Conference Speakers

Diya Achi holds a background in mechanical engineering with a specialisation in energy systems, and a strong focus on data-driven analysis. Since 2022, she has been working as an R&D Data Scientist at CSEM, a Swiss technology innovation centre dedicated to developing and transferring world-class technologies to industry. At CSEM, she has led and contributed to a broad range of projects spanning DER flexibility estimation, power grid simulation, and the development of imbalance forecasting services. With a career built at the intersection of energy and data science, Diya aims to accelerate a smarter, more flexible energy future.

With over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience, Alex focuses on translating decentralized technologies into practical, real-world applications. Over the past decade he has been actively involved in the development of decentralized energy systems, working with industry, government, and research partners to accelerate the digitalization of the energy sector. As Executive Chairman of the 2Tokens Foundation, he leads tokenization initiatives with partners such as the Port of Rotterdam and major financial institutions.Alex advocates the use of tokens as tools for digital transformation that can reshape value chains, governance, and ownership structures. In the energy domain, he is closely involved in the Power of the Many consortium, exploring how tokenization and digital infrastructure can enable decentralized energy markets, community participation, and more efficient use of renewable resources.

Anne Bicking held leading roles within E.ON Group from 2012-16 before taking on the task of holistic transformation at Thyssenkrupp. Bicking then returned to E.ON Inhouse Consulting as CFO and a member of the Management Board, where she was responsible for financial controlling and IT agendas. She co-developed E.ON One, which provides digital solutions for challenges in the areas of grid operations, e-mobility, and energy management. As an expert in digital energy solutions and now CEO of gridX, she aims to transform the scale-up into Europe's leading DER connectivity and flexibility platform.

As Managing & Technical Director of the OpenADR Alliance, Rolf Bienert oversees all aspects of the Alliance, including strategy, technical developments, and certification programs. Rolf has been an active member and manager of many industry organisations for over 25 years, driving the development of new technologies with a specific focus on standardisation, certification, and interoperability. Prior to the OpenADR Alliance, Rolf was the Technical Manager for a Telecom and Global Competence Center for emerging communication protocols at a global testing firm, Executive Directors for several industry alliances, and VP North America for an international test house.

Dr. Braun is leading the HV System Development at AVL in Germany.He is head of the Engineering Team in Ingolstadt. Before he was Project Manager for battery development projects for customers in Asia and Europe.He joined AVL in 2014 after graduating from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with a PhD degree.During his time at KIT he was acting manager of the Engineering Methods and Management Group and researcher / consultant in development projects for automotive and non-automotive customers.Andreas holds a Diploma degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Jannik Carl is a Senior Energy Markets Manager at Kraken, specializing in the commercial optimization and trading of flexibility, with a focus on aggregated residential flexibility. With deep expertise in energy system modelling and European electricity market design, he develops strategies to unlock and monetize distributed assets, ranging from utility-scale sites to demand-side resources, across EMEA power markets. Prior to his role at Kraken, he spent four years at Aurora Energy Research, where he modelled the evolution of European electricity markets with a special focus on renewables, battery co-location and 24/7 Carbon-Free Electricity.

Laura Casolo Ginelli is an experienced professional in the energy industry, with over 8 years of expertise spanning technology, marketing, and product development. She has worked internationally with top-tier organizations like E.ON Drive, leveraging her skills to scale innovative solutions like smart EV charging and energy flexibility. Holding a Master's Degree in Energy Engineering from Milan Polytechnic, Laura is passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technologies to drive sustainability and create a more efficient energy future.

Mr Clerens studied law at the University of Saarbrücken and the University of Mainz. Since 1996, he has worked as a consultant for a private company specialising in European Affairs in Brussels. In his capacity as Brussels Representative of different European associations, he has been involved in the climate and energy field since 2003. He has managed the EASE office in Brussels as Secretary General since its establishment in September 2011. Since then, EASE has grown from the initial 13 founding members to over 70 and is still growing rapidly.

