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Samir Abboud
CEO of InnargiSamir Abboud is a lawyer by background and has more than 20 years of experience from Maersk Oil and Maersk Drilling in various legal, commercial, and managerial positions. Samir joined Innargi as CEO in 2018.
Matthieu Ballu
Policy Officer, Directorate General for Energy, Renewable Energy Unit of European Commission
Karine Bauler
Investments Director of KyothermKarine joined Kyotherm as an investment director in 2022, where she works on the development and financing of low-carbon heat projects across Europe and the United States across multiple technologies assets, such as solar thermal, thermal storage, geothermal, biomass and district heating assets. Karine has gained over 10 years of experience in the renewables industry, first through her role in project finance and investment in solar and wind power assets in the US at BNP Paribas and in her subsequent capacity as a business development professional for the Ørsted onshore business in Europe.
Julie Beaufils
Secretary General at EuropeOnJulie Beaufils is the Secretary General of EuropeOn, the European electrical contractors’ association since 2020. Founded in 1954, EuropeOn is the voice of the professionals who “switch Europe ON” by operating electrical systems in buildings and infrastructures, including rooftop solar panels, energy management systems and electric vehicles’ charging points. Julie is also in charge of the Skills4Climate campaign, raising awareness on the shortages in skilled professionals and the need to fiercely promote technical education, an issue that will considerably weigh on Europe’s ability to deliver the energy transition.
Aurélie Beauvais
Managing Director of Euroheat & Power- Opening session: A Blueprint for Smart & Sustainable DHC
- District Heating and Electrification: synergies and opportunities
- Global District Energy Climate Awards Ceremony
- Networking drinks and dinner
- Closing speech and networking drinks
Aurélie has over a decade of experience in political strategy, advocacy and EU energy & climate policies. She previously held the position of Deputy CEO and Policy Director of SolarPower Europe from 2017 to 2021. She has also headed the European Affairs department of the French Union of Electricity from 2012 to 2017.
Christian Bjerrum Jørgensen
Energy Attaché at Royal Danish Embassy in BerlinChristian is a sector expert for district heating and energy efficiency.
He has great experience in project management. He has been working with funding and financing green projects. Christian´s task is to strengthen the energygovernance partnership between Germany and Denmark and lead the project development within the partnership.
He is motivated by making a deference in the green transition towards a CO2 neutral energy system.
Zhuolun Chen
Senior Advisor at UNEP Copenhagen Climate CentreDr. Zhuolun Chen has been working as a technical expert on district energy system under the District Energy Initiative of UN Environment under the UN platform of Sustainable Energy For All (SE4ALL) since 2017. He works as a major technical expert to develop high-efficient district energy projects with suitable technical solution and business models in developing countries, including China, India, Malaysia, Egypt etc., and contributes to UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program.
Femke De Jong
Director, Buildings Programme of European Climate FoundationFemke joined the European Climate Foundation in October 2020 and is today the Director of the Buildings Programme. In this role, she supports the ECF’s community efforts on fossil-free buildings.
Prior to the ECF, Femke worked for over 12 years on different aspects of European climate policies in research, politics, civil society, and industry. She used to work as an economics researcher at an environmental consultancy, a political advisor to Green member of the European Parliament Bas Eickhout, a policy director at Carbon Market Watch, and an energy and climate manager at a European trade association.
Femke is an econometrician by training, specialized in environmental economics, and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Amsterdam. She has good memories from her time studying abroad at the Universiti Sains Malaysia, where she decided to write her master thesis on the external environmental costs of our meat consumption.
Pierre De Montlivault
Chairman at FEDENEAt the age of 50, Pierre de Montlivault becomes in 2022 Chairman of FEDENE. Appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dalkia Biogazen in 2015, he has been Chief Executive Officer of Bois Energie France, a subsidiary of Dalkia, since 2008.
