Archives: Speakers

Philipp Leckebusch assumed the role of Chief Technology Officer at DTEK in 2020. In this position, which was introduced as part of changes announced in DTEK’s New 2030 Strategy, Mr Leckebusch is responsible for developing the company’s technological vision and supports the implementation of technology strategies across all of the company’s key activities. Philipp Leckebusch is a senior executive with many years of experience in power, energy supply and renewable energy production. Over the past decade, Philipp has managed the implementation of numerous projects in geothermal, wind, solar and biogas energy at Ferrostaal and MVV Energie (Germany). At MVV Energie, he managed the transformation of the conventional generation asset portfolio into a portfolio with an increased share of RES projects. Previously, he also held senior positions at Alstom Group and ABB. Prior to undertaking his current role, Philipp Leckebusch also served as CEO of DTEK Renewables, having joined the company on 26 April, 2018. He occupied this position until August 5, 2020.

After studying European Affairs and European Law at Warsaw University and at Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Sara Piskor has worked as a Communication and Regulatory Affairs Specialist for Polish Oil and Gas Company where she was responsible for the works of the company’s Brussels Representative Office. In 2009 she was seconded to the International Energy Agency and worked as a gas market analyst, contributing to the IEA’s Gas Market Review and World Energy Outlook. Sara Piskor has joined GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. in 2012 where she held the position as Communication Senior Specialist and then as Manager responsible for contacts with ACER for REMIT implementation. She was involved in the communications with the stakeholders on the Network Codes implementation and PCI process in Poland. Sara Piskor joined ENTSOG in January 2017, where her role is to monitor regulatory and policy developments and lead the communications with ENTSOG’s key stakeholders.

Tony Roulstone established and teaches on the Nuclear Energy Masters programme in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. His research interestsarethe economics and safety of nuclear power witha focuson Small Modular Reactors. He is leading several SMR research projects in the UK. Also, he is involved with projects on the industrialisation and the economics of fusionHe wasa visiting Professor of Nuclear Engineering at City University in Hong Kong 2012-2018.He writes for the technical press on nuclear economics and policy matters and he is leading a group on energy storage needs for the Royal Society Working Group on Energy Storage. He received his degreefrom the University of Cambridge and has spent much of his career in the nuclear and aerospace industries, starting with UKAEAworking on fast reactor systemsand including 20 yearsat Rolls-Royce where he becameManaging Directorof the Nuclear Group in 1992.Also, he was the Directorof Engineering and Projectswhen the Vanguard nuclear submarines were being delivered. He has held several corporate Rolls-Royce plc roles in bothaero-space engineering and strategictransformation.He provides consultancywidely in the engineering, technology and services sectorsand has completedseveral policy studiesfor Governmenton SMRs, and for politicians on business enterprise and on large-scale procurement.HeisaFellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers,an AssociateMember of the Nuclear Institute.He is an independent adviser on SMR design.

Clara Rehder holds a dual master degree in International Energy and Business and Management from Sciences Po Paris and Stockholm School of Economics. Following previous roles in Uniper’s governmental relations and power trading department, she supported the development of the Net Zero Solutions team which aims at accelerating the energy transition of Uniper’s energy-intensive industrial clients. As a Senior Net Zero Advisor, she develops and implements strategic decarbonization roadmaps to reach net zero.