Liam Coman is a research analyst within the Clean Energy Technology research team at S&P Global. He researches the global inverter and power conversion systems (PCS) market within the energy storage and solar supply chain. He works with suppliers to analyse trends, produce market forecasts and assess the competitive landscape of the industry. Prior to joining S&P Global, Mr. Coman worked for an engineering consultancy specialising in environmental regulation and policy compliance. He holds an M.Eng in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from Trinity College Dublin

Gianluca Corbellini is the CEO and co-founder of Hive Power, a SaaS which enables companies to manage anything connected to the grid, from Energy Communities to EV Charging. Gianluca holds a master's in Mathematical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, where he focused on Scientific Computing and Artificial Intelligence - before it became a buzzword. Collaborating throughout the years with the likes of E-On, Altran, Techstars, and the European Commission, Gianluca has deep experience in smart cities and energy. He possesses an acute expertise in gas commodity trading and renewables, particularly solar energy. While working on these technologies, Gianluca understood that Smart Grids as the key to improving energy systems and fighting climate change. This revelation led him to co-found Hive Power and bring the company to where it is today.

Cristina Corchero is co-founder and CTO of Bamboo Energy and Head of the Energy Systems Analytics Group at IREC. She holds a M.Sc. and PhD in Statistics and Operations Research from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (2011). Her experience and research focuses on applying advanced optimisation tools to electricity markets, smart grid, smart communities, electric vehicle and hybrid systems. Cristina led and participated in several European, national, regional and industrial projects on energy efficiency and new technologies system integration. She has registered and patented different software solutions to optimize novel energy system integration and management. She leads the Vehicle-Grid-Integration tasks at the Hybrid and Electrical Vehicle Technology and Collaboration Programme from the International Energy Agency since 2015. She has participated in several scientific publications, national and international conferences, workshops and seminars.

Nikolai Dobrott founded Apricum in 2008 to help companies navigate the strategic and financial challengesof the global renewable energy transition. He has led major solar market-entry projects for multinationalcorporations, advised governments across the USA, Germany, Mexico, and the Middle East, andsupported a range of M&A transactions in the renewable energy sector.His expertise spans renewable energy technologies, corporate finance, and strategic business developmentat a company, country, and regional level, across solar, wind, and the broader clean energy sector. He wasnamed among the top 250 decision makers in Who's Who in MENAT Renewables 2017.Prior to founding Apricum, he held leadership roles in consulting and industry, including positions atArthur D. Little, Rütgers (now Evonik), and Invest in Germany. He holds a master's degree in businessadministration and chemical engineering from the Technical University of Berlin.

With over 20 years' experience in the renewables space, Dr.-Ing. Garralaga is the co-founder and managing director of SMA Altenso GmbH where he has directly overseen over 2 GW of BESS projects and over 1 GW of hydrogen projects. Previously he worked for SMA Solar Technology AG as responsible for the business development and strategy of the business unit hybrid and storage, at Siemens AG as Program Manager Photovoltaics and also as head of the thin-film solar cell research department at Insitut für Solarenergieforschung Hameln (ISFH). He has also worked as consultant to multiple companies and lecturer in all continents and worked in over 1 GW of PV project deliveries. Enrique holds a PhD in Engineering from the Univ. of Kiel, a MSc in Renewable Energy from Northumbria University in Newcastle (UK), a MSc in Physics from Univ of Paderborn (Germany) and a MSc in Physics from Univ of Zaragoza (Spain).

Dr Gauch is an energy technology analyst at the International Energy Agency in Paris. He is working across multiple transport topics such as electric vehicles, aviation and shipping as well as on technology innovation. For the IEA's latest Global Electric Vehicle Outlook 2026 he was the principal author on technology topics including vehicle-to-grid and autonomous vehicles. He has also contributed to the IEA's Energy Technology Perspectives, State of Energy Innovation and Global Hydrogen Review publications.Before joining the IEA, he worked as a researcher at the University of Cambridge, where he developed tools for efficient early-stage building design and was a lecturer on transport decarbonisation. Hannes holds an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology as well as a PhD from Imperial College London in Aeronautical Engineering.

Helena Gerard (1984) received her Master's degree in Commercial Engineering, specializing in Finance, from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in 2007. At the same university she obtained a Master-after-Master in Financial Economics in 2008. From 2008 to 2014, she worked for the energy company Engie (formerly GDF Suez). She held various positions in renewable energy, product design and portfolio management. In 2014, she joined VITO/EnergyVille as a senior researcher. She is responsible for the development of the VITO roadmap on energy market design. She is involved in (inter)national research projects on energy market design and system operation. She coordinates the Belgian-funded ETF project GALILEO (2024 - 2027) on industrial flexibility. She led the work on market design in the European project OneNet (2020 - 2024), coordinated the Belgian project ALEXANDER (2021 - 2025) on low voltage flexibility, and chaired the European BRIDGE working group on regulation for the past 7 years (2018 - 2025).

