Hear from the Global Leaders of the Hydrogen Industry
Deputy Minister & Secretary of State for Energy Portugal Secretary General Hydrogen Europe Jorgo Chatzimarkakis was appointed Secretary General of Hydrogen Europe in 2016. Before he was Representative of Infineon Technologies in Brussels and Member of the European Parliament (2004 – 2014) inter alia in the ITRE Committee (Industry, Technology, Research and Energy) where he could contribute to lay the cornerstone for the first and the second Joint Undertaking on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. In 2007 he was elected “MEP of the year” by his colleagues of the European Parliament in the category “Research and Innovation”. In 2015 he was appointed ambassador at large for Greece. Mr Chatzimarkakis was born in Duisburg, Germany. He holds German and Greek nationality, a degree in political science from the University of Bonn. Deputy Executive Director International Energy Agency (IEA) Dave Turk joined the IEA in September 2016 and is currently the Acting Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Strategic Initiatives Office. He formerly served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Climate and Technology at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he coordinated the Department’s international clean energy efforts. He also previously served as Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change at the U.S. Department of State, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Congressional Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, and in various capacities in the U.S. Congress. Hydrogen Envoy Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy, Netherlands Noé van Hulst is Hydrogen Envoy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy in the Netherlands. Prior to that, Mr van Hulst was the Dutch Ambassador to the OECD from September 2013 to September 2018 and Chairman of the IEA Governing Board. From 2003 to 2007, he worked at the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris as Director of Long-Term Co-operation and Policy Analysis. He then became Secretary-General of the International Energy Forum (IEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 2008 to 2011. He was Director of the Energy Academy Europe in 2012-2013. Before that, Mr van Hulst worked at the Ministry of Economic Affairs from 1988, lastly as Director-General for Energy. Mr van Hulst has a PhD in economics from the VU Amsterdam. Coordinator for Hydrogen in Transport and Mobility Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management Dirk Schaap, Coordinator Hydrogen in Transport and Mobility at the Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.Dirk has been involved in hydrogen since 2014 when the Dutch vision on sustainable fuels was published. Over the years he has worked together with the private sector to support the uptake of hydrogen in transport. He has actively worked together with the European Commission in positioning hydrogen as an energy carrier and in transport. At present he participates with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policies in the making of the Dutch Government vision, expected end of March 2020, on hydrogen in the energy transition. Managing Director Smartenergy Projects Christian is heading the hydrogen activities of Smartenergy and is also in charge for solar projects in Germany. Christian has worked over 10 years in Renewable Energies and Electro Mobility for Torqeedo, Nanosolar and Solyndra and over 15 years in Semiconductors for Infineon, Giesecke & Devrient and Siemens in various management positions. Christian holds a master’s degree in semiconductor physics and microelectronics engineering from Cambridge University and a master’s degree in physics from the Ludwig-Maximilian-University of Munich. Senior Manager - European & Government Affairs Toyota Motor Europe Didier Stevens (58) is Senior Manager European & Government Affairs at Toyota Motor Europe in Brussels, Belgium. He is in charge of coordinating and leading internally and externally all lobbying activities in Europe for the Japanese automotive company with special focus on CO2 for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, introduction of alternative powertrains and respective infrastructure, and other EU emissions legislation. Didier is the Toyota representative in different stakeholder groups of the European Commission, committees and working groups of ACEA (European car manufacturers association), FEBIAC (Belgian car industry federation) and a member of the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development) Urban Infrastructure Initiative. Prior to his 20 years with Toyota Motor Europe, he was in charge of the European Internal Market introduction to Mitsubishi Electric. From May 2006 till February 2017, he has been Chairman of the Belgian-Japan Association EU Committee facilitating the contacts between Japanese companies and the European institutions and officials. In June 2017, Didier Stevens has been appointed Hydrogen Europe Board member in charge of the Transport Pillar and is currently leading a working group on hydrogen trucks. Didier Stevens holds a post-university degree from the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium). Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Antwerp Port Authority Head of Division Innovation Finance Advisory European Investment Bank (EIB) Director Strategy & Innovation The Port of Amsterdam Name Eduard Justus de Visser (drs. MBA) Eduard de Visser (1975) is Director Strategy & Innovation at the Port of Amsterdam. He is responsible for the long-term development and transition strategy of the port, the shareholder relationship and the innovation agenda. Eduard has held various other positions within the port authority. He has been responsible for the corporatization of the Port Authority, the rollout of the international activities of the port, and real estate development. Eduard is married, father of three children and lives in Amsterdam.
