Philippe Kehren is Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board. Before becoming CEO, he was President and Head of Sustainability of the Soda Ash & Derivatives global business unit at Solvay. He is an industrial authority with a 30-year cross-functional experience acquired in multiple management roles. At the helm of the Soda Ash & Derivatives business since 2020, Mr. Kehren transformed the business, which has resulted in strong cash generation, margins and growth, reinforcing its global leadership while speeding up the Company’s energy transition. He accelerated the reinvention of the Solvay process through cutting-edge innovation to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of production. He joined Solvay in 2012 to lead business development in Energy Services, and later oversaw the successful turnaround of the European Soda Ash business. He also managed clean energy production and led transformation projects and customer relations in the EMEA region. Prior to Solvay, Mr. Kehren served in various management roles at Rhodia.

Vincent Verbeke has over 25 years of experience in the Power and Gas industry. He joined Tractebel in 2000 as a Project Manager, supporting international business development initiatives. In 2005, he joined Electrabel as Chief Analyst, where he led the economic evaluation of investment projects across Europe.

Since 2009, Vincent has held several leadership roles in Trading and Portfolio Management. In 2016, he spearheaded the launch of Energy Transition activities.

From 2020 to 2024, he served as a member of the Executive Committee of ENGIE’s Global Energy Management & Sales (GEMS) Business Unit, overseeing a broad portfolio of Energy Management, Trading and Sales operations worldwide.

In 2024, Vincent was appointed CEO of ENGIE Belgium. As of 2025, he also serves as Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer and Executive Team Member of ENGIE’s Renewable and Flexible Power Business Unit.

Vincent holds an Engineering Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from École Polytechnique de Louvain, and has completed executive programs at the Business School of Leuven, INSEAD and London Business School.

Joe is President and CEO of Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) for GE Vernova’s Gas Power business. With the largest delivered fleet of gas turbines in the world, Gas Power offers power producers the technology, services, knowledge, and insights they need to build, operate, and maintain gas power generation plants.

In his role, Joe is responsible for driving regional growth and execution. He oversees all functions in the region covering new units, project execution, services, and operations. He is responsible for developing and delivering a regional business strategy that offers customers the solutions, knowledge, and insight they need to manage the entire lifecycle of their power plants.

Joe has a deep understanding of the dynamic power sector, technological advances, evolving business models, and commercial disruptors that are shaping the global energy transition. He works closely with customers, partners, and other stakeholders to develop tailored solutions to address the energy trilemma of providing more reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity to power communities across EMEA, and to support them with achieving their decarbonization commitments.

A seasoned leader with global experience, Joe joined GE in 1997 and has taken on increasing responsibilities in senior roles within several GE businesses around the world. He was appointed a vice president and company officer of the General Electric Company in 2010 and moved into his current position in January 2021.

Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Syracuse University in New York, USA. He is married with three children and is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Ph.D. Sebastian-Ioan Burduja is the Romanian Minister of Energy, appointed in June 2023. He has previously served as the Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, between May 2022 and June 2023. Since December 2020 he has been elected to the Romanian Parliament and is also the President of the Sector 1 branch of the National Liberal Party.

Before starting his political career, he acted as the Founding President of the League of Romanian Students Abroad (LSRS), now the largest Romanian non-profit network in the world, and the co-founder of the CAESAR Foundation, a think tank connecting 500 top Romanian and international policy experts.

Previously, he served as a Regional Development Specialist for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., focusing on Europe and Central Asia. Mr. Burduja has also worked for Dalberg Global Development Advisors, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, McKinsey & Co., and the National Endowment for Democracy.

He graduated from the Stanford University as member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society⁠ with a major in Politics and sub-specializations in Economy and Sociology. From 2008 to 2011, he continued his studies at Harvard University, being a David Rubenstein⁠’s fellow and graduating two master’s programs: MBA from Harvard Business School and MPP from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He was honored in 2009 and 2010 with outstanding academic achievement, including the “First Year Honors” and “Second Year Honors” awards given to the best students at Harvard Business School. Mr. Burduja holds a PhD in Economics and International Affairs from the Romanian Academy of Economic Studies, with the “Summa Cum Laude” qualification.

ABOUT

Minister Aagaard took office in December 2022.

The Minister is in charge of the national and EU agenda on climate, energy and utilities as well as the international agenda on energy.

Minister Aagaard took over the international climate policy portfolio in September 2024 from the

Former Minister for Development Cooperation and International Climate Policy.

Before assuming his current role, the Minister served as CEO for Danish Energy, one of the largest and most influential advocacy organizations in Denmark.

As CEO, he represented major energy developers, with a strong focus on renewable energy sources and electrification of heating, transport and industry.

Anna Stürgkh, NEOS Member of the European Parliament, is dedicated to advancing energy policy with a focus on establishing the Energy Union. As a member of the Committee for Industry, Research, and Energy (ITRE), her primary goal is to promote clean, renewable, and European energy. She also serves on the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and the Committee on Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety (ENVI). Additionally, she co-chairs the Intergroup on Children’s Rights, advocating for the rights and opportunities of children and youth across Europe.

Before joining the European Parliament, Stürgkh worked at Gruppe Hollenstein, a leading provider of personnel and organizational development services. She also served as National Chair of JUNOS – Young Liberals NEOS and was a member of the ALDE Manifesto Drafting Committee. She holds a Master of Advanced International Studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and a BA in History from the University of Cambridge. Stürgkh is committed to collaborating with pro-European partners to build a secure, independent, and sustainable future for Europe.

Catherine MacGregor is Group Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of ENGIE. She has at heart to act in line with the  Group’s  purpose:  accelerating the  energy  transition, with a positive impact for the people and the planet.

