs and the voice of business in its field. Mr. Marcu initiated his career in Ontario Hydro, where among other responsibilities, he served as Chief of Staff for the Chairman & CEO.

Walburga Hemetsberger

Walburga is the Chief Executive Officer of SolarPower Europe. She is responsible for the overall performance of the association. Her previous experience includes her roles as Head of the EU Representation Office at VERBUND for nine years; Advisor of Financial and Capital Markets at The Association of German Public Banks and Association of Public Banks (VÖB / EAPB); Competition lawyer at Haarmann Hemmelrath; A Parliamentary Assistant to Austrian MEP and experience in the DG Competition Merger Control Task Force. Walburga has also been a Board Member of Hydrogen Europe.

Walburga holds a degree in Law and Business Administration from Leopold-Franzens Universität Innsbruck. She speaks German, English, Dutch and French.

Cristian-Silviu Busoi

Morten Petersen

• 2014-... : Member of the European Parliament, ALDE Group, elected as a member of the Danish Social Liberals Vice-chair of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Substitute member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)
• 2012-2014 : Director of the Association of Danish Media, a merger of seven media organisations
• 2011-2013 : Board member of IAB Europe
• 2011 : Member of the Committee on Media Support (Dyremose Commission)
• 2009-2012 : Chief executive officer of the Association of Danish Interactive Media, FDIM
• 1997-1998 : Consultant in the Confederation of Danish Industry's (DI) information department, focused on the EU referendum on the Treaty of Amsterdam
• 1993-1997 : Economic consultant in DI’s investment department Travelled in Asia, Africa, South America and North America on behalf of Danish companies looking to set up production abroad
• 1993 : Consultant in DI’s information department, focused on the EU referendum on the Edinburgh Agreement
• 1992-1993 : Trainee in the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission. Macroeconomic forecasts and country analyses
• 1990-1992 : Secretary for Marianne Jelved, political group leader for the Social Liberals in the Danish Parliament

Ditte Juul Jørgensen

Mrs. Ditte Juul Jørgensen took up the position of Director General for Energy of the European Commission (DG ENER) in August 2019. She joined DG ENER from a position as Head of Cabinet for Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager. Mrs. Juul-Jørgensen has 27 years of experience in the European Commission. Before serving as Head of Cabinet, she was Director of Legal Affairs and Trade in Goods in the Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade at the World Trade Organization, where she managed European Union policy and negotiations at the WTO and involvement in dispute settlement and trade in goods. Prior to her appointment as Director, she served as Head of Unit and Acting Director for dispute settlement and legal issues, as well as Head of Unit for Trade and Sustainable Development and Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Issues. Her previous experience includes a posting as Head of the Economic Section of the EU Delegation to the United Nations in New York and work at the European Court of Justice and European Commission Directorate-General for Competition. Mrs. Ditte Juul Jørgensen is a graduate in law of the College of Europe, Bruges, and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Kristian Ruby

Kristian Ruby took over as Secretary General of Eurelectric, effective 1 January 2017. Prior to his appointment, he worked at WindEurope as part of the Executive Management team where, in his capacity as Chief Policy Officer, he was in charge of developing and implementing the political strategy of the association. Mr Ruby previously also held positions as assistant to the former European Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard and served, for a number of years, as a public servant in the Danish Ministries of Climate and Energy as well as Environment.

Medy van der Laan

Since September 1st, 2015 Mrs. Van der Laan (1968) is President of Energie-Nederland. Next to her position as president of the board of Energie-Nederland, she is also chairman of the National Referendum Committee. In this capacity, she’s responsible for the well-functioning of the organisation of referendums in the Netherlands.

Previous positions are, amongst others, president of the Dutch agricultural education board and managing director of the Chamber of Commerce East Netherlands. From 2003 until 2006, Mrs van der Laan served as Minister for Culture and Media

Simone Accornero

Giles Dickson

Giles Dickson is the Chief Executive Officer of WindEurope, a position he’s held since 2015. WindEurope is the voice of the European wind industry. It represents the whole value chain of onshore and offshore wind across Europe and has more than 400 members. It engages Governments and other stakeholders on policy and regulation. It organises industry exhibitions, conferences and workshops. And it coordinates publicly-funded R&D in wind.

Dickson is also Chairman of the independent Advisory Council of ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity.

From 1992 to 2008 he was a civil servant in the UK Government, working mostly on European affairs. From 2008 to 2015 he worked for the French engineering company Alstom where he was Vice-President for Global Public Affairs.

Hannah Hunt

Helping companies buy renewable energy in support of Europe’s climate and energy goals. Background in renewable energy policy and regulatory advocacy.

Thomas Nowak

Laurent Segalen

Laurent Segalen is a Franco-British banker specialised in Renewable Energy transactions. He is the founder of Megawatt-X, the London-based platform for investing in Wind and Solar assets, which he currently heads. Megawatt-X has listed more than 14GW of Wind and Solar transactions over the past 8 years.

His career spans over 25 years, from Director at PWC, Fund Manager at Natixis/Mirova to Managing Director Clean Commodities at Nomura. He was awarded Environmental Deal of the Year 2006 by Environmental Finance. Laurent Segalen is also Board Member of the PPA digital platform Zeigo.

Gerard Reid

Gerard Reid is a Co-founder and Partner at Alexa Capital. He is also a Fellow at the Institute of the Environment at the University of Minnesota and a member of the World Economic Forum's Future Energy Council.

He is focused on assisting people and organizations in the energy and mobility areas who are struggling to understand and come to terms with unpredictable and rapid change going on around them.
Gerard has developed a strong reputation as a leading global expert in the energy and mobility space. He is an avid blogger and author with a following of more than 150k across several platforms and he is the co-host to “REDEFINING ENERGY” podcast.

He has spent over fifteen years working in investment banking (equity research, fund management and corporate finance) with a focus on both the energy transition and the digital energy revolution the sector is going through. Prior to founding Alexa Capital, he was Managing Director and Head of European Cleantech Research at Jefferies & Co.