Employment History Other current functions Education Languages Head of Department for EU Energy Policy Thüga Eva Hennig study of Mechanical Engineering at Technical University in Munich. With Thüga Aktiengesellschaft in Munich since 1989 in various positions, since 1.1.2018 head of department for EU Energy Policy. Active in the field of DSO regulation for gas and electricity, sector coupling and renewable and decarbonized gases. Since 2012 chair of the Eurogas Distribution Committee. The Thüga Group constitutes the largest alliance of municipal utilities in Germany with activities in the sectors gas, electricity, district heating, water and various services. Power Sector Transformation Strategies International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Emanuele Taibi joined IRENA in 2013. He is based with the IRENA Innovation and Technology Center in Bonn, Germany. He is responsible for assisting Member Countries in devising strategies for the transformation of the power sector, currently managing the work on power system flexibility, hydrogen and storage as enablers for the integration of variable renewable energy. In his previous role he assisted island countries in the transition to renewable energy, focusing on energy planning. Prior to joining IRENA, he was an energy specialist with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in the Federated States of Micronesia and a bioenergy officer with UNIDO in Vienna. He has over 15 years of experience in the energy sector. After his first years working for large energy companies and research institutions, he spent over ten years working as an international civil servant in different countries and institutions. He has a M.Sc. in Management Engineering (laude) and is a chartered industrial engineer from Italy. Senior Principal AFRY Management Consulting John Williams is a Senior Principal with AFRY Management Consulting where he is the Head of the global Gas Expertise Cluster and is leading the development of hydrogen across all sectors. He has over 25 years of experience in the energy industry with a specific focus on competitive gas markets. He has advised right across the gas value chain from upstream acquisitions, market liberalisation/design and decarbonisation strategies for infrastructure funds, network companies, regulators and governments. Regional Minister Province of Groningen Nienke Homan (1979) is regional minister at the province of Groningen, responsible for (a.o.) energy transition, climate. In this capacity, she is responsible for hydrogen policy. Mrs. Homan is member of GroenLinks, a progressive left-wing green party. From 2005 to 2007 she was general board member of the party, and she has been campaign leader for the national elections in Groningen as well as for the regional elections. Before she became regional minister she worked for Greenpeace Netherlands and in youthcare. She has been regional minister since 2015 and now serves in her second term. Being an inspiring leader in the energy transition and climate adaptation, Nienke is working hard on tackling climate change. Senior Vice President, Executive Assistant to President Chiyoda Corporation Head of Department for Hydrogen Technology Fraunhofer IFAM VP Sales & Marketing Nel Hydrogen Electrolyser Senior Adviser – Advanced Industrial Technologies/ Hydrogen Coordinator European Commission Christian Weinberger joined the European Commission in 1999 to work on technical harmonisation in the Common Market, using the New Approach with CE-marking and harmonized EN Standards. In 2003 he was appointed Head of Unit dealing with Entrepreneurship policy, identifying and disseminating good practices and preparing Commission Communications on SME topics. In 2008 he was named Entrepreneurship and SME Policy Advisor. During 2016 and 2017 he was Adviser to the Danube Region Macroregional Strategy promoting its business dimension.Since 2018 he is Senior Adviser on Advanced Industrial Technologies and Hydrogen Co-ordinator for DG Internal Market, Industry, SMEs & Entrepreneurship. Before joining the European Commission, Christian Weinberger worked for 10 years with a large multinational corporation in Marketing, Sales, Finance and Special Business Operations in various countries and at European HQ. He then co-founded an international SME in Information Technology and was its CEO for 9 years. Being a native Austrian, Christian Weinberger holds a Master of Physics in