Speakers 2018
Maura Adams
- Program Director, Northern Forest Center, USA
- Environmental Stewardship Manager, St. Paul’s School, USA
- Master’s in Environmental Management, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, USA; BA in History and Biological Aspects of Conservation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Antoine Aslanides
- Vice-Chairman of the Partnership Board of the Energy Efficiency in Buildings Public Private Partnership
- Senior Advisor for the EDF Group, European Affairs
- PhD in Solid State Physics, Paris University, France; Master’s degree in Science and Engineering Degree in Mechanics
Speaker of the Technology Innovation Conference: Energy and Buildings
Eneritz Barreiro Sánchez
- Energy Efficiency Project Manager and Marketing Manager, Tecnalia Research & Innovation, Spain
- More than 10 years experience in the fields of sustainable and low energy building and cities design
- Master’s degrees Thermal Engineering and in Advanced Construction Techniques and Energy Efficient in Buildings; Bachelor’s degree in Architecture
Scott Bax
- Senior Vice President Operations, Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Canada
- Chair of the Safety Committee, Wood Pellet Association of Canada
- Master’s degrees in Business Administration and in Forestry, University of Alberta, Canada
Martin Bentele
- Managing Director, Deutscher Energieholz- und Pellet-Verband (DEPV), Germany
- Managing Director, Deutsches Pelletinstitut (DEPI), Germany
- Degree in Forestry, Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Germany
Helen Bentley-Fox
- Director of Woodsure, UK
- 20 years of experience in the environmental/sustainability industry for the public and private sectors
- Masters’ degrees in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development Advocacy
Luca Bertalot
- Secretary General of the European Mortgage Federation - European Covered Bond Council (EMF-ECBC)
- Previously, financial analyst in Italy and Australia
- Degree in Economics and Financial Markets, University of Rome, Italy
Speaker of the Technology Innovation Conference: Energy and Buildings
Renée Bruel
- Senior associate energy efficiency, European Climate Foundation
- Previously, senior policy officer climate and energy, Dutch Ministry for the Environment, Denmark
- Master’s degree in Human Geography, Utrecht University, Denmark
Baerte de Brey
- Chief International Officer, ElaadNL, The Netherlands
- Professional experience in analysing long-term effect of electric mobility on electricity grids, sustainable e-mobility business cases, vehicle2grids, EV-storage and customer behaviour research.
- Degree in Law, Leiden University, NL; MBA, Nyenrode Business University, NL
Daniel Büchner
- Researcher at the German Biomass Research Centre (DBFZ)
- Research focus on thermo-chemical conversion
- Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and degree in Engineering, HTWK Leipzig, Germany
Stefan M. Büttner
- Head of International Affairs & Strategy, Institute for Energy Efficiency in Production, University of Stuttgart, Germany
- Previously, Senior Policy Advisor, International Partnership on Energy Efficiency Cooperation, France
- Degree in International Economics, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany
Speaker of the Technology Innovation Conference: Energy and Buildings
Alix Chambris
- Director EU public affairs for Danfoss; Vice-president of EuroACE and EU-ASE
- Long term experience in EU policy making and business with a strong focus on energy and climate policy
- Master’s degree in Economics (College of Europe) and a Master’s degree of the Institute of Political Science at Science-Po Strasbourg
Ute Collier
- Senior Programme Leader, Renewable Energy Division, International Energy Agency
- Previously, Team Leader, Committee on Climate Change, UK
- PhD in Energy Policy, University of Sussex, UK
Cristina Corchero
- Head of Energy Systems Analytics Group, Catalonia Institute for Energy Research, Spain
- Operating Agent Task 28, IEA Hybrid & Electric Vehicle TCP
- PhD in Statistics and Operations Research, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Spain
Juan Ramón de las Cuevas
- Project Manager, Acciona, Spain
- More than 10 years experience in energy efficiency and green energy supply for buildings, districts and cities
- Master in Mechanical Engineering, University of Seville, Spain
Gerhard Dell
- Energy Commissioner to the Upper Austrian Government, Director of OÖ Energiesparverband