CEO of several « green » companies, Pierre has managed strong developments of new business as well as business turnaround and M&A. Renewables and energy efficiency, services to communities and industry are his fields of expertise, both in several european countries and Canada. Previously senior civil servant, he contributed to the rising awareness of environmental issues, notably with French Prime ministers Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Dominique de Villepin.
Victor Ferré
Senior Director of XylemVictor Ferré leads the development and execution of go-to-market strategies for the water solutions portfolio in the built environment. With over 20 years of customer-facing, international business development experience in the water technology sector, Victor has a track record of identifying new opportunities and establishing long-term partnerships. He is a natural communicator, networker, and creative thinker, inspiring his team to explore new strategic directions, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, and consistently delivering exceptional results. Victor's goal is to establish Xylem as the trusted partner and leader in smart water solutions for buildings in Europe and beyond.
Oliver Frey
Chairman at ISOPLUS GroupOliver is Chairman of ISOPLUS and has supported its enlarged management board in growing ISOPLUS, headquartered in Rosenheim near Munich, to a leading European manufacturer of insulated district energy pipes with more than 1.500 employees. He is also Chairman of Enwitec Electronic, a mission-critical manufacturer of PV/solar components such as a back-up boxes.
Oliver started his career at MeesPierson in Amsterdam and DEUTSCHE BANK in Frankfurt. He spent more than 15 years thereafter working as a partner in private equity at CINVEN in London and ALLIANZ Capital Partners in Munich. For the last 10 years he was the CEO of his family business, an industrial manufacturer of premium bakery ovens in Düsseldorf, which he sold to a much bigger strategic competitor.
He holds a Master’s degree in business/finance from Stuttgart University, an MBA in general management from the Rotterdam School of Management and participated in the AMP at INSEAD, Paris.
Niels Fuglsang
Member of the European Parliament
Morten Helveg Petersen
Member of the European ParliamentMorten Helveg Petersen has served as a member of the European Parliament since 2014. He is Vice-Chair of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), and has worked on numerous key reports including the EU Offshore Renewable Energy strategy, the Electricity Market Design Directive, the regulation of Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), the European Energy Security strategy, and, currently, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
Before becoming a member of the European Parliament, Morten Helveg Petersen served as a member of the Danish parliament from 1998 to 2009, followed by his appointment as Deputy Director of Danish Media Association. Parallel to his work in ITRE Morten Helveg Petersen also chairs Energy Solutions, a cross party European Parliamentary Network dedicated to integrated energy solutions in realizing the European Energy Union. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Copenhagen.
Wim Jacobs
CEO & Co-founder of Zero FrictionWim Jacobs, CEO and co-founder of Zero Friction, active in the market of software and energy for 20+ years. Together with 2 other founders they saw a big need for an easy to implement, easy to use and easy to buy customer care & billing platform. In 2018, they have launched the Zero Friction SaaS solution with the only focus on district & communal heating & cooling market. With over 70 heat suppliers and building managers in their portfolio, they’ve built up a large experience on digitalizing the back-office processes and customer experience. The digitalization and the correlation between all processes of a heat supplier and the impact on the end customer can’t be underestimated.
Michael Hunnicke Jensen
Head of EU Public Affairs at Grundfos
Adrian Joyce
Secretary General at EuroACEDirector of the Renovate Europe Campaign, which has 49 partners from all segments of the construction sector, Adrian Joyce is also Secretary General of EuroACE, a European industry association gathering 15 of the leading product and equipment manufacturing companies in the construction sector. An architect by training with 18 years practice before taking up policy work in Brussels, he is a part-time Professor of Architecture at Louvain-le-Neuve, Belgium. Among other roles, he was Chair of the Coalition for Energy Savings, which represents around 15 million EU citizens through its members, from May 2017 to December 2020.
Aksana Krasatsenka
Director of Knowledge Transfer at Euroheat & PowerAksana joined Euroheat & Power in February 2013, and since January 2014 she is a dedicated member of the DHC+ team. She became Director of Knowledge Transfer in January 2022 and is co-leading DHC+ Platform with Gabriele Pesce.
