Maria Rita Galli

CEO, DESFA

Maria Rita Galli is the CEO of DESFA (Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator). Until recently she held the position of the Executive Vice President Business Development & Asset Management at Snam S.p.A, a leading global energy infrastructure company and was the Chairman of the SENFLUGA Energy Holdings S.A., a consortium controlling 66% of DESFA's share capital.

Ms. Galli started her career at Eni in 1997, as a graduate in nuclear engineering from the Milan Polytechnic University. At Eni, she went through various roles within the International Business Development Department, joined relevant international projects and was involved in M&A activities. As a member of Eni's Board of Directors, she also oversaw the operations of some of the Group’s companies abroad (Galp, Distrigas, eni Gas&Power Trading BV, eni Gas&Power France, GVS GmbH, etc.)

Since 2006, she has been in charge of the International Business Development unit and, from January 2010, she has been in charge of the International Business Development and Assets Management department.

In October 2016, she joined Snam as the Head of Business Development and International Asset Management.

Arno Büx

President, GIE, CEO, FluxSwiss, SVP Corporate Commercial, Fluxys Group

Arno Büx is Senior Vice President Corporate Commercial of the Fluxys Group. Since November 1^st, 2024, he is also CEO of FluxSwiss , the group’s Swiss affiliate.

Arno Büx is GIE President since October 2024. He also served as GLE President between 2019 and 2023.

Before joining Fluxys, he has evolved within the Engie Group for 20 years, working in Belgium, France and Luxemburg but mostly contributing to the development of the Group’s energy activities in Germany. He held various executive and non-executive management positions in businesses targeting the B2B and B2C commodity markets as well as the gas midstream sector.

Arno Büx holds degrees in Engineering and Business Administration as well as a certificate in Corporate Governance.

Arno Büx

Anne-Sophie Corbeau

Global Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University SIPA

Anne-Sophie Corbeau is a Global Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Her research focuses on hydrogen and natural gas. Anne-Sophie has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry and is a recognized expert on natural gas. She is the author of many publications focusing on gas, LNG markets, Asia, China, India and Africa, including the book “LNG markets in transition: the great reconfiguration” (Oxford, 2016). She is also a member of the Gastech governing body.

Prior to joining the Center, Mrs. Corbeau was a senior Leader and head of gas analysis at BP, where she was responsible for advising the Leadership Team on gas market developments and long term pricing assumptions. As part of the Economic and Energy Insights team, she was leading the Energy Outlook’s analysis on gas, industry, nuclear and hydrogen. She also served as a member of BP France’s Comex (board). Before joining BP, she was a Research Fellow at KAPSARC (King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center) in Riyadh where she set up and expanded the natural gas program. She also worked for the International Energy Agency (IEA) where she was responsible for managing the research on global gas markets, and for IHS CERA.

She began her career as an engineer working on fuel cells and hydrogen at Peugeot and Debis Systemhaus. Anne-Sophie holds an MSc from the Ecole Centrale Paris and an MSc from the University of Stuttgart.

Anne-Sophie Corbeau

Charlotte Roule

President, GSE, CEO, Storengy

O 1 March 2023, Charlotte Roule took the position of Chief Executive Officer of Storengy, the European leader in underground natural gas storage.
She will continue to develop and leverage the company's unique expertise in the storage of renewable gases and the production of natural hydrogen, while accelerating its role as a leader in the energy transition.

As part of her significant roles, she will also assume the management of the storage business in France following the departure of its Managing Director, Pierre Chambon, who has just joined ENGIE. Charlotte Roule was hitherto ENGIE Group Strategy Officer. In charge of long-term forecasting, strategic dialogue, and competitive intelligence, she participated in the review of major projects for the company. Before joining the Strategy Department, she managed Storengy UK and ENGIE in China where she coordinated projects focusing on renewable energy, clean solutions for cities and industries, such as cooling networks and electrical mobility.

She was Vice President of the European Chamber of Commerce in China from 2018 to 2021. Now, she represents the Chamber in Paris. Moreover, she is currently a member of the Board of Directors of France Gaz (formerly Association Française du Gaz).

In 2022, Charlotte Roule accompanied the President of ENGIE in his role as co-chair of the B20 (G20business group) Energy, Sustainable Development and Climate working group.

Charlotte Roule

Bart Jan Hoevers

President, ENTSOG

Bart Jan Hoevers is CEO of Gasunie Transport Services (GTS) since 1 September 2017.

Bart Jan is a member of the present Board of ENTSOG.

Earlier career:

Bart Jan studied Monetary Economics at the University of Groningen. He started his career in 1996 at the Dutch National Bank (Nederlandsche Bank) specializing in sovereign risk and export credit insurance.

He then moved to the Ministry of Finance, where he worked in the field of state participations, managing the purchase and restructuring of state participations (Tennet, Port of Rotterdam and Gasunie).

In 2007 Bart Jan started working for Gasunie, where he had various functions in the field of regulation, business development and management of joint ventures. Since April 2015 Bart Jan was on the management team of GTS, as Manager Network Planning.

From 1 September 2017 Bart Jan is a member of the Executive Board of Gasunie.

