10th HAEE Energy Transition Symposium

He was born in Athens, 1953. He studied Chemical Engineering at National Technical University of Athens. His family has its origins in Ikaria, an island of the Eastern Aegean Sea with which he has cultivated strong bonds.

He has worked initially as an agent and distributor of raw materials to the tanning and shoe making industry during the period 1977-1996.

Since 1986 he has established, with other partners, a distribution company for chemicals to the coatings, plastics, polymers industries among many industrial sectors. The company under the name of Delta Chemicals covered gradually almost every industrial application as a supplier of raw materials and specialty chemicals, providing also technical assistance and expertise. The company was also active in the Balkans and surrounding areas through subsidiary companies in Romania and Turkey. In 2016 the company has been sold and merged in the RAVAGO group (Luxemburg) a big multinational distribution entity. Mr. Aivaliotis left the management of the company in 2019.

At the same time there were parallel business activities in the investment field (through funds such as AIOLIKI, listed in Athens’ stock exchange), in the distribution of electrical appliances/air conditioning, in construction of buildings.

As a political person, he was a founding member of the “Fileleftheri” (1999) and “Drassi” (2009) political parties, two attempts to establish a Liberal party in Greece. He was Vice President of “Drassi” until its merging with New Democracy Party in 2019. He was candidate for the Parliament in 2012 (Drassi), 2015 (Drassi/Potami) and 2019 (New Democracy).

He was also a Vice President of the Entrepreneurship Club from 2009 to 2019 (the association which gives yearly the Kouros rewards to the most dynamic and successful business endeavors).

He was involved, on a project basis, as a counselor of the Deputy Minister of Finance with the task force to provide a State Guarantee on a loan to revive the investment activities of Energean to the Prinos oil fields (Kavala), which are destined to become the first Carbon Dioxide Storage facility in Greece (CCS), as well as with the architecture and procedures of the loans project of the European Recovery and Resilience Fund, from 2020 to 2023.

He is currently General Secretary for Energy and Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Environment and Energy from July 2023.

He is married to Anna Aivaliotou, having a happy family with two children and three grandchildren.

Political science, English language and literature, and Arabic language and literature graduate

Previously held positions

2020-2023    Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France in Bucharest 

2017-2020    Director of culture, education, research and networks at the Ministry of                       

                           Europe and foreign affairs

2016-2017  Deputy director of the European Union

2013-2016  Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France in Skopje

2010-2013  Secretary general at the French Institute in Paris

2006-2010  Director of the French Institute in the United Kingdom

2003-2006  Deputy spokesperson in the Office of the President of the Republic

2002-2003  Adviser in the office of the Minister 

2000-2002  Deputy spokesperson of the Ministry of foreign affairs 

1999-2000  Spokesperson at the European Commission 

1995-1999  Administrator for the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, DG Relex 

1991-1995  Adviser at the Permanent Representation of France in Brussels

1988-1991  Adviser at the Permanent Representation of France in Brussels

1985-1988  Environmental adviser (Ministry of foreign affairs)

Honors

Knight of the French Legion of Honor

Officer of the National Order of Merit

Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters

I have been working as an energy modeller and analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA) World Energy Outlook team for the past three years, where I focus on road transport modelling and analysis, and lead the work on rail sector. I have previous experience in the buildings energy sector in Lithuania and Sweden, and I hold master’s degree of International Energy from Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po Paris)

WORK EXPERIENCE
Energy Modeller and Analyst, World Energy Outlook Team                                                                    05 2022 – Present
International Energy Agency, Paris, France
• Contributed to major IEA publications (e.g., World Energy Outlook, Global EV Outlook), led rail model development,
supported road transport modelling analysis, presented IEA work at external events, and strengthened IEA-Lithuania cooperation.

Energy Analyst                                                                                                                                                 09 2019 – 09 2021
EQUA Simulation, Stockholm, Sweden
• Led research and business intelligence in energy modelling and digital twins, expanded company network through partner outreach, pioneered a Smart District Heating project in Finland, and explored European market expansion opportunities.

Project Engineer                                                                                                                                              01 2018 – 09 2019
Energetikos Inžinerija, Kaunas, Lithuania
• Managed district heating projects end-to-end, from site visits to network design and documentation, and boosted company’s orders by preparing commercial offers for renovation procurements.

Energy Analyst Intern                                                                                                                                      06 2018 – 09 2018
Greenvis Energy Solutions, Utrecht, The Netherlands
• Developed feasibility studies and optimised district heating networks for municipalities, enhanced design software, and identified optimal technological solutions for multiple projects.