Aksana has been involved in an important number of EU funded projects leading communication and dissemination activities, social media strategy and European replication actions. She is in charge of knowledge transfer activities and DHC+ member relations. She leads the development of the Knowledge Hub and provides support to the Policy and Market Intelligence teams by identifying relevant EU project results. In addition, she coordinates the work on Education & Training and supports the organisation of the Global District Energy Climate Awards, DHC+ Summer School and DHC+ Student Awards.
After graduation in European law and politics from the Universities of Bordeaux (FR) and Minsk (BY), Aksana completed an internship in legal and public affairs within an international law firm and another Brussels based association.
Igor Krupenski
Co-founder and CEO of EnerhackIgor Krupenski is a highly experienced thermal engineer with a Ph.D. in the field. With over 20 years of expertise in district heating, he has made significant contributions to the industry. As the co-founder and CEO of Enerhack, an educational project, Igor is dedicated to advancing energy education. Enerhack offers engineering courses for adults and engaging energy camps, school programs, and competitions for kids, making energy learning accessible and fun for all ages.
Birger Lauersen
President at Euroheat & Power- Opening session: A Blueprint for Smart & Sustainable DHC
- Networking drinks and dinner
- Consumer protection and transparency: building trust with local communities
Birger Lauersen is the Manager of International Affairs at Dansk Fjernvarme (Danish District Heating Association). He has worked for Danish District Heating Association since 1994, initially as economic advisor dealing with energy taxation and regulation, heat purchase contracts and a host of other matters, and since 1998 he is also responsible for international affairs.
He has been on the board of Euroheat & Power, since 1998, and was also chairman of its Energy Policy Group. He has a master of political science from Copenhagen University (1994). He lives in Kolding, Denmark and like 65% of Danes, enjoys the benefits of district heating in his home.
Pauline Lucas
Policy Director of Euroheat & PowerPauline joined Euroheat & Power in January 2019 as a Policy Officer and was promoted to Policy Manager in April 2021. In August 2022 she was promoted to Policy Director. As leader of the policy team, she manages the work on renewable energy and waste heat, industrial emissions, the EU Emissions Trading System, as well circular economy and digitalisation.
Pauline is an EU public affairs and policy expert, specialised in energy and environment. Over the last 8 years, she has gained experience in advocacy and stakeholder dialogue supporting association and corporate clients from the industry, for a Brussels-based public affairs agency. She was also a bluebook trainee at the European Commission, DG NEAR.
Pauline holds a Bachelor in law from the University of Nantes (France), a Master’s degree in European public affairs from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Poland) and a Master’s degree in European public affairs from Maastricht University (the Netherlands).
Chiara Martinelli
Director of Climate Action Network Europe asblChiara Martinelli has been the Director of Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe since October 2021. CAN Europe is Europe's leading NGO coalition fighting dangerous climate change. With over 180 member organisations active in 38 European countries, representing over 1,500 NGOs and more than 47 million citizens, CAN Europe promotes sustainable climate, energy and development policies across Europe. CAN Europe is the regional node of the global alliance CAN International.
Chiara has more than 16 years of experience in the development cooperation sector and prior to joining CAN Europe as Director, she was a Senior Advisor at CIDSE, the International Family of Catholic Social Justice Organisations. Chiara led CIDSE's work on climate justice, food and agriculture, energy and sustainable lifestyles. Chiara's work in international development began as a volunteer in Benin, West Africa, working on a project for the socio-economic promotion and empowerment of women.
Stefan Moser
Head of Unit, Buildings and Products at DG ENER at European CommissionStefan Moser was born in Munich in 1971 and trained as an economist and a lawyer. He joined the Commission in 2000 in DG Competition to work on control of state aid to public undertakings and services, notably financial institutions. From 2005 to 2009, he worked in DG Environment on climate and environment policy, notably greenhouse gas emissions trading, transport emissions and air quality. From 2009 to 2015, he dealt with policy coordination in the Secretariat-General, in particular on climate, energy, environment, transport, agriculture and maritime policies. From 2015 onwards, he has served as head of unit in DG Energy, first on energy security and safety, and then on energy efficiency of buildings and products.