Gerard was an adjunct professor at Imperial College and a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin.

He was born and raised in Dublin and received a Bachelor of Business Studies and Master of Arts as well as Higher Diploma in Education from Trinity College Dublin. Currently, he works in London and lives outside Berlin in a small village.

Ioannis Vlachos

Ioannis Vlachos, PhD, is a highly seasoned professional with more than 15 years of experience working with large corporations and educational institutes worldwide in the area of smart grids as a scientific expert, project manager, commissioning expert, and consultant. He has also worked closely with both academia and industry in more than 30 countries worldwide in projects that merge the worlds of energy and ICT. Ioannis has also advised ministries, national regulatory authorities, and utilities in the context of projects financed by international institutions. He has co-authored more that 40 scientific publications in international journals and conferences with more that 1,000 cross-references. Ioannis has been awarded with the “Ericsson Award of Excellence in Telecommunications” and in 2019 received the “Researcher of the Year” award in the blockchain technology area for the energy sector.

Ioannis holds a Bachelor and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering. He is a member of the ETIP-SNET, the CEN-CENELEC Focus Group on Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology, and the IEEE P2418.5 Standard for Blockchain in Energy Working Group.

Catharina Sikow-Magny

Catharina Sikow-Magny joined the European Commission in 1997 and is currently the Director responsible for Green Transition and Energy System Integration in the Directorate General for Energy. Before that, she was the Head of Unit in charge of Consumers, Local Initiatives, Just Transition. Before that she was the Head of Unit responsible for Networks and Regional Initiatives. She has as well worked on international transport, trans-European network policy and financing, internalisation of external costs, and strategic policy research.

Before joining the Commission, Catharina Sikow-Magny was a team leader and chief economist in the private sector in Finland. She has also worked for the United Nations Development Programme in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She holds a Master of Economics degree from the Aalto University, Finland.

Paddy Hayes

Paddy Hayes has been the Managing Director of ESB Networks since 2018. Prior to this, he led ESB’s Generation & Wholesale Markets business. ESB Networks is the Electricity Distribution System Operator for the Republic of Ireland and it aims to lead the transition to a low carbon future, connecting and accommodating more renewable generation and facilitating electrification, so that clean electricity can displace carbon from heat, transport and the economy. Paddy is a member of the Board of E.DSO and is currently co-chair of the European Distribution-Transmission Platform.

Paddy Young

Frédéric Godemel

Marion Labatut

In her current role, Marion Labatut is Deputy director for European Affairs and Head of Brussels office for EDF. Ms Labatut draws from twelve years of professional experience in energy and climate policy for government entities, a trade association and the private sector. She previously served as Policy Director at Eurelectric, the Brussels-based European power sector trade body, where she occupied several managerial and expert roles over six years. As an electricity markets expert she worked on long term EU energy scenarios and investment projects at EDF in Paris. Earlier on, Ms Labatut managed cooperation projects focusing on energy policies in Vietnam for Adetef in Hanoi. Marion Labatut holds a Master degree in Economics and International Business from Sciences Po Paris, a MSc in Energy Systems Optimization from Mines ParisTech.

Wytse Kaastra

After finishing his Masters in Economics, Wytse joined Exxon Mobil as economist. In 1997 Wytse joined the Accenture’s Utilities Consulting practice. He has extensive consulting and technology experience in the European and global utilities & energy arena.

Wytse is the Managing Director responsible for the Accenture Utility Retail practice in Europe and leading Accenture’s Global Connected Energy Services (EV, DER, Flex, Energy efficiency).

Amanda Peterson Corio

Amanda has 15 years of experience in project finance, development, and procurement of renewable and traditional energy generation. In her current role, Amanda manages power procurement and energy infrastructure development for Google’s global data centers. In addition to traditional energy procurement, Amanda executes renewable energy power purchase agreements for Google, which has secured over 3.5 gigawatts of renewable energy, making Google the largest corporate offtaker of renewables in the world.

Prior to joining Google, Amanda was the director of investment structuring at Macquarie Infrastructure Company (MIC)’s Renewable Energy subsidiary, where she was responsible for sourcing, diligencing, and structuring utility and distributed renewable energy. Earlier in her career, Amanda placed over $140 million of solar tax equity investments at Chevron Energy Solutions, and developed utility scale solar projects at Agile Energy. She was a senior investment banking analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co., and began her career at General Electric Energy Financial Services where she managed energy project financings and portfolio divestitures.

Amanda holds an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and a BA in Business Administration with Honors from Boston University’s School of Management.

Thierry Mortier

Thierry is the EY Global Digital & Innovation Lead for Energy. He helps energy companies develop new business models, growth strategies and ecosystems, supporting them through the energy transition and beyond. Thierry champions emerging technologies, such as robotics, blockchain, AI, augmented and virtual reality, and IoT, as the digital foundations for innovation.

As energy innovation goes hand in hand with the electrification of transport, Thierry also leads the EY cross-sector, go-to-market solution for eMobility.

Thierry brings his extensive experience of the power and utilities sector to clients across a wide range of industries, including oil and gas. He applies his insights and know-how across innovation management, venturing, emerging technologies, digital strategy and transformation to position them at the forefront of the energy transition.

Knud Pedersen

Knud Pedersen (born 1955) has an MA in Economics from the University of Copenhagen.
From September 2020, Knud Pedersen har been appointed EVP for Distribution and Regulatory Affairs in a new leading Danish Integrated Energy Company called “Andel”. Knud Pedersen is chairman of the board of two electricity distribution companies called “Radius” and “Cerius”. Radius and Cerius are legally unbundled from Andel with their own boards and independent daily management. Radius and Cerius serve 1.4 mill. costumers on the Danish island Sjælland, including the Greater Copenhagen area.
From 2010 to 2020, Knud Pedersen was head of Ørsted Distribution, including Ørsted infrastructure activities within power and gas distribution, gas storage and oil transport infrastructure from the North Sea to onshore oil terminal in Denmark.
From 2005 – 2010 Knud Pedersen was Group Vice President in Ørsted responsible for R&D, innovation and regulatory affairs.
Prior to his posts in Andel and Ørsted, Knud Pedersen was a senior civil servant at the Danish Energy Ministry with
specific focus on liberalisation and structural reforms in the electricity and gas sectors.
Knud Pedersen is Chairman of The Danish Intelligent Energy Alliance (Danish smart grid association). Knud Pedersen has been chairman of several international task forces on energy policy in the EU and China, and he
served as high level Danish representative in EU Council work group negotiating liberalisation of power and gas markets.