Bart Jan Hoevers

Milan Sedláček

Dr. Milan Sedláček is the Head of EU Affairs and Strategy at Eustream, a.s. , the gas transmission system operator of Slovakia, which operates gas import corridor for the EU. Milan has 30 years of experience in gas transmission.

Throughout his career in gas transmission, he has held various managerial positions focused on business, regulation and strategy. He has overseen transmission capacity sales, business development and strategic initiatives, always with a strong emphasis on regulatory affairs.

Milan has been responsible for and has collaborated on numerous projects, particularly those related to the introduction of third-party access to the transmission network, transparency, unbundling, network codes, and EU affairs.

Additionally, an integral part of his activities involves participation in EU gas associations. Since 2023 he has served as the president of Gas Transmission Europe (GTE) and vice-president of Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).

Milan Sedláček

Aris Tsikouras

Group Decarbonization Strategy Director, Titan Cement Groupe

Aris Tsikouras is Director of Decarbonization Strategy of Titan Cement Group, responsible for developing large decarbonization projects such as CCS, waste management, etc. He has developed and is leading IFESTOS, Titan’s flagship CCS project in Greece.

Prior to joining Titan, Aris was a Partner with McKinsey & Company for 17 years in Athens, New York, and Rio de Janeiro. He worked across the energy sector and for energy-intensive industrials, focusing on energy strategy, growth projects, policy, operational improvements, etc.

He has been a member of the Board and representative of the Greek Industrials Federation in the Greek Center for Renewable Energy Studies, and is a member of the Board of Cimento Apodi, a Titan joint venture in Brazil.

Aris holds Masters degrees in Engineering, Economics, and Management from Oxford and Stanford.

Stefano Miriello

EU Deputy Director, CCSA

Stefano is Head of EU External Affairs for the CCSA in Brussels. He has several previous experiences in EU climate and energy policies, having worked for companies and trade associations such as FederlegnoArredo, GSE (Gestore Servizi Energetici), and the European Heat Pump Association. In his previous role, Stefano was the Policy and Business Development Advisor for the RE-Source Platform, working with SolarPower Europe and WindEurope.

Lucie Boost

Secretary General, GIE

As Head of Public Affairs for Europe at Air Products, Lucie Boost led a team responsible for European and national energy affairs, focusing on key markets such as the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain. Her expertise encompasses hydrogen, the integrated energy market, and CCUS, aligning perfectly with GIE’s strategic priorities.

Prior to joining Air Products in January 2023, Lucie spent 13 years at Equinor, where she held various leadership positions in natural gas sales, regulatory affairs, and public affairs. During her tenure at Equinor, she gained extensive experience in gas regulation, hydrogen, and CCS, representing the company in esteemed organisations such as Eurogas, the European Federation of Energy Traders, the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers, the Zero Emissions Platform, and Hydrogen Europe.

Lucie holds a Licence degree in Political Science and International Relations from the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and is proficient in Dutch, English, and French.

Piotr Kuś

General Director, ENTSOG

Before joining ENTSOG in January 2022 as ENTSOG General Director, Piotr Kuś held the position of Deputy Director in the Development Division at GAZ-SYSTEM S.A., since January 2017. His main areas of responsibilities included international cooperation, institutional relations, cooperation with EU institutions and international trade organisations.

He was involved in a number of business development projects aimed at regional gas market development - both infrastructure projects in CEE region as well as LNG, booking platforms and cooperation with Energy Community. Within GAZ-SYSTEM H2 task force, he was engaged in evaluating new gases preparedness: working on readiness of the Polish gas networks, European Hydrogen Backbone, IPCEI initiatives and Hydrogen Storage Project in Poland. He represented the transmission sector in number of Partnerships for Hydrogen Economy Development and Biogas Development on National and European level.

Between 2019-2021, Piotr was GIE Board Member acting as a sponsor of the CH4 Area. Since 2016, he was a member of the GTE Executive Committee to supervise activities of future sustainable solutions in the natural gas infrastructure. Prior to that, between 2008 and 2016, Piotr was Director of the Brussels Office of GAZ-SYSTEM, in charge of managing the company’s EU affairs.

Before joining GAZ-SYSTEM in 2008, he was employed by the Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG S.A.) and was seconded to its Representative Office in Brussels.

Piotr Kuś graduated from Warsaw School of Economics.

Piotr Kuś

Jorgo Chatzimarkakis

Jorgo Chatzimarkakis has been working at Hydrogen Europe since 2016. He currently holds the position of CEO of the association. He previously covered roles in the planning department of the Foreign Office of Germany, at Infineon Technologies and was 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. He was awarded Hydrogen Person of the Year at the World Hydrogen Awards 2022, “as a major player promoting hydrogen in Europe and world-wide, accelerating collaboration and industry development”.
Jorgo was born in Duisburg, Germany. He holds German and Greek nationality, and a degree in political science from the University of Bonn.

Jorgo Chatzimarkakis
@chatzimarkakis

Michael Schmöltzer

Head of the Value of Storage Working Group, GIE

Michael Schmöltzer was born on 1970 in Vienna and graduated in Business Administration at Vienna University of Economics and Business.