Tomislav Novosel
Expert Advisor at REGEATomislav Novosel has worked at the North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency since 2019, first as a project Manager and then an Expert Advisor. His areas of expertise are energy and climate planning at local, regional and national levels as well as the development, implementation and coordination of EU funded projects. In 2023 he has obtained his PhD in the field of energy planning, specifically on the topic of the integration of heating, cooling and the power sector, at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
Thomas Nowak
Secretary General at European Heat Pump Association
Charlotte Owen
Head of Policy and Local Partnerships at Hemiko
Tsvetelina Penkova
Member of the European ParliamentTsvetelina Penkova is a Member of the European Parliament from the Group of Socialists and Democrats. She is a member of the Industry, Energy, Research, Regional Development and Internal market and the Committees. She is Vice-Chair of the Delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. She was previously a finance specialist at an investment fund in London, an investment banker at the Royal Bank of Scotland and an analyst at Egon Zehnder. Prior to this she was a Consultant at ING and a financial analyst at Astra Zeneca. She holds a Master's degree in Financial Economics from Oxford University, double Bachelor’s degree at Bocconi University in Milan and the Central European University in Budapest.
Gabriele Pesce
Director of Innovation & Sustainable Finance at Euroheat & PowerGabriele joined Euroheat & Power on 1 June 2018 and in January 2022 he was promoted to Director of Innovation & Sustainable Finance. He holds a Master’s degree in international relations and a postgraduate degree in diplomatic studies. He is specialised in project management with vast experience in the preparation, design and management of EU projects and tenders within different financing programmes.
At EHP, Gabriele co-leads the DHC+ Technology Platform. He coordinates the management of the organisation’s EU projects portfolio and the management of its financial resources. He leads the activities related to funding and grants for EHP and DHC+ members and everything related to the access-to-finance topic. He supports the policy team in the analysis of European legislation and mechanisms in the fields of sustainable and infrastructure finance relevant to district heating and cooling.
Eloi Piel
Director of Market Intelligence at Euroheat & PowerEloi joined Euroheat & Power in 2002. From January 2014 he was head of the policy unit. In August 2022 Eloi was promoted to Director of Market Intelligence.
Eloi has over 10 years experience in energy policy and lobbying in Brussels. Prior to joining Euroheat & Power, he worked for the European Commission and Gaz de France in Central Europe.
Olivier Racle
Head of District Heating & Cooling at ENGIEOlivier joined ENGIE in 2005 and had the chance to gain experience in the field of heating networks both in operations as well as in business development. Olivier has 20 years of experience in the energy sector of which 13 years have been devoted to the development of urban energy infrastructures. Olivier is a Fervent advocate of the long-term benefits and advantages of district energy systems that are helpful for the needed energy transition. Olivier is board member of Euro Heat and Power (EU association) since 2022 and active members of other association such as IDEA (US DHC association) and EGEC (European Geothermal Energy Council).