Guido Bortoni

Guido Pier Paolo BORTONI (born in 1960) holds a degree with honours in electrical engineering at the Pavia University (Italy) and a postgraduate Master’s Degree in Business Administration at the MIP-Milan Polytechnic.

After having served at CESI (the Italian Electrotechnical Research and Service Centre) for over 11 years, while also spending some years in the US and in France in project stages at energy utilities’ headquarters, in 1998 he turned his professional experience into Energy Regulation at the Italian Regulatory Authority for Electricity and Gas, where, in 2007, he became the DG of the market area (power and gas).

In 2009 he has been appointed as a Chief Executive in the Department of Energy (DoE) at the Italian Ministry for Economic Development, while he was also serving as a Member of the Administrative Board of the Agency for the Cooperation of National Energy Regulators - ACER (since the constitution of the Agency in 2009) and, subsequently, as the Italian representative in the ACER. In 2011 he was elected and he served as the President of the Italian Regulatory Authority for Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste for over a period of 7+ years.

In 2019 he joined the European Commission as a Senior Advisor for Regulatory Issues to the Deputy Director General of Energy who was in charge of the Internal Energy Market.

Since 2021 Guido has joined the team of Directorate C (Green Transition and Energy System Integration) in DG ENERGY and is the Senior Advisor to the Director.

Daniele Agostini

Daniel Agostini is the Head of Energy and Low Carbon Policies within the Europe Division of the Enel Group. He is responsible for policy analysis and corporate position development on Energy and Low Carbon Policies across the over 30 countries in which the Enel Group operates. In such role he is in charge of monitoring and assessing energy policy developments in the areas of energy markets, climate change, carbon regulation, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Mr. Agostini is member of the Board of the International Emission Trading Association. He currently chairs the Electrification and Sustainability Committee of Eurelectric and the Energy Markets Committee of the G20Y. He is also a member of the Policy Committee of the Global Sustainable Energy Partnership. Before joining Enel, Mr. Agostini has served in roles of increasing responsibility within global advisory firms working with public and private sector clients in the areas of energy and environment. Mr. Agostini holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering with a minor in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA). He also holds a Master of Science in Water Resources Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley (USA) and a Master of Science in Environmental and Resources Economics from University College London (UCL, UK).

Jean-Marc Moulin

Jean-Marc has more than 30 years’ experience in all areas of Energy Management Systems, Market Management, Wide Area Management System (WAMS), Distribution management, Telecom both in operational, cyber security and IT integration aspects. More importantly Jean-Marc has been leading the renewable energy transformation with pioneers in Europe such as Energinet and Eirgrid and now across continents. From that Jean-Marc has developed a solid vision about the challenges that need to be overcome and the solutions that deliver real outcomes for utilities that are now in that journey and the ones that will enter in it soon.

Jean-Marc has been exposed to international customers and teams across continents in those fields and driven business growth in multiple geographies. Jean-Marc is recognized as a visionary speaker at many international industry events including APEX and Electricity Power Control Center conferences. Currently, Jean-Marc is Leading GE Digital’s Transmission & Distribution businesses for Grid Software.

Hilary O'Meara

Hilary O’Meara is a managing director at Accenture in Ireland. She leads Accenture’s Strategy and Consulting business and is a member of the organisation’s Irish leadership team. Hilary also runs Accenture’s Resources industry group, with responsibility for Accenture’s work across energy and utility clients. She has been with Accenture for nearly 30 years and has spent the past 5 years leading business and technology transformation programmes within the Utility sector.

Julia Poliscanova

Doron Frenkel

Doron is an experienced entrepreneur with over 25 years’ international management experience in the EV charging, telecommunications and fleet industries.

Prior to Driivz, Doron was co-founder and CEO of We!Secure and before that he held the position of GM of Israeli operations at Sphera.

As a Director at Amdocs (NYSE:DOX), Doron led business relationships worth hundreds of millions dollars with top customers such as Nextel and T-Mobile.

Frédéric Wauquiez

Frédéric (Fred) Wauquiez is Senior Solution Director, Renewables and Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Orchestration within GE Digital, Grid Software Solutions. He is in charge of strategy, roadmap definition and execution for the solution, designed to help utilities turn the Renewables and DER disruption from a threat to an opportunity, spanning from geospatial and planning to distribution and transmission grid operations. Previously, Frédéric led the operational and financial setup of innovative Smart Grid pilot projects for utilities globally. He led the packaging, marketing and selling of Smart Grid solutions resulting from these projects.

Frédéric is part of CIGRE study committee C6 on Active Distribution Networks and Distributed Energy Resources, and a member of CIRED French National Committee.

Frédéric has over twenty years of experience in international B2B Business Development. A power solution and service line that he co-founded for telecom networks in areas with poor electricity supply received European Commission’s Sustainable Energy Europe prize in 2010.

Frédéric graduated as an engineer from SUPAERO, leading French aerospace engineering school, and has a degree in Entrepreneurship from ESCP Europe Business School.

Beatriz Yordi

Beatriz Yordi is a Director in DG Climate Action leading the team responsible for the EU Emissions Trading System, promoting carbon pricing and advancing innovation, opportunities and competitiveness in line with the Paris agreement. She specialised in fundamental physics at the University of Santiago de Compostela.