From 1994 till 2001 he worked at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber of Commerce in Austria as vice managing Director of the Association of Gas- and District Heating.

In September 2001 he changed his position and started to work for E-Control Austria, the Regulatory Authority for the Gas and Electricity in Austria till January 2013 as Head of Gas Department responsible for preparation of Gas Market Rules within the regulatory framework and held contacts to energy platforms at European level (Madrid Forum, Council of European Energy Regulators, ACER). As member of CEER and ACER Gas working group and TF Chair from 2002 till 2012 he was involved in the whole EU-Regulatory process in the gas sector.

In February 2013 he started as Branch Manager for E.ON Gas Storage GmbH in Austria (renamed in Uniper Energy Storage GmbH in 2016) and is responsible for regulatory and stakeholder affairs and represents Uniper Energy Storage in the Austrian gas market.

On national level Michael Schmöltzer was elected as Board member of the German Gas Storage Association (INES, Initiative Erdgasspeicher) representing the German Underground Gas Storage Industry.

On the European level he chairs several Task Forces within GIE (Gas Infrastructure Europe) since 2014. Since 2024 he co-chairs the European Hydrogen Storage Alliance H2eart for Europe.

michael-schm%C3%B6ltzer-28b5455a

Christoph von dem Bussche

Managing Director, GASCADE, President, ENNOH

Christoph von dem Bussche is Managing Director of the German transmission system operators GASCADE Gastransport GmbH and NEL Gastransport GmbH, which connect Germany with five neighboring European countries via their transport system. GASCADE plans to convert important parts of its transmission system to hydrogen transport and is involved in several hydrogen infrastructure projects on land and at sea.

Von dem Bussche holds a doctorate in chemistry and began his professional career in 1993 at BASF in Ludwigshafen. Before becoming Managing Director of GASCADE in 2009 and Managing Director of NEL in 2012, he held various senior positions in the oil and gas sector of the group, including European gas sales and strategic planning.

Christoph von dem Bussche has been a member of the ENTSOG Board of Directors since 2016. In addition, he has been a member of the board of the AquaVentus Förderverein since 2020. The association pursues the goal of making large quantities of green hydrogen produced offshore available to the German and European hydrogen market via an offshore pipeline.

Michalis Thomadakis

Head of Strategy & Development Division, DESFA

Formerly, Michalis Thomadakis was the Vice Chairman and Member of the Board of RAE from 2005 to 2015, member of the BoR of ACER, the CEER General Assembly, the Board of MEDREG, the Board of Appeal of ACER and Chairman of the Investment Group of the Energy Charter.

He has extensive experience in the development of the gas regulatory framework of the Greek gas market, and deeply involved in corresponding developments in South East Europe, especially in the regulatory framework for several gas infrastructure projects related to the Southern Gas Corridor. Started his carrier in DEPA, were he worked as the contractual administrator of the Gas Procurement contracts from Russia (pipeline) and Algeria (LNG), the LNG transportation contracts, the development of underground gas storage, the derivation of transportation tariffs and on the establishment of the Gas Distribution Companies in Greece.

He is a Mechanical Engineer of NTU Athens with a PhD from the same University. He is the author of more than 40 scientific papers and reports and invited lecturer in many events of the energy industry worldwide.

Nicola Rega

Executive Director Climate Change and Energy, Cefic

Nicola is the Executive Director Climate Change and Energy of Cefic. Before this role, he has gained extensive experience in Brussels.

Since February 2003 Nicola has been working in Brussels on EU-related policies for a wide range of stakeholders, including industry associations, the European Commission, NGOs, governmental institutes and consultancies. His main areas of expertise are energy and environmental policies.

Nicola joined Cefic in December 2020 as the new Energy Director. In April 2023, he has been appointed Executive Director Climate Change and Energy of Cefic. In his role, Nicola represents the industry’s interests to European institutions, international organisations and relevant stakeholders.

Nicola has a master’s degree in law from the University of Turin, an advanced master’s in political and social European integration from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and a master of laws in energy and environmental law from KU Leuven.

Niko Bosnjak

Since 2012, Dr. Niko Bosnjak has been Legislative and Political Advisor for two Members of German Federal Parliament (Bundestag). Since 2017 he works at ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH, since 2018 Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs.

He holds B.A. Governmental Studies (University of Erfurt, Universidad de Alcalá, Hong Kong Baptist University), M.Sc. History of International Relations (London School of Economics), Dr. iur. European Climate Change Law (University of Erfurt).

Pierre Duvieusart

Deputy General Director, NaTran

Pierre DUVIEUSART has been Executive Vice President since September 1, 2018.

A graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs and the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, Pierre Duvieusart is a professionnal of the energy sector.

He started his career in the Elf Group where he held several positions mainly in the Exploration-Production Division. In 2001, he joined the Gaz de France group as M&A Project Manager, before joining the team responsible for the IPO of the company. In 2012, Pierre was appointed GRTgaz’s new Chief Financial Officer and on September 1, 2018, he was appointed Deputy Managing Director of GRTgaz.