Martin Rigaud
Head of BU District Heating Solutions at BRUGG PipesMartin Rigaud, a French-Swiss engineer, has been with the BRUGG Group for six years and now spearheads the District Heating Solutions Business Unit, pivoting from a career in the glass industry to black pre-insulated piping. He holds a board position with "Thermische Netze Schweiz," a Swiss national organization allied with EHP, and is also involved in the board of local heat networks. Passionate about the integral role of heat networks in decarbonization, Martin channels this dedication into BRUGG PIPES' carbon reduction efforts. As most Swiss People, Martin loves to spend time in the mountains, hiking, skiing or mountaineering with his family. Witnessing the rapid melting of glaciers first-hand fuels his commitment to work towards a carbon-neutral society
Mantas Sekmokas
Policy Advisor DG EMPLOYMENT at European CommissionMantas is specialised in labour market, education and skills policy domains (incl. investment for green jobs and skills), providing evidence-based advice to support the design of policies, interventions and financing instruments as well as systems to monitor them at national, European and international levels. He is currently engaged by the European Commission to support the implementation of the European Year of Skills with a focus on evidence and monitoring. His more than 20 years’ work experience includes almost a decade of work for the European Commission on EU skills, vocational education and training and adult learning policy. As an independent expert, he has also been providing advisory services for a number of other international and national organisations and bodies, including G7, ILO, UNESCO, OECD, Nordic Council of Ministers, Skills Future Singapore agency, as well as the private sector. His academic background includes a MSc degree in Information systems and data science from the University of Amsterdam (UvA); a MSc degree in Cognitive and Decision Sciences from the University College London (UCL); a MSc degree in International Management from ISM University of Management and Economics and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Vilnius University.
Kadri Simson
European Commissioner for Energy at European CommissionKadri Simson is an Estonian politician who is serving as European Commissioner for Energy in the Von der Leyen Commission since 1. December 2019.
She was previously the Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure in Jüri Ratas' first cabinet from 2016 to 2019. During the Estonian Presidency in the Council of the EU, Simson chaired both energy ministers’ and transport ministers’ meetings in TTE Council and ministers of economy format in EU Competitiveness Council.
From 2007–2016 Kadri Simson was a member of the 11th, 12th, and 13th Riigikogu and in 2019 she was also elected to the 14th Riigikogu. She holds a Master's degree in Political Science from University College London.
Michael Strebl
Chairman of the Executive Board at Wien EnergieSince 2016, the former CEO of Salzburg Netz GmbH Michael Strebl (58) has been Chairman of the
Wien Energie Management Board. The proven energy expert held various positions at Salzburg AG
for over 20 years. He completed a technical degree and a degree in business administration. Born in
Salzburg, he is married and father of two children. He has been working in the energy industry since
1994 and gained experience in Austria as well as internationally, eg. at the renowned London School of Economics (LSE) in England or at Siemens/USA in Silicon Valley.
Lada Strelnikova
Senior Principal Sustainable Investments at DWS GroupLada is responsible for managing the investment management mandate for the European Energy Efficiency Fund within DWS in Luxembourg. Prior to taking this role Lada was involved in establishing and managing the Global Climate Partnership Fund focused on energy efficiency investments in emerging markets and was holding various strategic business development positions across Deutsche Bank units. She is bringing 20+ years of the professional experience, is a MBA graduate from Australian National University with focus on managing business in Asia and holds a degree in finance and accounting from the Finance Academy under the Government of Russian Federation in Moscow.
Valérie Séjourné
Managing Director of Solar Heat EuropeWith a communications and marketing background, Valérie Séjourné started her career in a couple of FMCG Companies, Danone and Unilever but also as Communication Officer the French energy transition agency in Ademe. She then gained almost 25 years of experience in a well-established pan-European association in Brussels (A.I.S.E.), representing the detergent industry, and leading their sustainability strategy through many voluntary initiatives in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility, product policy/ecodesign, sustainability reporting, coordinating also several sustainable consumption campaigns across Europe. Communications, stakeholder engagement and advocacy outreach towards many different audiences at European and international levels are complementing her passion to make tangible progress for the transformation of society towards more sustainable, low-carbon, just and resilient models. She was appointed Managing Director of Solar Heat Europe in April 2023.
Frauke Thies
Executive Director of Agora EnergiewendeSince July 2022, Frauke Thies has been Executive Director of Agora Energiewende. Agora develops evidence-based and politically viable strategies to advance the goal of climate neutrality in Germany, Europe, and internationally. The Think Tank informs policymakers, economists, researchers, and civil society while encouraging a productive exchange of ideas.