A pioneer in renewable energy policies, she joined the European Commission in 1994, working on energy policy, Eco-innovation, Green businesses and the LIFE programme in DG Energy, DG Environment and EASME. Her career began at the Research Centre CIEMAT and this was followed by the role as young Chief Engineer in Endesa-RWE and Notary’s joint venture designing and constructing the first European solar PV plant

Ricardo Wigman

Leading GE Digital commercial teams in region and partnering with its customers for a successful energy transition and digital transformation, Ricardo has more than 25 years’ background on both sales and delivery of digital solutions for the energy sector.

Working closely with pioneers in Europe and abroad, Ricardo has developed a solid vision about the challenges faced by Grid Utilities and the solutions that deliver real outcomes, both today and tomorrow, and is passionate about helping his clients in that journey.

Alfred Hoffmann

Alfred Hoffmann is Vice President for Portfolio and Business Development at Vattenfall’s Business Area Wind. He is Managing Director of Vattenfall Europe Windkraft GmbH and has been MD at Vattenfall Energy Trading GmbH where he has been working for almost 20 years on various positions - from Trading and Origination, Analysis, Portfoliomanagement and Asset Dispatch to B2B Customer Business. He is Chairman of EURELECTRIC’s Markets and Investment Committee and member of the Board of WindEurope. Alfred Hoffmann studied Electrotechnical Engineering at RWTH Aachen.

Kerstin Jorna

Kerstin Jorna is a German national and a civil servant at the European Commission where she has held various positions, amongst others as Head of Cabinet of several Commissioners and different Director posts. Mrs. Jorna is the Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs.

Mrs. Jorna was Deputy Director-General in the Economic and Financial Affairs general directorate where her areas of responsibility included, amongst others, macroeconomic surveillance of EU Member States, the European Investment Plan and coordination with international financial institutions.

Mrs. Jorna also held positions on the Board of both the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund.

Stephen Woodhouse

Stephen is an expert on changing energy markets, focusing on market design

Stephen has over twenty years’ experience in the energy business, specialising in the changing energy markets and the strategic response of commercial players. He led our global work on energy market design for many years, and is internationally recognised as an expert in energy market reform and the energy transition.

He led AFRY’s drafting of a Digitalisation Vision for ENTSO-E, and as head of Pöyry’s Digital team led the roll out of our internal Innovation Platform and Lean Service Creation process. He is contributing to the EirGrid-led Horizon 2020 project EU Sysflex, which is to deliver a roadmap for system services for a high renewables system, and was a member of the design team for the NODES local flexibility market, a joint venture between Nord Pool and Agder Energi to allow DSOs and TSOs to procure flexibility.

He contributes to the global and EU debates on appropriate markets for decarbonisation, flexibility, capacity, and network access. Stephen has led national programmes for market reform on several occasions, and has worked on electricity markets in around 30 countries.

He is an inspirational conference speaker and has published numerous papers on electricity market design and the energy transition.

David Bryson

David Bryson has been Uniper’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer since November 2019. Combining the two roles reflects Uniper’s determination to tackle the climate challenge in an integrated way.

A chartered engineer who spent 24 years developing as a leader and manager in the British Army, Bryson joined the energy industry more than 14 years ago. In various senior management positions at E.ON he helped develop an open-minded culture that was central to expanding the business’s operations, raising awareness of works-safety and driving business transformation through a dedicated focus of operational excellence to listen to the customer’s needs.

Since Uniper’s first days, Bryson has been responsible for its asset business’s international operations. As a long-term champion of diversity, he always sees both sides of the coin and considers the view of all stakeholders in his decision-making. These qualities led him to become a key figure in Uniper’s pursuit of more constructive conversations with sustainability-focused NGOs.

Ignacio S. Galán

Born in Salamanca (Spain) in 1950, Ignacio Galán graduated as an Industrial Engineer from ICAI of Universidad Pontificia de Comillas in Madrid.

Ignacio Galán is Chairman and CEO of Iberdrola, and Chairman of ScottishPower, Avangrid and Neoenergia, the country subholding companies of the Iberdrola Group in the UK, USA and Brazil, respectively. Since he joined Iberdrola in 2001, his strategy focus on renewable energies and sustainability has made the company the genuine green energy major. His vision for international expansion has also transformed the group into one of the largest in the sector, with presence in countries as Spain, UK, United States, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Japan, France, Germany, Sweden, Poland or Romania.

He holds honorary doctorates from the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde in the UK, and the University of Salamanca in Spain. Ignacio Galán is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, Chairman of the Social Council of the University of Salamanca and a Patron of the Comillas-ICAI University Foundation. He is also on the Presidential CEO Advisory Board of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Ignacio Galán is a member of the Electricity Cluster at the World Economic Forum, which he has chaired in the past, and a member of the Steering Committee of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) and of JP Morgan International Council.

Among other recognitions, in 2020 he received the Management Leadership Award by the Spanish Association for Quality (AEC) and the Forinvest Award for his professional career. In 2019 he was selected as one the best five world CEOs on the Harvard Business Review Ranking, and he was recognised by Bloomberg as one of the 30 leaders in the fight against climate change. He also received the National Innovation and Design Award Winner 2019 in the Innovative Career category granted by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. In 2018 he was named Best CEO in the European utilities sector for the eleventh time by the Institutional Investor Research Group.

Ignacio Galán was also named Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II.

Marianne Laigneau

Marianne Laigneau chairs the Management Board of Enedis, the major French Electricity Distribution System Operator, since February 2020. She is also the Chairwoman of the French Think Smartgrids association since June 2020.

As member of EDF Group Executive Committee since 2007 she was previously in charge of EDF International Division from 2017 to 2019, EDF Group Human Resources from 2010 to 2017 and Corporate Secretary from 2007 to 2009. Meanwhile she was member of Enedis Supervisory Board since 2010.

Before joining EDF group, Marianne Laigneau held various positions within Gaz de France, the Council of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Graduated of the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Sèvres and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration she joined the Council of State in 1992 where she became Counsellor in 2007.