Harmen Dekker

CEO, European Biogas Association

Harmen Dekker is a passionate strategic leader devoted to climate change mitigation with 20 years’ experience in the sustainability sector in the field of water and renewable gas. He joined EBA in 2019 to steer the growth of the biogas sector in Europe as a sustainable and circular pathway for gas decarbonisation.

In addition to his role at EBA, Harmen holds different positions in instrumental organisations working towards climate change mitigation and the energy transition. As Vice-Chair of the United Nations ECE Gas Expert Group, he collaborates with global gas experts on sustainable development on the topic of gas. Additionally, he is a governing Board Member of the Biomethane Industrial Partnership (BIP), involving the European Commission, EU Member States and the biomethane value chain. Beside this he is also Director of the Transatlantic Climate Alliance.

Harmen is a Chemistry Engineer and holds a BSC on Business Administration. He speaks Dutch, English and German.

Harmen Dekker

Nikolaos Katsis

Chief Officer of Asset Management Division, DESFA

Nikos Katsis is the Chief Officer of Asset Management Division of the Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA) S.A. An alumnus of the Polytechnic School of Patras University and the University of Athens, he holds a Diploma in Chemical Engineering and a MSc in Marketing of Chemical products. With over 28 years of robust experience in the gas and chemical industry in Greece, he is an esteemed member of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE).

Katsis is entrusted with the management of the National Natural Gas Transmission System (NNGTS) and the unique LNG Terminal in Greece, ensuring technical capacities and maximising the utilisation of the entire network. He has been a pivotal force in transitioning the infrastructure to adapt to renewable energies, focusing on H2 readiness and biomethane, thereby aligning with global sustainability objectives.

Katsis has demonstrated a keen focus on maintaining the Security of Supply in the Greek gas market, working closely with all stakeholders, particularly in recent years. He has actively participated in numerous studies regarding the expansion of the NNGTS and the creation of the current and future network.

Proficient in English and German, alongside his native Greek, Katsis stands as a notable figure in the energy sector, leading and innovating in his field with dedication and expertise.

Luis Ignacio Parada

President, GLE, Energy Policy & Regulation Director, Enagás

Luis Ignacio Parada is EU Energy Policy & Regulation Director at Enagás, the main gas transmission, LNG and gas storage operator in Spain. He has 25 years of experience in the energy sector, where he has specialised in energy economics, gas and hydrogen sector regulation and energy policy. Before joining Enagás, Luis started his career in 1998 at Gas Natural, and worked in NERA Economic Consulting from 2001 to 2004. Since May 2023 he has served as Board member in ENTSOG and in GIE (Gas Infrastructure Europe), and since January 2024 he has been serving as President in GLE (Gas LNG Europe). He is also engaged as Board member in EASEE-gas since March 2019, and was a member of the Executive Committee of GTE (Gas Transmission Europe) from December 2020 to May 2023. Luis Ignacio holds an Executive MBA from IESE Business School and a MSc. in Applied Economics. He graduated in Economics at Universidad de Salamanca (Spain).

Laurent David

General Delegate, GIIGNL

Laurent David was appointed General Delegate of GIIGNL in July 2023, bringing with him a wealth of experience in the energy sector. Prior to this role, from 2020, he served as the Head of the Strategy Department for Gas, Renewables, and Power activities at TotalEnergies. Laurent has extensive expertise in LNG, having overseen strategy and market analysis for ENGIE's LNG portfolio before TotalEnergies acquired it in 2018. Laurent's journey in the energy sector began in 2000 with his PhD, which focused on the gas deregulation experiences in the United Kingdom and the United States. At ENGIE, he contributed significantly to corporate strategy, working on gas, power, and CO2 scenarios.

Ilaria Conti

Ilaria Conti is the FSR Coordinator of Strategy and Development and member of the FSR Cabinet. She’s an expert in energy markets policy and regulation, with a multi-year experience in EU institutional relations.

Her career started in Brussels, where she lived for about 9 years and worked for the Permanent Representation of Italy at the EU, and the United Nations.

She developed her expertise in the energy sector by working for EFET, the “European Federation of Energy Traders” from 2005 until 2013 and covering positions of increasing relevance in the association.

In Brussels, Ilaria actively took part in the EU consultative processes leading to the development of major EU Regulations and Directives, such as the Third Energy Package, the RES Directive, EMIR, REMIT, Security of Supply regulation – as well as facilitating their implementation at national level, by interacting with the national regulators, TSOs and other energy stakeholders.

Ilaria joined the Florence School of Regulation in 2015 and was appointed Head of the FSR Gas area from its foundation in 2017 until 2023, contributing to its research and academic output and managing international research projects on market design, LNG, energy system integration. She inaugurated the Gas area’s workstream on renewable and low-carbon gases, for the decarbonisation of the gas sector.

As Strategy and Development Coordinator, Ilaria is currently responsible also for the gender mainstreaming project “FSR Lights on Women” – which aims at improving gender balance in the energy sector.

In 2024, she has been appointed vice-chair of the United Nations Economic Committee for Europe (UNECE).