Engineering, an MBA and a Ph.D. in Economics. Co-Founder, Airspace Experience Technologies Aerospace Dr. Sengupta is an aerospace engineer, rocket scientist, and veteran of the space program who has developed technologies that have enabled the exploration of Mars, asteroids, and deep space for 20 years. Her career began with the launch of vehicles and communication satellites at Boeing Space and Communications. She then worked for NASA for 16 years where her engineering projects included her PhD research on developing the ion propulsion system for the Dawn Mission (currently in the main asteroid belt), the supersonic parachute that landed the Curiosity rover on Mars, and the Cold Atom Laboratory an atomic physics facility now on board the International Space Station. After leaving NASA she led the development of the hyperloop as Senior Vice President of engineering systems at Virgin Hyperloop, a technology that can enable ground-based travel in excess of airline speed. In 2019 she became a co-founder and chief product officer of Airspace Experience Technologies, or ASX (asx.us), located in Detroit Michigan, which is leading the development of a hybrid-electric, vertical takeoff and landing urban aerial mobility system. She and her team hope to use the system to revolutionize urban transit. As an engineering savvy executive and pilot, she is now leading the mobility solutions for smart cities by eliminating congestion and reducing the carbon footprint of air travel. Dr. Sengupta received her MS and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California, where she is also a Research Associate Professor of Astronautics and Space Technology specializing in interplanetary entry system and green transportation technology. In her spare time she is an avid pilot, motorcyclist, scuba diver, snowboarder, hiker, long distance runner, and Sci-Fi fan. Head of the Knowledge Centre International Energy Charter Dr Gokce Mete is an energy sector professional, qualified lawyer, academic and consultant with a decade of experience focused on climate change, energy and natural resources law and policy. Alongside her academic research, she brings extensive practical experience working with law firms, academic and international organisations, including the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Natural Resources Governance Institute, the World Bank, and other international development agencies. She holds a PhD from the Centre for Energy Petroleum, Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) at the University of Dundee. Dr Mete is the author of 18 published and upcoming publications. In her new book, The Future of Gas in the EU: Subsidise or Decarbonise? (Palgrave, Macmillan 2019), she carries out an experiential assessment of the impact of energy transitions on the future of natural gas in the EU energy mix and provides policy recommendations, including on the future of sector coupling, and explores alternatives pathways to promote incentives for technologies that can enable decarbonisation of the gas grid at scale. She is currently the Head of the Knowledge Centre at the International Energy Charter in Brussels, an intergovernmental organisation with over 90 signatories across the globe, whose work is dedicated to facilitating international cooperation in the energy sector. Previously, she was the Content Lead of the £3.4 million UK Department for International Development (DfID) funded Extractives Hub project at the CEPMLP. CEO Groningen Seaports NV Cas König (53) was appointed CEO of Groningen Seaports NV on 1 September 2017. In recent years he has held various positions and gained broad (international) experience in the industrial port setting - at Aluminium Delfzijl and ESD-SIC - and in political-social interest groups. In recent years, for example, he has worked at various interest groups, including the Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry (VNCI), the Eemsmond Business Alliance (SBE) and VNO-NCW Noord. In 2013 he was singled out as Plant Manager of the Year. This resulted in Cas König being a figurehead for the process industry at national level for a year. As of 2018 Cas König is chairman of the Northern Industry Table, focusing on climate change and CO2 reduction following the Paris Climate Act. Secretary General Gas Infrastructure Europe Since September 2016, Boyana Achovski serves as Secretary General of Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), the