Before joining ENGIE in January 2021 as CEO, Catherine has led her whole career in the energy sector, where she has held different international leadership positions in the energy sector.

From 2019 to 2020, she was a member of TechnipFMC Executive Committee and the head of Technip Energies, hosting the engineering activities. She was notably in charge of the entity’s IPO.

Before these positions, she worked for 23 years at Schlumberger, where she held very diverse roles from operational engineer to President of different Group entities (Drilling, Europe & Africa) and to Group Vice-President HR, in diverse geographies (Africa, Europe, Asia, North America).

She has been a member of the Microsoft Board as an independent director since December 2023. Actively involved in the World Economic Forum, she is part of its Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders. Catherine is an engineer and graduated from Ecole Centrale of Paris (Centrale Supélec).

Mechthild Wörsdörfer is Deputy Director-General at the European Commission’s DG Energy, where she is in charge since October 2021 of the Coordination of the Just and Green Energy Transition. This includes steering the work on REPowerEU, accelerating the deployment of renewables and energy efficiency measures, and ensuring EU’s security of supply. Mrs. Wörsdörfer is also responsible for the relations with the Energy Community, and steers the bilateral relations with Ukraine, Moldova, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Prior to this, Mrs. Wörsdörfer was the Director responsible for sustainability, technology and outlooks at the International Energy Agency (2018 – 2021), Director at DG Energy in charge of renewables, research and innovation, energy efficiency (2017 – 2018) and Director for energy policy, international relations, legal aspects and economic analysis (2014 – 2017). Previously, Mrs. Wörsdörfer was Head of Unit on the 2030 Energy and Climate Framework and served in the Cabinet of Erkki Liikanen, European Commissioner for Enterprise Policy and Information Society. Mrs Wörsdörfer studied Economics at the University of Heidelberg, the University of Montpellier and completed her studies with a MA in European Economics at the Free University of Brussels.

CEO of energy software business Kaluza, Melissa has over 15 years of experience in the energy sector and a strategic vision for the role of data and technology in the energy transition. At Kaluza, Melissa leads the business in delivering advanced automation, enabling world-leading customer experiences and innovating demand response services to energy companies around the world.

Prior to Kaluza, Melissa was part of UK energy major OVO’s launch team, where she spearheaded award-winning customer service operations, helping OVO to disrupt the market. As OVO Group’s COO in 2019, Melissa played a key role in the technical integration of 3.5 million customer accounts following a landmark acquisition of a large incumbent.

Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe is Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid, and Cyber. In this capacity, he is the Secretary General’s primary advisor on maintaining NATO’s innovative edge, and on all issues relating to technological challenges, cyber defence and hybrid threats and their far-reaching implications for Alliance security.

Ms. Ditte Juul Jørgensen is the Director-General for Energy at the European Commission, where she leads work to ensure access to affordable, secure and sustainable energy in Europe as part of the energy transition towards climate neutrality. Ditte Juul Jørgensen has more than 30 years’ experience in the European Commission, leading policy development, international negotiations and enforcement. She has worked in the fields of international trade, competition, sustainable development, climate and energy, and has also served as Economic Counsellor in the European Union Delegation to the United Nations in New York. In addition to her work in the European Commission, Ditte Juul Jørgensen has been teaching at universities to share a practitioner’s insights into energy and trade policy. In 2024, Ditte Juul Jørgensen co-chaired the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Clean Energy Transition Minerals. Ms. Juul Jørgensen is a graduate in law from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

Arshad Mansoor is EPRI’s President and Chief Executive Officer, responsible for the institute’s operation and portfolio of R&D and demonstration programs, spanning all sources of generation, power delivery and utilization, and the environment.

Previously Mansoor served as senior vice president, research and development, responsible for leading the development of the R&D portfolio, effective collaboration in shaping and conducting research, and the effective application of research findings, including technology transfer. Prior to that, as vice president of EPRI’s Power Delivery and Utilization sector, he led research, development, demonstration, and application of transmission and distribution and energy utilization technologies. He was vice president then CEO of the former EPRI subsidiary, EPRI Solutions, and vice president and director of engineering of the EPRI Power Electronics Application Center.

Beginning in 2007, he directed EPRI’s Energy Efficiency Initiative to facilitate smarter power delivery and end-use. In 2012 Mansoor launched EPRI’s Integrated Grid Initiative, charting a course for the electricity sector to integrate distributed resources such as rooftop solar and onsite energy storage with utilities’ central generation, transmission, and distribution systems.

More recently, he has guided and shaped EPRI’s Efficient Electrification Initiative, examining the potential for economywide electrification to reduce overall energy demand and emissions while improving economic efficiency and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Today he is driving low-carbon research spanning the evolving energy system, interconnected energy technologies and emerging sources such as hydrogen.  Focused on accelerating decarbonization across the economy, this work is identifying effective pathways to double by 2030 the US energy-related CO2 emission reductions achieved since 2005 – and to enable more than 80 percent reduction by 2050.

Mansoor holds five U.S. patents in power electronics and distributed energy resources. He is a senior member of IEEE, served as vice president of the U.S. National Committee of CIGRE, the international council on large electric systems, and as a member of the board for the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. He has published numerous papers in journals and conference proceedings and has given talks and participated in panels at leading technical forums worldwide.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Mansoor earned his Master of Science (1992) and doctorate (1994) in electrical engineering, focusing on power systems engineering from the University of Texas in Austin. He completed the MIT Reactor Technology Course and the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.

Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal is the CEO of Statkraft. She was first appointed to Statkraft’s Group Management in 2020 as Executive Vice President (EVP) for the business area European Wind and Solar. She later held the position as EVP for the business area Nordics from 2022 until she was appointed CEO of the company.