Project Manager Assistant                                                                                                                             09 2017 – 01 2018
Teisingi Energetikos Sprendimai, Kaunas, Lithuania
• Delivered energy efficiency improvements by auditing Lithuania’s largest alcohol producer and optimising a town’s district heating network through system redesign.

EDUCATION
Master of International Energy                                                                                                                  09 2021 – 07 2023
Sciences Po, Paris, France
Student Leaders Programme                                                                                                                     04 2022 – 06 2022
International Renewable Energy Agency, remote
Bachelor of Energy Engineering                                                                                                                 09 2015 – 06 2019
Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania

LANGUAGES
• Lithuanian: Native speaker
• English: Fluent speaker
• French: Beginner

Professor Dr. Kostas Andriosopoulos is Αffiliate Professor of Finance & Energy Management at Alba Graduate Business School, Director of the HELLENiQ ENERGY Center for Sustainability and Energy @Alba and CEO & Chairman, Akuo Energy Greece. Kostas holds a PhD in Finance (Cass Business School, City University London), where he has been the recipient of the prestigious Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation’s scholarship. He also holds an MBA and MSc in Finance (Northeastern University, Boston, USA), and a bachelor’s degree in Production Engineering and Management (Technical University of Crete, Greece).

Kostas is a member in various professional and academic associations.
- President of the Energy Committee of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce.
- President of the Decarbonization Fund of the Greek islands for the Hellenic Ministry of Environment & Energy.
- Board Member and Founding Chairman of the Hellenic Association for Energy Economics (a think-tank focusing on issues related to energy, the environment and the economy).
- Board member of the Global Gas Center - World Energy Council as a Gas and LNG markets expert.
- Member of the board of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) as a Vice President for Publications.
- Founding board member of the Financial Engineering and Banking Society.
- Member Technical Chamber of Greece.
- Member of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society, which recognizes outstanding academic achievements of students enrolled in collegiate business and management programs.
- Member of the Energy Commission of the Industry and Parliament Trust in the UK (2012-13).

In addition to his academic profile, he has an extensive professional experience in the business world and has served as a business consultant in energy, food, web & software, commodity trading and shipping industries. During September 2019 - February 2021 he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Public Gas Company (DEPA), a position he also held for the period 2014-2015. Since August 2018 he is Country Manager of Akuo Energy in Greece, a multinational company based in France that develops RES projects in 17 countries around the world. In addition, he has worked as an advisor to the Retail Banking Director and Managing Director for the British Bankers' Association (2007).

Kostas’ current interests include energy-related geopolitical issues, gas and LNG market dynamics, RES investments, financial engineering and the application of operational research tools on risk management and investment techniques in energy, shipping and agricultural commodity markets. His work has been published in international finance and commodity-related Journals and has participated as speaker in recognized conferences world-wide. He is the Associate Editor for the International Journal of Financial Engineering and Risk Management, Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Energy Markets, he has edited special issues in recognized journals, acts as a reviewer for a number of academic journals, and has organized numerous international conferences.

Prof. Konstantinos Aravosis is Vice President and Waste Management BoD Chairman at Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water – RAAEY. He is Professor and UNESCO Chairholder on Green Innovation and Circular Economy at the NTUA (National Technical University of Athens) and Professor at the ATHENS MBA (NTUA – Athens University of Economics) since 1997. He is the coordinator of the “Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development Research Group” of the Sector of Industrial Management and Operations Research of the Mechanical Engineering School.

He was also a visiting professor at Imperial College - University of London and a research associate at the Earth Engineering Center of Columbia University - USA. He was Secretary General for Forestry, from 2/2022 to 7/2023, at the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy. Prior to that, he was also Secretary General of Natural Environment & Water.
He is a Mechanical Engineer (Aachen University of Technology - Germany) with an MSc in Management Science from Imperial College and a Phd from NTUA. He was an advisor to the Minister of Culture, on the Olympic Games projects, and their post-Olympic use.

He has been President of the Greek Association of Environmental Protection Companies (PASEPE), President of the Hellenic Solid Waste Management Association (HSWMA) (now Hon. President), President of the Ordinary Environmental Committee of the Technical Chamber of Greece, President of the Greek Branch of the Waste to Energy Research and Technology Council, coordinated by Columbia University and Member of Evaluation Committees for Investment and Energy Projects of the Ministry of Development. Furthermore, he has been Member of the Board of the Organization of Labour Residencies (OEK) and General Manager of Environmental Companies.