European association of gas transmission, gas storage and LNG regasification terminal operators. Prior to her current function, Ms. Achovski held the position of GIE Vice Executive Secretary for a period of 4 years. Before joining GIE, Boyana Achovski worked for Bulgartransgaz, the Bulgarian transmission and storage operator, where she led the Analysis and International Operations Division, managing the company’s undertakings relating to the European regulatory framework and European energy policy. Ms. Achovski graduated in International Economic Affairs, specialized in International Finance and holds a Master's degree in Finance. Boyana Achovski was a Chair of GasNaturally Steering Committee from June 2017 to January 2018 and from July to December 2019. President & CEO Dii Desert Energy Paul van Son has been active in various management and executive positions in the international (renewable) electricity and gas business for over 30 years at Siemens AG (Germany), SEP (the Dutch power pool and interconnected grid), KEMA Consulting/ECC (international energy consultants), Chief Executive Officer of Essent Energy Trading, Managing Director of Essent Sustainable Energy and Chairman of the Management Board of Deutsche Essent GmbH in Düsseldorf, being responsible for the German activities of Essent N.V. Mr. van Son has been instrumental in developing of non‐food biomass for power supply, wind power development and marketing of green power (an invention of Essent in 1998). During 2008/9 Mr. van Son was Executive Director of Econcern, NL (renewable energy and energy efficiency). He is Chairman of the Energy4All Foundation (www.energy4all.org / www.niceinternational.com ), a non‐profit organization promoting decentralized energy and communication systems in Africa. In addition, Mr. van Son is President of the European Federation of Energy Traders (www.efet.org), which has been a pioneer in energy market opening and (renewable) energy trading. In 2009 Mr. van Son was appointed CEO of the Dii GmbH (Desertec Industrial Initiative). CEO Stedin Groep Marc van der Linden (1972) has been appointed Chairman of the Executive Board with effect from 1 February 2017. Before that he was, since December 2012, a member of the board of directors of Eneco Holding NV He started at Eneco in 1997 and held various positions including that of director of Eneco Energy Projects, director of Eneco Installation Companies and director of Eneco Wind. Before that, Marc worked at Van Gansewinkel Groep. He studied Economics at the University of Tilburg. Other position: Chairman of Netbeheer Nederland, Member of Cyber Senior Research Engineer NLR - Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre Manager (Exploration Business Development) Petronas Graduated in 2004 with Bsc (Hons) Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Nashwa started her career in East Malaysia (Labuan) in 2005 as an Instrument Engineer for 4 years. Nashwa then left for West Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) to assume various positions in parlay of commercial and strategy work for the next 10 years both in Upstream (Exploration,Development&Production) and Downstream (Refinery&Petrochemical) business covering plant-based, project-based and corporate-based portfolios. Nashwa’s career notable highlights include an Economics Manager of multi-billion projects, where she has been responsible for the sanction of Project RAPID and various Upstream projects in Malaysia, SEA & Australia. With solid 15 years experience in Oil & Gas Industry, Nashwa, who had just completed her 1-year MBA in Warwick Business School in 2018, University of Warwick with dissertation in “UK’s Energy Scenarios”, feels that she has soft spot and true passion in Energy related industry. Deputy Chair UKHFCA Dennis was part of the group involved in founding the UK fuel cell power technology and engineering company Intelligent Energy (IE) in 2001. He focused on business development and commercialisation of its PEM fuel cell technologies for a range of markets including automotive, aviation, stationary and portable power. IE is now owned by Meditor Energy, part of the Meditor Group. Dennis currently covers External Affairs for IE and on behalf of IE is Deputy Chair of the Hydrogen London group; Chair of the UK H2Mobility grouping; and a Director of the USA Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA). He is also Vice Chair of the