Ringstad Vartdal came to Statkraft from the position as CEO in Golden Ocean. She has also worked as CFO in Golden Ocean, held various management positions in Torvald Klaveness Group and worked for Norsk Hydro’s energy division. She has held several board positions, incl. Mowi, Yara and Seadrill. She holds a MSc in Physics and Mathematics from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim and a MSc in Financial Mathematics from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

Leonhard Birnbaum was born in Ludwigshafen, Germany, on February 19, 1967. He studied chemical engineering in Karlsruhe. After a subsequent period of academic work at the Karlsruhe Research Centre, he obtained a doctorate from the University of Cottbus.

Leonhard Birnbaum began his professional career as a management consultant at McKinsey in Düsseldorf. After holding various positions – including at McKinsey’s off ice in Houston, USA – he was Senior Partner for the energy and industrial sector. In 2008, he joined RWE AG and was appointed to the Board of Management the same year. He served as Chief Strategy Officer and as RWE Group’s Chief Commercial Officer until 2013.

In 2013, Leonhard Birnbaum was appointed as member of the Board of Management of E.ON SE and took on a variety of responsibilities within the Board. From 2018 until 2021 he was responsible for the innogy integration project. From 2019 to 2020, he was also Chairman of the Board of Management of innogy SE.

In 2021, Leonhard Birnbaum was appointed to his current role as CEO of E.ON SE. In this position, he is responsible for E.ON Group’s Communications & Political Affairs, Corporate Audit, Culture & Performance, Group and Executive HR, HSE & Sustainability, Legal, Compliance & Security, Strategy & Innovation and Nuclear Coordination.

Leonhard Birnbaum is President of Eurelectric, the European Electricity Association, Vice-President of the Executive Committee of BDEW, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries, a member of the Executive Committee of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and, and Vice Chair of the World Energy Council.

Leonhard Birnbaum is married and has two daughters.

• Chair of the Board for the EU Commissions Mission Board on Adaptation to Climate Change including societal change
• Chair of the Board for KR Foundation
• Chair of the Board for Denmark’s green think tank CONCITO
• Chair of OECD’s Round Table for Sustainable Development
• Chair of the Board of Grønnegårdsteatret
• Member of the Board of European Climate Foundation
• Member of the Board of Directors in Danfoss, Kirkbi Holding, BBVA, and the Villum Foundation

Dan Jørgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, is a Danish Politician and a Member of the Social Democratic Party of Denmark. He served as a Minister for Development Cooperation and Minister for Global Climate Policy (December 2022 – 2024), as Minister for Climate, Energy, and Utilities (June 2019 – December 2022). He has been a Member of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) since 2015, having served as Vice-Chairman, Parliamentary Group of the Social Democratic Party (2017-2019) and Vice-Chairman, Danish Delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Before entering the Danish Parliament, D. Jørgensen he had been elected as the Member of the European Parliament within the S&D Group (July 2004 – November 2013). Within the EP he had led numerous initiatives and drafted key reports, having been also: Vice-Chairman, Committee on Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety; President of the Animal Welfare Intergroup; and the Head of the Danish delegation of Social Democrats (2009-2013). D. Jørgensen has master’s degree in political science from Aarhus University, Denmark (which he obtained in 2004), and subsequently to it, pursued also an academic career. He lectured as External Lecturer at several universities University of Copenhagen; Seattle University; Sciences Po, Paris; Danish Institute for Study Abroad, Copenhagen; Department of Political Science, Aarhus University – all in the years 2010-13), as also as Adjunct Professor at the Aalborg University, Denmark (2016 – 2019).

Maud leads the team responsible for powering Google’s data centers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She is focused on driving energy efficiencies, clean energy procurement, and investments in next-generation energy sources.

Maud joined Google in 2019 as Head of Carbon-Free Energy where she established and led critical climate and energy programs, including the global launch and implementation of the company’s goal to operate entirely on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030.

Prior to Google, Maud was the Head of Industrial Energy Products for Tesla, building their energy business and deploying grid-scale battery systems across 20 energy markets. Previously, Maud worked for Electricité de France, one of the largest global utilities, as part of the Innovation office in charge of new technologies for the group. Maud holds an MS of engineering in Energy and Power systems from Ecole Centrale Paris.

Ana Quelhas is the Chief Hydrogen and Data Center Officer at EDP, leading the Group’s strategy on the renewable hydrogen business and data centers. Prior to that, Ana was the Head of Energy Planning at EDP, being responsible for supporting the Executive Board of Directors in the decision making processes, contributing with a long term perspective of the energy sector and an integrated vision of the company across businesses (renewables, conventional electricity generation, retail and distribution) and geographies.

Before joining EDP, Ana worked in the Directorate-General for Research of the European Commission, in Brussels, supporting the development of the strategic research agenda in the field of energy. Prior to that, she was at the California Independent System Operator providing strategic energy consultancy to the wholesale power market and grid operator in the State of California.

Ana holds a PhD with distinction in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University. She also holds a master’s degree in Economics and a master’s degree in Engineering from the same university, being graduated from the University of Porto with a degree in Electrical Engineering.

Andrijana Nelkova Chuchuk is Head of Economic Department at the Energy, Water Services and Municipal Waste Management Services Regulatory Commission (ERC) of the Republic of North Macedonia. She served as Commissioner from 2019 to 2024. Previously she was a Deputy Head of Economic Department at the ERC. She has over 20 years’ experience in energy regulation in the field of electricity, natural gas, district heating and oil and oil derivatives. In the period 2016 – 2019 she was also a Coordinator of the Water Services Regulation Group at ERC North Macedonia.