Ms Laigneau is Officer of the French National Order of Merit and Knight of the French Legion of Honour.

Mark McGranaghan

Mark McGranaghan is Vice President of Innovation at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He leads the institute’s Technology Innovation program, addressing diverse areas of research and thought leadership and extending across EPRI research sectors. He also leads the strategy and coordination of all areas of the institute’s innovation internationally. Important areas of focus include coordinating government research, and executive oversight of new technology demonstrations and related challenges.

Ed Jarvis

Shaping conversations and decisions about power systems. Massive electrification, renewable integration, a tidal wave of digital -- and it all somehow needs to be flexible and decarbonized! Next to the introduction of electricity delivery itself, these must be the most exciting times in the industry.

Catherine Bauby

Catherine Bauby joined EDF 20 years ago after scientific studies in France and in the United States and a year in China. She first worked in the R&D Department on the life extension of nuclear power plants, dealing with the technical, economic and financial aspects. Then, she joined the Upstream Downstream Optimization and Trading Department, working on the mid-term economic arbitrage to balance upstream generation and downstream supply for EDF’s French electricity portfolio. She joined the Group Strategy Department in 2013 to lead economic studies to inform strategic decisions on the European perimeter. Between 2017 and 2020 she was in charge of transformation programs in the Finance Department.

She was appointed Group Strategy Senior Vice President in July 2020

Simone Mori

Simone Mori has been the Enel Group’s Head of Europe since 2018. Prior to that, he covered several managerial positions within the Enel Group, having responsibility at Group level for regulation, antitrust, environmental and climate policies, innovation and carbon strategy. From 2014 onwards he represented Enel’s interests with regards to the European Union. He has also worked in Human Resources and R&D.

He is currently a board member of Enel Russia and Slovak Power Holding B.V. and a member of the Enel Foundation’s Scientific Committee. He has also served on the board of several companies belonging to the Enel Group, both in Italy and abroad.

In 2016, in his role as Chairman of the Italian electric energy association Assoelettrica, which represents conventional energy companies, he promoted its merger with AssoRinnovabili, the Renewable Energy Association. This merger, which led to the creation of the Elettricità Futura association in 2017, was the first example in Europe of integration among power operators from conventional and renewable sources. At Elettricità Futura he covered the position of Chairman until July 2020 and he is currently a member of the Executive Committee.

He is also a member of the General Council and the Europe Committee of Confindustria (the Italian business association). He has held various roles in other business associations, including Chairman of the Energy Committees of the business associations of Milan and Rome. He has also been a member of the Energy Committee of Confindustria and of the advisory group for Business Europe.

He is also a member of the board of Bruegel, a European think tank, and a member of CERRE (the Centre on Regulation in Europe). He is a member of the Scientific Committee of the EastWest European Institute. Previously, he was a Senior Transatlantic Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and a member of the General Assembly and the Executive Committee of OME (Observatoire Méditerranéen de l'Energie).

He lectures in Economics and Management of Energy Sources at La Sapienza and LUISS Guido Carli Universities in Rome. He has a degree in Physics and an MBA. He is married with two children.

Darius Maikštėnas

Chair of the Board and CEO of Ignitis Group, an international utility and renewable energy group, leading energy transition in the Baltic region. Group operates in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Finland.

Mr. Maikštėnas has more than 20 years of experience in executive level leadership positions across IT, telecommunications and energy industries. Just before joining Ignitis Group, Mr. Maikštėnas has been leading international innovative telecommunication solutions company established in Silicon Valley. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School GMP (General Management Program) and the Baltic Management Institute with a Master of Business Administration.

Mike Ballard

I work with governments, regulators, utilities and their partners across the globe to help prepare for the diverse changes and challenges facing each country and market. Using my decades of utility experience and drawing on global insights I share trends and best practices to help shape utility business and IT strategies. I also lead Oracle Utilities' cross line of business solution strategy, breaking down the silos between operational and customer technologies.

Henrik Dam

Henrik Dam graduated in 1990 as M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Aalborg University, Denmark. He has worked with the European Commission since 2003 on the areas Renewable Energy, smartgrids, active demand, electric vehicles, energy storage technologies, innovation, and SMEs. He is currently policy officer in DG ENERGY in the unit Renewables and CCS policy. He deals with both the current and the upcoming EC directive on Renewables with particular focus on wind energy, guarantees of origin and Member State achievement of RES targets.

Christophe Gence-Creux

Christophe Gence-Creux joined the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators as the Head of the Electricity Department, on February 2011. ​He is responsible for the Agency’s electricity activities regarding network codes, infrastructure, system operation, grid connection market monitoring and adequacy.

Christophe holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Toulouse, where he used to teach Economics and Regulation. After a post-Doctorat at the Laval University in Quebec, where he continued his research on the Economic Regulation of network infrastructure industries. Christophe worked as an Economist consultant for the World Bank for the promotion of public-private partnerships in the financing of network infrastructures in the North-African and Middle-Eastern countries (MEDA) region.

From 2003 to 2011, he worked for the French Energy Regulatory Authority, CRE, where he was in charge of the market integration process with neighbouring countries, the well-functioning of the French balancing market and its opening-up to cross-border balancing trade and to the participation of demand-side response.

Jesus Lopez

I am an enthusiast of the electric mobility and the transition to a zero emissions world. Telecommunication Engineer, Business Management Degree and Master’s Degree in the Electric Power Industry with wide international experience. I started my career in Germany in the automobile and energy sector. I joined Iberdrola in 2.008 and have assumed different roles in the organization. Since 2.018, I lead the development of the public charging infrastructure with focus on fast charging. Among others, I define, develop and coordinate the public charging strategy: design of charging stations and its deployment, global agreements with OEM and land property, mobility services and e-roaming.

Ditlev Engel

Jutta Paulus

Jutta Paulus is a Member of the European Parliament for the Greens since 2019. She is a member of the committees on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and Transport (TRAN).