Guro Grøtterud is the Director of Regulatory Affairs and a Senior Project Manager at NODES. Guro has been working in the European Energy sector since 2006, with main focus on regulating electricity markets. Prior to joining NODES in 2023, she held positions in the National Regulatory Authorities for Energy in France and Norway, and in EDF. She also worked as a national expert in ACER in 2021-2022. Guro is part of SmartEN's Board of Directors and chairs the Markets & Networks Committee. Guro holds Engineering degrees (MSc) from Ecole Polytechnique (2004) and Ecole des Mines de Paris (ParisTech, 2005

Philip Hahn, Dipl.-Ing., is the Head of Flexibility Marketing at CyberGrid, where he leads balancing services, asset prequalification, consulting, and market intelligence activities across European energy markets. He has more than ten years of experience in system services management, energy trading, and the development of technical and operational solutions for power system operations.Before joining CyberGrid, Philip spent nearly a decade at EVN AG, working in SCADA system implementation, control energy, new asset prequalification, and intraday and spot market trading, and acting as project leader for several complex technological initiatives, including the development of the Flex-Regler flexibility management system.He holds a bachelor's and master's degree in Energy Systems and Automation Technology from the Technical University of Vienna, with additional studies at Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Philip is fluent in German and English and active in the Young Energy Professionals program of the World Energy Council.

Niklas has been working at The Mobility House since 2022, where he leads projects in the field of vehicle-grid integration (VGI). He has been responsible for Europe's first commercial Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) product developed in collaboration with Renault, as well as additional projects and partnerships advancing bidirectional charging and the integration of electric vehicles into energy systems.In his current role as Head of Bidi Home, Niklas oversees the development of The Mobility House's bidirectional DC wallbox and drives the integration of electric vehicles into residential energy systems through home energy management systems (HEMS).Prior to joining The Mobility House, he gained several years of experience developing and scaling new business models across the energy and e-mobility sectors, including charging infrastructure (AC/DC), smart metering, photovoltaics, and energy management systems.Niklas began his career in the energy sector in Copenhagen in 2016, working for a leading utility company to support its entry into the German market for Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR), which sparked his lasting interest in the energy transition.

Gadi Hirsch is a senior strategy manager and lead market and policy analyst at SolarEdge Technologies. Gadi leads business analysis and strategy formulation efforts for key market segments, focusing on distributed energy resources and digitally enhanced energy business models. He also covers technological trends and policies, with an emphasis on European and North-American markets. He holds a BA in economics and has previously led economic analysis and management consulting teams.

Laura Hoffmann-Ostenhof is the Central Europe Industry Lead at Gridcog, where she helps customers model their clean energy projects and supports product development with her industry expertise across key European markets, including Germany. Prior to this, while based in Berlin, Laura built her expertise in strategy and transactional consulting within the cleantech sector, working with clients across solar, wind, battery storage, and digital energy ecosystems. She holds a master's degree in Energy Systems from the University of Oxford and a bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Warwick.

Kris Kessels has been a researcher at VITO/EnergyVille since 2008 and is part of the Grids and Energy Markets team. She specializes in project management and serves as a senior expert in projects and studies on the design of energy and flexibility markets, mechanisms to unlock flexibility, and the associated regulatory frameworks.

Active in the energy sector for 15 years, currently serving as Technical Operations Manager at LichtBlick EaaS with a clear focus on the energy transition: through innovative photovoltaic concepts, I develop sustainable, economically viable solutions in the B2B sector and actively drive the energy transition forward.

Torsten Knop spent his whole career in the utility industry. After a brief period working for an industry association he joined the RWE Group (today E.ON) in 1999. Here he was mostly focused on public affairs issues concerning transmission and distribution grids. With the start of formal regulation in Germany in 2005 he moved to regulatory affairs and is currently responsible for European Regulation at E.ON SE. He is an economist by qualification.

Katharina is the Communications and Event Manager at E-Mobility Europe, where her task is to raise awareness and spread the word on all activities of the association. With German and Swiss roots, Katharina's previous work experience took her to various communications-related positions in both the public and private sector in Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Most recently, Katharina worked in the renewable energy sector, which further deepened her interest in EU sustainability developments.