Ilaria Conti
@Ilaria_C80

Mike Fulwood

Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Mike Fulwood is a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, focussing on global gas modelling, LNG markets and gas pricing.  Mike has 45 years of experience in the gas industry.  Mike worked as a consultant, with Energy Markets between 1997 and 2008 and then with Nexant as Director, Global Gas & LNG until August 2017. Before working as consultant, Mike worked for British Gas from 1979, latterly as a Director at British Gas Transco, in charge of the price control review, and prior to that President of British Gas Americas during which time he oversaw many successful acquisitions and projects including the acquisitions of Metrogas (Argentina), NGC (now Dynegy), the Bolivia – Brazil pipeline and Trinidad LNG project.

While working as a consultant Mike undertook a wide range of projects in all areas of the gas chain, covering regulatory matters, gas pricing and tariffs, gas sales and transportation contracts, market studies and price forecasting, as well as helping develop NexantECA’s World Gas Model.  Mike is a past Chairman of the International Gas Union’s Gas Pricing Group, which undertakes the Wholesale Gas Price Survey.  He also speaks widely at gas conferences all over the world, particularly on global gas and LNG markets, gas trading and gas pricing.

Kleopatra Avraam

Strategic Planning Senior Director, DESFA

She has been working in both the electricity and natural gas sector for the last 13 years mainly focusing on business development and business planning. Starting as an Energy Trader dealing with electricity transaction mainly between Greece and Bulgaria, she moved in the strategy team of the National Natural Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA).

Her main responsibilities include analyses of new-business proposals that create and nurture opportunities and partnerships, identifying risks and benefits of said investment proposals with main outcome the building of action plans for strategic initiatives improving business performance as per DESFA’s corporate strategy.

Victor Bernabeu

Policy Director, Eurogas

Victor Bernabeu is Policy Director at Eurogas, the association representing gaseous energy in Europe. Victor oversees all the policy activities of the association on wholesale and retail gas markets, the distribution of gaseous energies and the use of gas in transport for natural, renewable and low carbon gases and their derivatives.

Prior to joining Eurogas, Victor was Senior Manager for Technical & Regulatory Affairs in the European association representing ethanol producers where he was fully dedicated to transport, energy and climate issues, involved in all the major EU policies. Before coming to Brussels, Victor held different engineering positions at major energy companies.

Victor is a French engineer, holds a MSc. in Chemistry for Chimie ParisTech, a MSc. in Chemical Engineering from PSL Research University and a MSc. in Energy & Products from the IFP School.

Victor Bernabeu

Alexandra Sdoukou

Alexandra Sdoukou was born in 1978 and raised in Thessaloniki.

She holds a Law degree from the Democritus University of Thrace (2000), as well as postgraduate degrees in European Commercial Law from the University of Bristol (UK) and in International and Economic Studies from the Athens University of Economics and Business.

She is a qualified lawyer and a permanent staff member of the Management Organisation Unit of Development Programmes (MOD S.A.), under the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Since 2004, she has held key positions within the Greek public administration, including at the Ministry of Economy and Finance (2004–2007), the Ministry of Development (2007–2009), and the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (2009–2015).

She has extensive expertise in the design, management, and oversight of EU co-financed programmes and public infrastructure projects, as well as in the formulation of national energy policy.

From 2007 to 2015, she served as a senior advisor to various Ministers of Energy, providing strategic counsel on energy policy and regulatory matters.

From 2016 to 2017, she worked in the private sector before returning to public service in October 2017 as Special Advisor on energy and mineral resources to Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President of the New Democracy party.

From 2019 to 2023, she served as Secretary General for Energy and Mineral Resources.

On June 27, 2023, she was appointed Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, a position she held until March 2025.

On April 7, 2025, she was appointed Spokesperson for New Democracy, Greece’s governing party.

Gerald Aue

Vice President, Compass Lexecon

Gerald Aue is a Vice President at Compass Lexecon, based in Paris and Berlin.

Gerald has 20 years of experience in energy sector consulting. He has been working on a broad variety of cases in the electricity, gas and district heating industry.

His notable experience in the natural gas sector includes gas market model design, regulatory questions of gas transmission, distribution, storage and LNG regasification, strategy and M&A projects, gas sector decarbonization, gas procurement, portfolio, risk management and retailing as well as gas sector arbitrations and competition investigations.

In the field of hydrogen and green gases, Gerald has been developing market entry strategies, support strategies, market analyses for green hydrogen and its derivatives, and studies on the future role of underground hydrogen storage. He is currently leading the development of the Compass Lexecon European biomethane market modelling framework.

For the district heating industry, Gerald has been providing economic and modelling support for strategy development and investment appraisals, has conducted due diligence analyses and provided advise on the regulatory framework for district heating as well as support during sector inquiries.

For the electricity sector Gerald has been working on decarbonisation scenario studies, market design studies, due diligence analyses for renewable generation assets and integrated electricity utilities, the analysis of security of supply and financial modelling of PPAs as well as the monetising of flexibility.