In 2018 Andrijana was elected for her second term as Chair of the ERRA Tariff/Pricing Committee and in 2020 and 2022 she was elected as ERRA Presidium member. In May 2024 Andrijana assumed the position of ERRA Chair for a 2-year term.

Andrijana Nelkova Chuchuk holds a B.Sc. degree in Economy in the field of Financial and Accounting Management and M.Sc. degree in Economy in the field of Accounting and Auditing and is a member in several professional organizations.

Georgios Stassis joined PPC Group in 2019. He is leading the Group’s transformation into a primary clean powertech in Southeast Europe by implementing a strategic plan focusing on financial stability and growth, energy transition, digitalization, and customer centricity.

With almost 25 years of experience in the energy & telecommunication markets, Georgios Stassis has held important positions in various organizations and associations in Greece and 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 the Middle East.

Carlos Moreira is a member of the Client Solutions management team at EDP group, leading the areas of field operations, energy management and smart mobility across Europe. Previously, he headed the Strategy and Acceleration department, overseeing the roll-out of strategic projects across EDP’s retail business.

Prior to EDP, Carlos worked at McKinsey & Company with an industry focus on Telecom. He holds a Master’s Double Degree in management from ESCP Business School & Catolica Lisbon and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Thomas Pellerin-Carlin is a French MEP (Place Publique, S&D) elected in 2024. Before joining the European Parliament, Thomas worked as a researcher and research director, specialising in EU energy and climate policy, at the Institute for Climate Economics (I4CE) (2022-2024) and the Jacques Delors Institute (2015-2022). He also worked in academia at the College of Europe (2013-2015) and the French National administration (2012). Parallel to his civilian work, Thomas served as a French Army Reserve Officer (2016-2021).

Thomas holds a MA from the College of Europe’s Master in European Political and Administrative Studies (2012-2013, Václav Havel Promotion) and an MA from Sciences-Po Lille (2007-2012, George Orwell Promotion).

In addition to his native French, Thomas is fluent in English and Italian. An expert on energy and climate issues, he continues to teach at Sciences Po in Paris and at the College of Europe’s Energy Union Training Programme in Bruges.

Alain Taccoen is Head of Stakeholders Relations at EDF European Affairs, in charge of coordinating EDF Group participation in think-tanks and some Brussels based associations. In preceding years, he held several positions, in EDF in charge of Retail Markets Regulation and in RTE as Deputy-Head of the Regulation and Finance Department in charge of all activities regarding financial and economic regulation of the French TSO.

Alain is Chair of the Eurelectric Customers and Retail Services Committee.

Alain holds Degrees from Ecole Centrale de Paris, France, a PhD in Physics from the University Paris VI and a Master in Archeology from University Paris I.

Agustín Reyna is the Director General of BEUC, The European Consumer Organisation, which serves as the umbrella group for 45 independent consumer organisations across 31 European countries. BEUC’s primary mission is to act as a strong consumer voice in Brussels and to ensure that consumer interests are given their proper weight in all EU policies. Agustín joined BEUC in 2010 and has since held various positions, including Director of the Legal and Economic Department. Since 2018, he has served as a non-governmental advisor for the European Commission to the International Competition Network and represents BEUC in numerous European and international forums. Additionally, he is a member of ESMA’s Securities and Markets Stakeholder Group. Agustín holds a law degree from the National University of Córdoba in Argentina, an advanced master’s degree in ICT Law from the University of Namur in Belgium, and a PhD in Law from the University of Bremen in Germany.

Krzysztof Bolesta is an appointed official of the European Commission, where he worked from 2004 to 2012 and from 2020 to 2024. From 2000 to 2004, he supported the accession negotiations and Poland’s adaptation to EU requirements in the areas of ‘energy’ and ‘research and development’. Between 2012 and 2015, he was a member of the political cabinet of two Polish Ministers of the Environment and a member of the supervisory board of the provincial branch of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Lublin. He was involved in the negotiation regarding the second European energy and climate change package. In addition, he served as an advisor to the President of Poland at COP19 (United Nations Climate Change Conference). From 2016 to 2018, he was a research director at the Policy Insight think tank. Moreover, he co-founded the NGO, the Foundation for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles, where he served as vice-president from 2018 to 2020. He participated in two Euro-Atlantic exchange programmes, the US State Department’s International Leadership Programme and the German-American Marshall Fund programme. In 2014, the President of the Republic of Poland awarded him the Silver Cross for services to strengthen and develop European integration.

Kristian Jensen is CEO of Green Power Denmark, a non-for-profit business organization representing approx. 1500 companies in the Danish renewable energy sector. Green Power Denmark strive for a green, carbon neutral future through an accelerated electrification of society. Denmark is a pioneering country within renewable energy technology and solutions.

Prior to Green Power Denmark Kristian Jensen served for 23 years as a member of the Danish Parliament for the center-right liberal party, Venstre.

Kristian Jensen has served as minister for Taxation (2004-2010), Minister for Foreign Affairs (2015-2016) and Minister for Finance (2016-2019).

Kristian Jensen has throughout his political career been a champion of sustainability and human rights. Kristian Jensen is the author of several books on energy, globalization and international politics. Kristian Jensen was a German Marshall Memorial Fellow in 1999. Kristian Jensen has received the order as Commander of the order of Dannebrog.

Azeem Azhar is the founder of Exponential View, one of the world’s most influential platforms for understanding the impact of technology on business and society. He is regarded as a global thought leader and voice on AI, energy and other emerging technologies. Azeem’s work has been featured in the New York Times and The Financial Times, and he regularly appears on international broadcast media, including CNBC, Bloomberg, BBC and Deutsche Welle.

Michael Liebreich is a leading global expert on clean energy and transportation, smart infrastructure, technology, climate finance and sustainable development.