Cecilie is a research analyst in Wood Mackenzie's Power and Renewables team, focusing on European, Middle Eastern and African storage markets. Before joining the storage team, she contributed to Wood Mackenzie's Middle East and Africa solar and onshore wind analysis, monitoring project development updates, asset transactions and policy updates. Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie, she worked as an ESG and social impact analyst for a financial services firm. In that capacity, she focused on EU regulation and international frameworks and advised on sustainability-related investments. Cecilie holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations and a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from IE University in Madrid, Spain.

Miguel Louro (b. 1978) is an electrical engineer and the Director for System Management at E-REDES, Portugal's largest Distribution System Operator. He holds both an M.Sc. (2008) and a Ph.D. (2023) in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico. In his current leadership role, he oversees power system protection, network optimization, grid flexibility management and post-mortem analysis of grid incidents.

Christiane Mann is a seasoned global Strategy and Marketing Leader with over 20 years of experience driving innovation at the intersection of clean energy transition and smart buildings. Currently serving as Head of Industry Affairs for Siemens Smart Infrastructure, she plays a pivotal role in shaping sustainable futures by bridging strategy, technology, and policy. Siemens Smart Infrastructure is a global leader combining real and digital worlds across energy systems, buildings, and industries. The division's cutting-edge products, systems, and solutions enhance energy efficiency, accelerate the transition to renewables and decentralized power generation, and ensure resilient, reliable power supply. At T&D Europe, the European association of grid technology manufacturers, Christiane is the chair of the working group Grid Digitalization. Previously, she was Chairwoman of smartEn, the European association of the Flexible Demand Management Industry, and she served on the Board of eClass, an industry consortium for data classification standards. Christiane holds a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Bonn.

Florian Mayr is a recognized expert in deals strategy, with a particular focus on energy transition and storage. As a Partner at Strategy&, the global strategy consultancy of PwC, Florian guides clients through the complexities of the energy transition landscape. His expertise for renewables and cleantech is invaluable to financial investors, major corporations, and cleantech innovators, offering insights through due diligence processes, value creation strategies, and strategic development. Florian is also active in authoring industry publications and social media content and is a sought-after speaker, especially on topics related to energy storage. Before joining Strategy&, Florian spent two decades in senior roles at cleantech advisory boutique Apricum, RWE, and McKinsey, consistently focusing on the energy sector, particularly on renewables and cleantech. He holds master's degrees both in engineering and business administration from the Technical University of Berlin.

Rebecca McManus leads Aurora Energy Research's European renewables analysis, specialising in power market design, policy and regulatory risk, and investment strategy for renewable technologies across Europe. She supports investors, developers and policymakers with insight on market dynamics shaping the energy transition. During her tenure at Aurora, Rebecca has led a range of influential studies covering topics such as flexibility, co-location, and renewable investment frameworks. She was instrumental in establishing Aurora's presence in Ireland, including the development of its first Ireland Power Market Forecast. Rebecca holds a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Warwick.

Dr. Anica Mertins holds the position of Manager for Charging Infrastructure Technology & Energy Systems at NOW GmbH's National Centre for Charging Infrastructure, a role she has been performing since October 2023. Her work focuses on integrating charging infrastructure into the energy system, with an emphasis on controlled and bidirectional charging.

Stefan Müller is Co-Founder and shareholder of Enerparc AG and has been a member of the Management Board since 2008, responsible for international operations. With a background in solar energy, he has gained extensive international experience across various countries, including India and Singapore. Enerparc develops, builds, and operates large-scale photovoltaic power plants worldwide. The company has installed over 5.5 GW globally and operates more than 5 GW of its own PV assets, as well as 200 MW of BESS, ranking among the top EPC companies worldwide and leading in Germany. Stefan Müller is also active in industry organizations and invests in start-ups as a business angel.

Lucy brings her 7 years of experience studying flexibility markets with a focus on residential flexibility. As the lead for our residential flexibility content, Lucy supports a wide range of client across the flexibility value chain helping them adapt to fluctuating prices, changing consumer attitudes and awareness and changing regulatory landscapes. With a deep technical understanding of European flexibility markets, Lucy leads or acts as technical advisor on consultancy projects. Lucy has been the lead author for five editions the annual smartEN/LCP Delta Flexibility Market Monitor. She supports a variety of clients, from executives in multinational vertically integrated utilities, to developer teams in start-up organizations.