Cyril Harry

Head of Gas Asset Regulation & Analysis, ENGIE, Vice-Chair WG Power & Gas Interactions, Eurelectric

Cyril Harry, Head of Gas Asset Regulation & Analysis, ENGIE Cyril is Head of Gas Asset Regulation & Analysis within the Global Energy Management & Sales Entity of ENGIE, being responsible for regulatory and market design files related to gas supply & assets management in Europe. He is also co-chairing the WG Power & Gas Interactions within Eurelectric, which represents the interests of the electricity industry at pan-European level. Holding engineering degrees in thermal power & aerospace propulsion, he gained a 25-year experience into the energy sector through various positions in renewables (wind power industry), electricity market liberalization (French Regulatory Authority), trading & portfolio management and energy markets design topics at ENGIE.

Cristian Silviu Bușoi

Secretary of State, Romanian Ministry of Energy

Cristian Silviu Bușoi is currently holding the position of Secretary of State within the Ministry of Energy of Romania. During 2007-2024 he was MEP and between 2019 and 2024 he served as the President of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) in the European Parliament.

In 2022, Cristian Silviu Bușoi was named, by The Parliament Magazine, the most influential MEP in the field of energy due to his significant contribution to the European Union's energy policy.

Felipe Castro-Barrigon

Cybersecurity Policy Officer, European Commission

Vasilike Klonari

Director of Energy System Integration, WindEurope

Vasiliki Klonari is civil engineer with a Ph.D. in power grids active in energy policy since 2018. At WindEurope she leads the Energy System Integration unit, responsible for the association's activities on electricity grids and markets, energy infrastructure and system integration, electrification, digitalisation and cybersecurity.

Abel Enríquez

Director, ENNOH

Based in Brussels for more than 15 years, Abel Enríquez was appointed as Director for Pre-ENNOH on 11 December 2024. Previously, he was Head of EU Affairs and Organisations at Enagás, an international leader in the development, operation and maintenance of energy infrastructure, deeply committed to the energy transition and the development of renewable gases such as hydrogen. Abel is specialised in lobbying, public affairs, EU associations, energy policy and, gas/hydrogen sector regulation. He also co-chairs the Roundtable for Transmission and Distribution of Clean Hydrogen within the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance.

Abel has more than 20 years of experience in different EU affairs, being active in multiple European organisations and having had Board membership responsibilities in two of them. Previous positions for Abel include being Secretary General for a three-year period at Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), where he also held the position of Deputy Secretary General, and working on EU/International regulatory affairs at Enagás HQ in Madrid. Before joining Enagás, he had professional experiences in other sectors within international companies. Abel holds an MSc in Chemical Engineering and post-graduate studies in different fields, including the IESE Business School.

Mathilde Blanchard

Senior Policy Lead, Global CCS Institute

Mathilde Blanchard is an energy and climate expert with competencies in policy, strategy, and project delivery. As Senior Policy Lead at the Global CCS Institute’s Brussels office, she conducts in-depth analysis of policy, legal and regulatory issues related to carbon capture and storage (CCS). Her insights contribute to the Institute’s thought leadership reports and inform consultancy and member services.

With over six years of experience in energy and climate sectors, Mathilde has held key advisory positions in policy and external relations at major public and private organisations, including Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), ENGIE and the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Congo.

Mathilde holds a dual Master of Arts in European Affairs from Sciences Po Lille (France) and Aston University (United Kingdom). Since 2022, she has been a visiting lecturer at École des Ponts ParisTech, where she teaches on the regulation of energy markets.

Mathilde Blanchard

Alec Wilkinson

Conference Presenter, Broadcaster and Media Training Coach

Alec is a London based journalist, broadcaster and experienced conference host and moderator. He's unusual in his industry as he has managed to cross the divide between news and (his passion) sport - he's as comfortable TV commentating at the Olympic Games as he is reading and producing hard news on the radio.

Most recently Alec has been consulting for international organisations to help them better understand the shifting media landscape.

Ioannis Chatzialezandris

Project Officer Energy and Environment, European Defence Agency

 Brigadier General (Ret.) Ioannis (Yannis) CHATZIALEXANDRIS holds the position of Project Officer Energy and Environment Systems at the European Defence Agency chairing the Energy and Environment Capability Technology Working Group liaising with representatives and experts from Member States, industry, academia and relevant EU and other institutions aiming to address issues related to  energy and environment challenges in the Defence sector.

Additionally, he leads Working Group 3 of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF-SEDSS), focusing on protecting and strengthening critical energy infrastructure across the EU defense landscape.

Ioannis, currently a PhD candidate on the Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure, had joined the Hellenic Military Academy in 1991, he has a military degree in Civil Engineering, holds a MSc at the Environmental Management of the University of Athens.  He speaks English, Spanish, French and Greek (native).

Manuel Coxe

Secretary General, Marcogaz

Manuel Coxe has been the Secretary General of MARCOGAZ, the Technical Association of the European Gas Industry, since 2020. He oversees the association’s activities alongside its Executive Board and technical committees. He also serves as Vice-Chairman of the European Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking Stakeholders Group.

With over 20 years of experience in the energy sector—including hydrogen, natural gas, and electricity—Manuel has held various leadership and technical roles at organizations such as IRENA, Europex, ENTSOE, and grid operators in multiple countries. His expertise spans system operations, energy markets, and policy.