He has extensive research experience (as a coordinator or project team member of European Programmes) in investment management and evaluation, operational research and environmental investment analysis. He was co-founder and main organizer of the largest national volunteer campaign (45.000 volunteers) LETS DO IT GREECE where the whole country is cleaned in one day with symbolic character in the framework of the international campaign LETS DO IT WORLD.

Professor Pantelis Capros holds the title of Professor Emeritus in Energy Economics and Operations Research within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). Since 1988, he has been engaged in teaching courses related to energy economics, mathematical programming, and economic analysis at NTUA. He is also the founder of the E3MLab, which specialises in modelling the interactions between energy, economy, and environment. Professor Capros has developed several esteemed models, including PRIMES, PRIMES-TREMOVE, Prometheus, and GEM-E3. These models are recognised for their official application in the impact assessment studies conducted by the European Commission and play a pivotal role in supporting the European Commission's Reference Energy and Transport Outlook publications, which have been released biennially since the 1990s. Additionally, these models are employed by various governments and utility organisations for public policy formulation and investment assessments.

Professor Capros possesses an engineering degree from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), in addition to three Master's degrees in the fields of Economics, Computer Science, and Operations Research. He has also attained a Doctorat d'Etat (PhD) in Mathematical Economics from the University of Paris, France. Furthermore, he has authored several scholarly books and has published over 200 papers with prestigious international publishers.

Prof. Capros served as the first Chairman of the Regulatory Authority for Energy in Greece from 2000 to 2005, and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Power Corporation for several years. He held an academic position as a Professor at the University of Paris I Sorbonne until the year 2000. Additionally, he assumed the role of interim Minister of Energy and Environment in Greece from May to June 2023. He is currently serving as the President of E3Modelling SA, which is part of the RICARDO PLC group.

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.

Gianni Chianetta is the Founder & Chair at Greening the Islands Foundation, Board member and secretary of the Global Solar Council and Head of the Global Alliance for Sustainable Energy Secretariat. 
He has been working in the area of energy since 2003. He has been Head of Comms & External Affairs at BP Italy, Managing Director at BP Solar Italy, Founder and Chairman of the first Italian Solar PV Industry Association for three consecutive terms when he negotiated the five Photovoltaic Energy Incentive Decrees (feed-in-tariff) with the Italian Government, that has brought the installed capacity from about 35 MWp to more than 20 GWp.

He founded the Global Network of National PV Associations in 2007, which has been the basis for the establishment in 2015 of Global Solar Council. He was elected Co-Chairman since its foundation and then Chairman before taking on the CEO role until October 2023. 
He has also been a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Renewables Alliance, the IRENA Coalition for Action and the Global Alliance for Sustainable Energy, the Chairman of Worldwide Carbon Price and a member of the Advisory Board at REN21.

Gianni Chianetta has a degree in Mechanical & Management Engineering and masters/seminars at Middlesex University (London), Kellogg School of Management (Chicago), SDA Bocconi Milano (Milan), Istituto de Empresa (Madrid)

Dr. Athanasios Dagoumas is an Assistant Professor in Energy and Resource Economics and Director of the Energy and Environmental Policy laboratory at the University of Piraeus. He holds a Diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, where he elaborated his PhD in Energy Economics. He is Member of the Board of the Cambridge Trust for New Thinking in Economics.

He has more than 15 years of work and research experience in energy related issues, including working as a Senior Researcher at the University of Cambridge and as a Senior Energy Analyst at the Transmission System Operator and at the Electricity Market Operator in Greece. Moreover he was enrolled as a Special Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change in Greece. His extensive experience builds his capacity for an in-depth understanding of multidisciplinary aspects of the energy sector: economic, engineering, environmental and policy. He is keen on developing models for the energy system, the economic-energy-environment (E3) systems and the real energy markets. He has been President to the Regulatory Authority for Energy since July 2020.

Harris is an Associate Director/Senior Banker at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). He joined the Athens Resident Office in early 2016 and he mainly covers the Energy and Infrastructure sectors. He has also worked as a Budget & Treasury Associate in shipping finance with an international shipping company and in Corporate Banking with BNP Paribas. Prior to this, he worked as an Economist with the Department for Business Innovation and Skills in the UK. Harris holds an MBA from INSEAD, an MSc in Development Economics from LSE and a BSc in Economics from University College London.