Michael Liebreich is chairman and CEO of Liebreich Associates and co-managing partner of EcoPragma Capital. He is an honorary fellow of the Energy Institute and visiting professor at Imperial College London. Former roles include being a member of the UK’s Taskforce on Energy Efficiency, chairing the subgroup on industry and an advisor to the UK Board of Trade, an advisor to the UN on Sustainable Energy for All, a member of the board of Transport for London and founder of BloombergNEF.

Peter likes to describe himself as a pathological optimist. He firmly believes that companies can and should help build a better, brighter and bolder Day After Tomorrow.

Peter is a top ranked and world class speaker on technological evolution, innovation strategy and adaptive leadership. He brings his content with a unique combination of depth, clarity, positivity, and a dry sense of humor.

Peter has collaborated with Fortune 1000 companies and leading brands like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Accenture, HP, SAS, Microsoft, Gartner, Danone, HSBC, London Business School, Sanofi, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and many more. He also lectures at renowned business schools like the London Business School and the MIT Sloan School of Management.

https://www.peterhinssen.com/

Michael Lewis is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Uniper SE. Düsseldorf-based Uniper is an international energy company with activities in more than 40 countries. With around 7,000 employees, it makes an important contribution to security of supply in Europe. Uniper’s core businesses are power generation in Europe, global energy trading, and a broad gas portfolio. Uniper procures gas – including liquefied natural gas (LNG) – and other energy sources on global markets.

The company owns and operates gas storage facilities with a capacity of more than 7 billion cubic meters. Uniper plans for its 22.5 GW of installed power-generating capacity in Europe to be carbon-neutral by 2035. The company already ranks among Europe’s largest operators of hydroelectric plants and intends to further expand solar and wind energy, which are essential for a more sustainable and autonomous future.

Michael started his career in the energy industry in 1993 where he worked at Powergen plc in various technical and strategy roles. Following the acquisition of Powergen by E.ON SE in 2002, he worked in Corporate Strategy at E.ON. In 2007 he joined the management board of E.ON Climate and Renewables, and was appointed as CEO in 2015. In 2017 he became CEO of E.ON UK, where he led the company’s transformation into a leading supplier of green electricity and zero carbon energy solutions.

Apart from his position as CEO of Uniper, he is also Council Member of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and a non- executive director of United Utilities plc. He was formerly a non-executive director of Equinor ASA.

He holds degrees in Engineering and Environmental Law.

Elena is Chief Strategy Officer at PPC Group, responsible for developing and delivering the group’s strategy on decarbonisation and energy transition.

Prior to joining PPC, and for more than ten years, Elena held senior positions in energy investment, analysis and consulting organizations in London, UK.

Elena is a Mechanical Engineer by training and graduated from National Technical University of Athens. She also holds a master’s degree in Applied Economics and Finance from Athens University of Economics and Business, and one in Sustainable Energy Futures from Imperial College London.

She is a mentor on various network groups encouraging young girls and women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) and promoting women’s leadership on climate change.

Ignacio is an energy policy and international relations expert, with extensive work experience in the European Union, in the renewable energy sector and in China. Currently, he is policy officer in charge of solar energy, bilateral electricity contracts, flexibility and grids. He was previously in charge of energy networks. Until 2018, he worked in the EU delegation in China in Beijing with a total of seven years of professional experience in the country. Previous to that, he was in charge of strategic programming for the European Commission’s research policy and of the political management of the EU’s energy research policy. He is reactive, flexible and focused on deliverables rather than processes.

GIIA was established in 2016 to improve engagement between investors, politicians, policymakers, and regulators and increase much-needed investment in infrastructure. Today, it represents 120 of the world’s leading infrastructure investors and advisors, who collectively represent more than USD 2 trillion of infrastructure assets under management across nearly 70 countries.

Jon was appointed CEO in January 2023 having joined GIIA in 2016 to lead on communications strategy, public affairs and membership growth as Corporate Affairs Director and Deputy CEO.

Between 2005 and 2016 he was Communications Director for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, a UK government agency established to run the £3bn a year nuclear clean-up programme. Prior to that, Jon spent 12 years at airport operator BAA Heathrow, where he led the communications campaign for the £4.2bn Terminal 5 project.

Sasha Twining has been a radio and TV presenter, both nationally and internationally, for some 25 years.

She’s heard worldwide on the BBC World Service, hosting the flagship programmes ‘Business Matters’ (also broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the UK) and ‘World Business Report’.

Her television work includes the BBC consumer champion show ‘Inside Out’ and the weekly Politics Show. Previously she was an anchor on the rolling news channel Sky News, and a correspondent for ITV. Internationally, Sasha was the London correspondent for breakfast and daytime programmes on the Nine Network (Australian national television).

In addition to her broadcast work, Sasha moderates debates and chairs events for both the public and private sector. She works in fields including energy transition, sustainability, technology, communications and retail. Details of her work can be found on www.thecorporatefacilitator.com

Sasha is an advocate of new technology – she has an embedded NFC chip, and presented a BBC programme about the innovation.

Markus Rauramo began his career in the Finnish forest industry at Enso-Gutzeit Oy in 1993. From 1999-2012 he held various senior strategy, finance and treasury positions in Helsinki, Brussels and London, and served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Stora Enso Oyj during 2008-2012.

Markus Rauramo joined Fortum as CFO of Fortum Corporation in 2012 and has been member of Fortum’s Executive Management Team since. During 2014-2016 he headed Fortum’s consumer and heat businesses as Executive Vice President of Heat, Electricity Sales and Solutions, and latest as Executive Vice President City Solutions, before being reappointed as CFO in 2017. He became President and CEO of Fortum Corporation in July 2020. In addition, he is a Member of the Board of Sampo plc and Vice-Chairman of Eurelectric.