Cécile Musialski is a strategic business and policy leader with a proven track record in innovation and purpose-driven transformation. Currently serving as Head of Public Affairs for Tesla's Energy Division across EMEA, she brings together industrial strategy, business acumen, and regulatory insight to drive impactful change. Before joining Tesla, Cécile was Chief Commercial Officer for AGC Automotive's FeelInGlass® division, where she co-founded and built the company's automotive interior glazing business unit for Europe, successfully accomplishing the full innovation cycle, from initial proof-of-concept demonstration through to market commercialization. Prior to that, she worked as an attorney specializing in Energy and Transactional Law.

Adele Nardo is Business Development Manager at Hive Power. With a background from the Technical University of Munich and experience spanning product go-to-market strategy and public policy advocacy for NIO and Tesla, she works at the intersection of clean energy and digital flexibility, helping EV OEMs, fleet operators, charge point operators, and energy retailers unlock new revenue from distributed assets. She is a frequent voice in conversations on the future of grid flexibility and the energy transition.

Isabel is a research analyst with the Global Energy Storage team at Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, where she focuses on distributed storage markets in Europe.Before Wood Mackenzie, Isabel worked at Maxeon Solar Technologies (now TCL Sunpower Global) as a Business Analyst for storage and other residential energy solutions, including HEMS, VPP, and EV charging. Before that, she was part of Audi's Corporate Strategy Sustainability team, where she contributed to developing the company's ESG strategy.Isabel holds a Master's degree in Sustainable Resource Management from the Technical University of Munich and a Master's degree in Political Philosophy from Pompeu Fabra University. Before that, she studied a Bachelor's degree in International Business at the University of Valencia.

Mark Nigge-Uricher is a Senior Business Developer with extensive international experience in driving innovation and growth within the energy sector. Currently with Alliander, Mark specializes in system operations, collaboration, and digital transformation. Known for fostering collaboration, business venturing and implementing innovative solutions. Mark has previously been with Bosch.IO being responsible for energy management solutions and consulting on innovation in the Energy IoT domain.

With 18+ years in SCADA and cybersecurity, Andreas has played a key role in driving industry innovation, including Germany's first certified hybrid park controller. As Senior Solution Engineer, he bridges product, sales, and customers to define and deliver tailored solutions.

Christoph Richter is in charge of Product Management for the German PCS manufacturer and system integrator Freqcon. He has a background in nanoscience and experience with large-scale thermal as well as electrochemical energy storage technologies.

Dr. Fabien Roques is an Executive Vice President at Compass Lexecon, based in Paris, and Head of its EMEA Energy Practice.

Kathrin Rust is CEO of the German subsidiary of Swiss energy technology company Solar Manager. After holding several management positions in market-leading corporations - at the interface between customer and IT - she is now responsible for the market expansion of a hardware-based energy management system (HEMS) in Germany, operating at the intersection of household, regulation and energy industry. She shapes key future topics such as the system integration of renewable energies, dynamic tariffs and the grid-friendly control of decentralised flexibility. Her strength lies in combining technical depth, regulatory understanding and entrepreneurial implementation skills. She thinks about the energy transition in a systemic way - from individual households to the integration of flexibility into the energy market. For her, change, learning and curiosity are not just buzzwords, but the attitude with which she takes responsibility and shapes change. She is convinced that the energy transition can only succeed with the help of digitalisation and has made it her mission with Solar Manager to make this change tangible in people's everyday lives

Christoph Scharfenort has worked in various positions in the energy market for over 20 years. He is currently responsible for sales and business development of energy solutions for Analog Device in the DACH region. Previously, as Managing Director of Sales and Business Development, he led the development of new business areas, including energy solutions, at a medium-sized company with approximately 400 employees.

Romain Serres is the co-founder and CEO of Tilt Energy. An engineer from Arts et Métiers with a master's in data science from Columbia University, he has worked extensively on the intersection of forecasting, control architecture and flexible demand. His earlier research focused on optimal grid management for New York State. Before founding Tilt, he served as a data scientist at Infor and BlaBlaCar and later co-founded Kiro, an AI platform for medical analytics. At Tilt Energy, he serves as CEO and leads the development of the company across Europe with a clear goal : deliver a reliable platform enabling energy players to better anticipate imbalances and maximize value in balancing markets.

I lead LCP Delta's work on energy storage, supporting clients across Europe and Great Britain as they develop, invest in and operate storage assets. I bring deep expertise in market dynamics, strategy and system needs, helping organisations stay ahead in this fast-moving space. Prior to joining LCP Delta, I was a Senior Associate at Aurora Energy Research, where I led their GB analytics team and previously ran the GB Flexible Energy team, advising widely on batteries and storage. I hold an MA in Philosophy and Economics and an MSc in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh.