UK Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Association and Chairman of the UK Centre of Excellence in Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technologies – Cenex. Dennis had previously been a Practice Leader at the global consulting firm of Booz Allen & Hamilton, a Principal with AT Kearney; and a Partner with Roland Berger & Partners Strategy Consultants. He was previously the Managing Director of MERC (Netherlands) and the co-founder of the shipping and logistics firm MDS Transmodal. He is an Economist by profession. Managing Director, Global Clean Energy Practice FTI Consulting David has over 30 years’ experience in strategy consultancy, corporate advisory and innovation, with a focus on energy and clean technology. David has focused on clean energy since 2004, with an emphasis on renewables, hydrogen and electric vehicles. He has led projects with clients in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, and throughout the value chain including emerging technology companies, manufacturers, utilities, energy companies, investors, and government agencies. In addition to consultancy work, David has co-founded technology businesses in food production, composite materials, internet telephony, and mobile telecoms software and acts as a mentor to early stage businesses. Senior Business Development Manager Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies Siying Huang is Senior Business Development Manager at Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies and joined the company in 2018. Her focus is on the Asian and European hydrogen markets. Prior to joining Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies, she worked for a German engineering company with focus on geothermal power plant and novel drilling technologies. Sales Director, Industry Market McPhy Florent BAUDU has been working more than 20 years for the industry, in petrochemicals for a steam cracker/steam reformer equipment supplier as well as for Glass and Steel industry as Vice President Sales for an EPC company. He joined McPhy in February 2019 and he is currently in charge of large electrolysis platforms development dedicated to the large-scale decarbonation of the industrial and energy applications. He holds a MSc in Particle Physics as well as a MBA from EDHEC Business School. Hydrogen Commercial Manager – Europe Shell Mattijs Slee is Shell’s Commercial Manager Hydrogen for Europe, in which he is looking after all business development and commercial activities in Europe but increasingly also the Middle East. He is an engineer by background and has worked around the world where developing and executing large scale energy projects. Subsequently, he was a development manager for multibillion US$ acquisition and divestments, and responsible for the pre-sanction development of one on the largest projects in Shell. In 2017 he led the acquisition of NewMotion on behalf of Shell New Energies and made several venture investments as Investment Principal in the new fuels space on behalf of Shell Ventures. Mattijs holds an Global Executive MBA at INSEAD and has a personal motivation to accelerate the Energy Transition and deliver the scale required to minimize climate change. Global Petrochemicals Director, Consulting KBR Anton is a Subject Matter Expert for Syngas, CO2 capture process & Petrochemical Value Chain analysis, participating in the development of Bankable Feasibility Studies and provision of technical advisory services for Government agencies, Project Finance and M&A sectors. Anton has over 15 years of experience within the associated industries, with major global process engineering companies for major projects in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Russia. His experience also includes a number of high profile transaction / project finance engagements within EMEA. Anton is fluent in English, Russian and Spanish languages. Based in London, Anton is married with a young daughter. He spends his leisure time travelling with his young family and skiing. Energy Professional Purple Hydrogen Afkenel Schipstra is an energy professional, formerly working for Shell and Gasunie. She worked extensively on oil and gas development projects in Italy, Aberdeen, the Netherlands and Sub-Sahara Africa. She is now one of the voices of the energy transition in the Netherlands. She has worked on the Dutch Climate Agreement and various hydrogen and CCS projects in the Netherlands.