Previously, Frauke was responsible for the climate portfolio of the Open Society Foundations in Europe. Prior to that, she worked in European associations for eight years, including as Executive Director of the European business association for digital and consumer-driven solutions for the energy transition, smartEn, from 2015 to 2020, and as Policy Director at SolarPower Europe from 2012 to 2015. Thies started her career at the environmental organisation Greenpeace, where she held various positions in EU energy policy, with secondments to the USA and India. Frauke holds a Master of Environmental Sciences from the University of Lüneburg and a Master of Business Administration from Vlerick Business School in Belgium.
Rob Thornton
President & CEO of International District Energy Association (IDEA)Serve as President & CEO of International District Energy Association where he focuses on energy and environmental policy advocacy for district energy/CHP and microgrid industry.
Brian Vad Mathiesen
Professor at Aalborg University
Peter Van-Den-Heede
Head of Sales and Marketing ABB Motion, Belux at ABBPeter Van Den Heede embarked on his career with ABB in early 2007 as manager for the Building Sector, and shortly thereafter, took on the role overseeing the Low Voltage Division in Belux. In 2012 he took up an additional role in setting up a Smart Grid team in the Benelux. In 2014, he transitioned to a global role within ABB being responsible for the Smart Grid operations in Central Europe. It was during that role that he was voted as one of the 50 most influential people in the Smart Grids business in Europe. Two years later, Peter assumed the position of Head of the Sales Council for Benelux to implement a segment approach and key account management. In 2019, he returned to Electrification Belux, directing his efforts towards the integration of the GE IS division. Last year, in 2022, he took on the leadership of the Motion business line in Belux. Presently, he holds the positions of Board Member at Flux 50 and Board Member at the ABB entity Belux.
Maiju Westergren
Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Public Affairs at HelenMaiju Westergren is a Senior Vice President at Helen Ltd. Helen Ltd is of the largest Finnish energy companies with versatile energy portfolio and provides electricity, heating and cooling and energy solutions to customers. Her responsibilities are sustainability and public affairs. During her over 20-years career in energy sector, she has witnessed the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition. Maiju is on her part contributing the Helen Ltd’s journey to carbon neutral energy production that recons biodiversity and energy efficiency and also encouraging the customers to participate to the energy market. Maiju holds a master’s degree in technology and Executive MBA.
Emma Wiesner
Member of the European ParliamentEmma Wiesner is a Member of the European Parliament for the Swedish Center Party and an energy engineer to her profession.
Born and raised in the town of Västerås, she began her political career at 13 years of age, having watched Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth. After this she joined the Center Party's youth league. In the European Parliament, she is in the Committee on Environment, Public health and Food Safety, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, and the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. Emma Wiesner has negotiated the ETS-file for the liberal group Renew Europe is currently a rapporteur on the Protein Strategy and a negotiator on the Carbon Removal Certificate.
Michael Wiggin
Director of The Boltzmann InstituteMichael Wiggin worked for the federal government for many years as a specialist in district energy technology, helping to expedite and advising on development of district heating projects across Canada, most recently the $1 Billion steam to hot water conversion of the Public Works Canada systems in The National Capital Region. He’s past chair of the International Energy Agency’s Executive Committee in District Heating and Cooling R&D.
Robin Wiltshire
UK representative and Chairman at IEA-DHCRobin Wiltshire worked for 20 years at BRE, specialising in CHP and District Heating, participating in many of the initiatives which have led to the resurgence of DH in the UK. Leaving in 2015, he now works freelance with his own company Heatmatters Ltd, and also invests time with the younger generation teaching at an International School. He used also to give lectures at University College London and Brunel University.
Robin is the current UK representative and Chair of the International Energy Agency (IEA) District Heating & Cooling Technology Collaboration Programme.
Frans de Heij
Program manager at Energie-Nederland
Hans van Steen
Principal Adviser at DG ENER, European Commission
Patrick van der Stigchel
Vice president of Benelux and south west EU at Kingspan Logstor*invited