Paulus started her career as a pharmacist, co-founded an independent laboratory for the examination of chemical hazards, and worked in quality management. From 2017 to 2019, she was the regional co-president of the Rhineland-Palatinate Greens.

Jutta Paulus dedicated her political work to climate, energy and environmental challenges. She aims to achieve that the European Union takes effective action against climate change and that human beings, animals and nature are protected from destruction, pollution and poisoning.

Andris Piebalgs

Andris Piebalgs is a Professor at the Florence School of Regulation in the European University Institute. His work now focuses on the decarbonization challenges in the energy sector.

He is the Chairman of the Board of Appeal of ACER.

Before coming to FSR Andris Piebalgs was EU Commissioner for Energy and EU Commissioner for Development.

He is a key figure in the formation of the EU’s renewable energy and energy efficiency policies and made a crucial impact in the creation of the European energy market.

Claudia Gamon

Claudia Gamon is an Austrian Member of the European Parliament and a passionate liberal to the core.

She is the NEOS spokesperson for all things European and sits with the Renew Europe group in the EP.

Previously, the 31-year-old represented NEOS as a member of the Austrian Parliament. In her work she focuses mainly on the topics digitalisation, science, research, energy and technological progress.
Claudia Gamon studied International Business Administration and International Management at the Vienna University of Economics and the Université catholique de Louvain. She gained her first political experience in 2011 when she was the leading candidate for the Young Liberals in the Austrian Students’ Union.

Claudia Gamon brings European politics to your screen as @diegamon on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Joaquim Nunes de Almeida

Since March 2021, Joaquim Nunes de Almeida is director in charge of “Mobility and energy intensive industries” at the European Commission, in the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW). He is the director in charge of “Green and Circular Economy” at DG GROW. From 2013 he was director in charge of various single market policies (procurement, free movement of goods and enforcement). Joaquim started his career at the European Commission in 1995 and has extensive experience in policies related to the internal market and home affairs (police cooperation, terrorism, law enforcement, asylum and immigration).

Joaquim has studied law and worked as a lawyer both in Lisbon and in Brussels, from 1989 to 1994, dealing mainly with anti-trust law as well as commercial and civil law.

Ellen Diskin

Ellen Diskin is the head of ESB Networks’ Active System Management project, to deliver the operational and market solutions needed to enable Ireland’s 2030 70% renewable electricity target. Through this project, the Irish distribution system operator will introduce new localized marketplaces for flexibility services, and support active customers, to increase renewables’ penetration, community participation, and system security in Ireland.

Previously, as PR5 Manager, Ellen was responsible for leading ESB Networks’ fifth regulatory price control process (“PR5”), to fund its investment plan for 2021-2025. Her background is in electricity system operations, R&D, regulation and investment planning. Prior to joining the energy industry, Ellen worked in the telecommunications sector.

Christopher Burghardt

Christopher Burghardt is ChargePoint's Managing Director for Europe, responsible for leading all aspects of the company's European business. Most recently the head of policy and communications, EMEA, for ride-sharing app Uber, Christopher previously led global and emerging market expansion at First Solar, a provider of solar panels and utility-scale PV power plants. Prior to joining First Solar, Christopher was Vice President for Corporate Affairs for Western Europe at Anheuser-Busch InBev and a Vice President for Business Development and Marketing EMEA at Hill & Knowlton. A dual German-Belgian national, he earned an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from the College of Europe and a BA from the University of Sussex and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques of Aix-en-Provence.

Elena Rodriguez

She holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering. Currently, she works as Head of E-Mobility in Ormazabal.

Her main duty is to support E-Mobility sector actors along the different phases of their EVSE deployment project, from engineering to supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance. Therefore, they could undertake it with peace of mind, knowing that the required electricity supply would be there on time, on a safe and reliable way and adapted to their needs, as well as to the specific requirements set by every country and every distribution network operator.

She has developed her professional career at the international business area of the Basque multinational Ormazabal, electric networks’ high-added value products and services supplier. Thus, during more than twelve years, she has developed different commercial roles in Asia-Pacific, India and Mediterranean regions. During the last years, she has complemented her business vision from Corporate Marketing, as Key Segments Development Manager.

Previously, she worked as the Brussels’ office Director at Sociedad Regional de Promoción del Principado de Asturias (S.R.P.).

Georgios Stassis

Mr. Stassis has more than 14 years of experience in the energy market.

He has held important positions in various organizations and associations within the energy sector in Greece and the southeast Europe, and within all parts of a utility value chain (generation, distribution, supply).

Previously worked for ENEL SpA, as President & CEO of Enel Romania SrL., the largest vertical integrated energy company in Romania, and before as head of Green Power for Eastern Europe and Middle East.

Mr. Stassis holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Management in Construction and Structural Design from Kingston University (UK), and has attended Executive Courses at Harvard Business School (US) and at Elis Academy (Italy).

Darius Snieckus

Darius Snieckus is Editor in Chief of Recharge, the global energy transition news and intelligence website and magazine, launched in 2009. He also hosts the Recharge Roundtables, a series of thought-leadership panels made up of many of the most influential executives in the wind, hydrogen, solar and wider energy transition industries, along with the annual Recharge Summit. Snieckus has written on energy for some 25 years, before Recharge serving on editorial staffs at leading oil & gas titles including Offshore Engineer, the Oil & Gas Journal and the Petroleum Economist.

Sébastien de Menten

Sébastien is intrapreneur at ENGIE, developing new solutions and services for 24/7 sustainable procurement. He leverages both ENGIE and his experience in energy procurement, risk management, digitalization and innovation to move the market towards a more transparent and sustainable energy procurement.

He is based in Brussels, Belgium, and holds a degree in engineering from UCLouvain and an MBA from INSEAD.

Devrim Celal

Cleantech enthusiast, advisor, investor, board director. CEO, Upside Energy

Experienced and versatile executive with blue chip management consultancy and corporate finance background. Over twenty years of experience in leadership positions across variety of industries, sectors and geographies. Demonstrated record in creating self-perpetuating organisations, ground-up business development, and defining, structuring and delivering innovative solutions to complex managerial problems.