- Lecturer at the University of Linz
- Degree and post-graduate degree (PhD engineering, Dr. tech.) in Electrical Engineering and Energy Economics
Speaker of the European Pellet Conference
Speaker of the Energy Efficiency Economy Conference
Ion Dogeanu
- Executive Director, AEEPM – Local Energy Agency Bucharest, Romania
- Previously, Executive Director of Public Services, Bucharest District 1, Romania
- Master's degree in Business and Territorial Management, University D’Artois, France
Xavier Dubuisson
- Managing Director and Senior Consultant, XD Sustainable Energy Consulting, Ireland
- Previously, Senior Consultant in sustainable building and passive house design, Delap & Waller EcoCo, Ireland
- Degree in Agricultural Engineer, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium; MSc In Management for Agricultural Development, Cranfield University, UK
Speaker of the Technology Innovation Conference: Energy and Buildings
Christiane Egger
- Deputy Manager of the OÖ Energiesparverband and Manager of the Cleantech-Cluster Energy
- Conference director of the World Sustainable Energy Days
- Degrees in Law (University of Graz) and Environmental Engineering (Technical University of Graz)
Speaker of the E-Mobility & Smart Buildings Conference
Speaker of the Technology Innovation Conference: Energy and Buildings
Stan Elliot
- Chairman of PFI (Pellet Fuels Institute-USA); Director of Sales-Pacific Coast Pellets, USA
- 15 years professional experience in the Wood Pellet industry
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Lundquist College of Business - University of Oregon, USA
Rainer Elste
- Professor in Business Administration, Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany
- Director, Steinbeis Consulting Center Sales and Marketing Institute (VMI), Germany
- Doctorate in Business Administration, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
Marie-Laure Falque Masset
- Director, Energy and Ecological Transition Department, IAU Energy department ARENE, France
- Member of the Horizon 2020 Energy Advisory Group
- Degrees in Economics, Energy Economics and Policy, and Business Management
Manfred Faustmann
- CEO, Windhager Zentralheizung, Austria
- Professional focus in the field of environmentally friendly capital goods and renewable energies
- Long term experience as independent partner for entrepreneurial potential analyses and proactive marketing for SMEs
Manfred Fischedick
- Vice-President and Member of the Management Board, Wuppertal Institute, Germany
- Professor of Economics, Schumpeter School of Business and Economics, University of Wuppertal, Germany
- Doctorate in Energy Technology, University of Stuttgart, Germany; Degree in Chemical Engineering, University of Dortmund, Germany
Daniel Frohnmaier
- Project Manager, Geonardo Environmental Technologies, Hungary
- Work experience in the development of corporate mobility plans and company solutions
- MSc in Environmental Science, University of Hohenheim (Germany) and University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
Speaker of the Technology Innovation Conference: Energy and Buildings
Sabine Froning
- Managing Partner, Communication Works - Banek, Froning Reise, Germany
- Previously, Vice President PRA & Media Relations, Vattenfall Group, and Managing Director, Euroheat & Power
- Degree in Translation, Rheinische Fachhochschule Köln, Germany
Javier Gil Barnó
- R&D Director Biomass Department, National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER), Spain
- Previously, Head of Thermochemical Applications Service, CENER, Spain
- Doctorate in Chemical Engineering, University of Zaragoza, Spain
Markus Gölles
- Area Manager Automation and Control, Bioenergy 2020+, Austria
- Experience in the fields of modelling and control of thermochemical, thermotechnical and biotechnological processes and systems, cross-sectoral energy and resource management
- PhD in Control Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Austria
Nathalie Hemeleers
- Policy advisor, AEBIOM
- Previous professional experience on international energy issues, European Commission, DG Energy
- Master’s degree in International Business and European Studies, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
Toshiro Hirota
- Guest Professor, Environmental Research Institute, Waseda University, Japan
- Operating Agent of IEA PVPS Task17 "PV and Transport"
- PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Hokkaido University, Japan