Jean-François van Boxmeer became Chair of Vodafone Group Plc on 3 November 2020 having been appointed as a non-executive member of the board at the conclusion of the 2020 AGM.

Board Committees – Vodafone Nominations and Governance Committee – ESG Committee.

Jean-François van Boxmeer was the Chief Executive of Heineken for 15 years, having been with the company for 36 years. Jean-François held a number of senior roles in Africa and Europe before joining Heineken’s Executive Board in 2001 with worldwide responsibility for supply chain and technical services, as well as regional responsibility for the operating business es in North-West Europe, Central and Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Jean-François joined the Board of Mondelez International Inc. (formerly Kraft Foods Inc.) as an Independent Director in 2010 and has served as its Lead Director from 2020 before stepping down in May 2022.

He is a member of the Shareholders Committee of Henkel AG & Co.KGaA in Germany since 2013 and is

non-executive Director at Heineken Holding N.V. since 2020.

He is a Chairman of the European Roundtable for Industry (ERT). Initially joining in 2005 and serving as its

Vice-Chairman from 2016 to mid-2020 and as Chairman from May 2022.

He was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of De Nationale Opera & Ballet in Amsterdam until 2021.

Jean-François received a master’s degree from Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix.

Andrea Falciai is Accenture’s EMEA Utilities Industry Lead, with more than 25 years of experience in the Energy and Utilities industries. He has a strong background in system integration and consulting, with an international attitude. Falciai has spent his career working with clients in their digital and business transformation, leveraging technology and innovation but with a close look at people and their journey. He has a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering and is passionate about energy in all its forms. He is a believer in teamwork and diversity as key drivers to bring value to clients and communities.

Annie is the Director of the RE-Source Platform. Annie’s key responsibility is to drive RE-Source’s policymaker and energy buyer engagement strategy. She coordinates the execution of the Platform’s activities.

Fergal Burke is Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of Siemens Grid Software.  He is passionate about accelerating the energy transition through use of technology with a particular emphasis on software.  Fergal has held senior management roles in the Energy and utility sector over the past 20 years with companies such as Oracle, Trimble and now Siemens.

Roger Martella is chief corporate officer, chief sustainability officer and head of government affairs at GE Vernova. In this role, Roger engages the world’s top public and private sector leaders to solve of the energy trilemma of reliability, affordability, and sustainability.

Roger joined GE in 2017 and has held roles in environmental, health and safety and sustainability, driving a comprehensive and cohesive approach to sustainability for the company. Prior to GE, Roger served as general counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, and as principal counsel for complex litigation for the Department of Justice’s Natural Resources Section. Roger also co-led Sidley Austin LLP’s global environmental and climate change practices and was recognized among the top lawyers in the field globally.

Roger teaches a first of its kind course on international environmental law and justice at Howard University Law School and serves on the Advisory Board to Harvard University’s Environmental and Energy Law Program. In 2022, the Racial Justice Institute recognized Roger with a Racial Justice Champion Award. Roger is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), the ClearPath Foundation, the Environmental Law Institute, and several environmental and energy NGOs.

Roger has co-authored and edited four books on the intersection of ESG, climate change law, international environmental law, and human rights, including Corporate Social Responsibility—Sustainable Business: Environmental, Social and Governance Frameworks for the 21st Century (Wolters Kluwer 2020).

Roger holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor. from Vanderbilt Law School.

Stephen is an expert on changing energy markets, focusing on market design.
Stephen has over twenty-five 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 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.

As the Director of Innovation for Europe at LevelTen Energy, Andrés collaborates with European stakeholders to further develop LevelTen’s platform with new marketplaces for renewable energy, battery storage, granular certificates and asset transactions as well as expansion to new geographies. He also provides analytics and market intelligence to support the decision-making processes of buyers, developers, and investors. With over 15 years of experience, Andrés has led technical and commercial advisory teams on M&A transactions and energy procurement strategies throughout Europe.

Iván Contreras is a Renewable Energy professional with 12 years of experience in the energy industry, including 10 years in Business Development for renewables and PPAs at Enel across Chile, Italy and Spain. Currently, as Senior Manager, Energy Procurement and Buyer Strategies at LevelTen Energy, Iván focuses on developing strategies for C&I and utility PPA buyers to procure renewable energy across Europe.

Sanda Tuzlic is the Connected Energy Services Lead at Accenture, where she leads Accenture’s Connected Energy Business. Her focus is on helping clients bring net-zero energy solutions to scale in the areas of EV charging, decentralized energy resources, energy efficiency, and flexibility services.

With over 18 years of experience serving utilities and energy companies across Europe, Sanda has developed deep industry expertise, particularly in energy transition, eMobility, market reform, and digital transformation.

She leverages this experience across industries to drive impactful solutions.

She earned her Master’s in Commercial Engineering from the University of Antwerp.

Laurent Segalen is a franco-british clean energy investment banker. Laurent is the founder and CEO of Megawatt-X, the London-based Energy Transition investment platform. Laurent has been trading and investing billions of Euros in Clean Energy for over more than two decades. Recent investments have focused on Digital Green Markets, Residential Solar, Batteries and Interconnectors.

His career in Clean Energy spans over 25 years, from Director at pwc, Fund Manager at Mirova (Natixis) to Managing Director Clean Commodities at Lehman Brothers then Nomura.

He was one of the co-authors of the first version of the GHGProtocol “scope 1, scope 2, scope 3” emissions concept and helped create the European Trading System. He is now special adviser to the Board of IC-VCM (The Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets), and founding member of EnergyTag, a non-profit organization promoting hourly matching of Renewable Energy certificates.