Leonardo Meeus

Leonardo Meeus is Professor and Partner at Vlerick Business School in Brussels where he is the Director of the Energy Centre, and where he teaches strategy and corporate affairs. He is also a professor of the Florence School of Regulation at the European University Institute where he directs research and online courses on the latest regulatory trends in the energy sector. He is a member of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE). Leonardo is a business engineer with a PhD in electrical engineering from KU Leuven. He works as an expert for EU institutions, regulatory agencies, and companies via research contracts and advisory roles.

Stefano Grassi

Stefano Grassi is Head of Cabinet to Kadri Simson, Member of the European Commission responsible for Energy.

Head of Cabinet to Federica Mogherini, Vice-President of the European Commission & High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, from June 2018 to November 2019.

Member of the Cabinet of President Juncker from 2016 to May 2018.

He joined the European Commission in 2004 and has worked in various positions within the Secretariat General of the Commission.

He was advisor on European issues and economic reforms to the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Sen. Prof. Mario Monti, from November 2011 to April 2013, and EU Sherpa and Advisor on EU policies to the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, On. Prof. Enrico Letta, from April 2013 to February 2014.

From 2002 to 2004 he worked for the Council of Europe Development Bank. He is married with two children.

Master in European Policies & Administration, College of Europe, Brugge, 1996, PhD in International Law at Scuola Superiore S. Anna, Pisa, 2000

Marilyn Ceci

Marilyn Ceci is a Managing Director and Global Head of ESG Debt Capital Markets at J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank, where she has worked for over 34 years. Ms. Ceci co-authored the Green Bond Principles, which is the market standard process for issuing Green Bonds, and sat as the Vice Chair of the Executive Committee for the first five years since the creation of the Principles. She currently sits as a member of the Executive Committee and Co-Chair of the New Markets Taskforce, Co-Chair of the Advisory Council and Co-Chair of the Sustainability-Linked Bond Working Group, where she was involved in drafting the recently published Sustainability-Linked Bond Principles. Marilyn Ceci was awarded a top Personality of the Year for her leadership in ESG DCM by Environmental Finance for multiple years in a row. J.P. Morgan was awarded Environmental Finance 2020 Lead Manager of the Year, Sustainability Bonds – SSA, 2019 Lead Manager of the Year, Sustainability Bonds – US Muni and 2019 Global Capital Awards one of the Most Impressive Investment Banks for the Americas Green/SRI Capital Markets, among others.

J.P. Morgan has led / structured over 437 sustainable transactions since 2012 including Alphabet’s Sustainability Bond, Apple’s Green Bonds, the first ever Sustainability-Linked Bonds from Enel, and the recent Suzano, Novartis, Klabin and SImpar Sustainability-Linked Bonds, as well as Ahold Delhaize’s Sustainability Bond, among many others. Ms. Ceci joined J.P. Morgan in 1986 and holds a B.A. from Creighton University and an M.B.A from C.U.N.Y/ Baruch.

Nancy Saich

Nancy Saich is a chartered civil engineer who specialised early in her career in transport projects and more specifically in ports and coastal work. 25 years ago, she became involved in the discussions in the maritime engineering industry on the challenges of incorporating climate change impacts into the design guidance for maritime projects. This was the beginning of her close interest in climate change. After 13 years of work as a consulting engineer, she joined the European Investment Bank in 1998.

Nancy is one of the longest standing members of the Bank’s Environmental Assessment Group, providing the Bank’s Project Teams with due diligence support on environmental and climate matters on a wide range of projects funded by the Bank. She is also a founder member of the Bank’s Inter-Directorate Climate Working Group. Following her move to the Bank’s Environment, Climate and Social Office in 2011, Nancy has a specific role as EIB’s Chief Climate Change Expert, and is responsible for leading the work on Paris Alignment with other MDBs, Climate Finance definitions and impact reporting, including the Carbon Footprint of the Bank’s Project portfolio. She also works on the definitions and impact reporting for the Bank’s Green Bonds – the EIB’s Climate Awareness Bonds, and works closely with other Finance Institutions on impact reporting harmonisation.

Most recently, since 2018, Nancy was a Member of the EU’s “TEG” - Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance, and has now joined the EU Platform for Sustainable Finance as Rapporteur for the “harmful and neutral” taxonomy group.

Francesco Starace

Francesco Starace has been Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Enel S.p.A. since May 2014. Starace joined the Enel Group in 2000, holding several senior executive positions including Head of Business Power and Managing Director of the Market Division. From 2008 to 2014, he served as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Enel Green Power, the Group's renewable power generation company and a leading player in the global renewables industry.

Since June 2020 he has been a member of the G20 Business Advisory Board for the Italian Presidency, which is led by The European House Ambrosetti. In December 2020 he was appointed Chair of the B20 Italy 2021 “Energy & Resource Efficiency” Task Force, the aim of which is to make practical and actionable policy recommendations for sustainable progress. He is also co-chair of the WEF “Net Zero Carbon Cities – Systemic Efficiency Initiative” and co-chair of the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance’s round table on "Renewable and Low-carbon Hydrogen Production.”

He served as a member of the Advisory Board of the United Nations’ Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) initiative from June 2014 until the dissolution of the Board in 2017 and in October 2020 he was appointed Chair of SEforALL’s Administrative Board, which aims to accelerate and deliver at scale the solutions needed to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy) by 2030. He is a graduate in Nuclear Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan.

Siobhan Hall

Siobhan Hall started reporting on the European energy sector in 1999 in London, first for Financial Times Energy and from 2001 for Platts (now S&P Global Platts). In 2004 she moved to Brussels to cover all aspects of EU gas, power, and emissions policies for Platts. In 2020 she went freelance and became the Brussels correspondent for Montel. Her work includes articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos, as well as moderating live and virtual debates. Find out more at www.linkedin.com/in/siobhanhall/

Lari Järvenpää

My specialties include analytical problem solving, mathematical programming & modeling, optimization & forecasting and business intelligence.