He holds degrees in energy systems engineering (MEng), business administration (MBA), and pursued PhD studies in economics. Additionally, he has completed executive education in management law, communications, and psychology from top global institutions including Harvard, Oxford, and Ivey Business School.

Anna Slavkovská

Area Sponsor, GIE, Managing Director, NAFTA Speicher Inzenham

Anna Slavkovská is a senior lawyer, an expert on regulatory issues on storage related topics. From September 2023 she is a member of the GIE board (Gas Infrastructure Europe). She is working for NAFTA a.s. a Slovak storage system operator and is also a managing director in one of the storages within NAFTA group – NAFTA Speicher Inzenham GmbH in Germany.

She is as well an active member of IGU (International gas union) storage committee.

Within her work in NAFTA she is also provides support in respect of decarbonization projects of the company and from 2023 she is also representing NAFTA in hydrogen storage alliance -  H2eart for Europe.

Huibert van Rossum

External Affairs Programme Manager Energy Transition, Port of Rotterdam

Huibert van Rossum will speak on behalf of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO)

Mandrekas Georgios

Senior Engineer, Offshore & Mid-Downstream, Southern Europe, DNV Energy Systems

Georgios Mandrekas is a seasoned engineering and project management professional with over 15 years of experience in the energy sector.

He currently serves as a Senior Engineer at DNV Energy Systems – Offshore, Mid-Downstream (OMD) Section for Southern Europe, where he acts as the local representative and project manager for the Section in Greece (based in Piraeus, since 2023). His work centers on managing and delivering Technical Advisory and Verification services for local and regional energy infrastructure developers and asset operators across the Oil & Gas, Hydrogen, Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS), and Offshore Wind sectors.

Georgios began his career with DNV France in Paris (2013), contributing to a range of offshore oil & gas projects in roles including design verification engineer, technical assurance surveyor, and project manager. From 2019 to 2023, he led the VMC (Verification & Certification of Materials and Components) service in France, managing product certification for major clients.

Prior to joining DNV, he worked as a structural engineer at MECAL in the Netherlands (2010), focusing on wind turbine component analysis and design for major industrial manufacturers.

Georgios holds a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Patras (Greece) and an M.Sc. in Wind Energy from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU).

Davide Rubini

Head of Regulatory Affairs, Gas, Power & Environmental Products EMEA, Vitol

Davide Rubini, based in United Kingdom, is Head of Regulatory Affairs - Gas, Power and Environmental Products EMEA at Vitol, bringing experience from previous business development and regulatory roles for gas and power at Shell and Equinor. He currently chairs the Energy Traders Europe Central and Eastern Europe Gas Taskforce and the Biomethane Industrial Partnership Ukraine Taskforce.

Ismail Ismail

CCS Project Lead and Senior Engineer, HEREMA

Ismail is a CCS Project Lead and Senior Engineer at HEREMA. He supports the development of Greece’s CCS projects through subsurface assessment, permitting & licensing, business modeling, and regulatory planning. He actively engages with stakeholders and contributes to international cooperation efforts, including the Egypt-Greece MoU and CCS policy discussions at EU and global levels.

Vladimir Malinov

CEO & Executive Member of the Management Board, Bulgartransgaz

Vladimir Malinov is the Executive Director and Member of the Management Board of the Bulgarian gas transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz since 2018.

Mr. Malinov started his career in the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense in 2003 and in 2008 he took the position of Head of Market Study and Management of Strategic Projects Department in the Ministry.

Mr. Malinov joined Bulgartransgaz as Head of Legal Division in 2010. He was responsible for regulatory affairs and was deeply involved in relations with EU institutions, the company’s TSO certification and unbundling and the implementation of NCs.

In 2019 Mr. Malinov was appointed as Member of the Board of Balkan Gas Hub and in January 2021 – as a Member of the Board of Gastrade S.A. - the project company developing the Alexandroupolis LNG Terminal.

Since 2018 Mr. Malinov is also Member of the Management Board of Bulgarian Association Natural Gas and Member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Mining and Geology St Ivan Rilski.

Jurgita Šilinskaitė-Venslovienė

Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, KN Energies

GLE Executive Committee Member, GLE

Paweł Stańczak

Deputy CEO for Development and Transformation, LLC Gas TSO of Ukraine

Responsible for the corporate strategy, company development programs, liberalization of domestic natural gas market, and integration into the European energy market.

During 2003-2004 he was in charge for the unbundling of the gas transmission system operator’s function at PGNiG, Poland and for the establishment of Gaz-System S.A., the independent operator of the Polish gas transmission system.

From 2004 to 2008 he served as the Technical Director – Member of the Board – Acting General Director of Gaz-System S.A., the operator of the Polish GTS, being responsible for the development and implementation of investment plans, ongoing technical support of the gas transmission system, and coordinating permit and licensing processes with the relevant government regulators and agencies.

Over the last five years in Poland, Paweł Stanczak worked at PGNiG Technologie S.A. (Krosno, Poland) holding the positions of the Research Department Manager in 2012-2014, Construction Project Manager in 2014-2015, Technical Director, Member of the Board in 2016-2017.