Ivana Hlinková
- Managing Director, "Energy Centre Ceské Budejovice" (ECCB), Czech Republic
- Master degree in German, English, Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of South Bohemi in Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic
Anton Hofer
- Product Manager and Head of Marketing, Hargassner, Austria
- Over 35 years experience in the biomass sector
- Degree in Engineering
René Hyde
- Trader, CM Biomass Partners, Denmark
- Previously, Trader and Head of Wood Pellet Department, RWZ, Germany
Anette Jahn
- Head of Sector, Energy Efficiency Unit, European Commission, EASME
- Previously, Head of Sector, Renewable Energy Unit and Policy Officer, DG Energy, European Commission
- Master of Arts in International Politics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium; Degree in Economics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Lukas Kranzl
- Senior Researcher, Energy Economics Group, Technische Universität Wien, Austria
- More than 15 years of experience in research on sustainable energy systems with a focus on heating and cooling, buildings, scenario development and optimisation of policy instruments
- PhD in Energy Economics and Degree in Industrial Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Austria
Jose Ramón López
- Head of International Department, EVE, Basque Country/Spain
- Long-term experience in the management of EU-funded energy efficiency and renewable energy research and innovation projects
- Engineering Degree, University of the Basque Country (UPV), MBA in International Trade, Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade, Spain
Robert Mack
- Researcher in the field of biogenic solid fuels, Technology and Support Centre (TFZ), Germany
- Previously, work experience at the Kompetenzzentrum Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung, OTH – Technical University of Applied Sciences, Germany
- Degree in Environmental Engineering
Alan Meier
- Professor in Environmental Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, USA; Senior Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
- Previously, Senior Energy Advisor, International Energy Agency, Paris
- Doctorate in Energy and Resources and BA in Chemistry and Economics, University of California, Berkeley, USA
Speaker of the Technology Innovation Conference: Energy and Buildings
Frank Mischler
- Project Coordinator, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany
- 10 years experience in the field of food security and human rights, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
- Masters’ degrees in Environmental Management and Economics
Brian Motherway
- Head of Energy Efficiency, International Energy Agency (IEA)
- Previously, Chief Executive, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
- PhD in Sociology, Trinity College, Ireland and Master’s degree in Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Gordon Murray
- Executive Director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC)
- Board Member of the European Pellet Council; Member of the Steering Committee, Biomass Power Group of the UK Renewable Energy Association; Member of the Stakeholder Advisory Group of the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP)
- Bachelor of Science in Forestry, University of British Columbia, Canada
Daniel Muschick
- Senior Researcher, Bioenergy 2020+, Austria
- Previously, university assistant for control and automation technology, Graz University of Technology, Austria
- PhD in Control Engineering and Automation Technology and Engineering degree in telematics, Graz University of Technology, Austria
Jyri Nieminen
- Chief Sustainability Officer, Sweco, Finland; Coordinator of the H2020 Project MODER
- Previously, Key Account Manager, VTT Technical Research Centre, Finland
- MSc in Thermal Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, Finland and eMBA, Helsinki School of Economics, Finland
Christian Noll
- Managing Director and Co-initiator, "Deutsche Unternehmensinitiative Energieeffizienz" (DENEFF), Germany
- Previously, campaigner for energy-efficient products, Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND), Germany
- Degree in Communications, Universität der Künste Berlin, Germany
Ingwald Obernberger
- Managing Director of Bios Bioenergy Systems, Austria
- Head of the research group "Energetic Use of Biomass" at the Institute for Process and Particle Engineering, Technical University Graz
- Professor at the Technical University Graz