Smaran Subbaiah B.G. is an AI Product Manager at Siemens Smart Infrastructure, working at the intersection of electrification, grid operations, and digital technologies. He has over 18 years of experience in product management and software engineering. He focuses on applying AI and advanced software to improve the reliability, efficiency, and resilience of energy infrastructure.Smaran is closely involved in the development of AI enabled solutions for energy infrastructure operators. His work spans product strategy, customer discovery, validation and Go to Market, translating real operational pain points into scalable digital solutions.Smaran collaborates closely with utilities, large industrial customers, and cross functional teams across the globe, combining a strong technical background with a product market perspective

Tetik serves as a Project Manager at CharIN. The association also engages in special projects related to charging interoperability issues, where he represents CharIN. As an electric mobility enthusiast, Tetik is passionate about shaping the future of technology. Since joining CharIN, he has led the Focus Groups on charging connection, grid integration, and energy. Additionally, he manages the MCS and cybersecurity working groups, contributing to industry advancements. His background includes a master's degree in automotive engineering from the Technical University of Berlin. Early in his career, he gained experience in project management for electric car development at Mercedes Benz. Afterwards, he was involved in vehicle testing activities with Bosch.

With relevant experience in the electricity sector, he has dedicated much of its activity to innovation, business development, technology and transformation, while actively contributing to the development of European energy policies and their practical translation into digital and smart grids and their contribution to a consumer and community-centred energy transition. He is currently Director of European Policies and Projects at E-REDES, the DSO in mainland Portugal, responsible for the coordination of European activities and funded projects. He is a board member of the EU DSO Entity, Vice-Chair of ETIP SNET, and an active member, since its foundation, of E.DSO (formerly EDSO for Smart Grids). He also actively participates in European forums and platforms related to the energy sector.

- Electrical Engineer (University of Karlsruhe, today KIT) - PhD in the field of modeling and development of control strategies for fuel cell systems (Fraunhofer ISE and University of Karlsruhe, today KIT) - Since 03/2024 Energy Storage Chief Expert at Huawei Nuremberg Research Center - From 2017 to 02/2024 Head of Department 'Electrical Energy Storage' and Coordinator of Business Unit 'Electrical Energy Storage' at Fraunhofer ISE - From 2011 to 2016 Head of Department 'PV Off-Grid Solutions and Battery System Technology' at Fraunhofer ISE - From 2005 to 2010 Head of Group 'Off-Grid Power Supply' - Until 02/2024 Contact Person for Battery Systems at Fraunhofer Battery Alliance - From 2021 to 02/2024 Spokesman of R&D Advisory Board of German Energy Storage Systems Association (BVES) - From 2022 to 02/2024 Member of Steering Committee and Technical Advisor of Working Group 'Stationary Applications and Integration' of Batteries Europe / Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA)

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.

Wärtsilä Energy Storage is driving the transition to a 100% renewable energy future, combining time-tested technology with deep grid expertise, helping customers and the energy sector accelerate global decarbonisation.Raymond held various leadership positions in over 30 years of experience in the energy business with Wärtsilä in Finland. This includes heading the project management organisation for Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has also led technology development for renewable and thermal power generation. His international business and project leadership experience spans South Asia, the Middle East, and South America.Raymond holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) Degree from University College Dublin, Ireland.

Jan Winkler is Head of Business Development at The Mobility House Energy, where he drives strategic partnerships and innovative solutions at the intersection of energy and mobility. With a focus on smart electric vehicle charging and vehicle-grid integration, Jan & his team lead initiatives that unlock the potential of electric fleets to enhance grid stability, reduce costs, and accelerate the energy transition.

Amber Woodward is International Public Affairs Manager at the Centre for Net Zero, a not-for-profit, open research institute founded by the Octopus Energy Group, reshaping demand to push fossil fuels out of energy systems. Amber gets research into the hands of influential global stakeholders, driving bolder policy-making, and an accelerated energy transition. She has chaired keynote sessions on open-source AI applications in energy systems, participated in panels on US transport electrification, and provided expert commentary on EU policy developments in the media. Previously, Amber worked for the UK government in various strategy and policy roles - most recently advising ministers in the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero and in the Prime Minister's office, No.10. She holds a first class degree in Geographical Sciences from the University of Bristol.