Socratis Famellos is the elected Leader of the major left-wing party “SYRIZA Progressive Alliance” in Greece, since November 2024, marking his commitment to the vision of social equity and sustainability.

In July 2023, he was appointed as the Head of the parliamentary group of the Official Opposition party, where he promoted progressive solutions to Greece’s most challenging issues. Between 2019 and 2023, as the Head of the Environment and Energy Sector of the Official Opposition party, he played a leading role in the development and coordination of energy and environmental policies, with a focus on social and environmental justice. Since January 2015, he is a member of the Hellenic Parliament, representing "SYRIZA Progressive Alliance". From November 2016 to July 2019, as the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, he promoted progressive policies for environmental protection and energy transformation.

He has occupied key posts in the Technical Chamber of Greece, such as a member of the Executive Board (1997-2015) and a member of the Greek Delegation (2003 2015). Socratis Famellos holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, and an MSc in Environmental Planning, with an expertise in Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Management, Recycling, and Wastes Management.

Liana Gouta is the Director General of the European Fuel Manufacturers Association. Her key areas of expertise are Energy Policy, Governmental Affairs, Advocacy, Communications, Business Strategy, Change Management, Project Management and Engineering.

Liana, Chemical Engineer, MSc, with honors, from the Aristotle University ofThessaloniki, Greece, is an executive with more than a 30 years career at HELLENiQ ENERGY Group, with strong management and engineering background. She started her career as a field process engineer in refining and petrochemical plants in various technical positions. She then advanced to Group positions in managerial roles, leading major change initiatives and key projects by successfully managing high-performing cross-disciplinary teams. She was the Energy Policy and International Affairs Group Director before she took over her current position at European Fuel Manufacturers Association.

She furthermore worked as an EU Parliamentary Policy and Communication Advisor on Energy, Environment, Industry, Research & Innovation and Regional Development. She is a partner at lENE-institute of Energy for South - East Europe and she served as the Chairwoman of the Downstream Committee. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors in various organisations, including corporate entities and professional associations. She has been active in professional associations and social organizations, holding leadership positions, engaged in energy transition, climate and environment, entrepreneurship, leadership and women's empowerment.

Dr. Panagiotis Grammelis is Director of Research at the Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute of CERTH (CERTH/CPERI). The scope of his research is the exploitation of solid fuels, i.e. biomass/waste and coal, with emphasis on the thermochemical conversion technologies. He is experienced in numerous EU and national funded and industry oriented projects, with an extensive knowledge of the South-East European market.

Since May 2011, Dr Grammelis is Head of the Laboratory of Alternative Fuels & Technologies and guides a team of highly-skilled researchers. He has been Steering Committee member of the Biomass Panel in the RHC-ETP (responsible for industrial boilers and district heating), national expert for the standardisation of solid biofuels and member of DHC+ (District Heating & Cooling) Platform. Member of the Editorial Board in IJER and IJGW and the Scientific Committees of international conferences (EUBCE, GCGW, WSED). He is co-author in 380 papers in scientific journals, international conferences, workshops and books, with 2777 citations and h-Index 30 according to Scopus.

Dimitrios Kardomateas (d.kardomateas@cres.gr, https://www.linkedin.com/in/dimitrios-kardomateas-34709840/) is the President and General Director of the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving of Greece (C.R.E.S.) since Dec. 2023. He is a Chemical Engineer with postgraduate studies in Environmental Control and in Business Administration. He had 35 years of previous technical and administrative experience in the energy sector, initially as process engineer at the engineering company ASPROFOS S.A. (6 yrs), then as Director for strategy and development at the integrated gas company DEPA S.A. (15 yrs), then as General Director at the gas network operator DESFA S.A. (13 yrs), then as Head of the Office of the Secretary General for Environment & Energy and Advisor to the Deputy Minister for Environment & Energy (1,5 yrs).

He has been elected member of the B.o.D. of European Organizations in the gas sector (11 yrs) and invited member of the think tank “Conceil de Cooperation Economique” (5 yrs). He has also served as the President of the Management Organization Unit of Development Programs (M.O.U.) S.A. for 3 years. He has published a lot of articles in the field of energy. He is the author of the book «Οι παγκόσμιοι Νόμοι της Ζωής - μια ματιά στις αιτίες των γεγονότων», εκδόσεις «Διάνοια», 2023.