In 2018-2019 he became a Member of the Board of Ukrtransgaz (Kyiv, Ukraine), being responsible for the unbundling of the gas transmission system operator function and the formation of the independent Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine.

Mārtiņš Gode

Board Member & CFO, Conexus Baltic Grid

Nikos Tsafos

Deputy Minister of Energy, Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy

Nikos Tsafos serves as the chief energy adviser to the Prime Minister of Greece. A leading authority on energy, Nikos has worked with companies, banks and governments in over 30 countries on some of the world’s most complex energy projects. Most recently, he held the Schlesinger Chair for Energy and Geopolitics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and served on the Climate Advisory Committee of the Export Import Bank of the United States (EXIM). From 2016 to 2019, he was a lecturer at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Nikos has testified before Congress, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the Canadian House of Commons, and the Alaska State Legislature. He has written extensively on energy, including for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, EURACTIV, the National Interest, and others. Nikos is also a regular commentator on current affairs: he has been quoted in The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Bloomberg, and he has appeared on CNN, NBC, the BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera, and other leading media outlets.

He holds a B.A. in international relations and economics from Boston University, and an M.A. in international relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Iskren Kirilov

Head of Institutional Relations – Europe, IOGP Europe

Iskren Kirilov is the Head of Institutional Relations at IOGP Europe, bringing with him a wealth of experience and expertise in public diplomacy and policy advising. With a bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from the University of Sofia, a master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from the Diplomatic School of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and a recently completed PhD in Science and Technology for Innovation from the University of Cagliari, Iskren Kirilov possesses a strong academic background.

His career spans pivotal roles, including Policy Officer at the European Commission, Expert at the European Economic and Social Committee, Senior Policy Advisor at EURASHE, and Director of International Affairs at Fundación San Pablo Andalucía CEU, before assuming his current position at IOGP Europe. 

Christopher Andrey

Director, Artelys

Christopher Andrey is an associated director at Artelys and is heading Artelys’ Brussels office since 2018. Ever since completing his PhD in high energy physics from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL – Switzerland), Christopher has worked in the energy sector. After having carried out long-term investment planning studies in the context of national energy transition strategies, Christopher specialised in the economic analysis of energy/climate policies, market design proposals, and of infrastructure projects. He works for clients all along the energy value chain: from project promoters to regulators, from TSOs to NGOs, from national entities to the European Commission. In the recent years, Christopher has devoted his time to analysing the synergies and interdependencies that emerge in closely integrated energy systems

Publications

• Artelys on behalf of Gas Infrastructure Europe, Value of the gas storage infrastructure for the electricity system, 2019
• Artelys on behalf of the European Commission, “METIS study on costs and benefits of a pan-European hydrogen infrastructure”, 2021

Fabien Roques

Executive Vice President, Compass Lexecon

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

Dr Roques has over 20 years of experience as an economist, with substantial expertise in arbitrations, disputes, and state aid and competition assignments.

Dr Roques has worked in a range of industries and infrastructure sectors, including electricity and gas utilities, highways, payment systems, oil and gas majors, ports, railways, shipping, telecoms, and water utilities. He as a particularly deep expertise of the commercial, contractual and regulatory issues in the energy industry, and has published extensively on electricity, gas, oil, and carbon markets.

Dr Roques has given expert testimony before the competition and regulatory authorities and courts of many EU member states. He also has vast experience as a party- and tribunal- appointed expert in civil court disputes and international arbitration proceedings before courts and tribunals.

Dr Roques has worked in a range of EU and non-EU countries (Algeria, Australia, Bahrein, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Georgia, India, Israel, Japan, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Korea, Macedonia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Sudan, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States).

Dr Roques is also an Associate Professor in economics at the European University Institute (Florence School of Regulation) and at Paris Dauphine University and is an Associate researcher of the Energy Policy Research Group at the University of Cambridge. Fabien has authored numerous publications on a range of economic and regulation issues in both practitioners and academic journals.

Dr Roques holds a degree in Economics from the University Lyon 2 (France), a Masters degree in Engineering from the Ecole Centrale de Lyon (France) and in Technology Policy from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD from the Judge Business School from the University of Cambridge. In the past Dr Roques held positions with the International Energy Agency (OECD) and with the consultancy IHS.

Francesco Cappelletti

Researcj, Cyber and Data Security Lab, VUB Brussels

Konstantinos Moulinos

Information security expert, EU Agency for Cybersecurity, ENISA

He has served the NIS area from various posts: as an Information Systems‘ auditor on behalf of the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA), as a security expert of ENISA (the European Network and Information Security Agency), as a scientist during his doctoral research, as a researcher involved in various NIS European projects, as an advisor participating in various technical committees and last but not least as a guest speaker at several seminars, public discussions and lectures.

Moulinos has been awarded a diploma in informatics, a master of science in information systems and a Ph.D. in privacy enhancing technologies. He has more than 20 peer-reviewed publications covering areas such as information and network security, CIIP, data protection and privacy-enhancing technologies.