Christine Öhlinger
- Head of Sector International Tasks at OÖ Energiesparverband
- Project management of international projects in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy
- Diploma in law, post graduate training on energy & environmental advice
Vlasios Oikonomou
- Senior Expert, Joint Implementation Network and Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy, The Netherlands
- Coordinator of several EU-funded projects, including PUBLEnEf
- PhD in Energy Economics, Degrees in Environmental Economics and Economics
Stefan Ortner
- CEO, ÖkoFEN, Austria
- Responsible for R&D, marketing, product management, operations, quality management, export and business development
- Degree in Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Austria
Suhas Patel
- Investment Partner and Advisor, Agro Briquettes, India
- Experience in the fields of biomass densification for effective industrial uses and groundnut shell briquettes production
- Master's degree in Telecommunication, ISEP – École d’ingénieurs du numérique, France
Robert Pfarrwaller
- CEO, Rexel Austria, Austria
- Previously, Director General and Chairperson, Philips Austria
- Studies in Business and Trade
Dominique Planchon
- Programme Officer, European Commission, DG Research & Innovation
- Previously, Head of IPR, Communication and Documentation Department, FEBELCEM (Belgian Federation of Cement Industry), Belgium
- PhD in Carbochemistry, energy, coal gasification, hydrogasification process and kinetics, Université libre de Bruxelles (BE) and Pennstate University (USA); Master in Chemical Engineering, Université libre de Bruxelles (BE)
Francisco Puente
- Project and Business Development Director, ESCAN Energy Consulting, Spain
- Previously, Lecturer on Energy Resources and Technologies, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain
- PhD in Energy and Fuels Engineering, Madrid, Spain
Speaker of the Technology Innovation Conference: Energy and Buildings
Olga S. Rakitova
- General Director and Chief Editor of the magazine "The Bioenergy International.Russia"; Executive Director of the National Bioenergy Union, Russia
- Previously, bioenergy director in the Wood Industries Confederation of North-West Russia
- Master in Management, specialisation in woodworking and forestry, St. Petersburg; MBA, Reutlingen University of Applied Science, Germany
Christian Rakos
- CEO of proPellets Austria and Save Energy Austria
- Member of the Board of Directors of the European Pellet Council
- Doctorate in Technical Physics, Technische Universität Wien, Austria
Peter Rathje
- Managing Director, Project Zero, Denmark
- Work experience in managing industry transition projects
- Partner of the EU H2020 Project REFURB
Pablo Rodero
- Responsible of biofuels certification for AVEBIOM, Spain, and Director of AEBIOM
- Expert on bioenergy and solid biomass quality
- BSc in Forestry Engineering, Universidad Politénica de Madrid, Spain
Felipe Salazar
- Vice President of Chilean Biomass Association (ACHBIOM)
- Commercial Manager ECOMAS S.A. Main promoter of Chilean pellet market development
Esti Sanvicente
- Senior Innovation Strategist, LGI Consulting, France
- Previously, Project Manager, Energy Cluster Association of the Basque Country, Spain
- PhD in Energy and Environmental Engineering, Insa de Lyon (France) and University of New South Wales (Australia); MSc in Industrial Engineering, Universidad de Navarra (Spain)
Kay Schaubach
- Researcher and Project Manager, Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum (DBFZ), Germany
- Experience in renewable energy project development, VORTEX Technologies
- Degree in Media Sciences, Technical University of Ilmenau, Germany
Christoph Schmidl
- Scientific Advisor, Bioenergy 2020+; Programme Director "Renewable Energy Systems and Technical Energy Management", FH Wiener Neustadt, Austria
- Previously, Unit Head Small-scale Combustion Systems, Bioenergy 2020+, Austria
- Doctorate in Technical Chemistry, Technische Universität Wien, Austria
Christian Schraube
- Researcher at EIFER, Germany
- Over 10 years experimental work in the areas of CHP, fuel cells, small-scale biomass boilers and solar thermal
- Degree in electrical engineering from the Technical University Munich and the University of Karlsruhe
Michael Schubert
- Head of Sales Development for solar energy technologies and markets, Fronius International, Austria
- Previously worked for Siemens, Austria