Laurent has won the “Renewable Energy Leader of the Year” 2024 Award by EnergyBox and has been named “Leading Voice in Commodities 2024” by Cititec

Finally, Laurent co-hosts the Award-winning “Redefining Energy” podcast (1.8m downloads)

Dara Lynott is the Chief Executive Officer of the Electricity Association of Ireland since 2018.  Prior to that he was a Director of the Environmental Protection Agency from 2004 and in that period had responsibility for the Office of Sustainability, licensing of large Industrial and waste activities under the Industrial Emission Directive (IED), Greenhouse Gas Inventories and projections, Carbon Emission Trading, Circular Economy and the Office of Environmental Enforcement.  Prior to joining the EPA, he worked in the private sector for eight years as an environmental engineering consultant in Boston, USA. He holds a BE from NUIG, a MSc from Northeastern University, Boston and P Grad Dip. from the UCD Smurfit Business School. He is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of Engineers Ireland and a Professional Engineer (VT, USA).

Dixon leverages her 20+ year career, spanning the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, as she takes the helm at the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) as CEO. She formerly served as the Energy Transition Chief Counsellor at the International Energy Agency (IEA) and headed Bain and Company’s Global Energy Transition Policy Centre. Additionally, Dixon previously served as VP of Energy Transition Strategy at Shell.

Dixon originally hails from the United Kingdom and currently resides in Paris, France.

Simon Ludlam has extensive experience in the energy infrastructure and financial sectors. Since founding Etchea Energy in 2006, he has been involved in managing and advising numerous energy projects, including originating and leading the development of the ElecLink interconnector through the Channel Tunnel, as well as providing senior management teams for interconnectors such as MaresConnect and Greenlink. Simon also advises offshore transmission projects and companies developing technologies aimed at achieving net-zero goals and improving power transmission efficiency.

He is the Chairman of the GB Interconnectors’ Forum.

Before establishing Etchea Energy, Simon spent 14 years at Lehman Brothers, where he led business origination for the European Energy Group. During this time, he worked in London, Paris, and New York, specialising in project financing, M&A, and capital financing. Following his tenure at Lehman Brothers, he transitioned into private equity, focusing on originating and developing large-scale energy and infrastructure projects.

Olivier Franz is a regulatory expert focusing on energy markets and energy networks, with additional knowledge in financial regulation. Recently, telco regulation has become part of his portfolio, particularly in the FttX environment. He teaches energy economics and regulatory economics at various institutions, including TU Berlin. During his tenure within innogy (now merged with E.ON), smart metering was a significant aspect of his work. Recently, he has also been actively involved in E-Mobility-related projects.

Philip Eyckmans is the Global Category Manager Energy at metals producer Nyrstar. The company is planning to expand its zinc smelting plants in Belgium, the Netherlands and/or France, with operational flexibility as a key objective. Philip has been with Nyrstar for over six years, spending the past four and a half in his current role. A trained commercial engineer, he previously held positions at EverZinc and Umicore.

Paul leads EY Global Digital Grid services. An advisor to utilities, regulators and governments, he has extensive experience stewarding energy companies through complex technology-driven transformations. With over 10 years of experience in energy and international management consulting, he focuses on emerging energy technology and the digitization of the sector. Paul is frequently invited to speak at leading global conferences on the future of energy and the digitization of the network business. He received an MSc in Management from Cass Business School and a BSc in Business and Computing from the University of Malta.

How Paul is building a better working world “In my work, I help utilities and regulators navigate and make sense of their digital grid journey. This transformation will facilitate the uptake of distributed resources, enable EV infrastructure, provide greater insight and control into their energy domain, increase access to electricity and maintain the stability and integrity of critical national infrastructure.”

Alejandro Ulzurrun is the head of the Consumers, Local Initiatives, Just Transition unit in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy, where he has previously been in charge of the Energy Security and Safety unit and the Inter-institutional Relations and Communication unit. He joined the European Commission in 1997, holding different responsibilities in several of its departments (Enterprise, Communication, External Relations) and its Secretariat-General. Between 2010 and 2014, he was head of unit in the Commission’s Spokesperson’s Service.

Currently serving as the Director of Renewable Energy Liaison in EMEA, Ginevra leads strategic communication and coordination for Microsoft’s Renewable Energy procurement team to support the growth of Microsoft’s datacenter footprint in EMEA. The Renewable Energy team is charged with procuring carbon-free energy to meet the company’s sustainability commitments – 100% renewable energy by 2025 and 100/100/0 by 2030.

Ginevra has extensive experience in renewable energy and datacenter development. With a deep understanding of energy markets and a steadfast commitment to sustainability, Ginevra has been instrumental in strategizing and executing plans for Microsoft’s datacenters’ energy requirements across Europe, while driving innovative initiatives to improve datacenter sustainability. Prior to joining Microsoft, Ginevra developed and managed large portfolios of greenfield renewable energy projects in Southern Europe. She holds a B.Sc. in Operations Research and Financial Engineering from Princeton University, with a specialization in Sustainable Energy. She is an avid rock climber and alpinist.

George Niculescu is the President of the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE), the national institution responsible for overseeing and ensuring the efficient functioning of energy and gas markets in Romania. With a strong background in energy policy, public administration, and regulatory frameworks, he plays a key role in shaping Romania’s energy transition, promoting market liberalization, consumer protection, and investment in sustainable infrastructure.

Under his leadership, ANRE has accelerated reforms to strengthen market competitiveness, enhance transparency, and integrate Romania’s energy sector into the broader European framework. Mr. Niculescu is a vocal advocate of energy security, regional cooperation, and a balanced energy mix that supports decarbonization while ensuring affordability and reliability for consumers.