H.E. João GalambaDeputy Minister & Secretary of State for EnergyPortugal
H.E. João Galamba
Jorgo ChatzimarkakisSecretary GeneralHydrogen Europe
Jorgo Chatzimarkakis
David TurkDeputy Executive DirectorInternational Energy Agency (IEA)
David Turk
Noe Van HulstHydrogen EnvoyMinistry of Economic Affairs & Climate Policy, NetherlandsFormer Chairman of the Governing BoardIEA
Noe Van Hulst
Dirk SchaapCoordinator for Hydrogen in Transport and MobilityMinistry of Infrastructure and Water Management
Dirk Schaap
Christian Pho DucManaging DirectorSmartenergy Projects
Christian Pho Duc
Didier StevensSenior Manager - European & Government AffairsToyota Motor Europe
Didier Stevens
Guy JanssensChief Corporate Affairs OfficerAntwerp Port Authority
Guy Janssens
Shiva DustdarHead of Division Innovation Finance AdvisoryEuropean Investment Bank (EIB)
Shiva Dustdar
Eduard De VisserDirector Strategy & InnovationThe Port of Amsterdam
Eduard De Visser
2011 – year to date - Director Strategy & Innovation - Port of Amsterdam (PoA)
2009 – 2011 - Project Leader Corporatization Port of Amsterdam (PoA)
2007 – 2009 - Head of Real Estate Development (PoA)
2003 – 2007 - Deloitte Consulting
2000 – 2003 - Ernst & Young Consulting
- Member Supervisory Board Portbase
- Member steering committee Amsterdam Logistics Board
- Member Advisory Board Netherlands Distribution Council
2016 – 2017 - Strategy Execution Program, INSEAD
2013 – 2014 - Community for Authentic Leadership and Learning, Twijnstra & Gudde
2008 – 2009 - Executive MBA, Rotterdam School of Management
2005 - Financial-economic management, De Baak
2003 -Real Estate management, University of Amsterdam
1995 – 1999 - Master contemporary history, University of Groningen
- Dutch - Native language
- English - Fluent in business, fluent socially
- French - Fluent in business, fluent socially
- German - Proficient socially
Eva HennigHead of Department for EU Energy PolicyThüga
Eva Hennig
Emanuele TaibiPower Sector Transformation StrategiesInternational Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Emanuele Taibi
John WilliamsSenior PrincipalAFRY Management Consulting
John Williams
Nienke HomanRegional MinisterProvince of Groningen
Nienke Homan
Setsuo IuchiSenior Vice President, Executive Assistant to PresidentChiyoda Corporation
Setsuo Iuchi
Dr Lars RontzschHead of Department for Hydrogen TechnologyFraunhofer IFAM
Dr Lars Rontzsch
Luc GraréVP Sales & MarketingNel Hydrogen Electrolyser
Luc Graré
Christian WeinbergerSenior Adviser – Advanced Industrial Technologies/ Hydrogen CoordinatorEuropean Commission
Christian Weinberger
Anita SenguptaCo-Founder, Airspace Experience TechnologiesAerospaceProfessor of AstronauticsUniversity of Southern California
Anita Sengupta
Dr Gökçe MeteHead of the Knowledge CentreInternational Energy Charter
Dr Gökçe Mete
Cas KönigCEOGroningen Seaports NV
Cas König
Boyana AchovskiSecretary GeneralGas Infrastructure Europe
Boyana Achovski
Paul van SonPresident & CEODii Desert Energy Honorary President EFET
Paul van Son
Marc van der LindenCEOStedin Groep
Marc van der Linden
Security Council of the Netherlands, Member of Economic Board Zuid-Holland,
Member of Advisory Board of Technical College Rotterdam.
Jasper van der VorstSenior Research EngineerNLR - Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre
Jasper van der Vorst
Nurul Nashwar binti Mohd TaibManager (Exploration Business Development)Petronas
Nurul Nashwar binti Mohd Taib
Dennis HayterDeputy ChairUKHFCA
Dennis Hayter
David SandersManaging Director, Global Clean Energy PracticeFTI Consulting
David Sanders
Siying HuangSenior Business Development ManagerHydrogenious LOHC Technologies
Siying Huang
Florent BauduSales Director, Industry MarketMcPhy
Florent Baudu
Mattijs SleeHydrogen Commercial Manager – EuropeShell
Mattijs Slee
Anton TvelenevGlobal Petrochemicals Director, ConsultingKBR
Anton Tvelenev
Afkenel SchipstraEnergy ProfessionalPurple Hydrogen
Afkenel Schipstra
Get in touch with our team to participate as a speaker, partner or attendee at the Summit, please contact Chris Hugall on +44 20 7978 0080 or email Hydrogen@sustainableenergycouncil.com
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