Michael has acquired a great deal of experience in managing Engineering, Operational and Service businesses in challenging times of change; from M&A activities, restructuring and closing of operations to business process optimization/transformation and development of new business models. He started his working life in Air Pollution Control technologies for some well reputed OEM companies. These activities were ranging from commissioning, design, sales to contract execution and have earned him a position in the Board of the International Society of Electrostatic Precipitation, which hosts the main and relevant competences in this field worldwide. With joining E.ON in 2003, his insight into the power generation business has been expanded and now also covers the full spectrum of process optimization, operational support and engineering support activities for the energy sector. Rounding off that service provider experience, he joined the operational side of business as Manager of the Power Plant Group West 1, comprising 6 hard-coal fired units with a total installed capacity of approx. 2.200 MW and several industrial steam generators and district heating units. After the spin-off of Uniper from E.ON, Michael moved to the UK based part of the Engineering business area of Uniper as the Managing Director for Uniper Technologies Limited and Director Asset Services of Uniper. With his return to Germany, Michael took the role of CEO of Uniper Anlagenservice GmbH, the Maintenance and Project Company of Uniper. There, his focus next to a substantial restructuring of the company, was on driving the development of integrated business models for strategic maintenance services, connecting traditional skillsets in maintenance for energy systems with state-of-the-art ITsolutions and Big Data technologies. In April 2020, Michael was appointed Director Sales & Product Development for the Uniper Engineering Group, developing and combining Uniper’s technical and commercial expertise into innovative solutions for decarbonizing its customers’ energy needs. Recognizing the need to massively accelerate energy transition, Uniper took the strategic decision end of 2021 to exit the stand-alone engineering service business and to focus resources on the transformation of Unipers’ own and customers’ assets to climate-neutral generation with innovative solutions addressing the increasing complexity of our energy world. With that decision, Michael was appointed with a leading role in this internal transformation as SVP Engineering of Uniper. Additionally, Michael holds a mandate in the Executive Board of VGB PowerTech e.V., the German Association of Power Plant Operators and is a lecturer at the KWS PowerTech Training Centre on APC Technologies. Michael is also a well-received speaker at various conferences in the energy sector, delivering key-note speeches and lectures on various aspects of the energy sector. More recently he has been elected to the Board of Directors of the VAIS (Verband für Anlagentechnik und Industrieservice), the Association of Industrial Technology and Service Providers.

Aurel Mindrican, Trading and Market Strategies Director, CEZ Romania

Aurel holds a license degree in Hydroelectric and environment and a master’s in Optimisation of Hydro Power Plants operation from Universitatea Politehnica Bucharest followed by another master’s in Energy with FABIZ – ASE, Romania. He was a founding member of the Board of Directors of electricity suppliers’ association in Romania (AFEER) in 2006-2008. After 5 successful years as a senior engineer in Hidroelectrica (the biggest power producer in Romania) contributing to the start of electricity market in Romania, he took the position of Trading Director in Romelectro, one of the top 5 trading companies in Romania. From 2008 to 2021 Aurel was Trade Development Manager and General Manager in CEZ Trade Romania, as well as Trading Manager in Ovidiu Development (CEZ Wind farm) from 2016 to 2021. Since last year he has taken the position of Trading and Market Strategies Director in CEZ Romania Group.

Ralf Wezel is Secretary General of EUTurbines, the European association representing the gas and steam turbine industry with offices in Brussels and Frankfurt. When taking over this task in 2014, he was at the same time appointed Secretary General of EUGINE, the sister association of EUTurbines, representing the interests of the European engine power plants industry. Ralf Wezel, an economist by education, started his career working for VDMA, the German engineering industry association. In 2001 he moved to Brussels, where he headed the offices of different European industry associations in the engineering sector, including the European construction equipment association CECE and the European agricultural machinery association CEMA.

Thierry Lepercq is a serial entrepreneur in energy. He is the initiator of HyDeal Ambition, the world’s largest green hydrogen project aiming at delivering 3.6 million tons of green hydrogen at 1.5 €/kg by 2030, and the Executive Chairman of HyDeal España, a joint venture bringing together upstream (renewable energy), midstream (gas transmission) and downstream (steel, chemicals) industry players. He is the author of Hydrogen is the New Oil.

Thierry Lepercq was EVP Technology and Innovation at Engie from 2016 to 2018. From 2006 to 2016, he was the president of Solairedirect, a global pioneer of competitive solar power, which has developed and built 3 GW of capacity on four continents at prices as low as 20 $/MWh.

A graduate from HEC Paris, Thierry Lepercq started his career in technology financing.