He regularly represents Romania in international energy forums and high-level policy dialogues, contributing strategic insights on regulatory innovation, energy resilience, and the role of the Black Sea region in Europe’s energy future.

He holds an Executive MBA in Energy from the Faculty of Business Administration in foreign languages (FABIZ), part of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE).

Paweł Wróbel – Director of PKEE. Prior to that, co-founder and managing director of BalticWind.EU, consultant at Gate Brussels, director of RE-Source Poland Hub. Between 2010 and 2015, he worked at the European Commission – in the gabinet of the Commissioner for the Budget, where he was responsible for issues related to energy, climate and environmental legislation, and then worked in the DG BUDG.

University lecturer. Author of a number of publications on EU energy and climate policy.

Eleonora Rinaldi is MLex Correspondent for energy and climate regulation in Europe. Previously, she worked as a press officer at Eurelectric, the European electricity industry trade association for almost three years. Eleonora holds a bachelor’s degree in Translation Studies and a Double master’s degree in international relations from the University of Bologna and the Johns Hopkins SAIS University.

Georg Zachmann is a senior fellow at Bruegel – an independent economic think tank based in Brussels. At Bruegel he has worked since 2009 on energy and climate policy. His work currently focuses on electricity and carbon markets, energy security and green industrial policy. Georg also acts as the Scientific Lead of the GreenDealUkraїna project to establish an energy and climate think tank in Kyiv. Prior to Bruegel Georg worked at the German Ministry of Finance, the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin and the energy think tank LARSEN in Paris and as a consultant. Georg holds a doctoral degree in economics.

Rory Farrell is Group Head of Sustainability at Lakeland Dairies, Ireland’s largest cross-border Dairy Co-operative. He is responsible for the strategic direction of the company’s sustainability / ESG agenda. He led the development and implementation of the company’s ESG Strategy ‘Pathway to a Better Future’.

He leads the execution of this innovative strategy working with 3,200 farm families as well as with six manufacturing production facilities.

Rory has worked at Lakeland Dairies for over twenty years and has held various leadership roles at the Co-operative.

He previously chaired Dairy Industry Ireland’s Environment and Energy Working Group for over ten years.

He holds a BSc in Environmental Science from the University of Galway, an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Queens University, Belfast and a Diploma in Management from the Irish Management Institute.

Catherine works in policy and regulation at ESB Group, Ireland’s largest energy company, and has worked in the climate and energy policy area for over 10 years. This involves assessing the impact of regulatory and policy proposals across the group. Prior to ESB, Catherine worked in Indaver, Ibec, UK Parliament and the European Parliament.

Clive Bowers has close to 20 years’ experience in energy policy and regulation. He spent 10 years with Irelands national utility regulator (CRU) working across electricity and gas wholesale, networks and retail. Since moving to ESB in 2016 he first worked in generation regulation and now manages cross group regulation and policy. In 2023 Clive led the development of ESB’s Net Zero Pathway which sets out 2030 emissions targets for the Group and the underlying initiatives that will be undertaken to achieve these. Clive has been involved in EU energy policy and regulation for more than 15 years through CEER, ACER and Eurelectric.

Miki Deric, Managing Director of the EMEA Region, brings extensive experience in helping utilities address critical challenges through strategic  planning, business process optimization and operational transformation. With a proven track record across more than 30 utility clients, industry suppliers and associations in North America and Europe, he specializes in developing decision-making frameworks  and operational  models that drive efficiency and innovation. His expertise enables utilities to implement impactful solutions that enhance performance and adaptability in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.

Robert Tucker has over 35 years’ experience in the electricity industry.

He  has held roles in all aspects for electricity infrastructure delivery , from project management to investment analyst  to asset Management.

Robert is currently the Resilient Network Manager for ESB Networks, the transmission and distribution electrical  utility in Ireland, leading a team responsible for developing and implementing strategies to improve both  Network Reliability and Resilience.

He  is chairing a working group at  EDSO (main representative group for distribution operators in Europe) looking at climate adaptation ion metrics and effective strategies to combat climate events

He  is particularly interested in looking at strategies and realistic affordable solutions to both chronic and acute climate change events to ensure electricity customers’ needs are met both now and into the future.

Hal Hodson is The Economist’s Americas editor, co-ordinating the paper’s coverage of the Western Hemisphere outside the United States. He is based in London, where he was previously the special projects writer. He joined the paper in 2016 as science and technology correspondent. In 2018 he was named Britain’s best science writer. In 2019 he moved to Hong Kong to take up a new role as Asia technology correspondent. He returned to London during the pandemic to join the paper’s covid team, writing on the immune system, vaccine manufacturing and data science. Mr Hodson’s commentary has appeared on the BBC, CNN, NPR, and Sky News. Before joining The Economist, Mr Hodson worked at New Scientist in Boston and London. He graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a degree in astrophysics in 2010. Mr Hodson is the author of special reports on electricity grids, technology in China, the technologies of the pandemic and the ocean, and an essay on solar power.

With professional experience from Estonia, Austria, China, South-Korea and Belgium, Marianne is dedicated to accelerate the clean energy transition in Europe by focusing on business, communication, and events design elements at Eurelectric in Brussels.

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.

Giovanni works as an Advisor at Eurelectric. In his role, he works with Eurelectric’s business members on a variety of corporate energy sourcing-related topics, including 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy and Energy Attribute Certificates. Previously, Giovanni spent time at ENGIE Impact (the consulting division of the ENGIE Group) and Global Counsel, a regulatory consultancy – working on a variety of subjects, from the reform of the EU electricity market to future costs of carbon-free hydrogen.