Lari holds a Masters degree both in applied mathematics and economics from Aalto University and University of Helsinki. He started his career in the energy industry as a trainee with EDF R&D, where he spent a summer studying how to automatically translate mathematical equations into tangible code used for electricity demand forecast models. After that experience, he has worked for two Finnish power producers (PVO and UPM) with among other things wind power and electricity market price forecasting. He joined Fortum in 2017, and since 2019 leads Fortum’s market intelligence team responsible for providing operative, tactical and strategic energy market analysis and decision support.

Clara Poletti

Clara Poletti is Commissioner of ARERA, the Italian independent Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment and Chair of the Board of Regulator of ACER, the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators.

She has more than twenty years work experience in the field. As far back as in 1997, she contributed to start-up of the Italian independent energy Regulator. Since then she has worked on regulation of the energy sectors, both at national and at EU level.

She is Associate researcher of the Cambridge Energy Policy Research Group. From 2007 to 2011 she was Director of IEFE, the research Centre of Bocconi University on energy and environment. She was also founding joint academic director of the Centre on Regulation in Europe (CERRE) and currently she is member of the Board She is also member of the Advisory Council and the Advisory Council Executive Committee of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). She has authored numerous scientific articles.

Christian Todem

Christian Todem studied electrical engineering at the University of Technology in Graz/Austria. He also received his PhD from the University of Technology in Graz/Austria where he worked as an assistant professor for energy economics and energy innovation.

Currently he is the head of the department “market management” at Austrian Power Grid AG, the Austrian transmission system operator.

Christian led different national and international projects related to electricity market development issues. He also was convenor of a the network code on electricity balancing for ENTSO-E, the European network for transmission system operators for electricity.

Christian is also member of the supervisory board of APCS AG, the Austrian market operator for electricity, as well as member of the supervisory board of EQUIGY B.V. based in the Netherlands.

Annabel de Gheldere

Annabel de Gheldere is an investment advisor and manager of the Sustainable Island Program at Energy Investment Management, Netherlands.

Simultaneously, she is a researcher and Master student at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, following a Masters in Global Business sustainability and researching the financing behind renewable energy transition on islands. Annabel was born in 2001 and grew-up in Brussels. She is well aware of the expectations that the European Generation Z has of the energy sector.

She organised the Dutch Clean Tech Challenge 2021. A competition that is facilitated by Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship and YES!Delft. Besides her interest in renewable energy, she shares strong passions for other sustainable innovations such as food technology and alternative proteins.

Annabel studied at the Maastricht University School of Business and Economics with a special interest in Entrepreneurial & Sustainable finance.

Ana Paula Marques

Ana Paula Marques is Executive Board Director of EDP, CEO of EDP Produção and Board Member of EDP Renewables, EDP Brasil and EDP España. In addition to her business responsibilities, she currently oversees Innovation & Ventures, IT & Digital, Regulation and Stakeholders Management.

Before joining EDP, Ana Paula was an Executive Board Member and Vice-President of NOS (Telco public listed company), President of APRITEL (Portuguese Association of Telecom Operators) and non-Executive Board Member of SportTV. She started her career in Marketing at Procter & Gamble.

She has a degree in Economics and an MBA in INSEAD and is a Guest Professor at Porto Business School and at Faculdade de Economia do Porto.

Alexander Junge

As BP’s Electrification Director Germany Alex leads the team which builds up and runs the EV charging business of bp and Aral pulse in Germany. The business includes charging on the go at Aral sites and at other destinations and a fleet depot charging solutions offer. Soon residential charging solutions will be added to it.

Alex has a broad experience. Before his current role Alex was Global Director, Advanced Mobility Services and took care of future mobility topics like the advent of autonomous cars and their impact on bp’s business.

Previously he had served as Managing Director and leader of one of the four regions in Air BP’s global aviation fuels business, as Managing Director at HGM Energy, Germany, and as Director Commodity Markets at Société Générale, France, and had worked in a number of key positions at Lufthansa’s Corporate Fuel department as well as at ExxonMobil.

Hans van Steen

Hans van Steen is Adviser on Research and Innovation and Energy Efficiency in the Directorate General for Energy in the European Commission

Mr van Steen began his career in the Danish Ministry for Education and later moved to the Ministry for Energy as Head of Sector for European and Nordic energy co-operation. He joined the European Commission in 1989 as a Seconded National Expert, working mainly in the area of energy technology dissemination. Following several assignments in the fields of energy and transport, he became Deputy Head of Unit for Inter-institutional Affairs (2001-2006), Head of Unit for Renewable Energy (2006 - 2013) and for International Energy Relations and Enlargement (2013 - 2017). Most recently, he has been Acting Director for Renewables, Research, Innovation and Energy Efficiency (2018 to 2021). He took up his current responsibilities on 16 April 2021.

Mr van Steen holds a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Århus, Denmark. He is married and has two children.

Darya Mustafayeva

Passionate about EU energy policy, Darya has been focusing on consumer empowerment and digital policies within Eurelectric. Previously, she worked with European institutions, international organisations, associations and law firms. Following her experience within the European Parliament, Darya managed campaigns in the framework of the European Commission’s project on cooperation with the EU Neighbourhood. She has academic background in European Interdisciplinary Studies, International and European Law.

Bruce Douglas

Bruce Douglas has been working in renewable energy for 20 years. He is currently the Director of Communications and Business at Eurelectric a member-led association based in Brussels representing the European electric utility sector.

Previously he was Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe, Coordinator of the RE-Source Platform – the European alliance for corporate sourcing of renewable energy – and the Co-Chairman of the Global Solar Council (GSC), the representative body for the entire global solar PV sector at an international level, representing over 2000 solar companies around the world. Before that he was Chief Operating Officer at WindEurope for 10 years, founding Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Managing Director of FLiDAR, an offshore wind company.

He has a Master degree in renewable energy systems technology and is fluent in English and French.