Carmen Gimeno is the Secretary General of GEODE, the European association representing the interests of 1200 private and public energy companies for both electricity and gas in 15 European countries. She is also a Managing Partner at Verdia Legal in Barcelona, where she has been working since 1995. Her expertise in energy law is built upon over 20 years of experience in this field. Ms Gimeno holds a Law degree from the University of Barcelona (1992). In 1993, she became a Member of the Bar Association of Barcelona. In the same year, she earned a postgraduate degree in Business Management Techniques at the Business Studies School of the University of Barcelona. She also studied Political Science and Sociology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and completed a study period within an Erasmus Programme at Ruprecht-Karls Universität in Heidelberg, Germany, specialising in International and Community Law (1990-1991).

Michael Villa is Executive Director of smartEn - Smart Energy Europe, the European business association integrating the decentralized solutions of the clean energy transition. He joined smartEn in 2018 when he led the advocacy efforts as Head of Policy. Before joining smartEn, he worked as Senior Consultant to provide specific advocacy support to clients both in the EU and Middle East in the energy sector. Among others, he led the Secretariat of a cross-sectorial business organisation, the European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE), and supported Knauf Insulation as Public Affairs Adviser in Italy. Michael worked also in the European Parliament for a Cypriot MEP and at the Embassy of Italy in Copenhagen during the UN Climate Change Conference COP15. Michael has a Master at the Institute for European Studies in Brussels and a bachelor degree from the Catholic University of Milan.