- Degree in Electrical Engineering and Communications Engineering, TU Wien, Austria
Detef Schumann
- Lead Consultant in Digital Transformation and Idea Coaching, fastahead, Germany
- Over 20 years of consulting experience in the fields of energy industry, mobility concepts and smart cities
- Degree in Business Administration and Management, Fachhochschule Ludwigshafen, Germany
Klaus Peter Sedlbauer
- Director, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics, Germany; Spokesperson of the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance
- Professor of Building Physics, Technical University of Munich, Germany
- Doctorate in Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Germany, Degree in Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
Speaker of the Technology Innovation Conference: Energy and Buildings
Emil Sopper
- Head of Unit Wood Pellets, BayWa AG Energie, Germany
- Previously, various management positions in the energy division of BayWa AG, Germany
Jan Steinbach
- Managing Director, Institute for Resource Efficiency and Energy Strategies (IREES), Germany
- Senior Researcher and Project Leader, Fraunhofer-ISI, Germany
- Doctorate in Economic, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) and MSc in Business Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) and Maastricht University (NL)
Holger Streetz
- Director and International Operations Manager, Bathan AG, Switzerland
- 10 years experience in the field of renewable energies
- Doctorate in Law, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, and Degree in Business Administration, European University Viadrina, Germany
Roel Swierenga
- Chairman, Hansa Green Tour Foundation, The Netherlands
- Director of Hanze Development, Cleantech Acceleration Consultancy, The Netherlands
- Degrees in International Governance, Export Management, Strategic Business Development and Social Enterprises, The Netherlands
Rami Syväri
- Acting Vice President, Fortum Charge & Drive, Norway
- Many years experience in e-mobility infrastructure, market expansion and business and consumer solutions
- MBA, Aalto University School of Business and Helsinki School of Economics, Finland
Hannes Tuohiniitty
- Sector Manager, Bioenergy Association of Finland, Finland; Director of the Board, AEBIOM
- Previously, Executive Director, Finnish Pellet Energy Association; Sales manager, Finnish pellet heating company, Finland
- Bachelor’s in Agriculture, Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Finland
Ali Vasallo
- Researcher and Project Coordinator, Fundación CARTIF, Spain
- Associate Professor, University of Valladolid, Spain
- Doctorate in Industrial Engineering, University of Valladolid, Spain
Matthias Vetter
- Head of Department Electrical Energy Storage, Fraunhofer ISE, Germany
- Contact for battery systems, Fraunhofer Battery Alliance
- Doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Universität Karlsruhe, Germany
Zsolt János Viharos
- Senior Research Fellow, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary; Researcher, John von Neumann University, Hungary
- Experience as Project Manager and Sponsor for many basic-, applied research and development projects
- PhD in Mechanical Sciences, MBA and degree in Mathematical Engineering
Lotte Visser
- PhD Candidate, Copernicus Institute, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
- Previously, Junior Researcher, Copernicus Institute, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
- MSc in Sustainable Development, Energy and Resources, BSc in Chemistry
Anne-Katherina Weidenbach
- Policy Officer, European Commission, DG ENER-C3
- Previously, Assistant Head of Section, Bundesnetzagentur, Germany, and Co-Chair, ACER CAM Task Force
- Master’s degree in Law
David Wortmann
- Founder and CEO, DWR eco, Germany; Initiator of the Eco Innovation Alliance
- Previously, Head of Department, Energy and Environmental Technology, Germany Trade and Investment (GTAI / BMWi); Director of World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE)
- Degree in Cultural Studies (Diplom-Kulturwirt), Universität Passau, Germany
Theodor Zillner
- Deputy Head, Division for energy and environmental technologies, Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT)
- Programme manager of the impulse programme "Stadt der Zukunft" (city of the future)
- Degree in Mechanical and Process Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Austria
Speaker of the Technology Innovation Conference: Energy and Buildings