George Kremlis is the Chairman of the Greek Initiative at UN level on protecting cultural and natural heritage from climate change impacts. He is a member of the Board of the European Public Law Organisation and the Director of its climate and circular economy Institute. He is as well the Ambassador of the EPLO to Bulgaria. He was until 2023 a member of the environmental and social advisory council of the EBRD and is also currently the Chair of the Bureau of the Espoo Convention and of the SEA Protocol, Chair of the MoPs in 2019,  elected Chair for the MoPs in December 2020 and re-elected Chair for the period 2021-2023 and the period up to 2027. He is the Chairman of the AmCham circular economy committee. George Kremlis is Honorary Director of the European Commission, where he has spent the major part of his career as Advisor in the Legal Service and Head of various legal and policy Units in DGENV. 

He was until 2023 special Advisor to the Greek Prime Minister on energy, climate, environment and circular economy issues. He is doctor honoris causa of the Varna Free University, member of the Advisory Board of the Balkan Economic Forum, and the founder and president of the Circular Gaia Symposium. 

Spiros is Professor at the Technical University of Crete and the Director of the Industrial, Energy and Environmental Systems Lab. He is specialized in renewables, energy efficiency issues and energy saving applications. His research interests include various aspects of renewables (assessment and implementation of technologies and especially photovoltaics and solar thermal systems, implementation of national policies related to renewables and financial and social incentive schemes, renewable energy heating and cooling applications, renewable energy auctions and market exchange, Life Cycle Assessment and environmental impacts analysis from large-scale deployment of renewable energy technologies); Sustainability in the energy sector; Energy saving devices; Technologies of "smart" materials for energy related applications; Energy characterization of building structural elements.
As part of his academic work he has published more than 60 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and has been cited more than 2800 times, with a current h-index of 30; additionally, he has actively participated in more than 50 research projects. He has presented papers to numerous international energy related conferences and acted as referee for international journals in the area of Renewables, Energy efficiency and Energy policy, while on the same time he has served as member in various professional and academic associations such as the International Association for Energy Economics and the International Solar Energy Society. Additionally he has provided lectures and supervised MSc theses in various academic institutions including ESCP London, EADA Spain and Montpellier Business School. Spiros is the President of the Hellenic Association for Energy Economics.

Papastamatiou Panagiotis holds a Diploma in Electrical Engineering from NTU of Athens with PhD in Operational Research and Energy Policy & Planning and postgraduate lessons in Economics and Management in Athens University of Economics and Business. Since 1995 he has been active in the wind energy sector and the rest Renewable energy Sources in Greece and abroad.

He is Chief Executive Officer of the Hellenic Wind Energy Association, ELETAEN, an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Greek Association of RES Electricity Producers, GAREP, and elected member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Electricity Association, H.EL.AS. Papastamatiou is also Director of ENTEKA Group. He directs the development and financial sectors of the Group, which since 1984 deals almost exclusively with wind energy projects, development, ownership and operation of wind farms.

 Mr. Pugliaresi is President of the Energy Policy Research Foundation (EPRINC), a public policy energy think tank founded in 1944. He has led the organization’s research effort on the scope and benefits of the North American petroleum renaissance. EPRINC’s programs are focused on the intersection of petroleum economics and public policy. EPRINC publications on developments in U.S. and international petroleum markets are made available at the foundation’s website, www.eprinc.org.

Mr.Pugliaresi has served in a wide range of government posts, including the National Security Council at the White House (Reagan Administration), Departments of State, Energy, and Interior, as well as the EPA. He has written extensively on energy and frequently testifies before various committees of the U.S. Congress. His career in the federal government included central policy roles in the development of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, decontrol of domestic crude oil and gasoline prices, nuclear nonproliferation, offshore oil and gas leasing on federal lands, U.S. trade policy, environmental regulations, energy security, and U.S./Soviet relations.

Mr. Pugliaresi has published extensively on petroleum topics and is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal. Among some of his recent publications are "Future Oil Supplies Can Lower Prices Today,”  Wall Street Journal, June 2, 2011; "Lessons of the Shale Gas Revolution,” Wall Street Journal, September 30, 2011; "The Keystone Debacle,”  Wall Street Journal, November 16, 2011; "North America’s Strategic Loss: Keystone XL Pipeline and the High Cost of the American Regulatory Regime,"  Geopolitics of Energy, Canadian Energy Research Institute, Dec – Nov 2011. “Keystone Can Help the Gulf—and the Northeast,” Wall Street Journal,  January 31, 2012. “Ethanol’s hidden gasoline tax,” Washington Times, May 7, 2012. “Time to Rethink Renewable Fuel Rules,” CNBC online, April 18, 2013. “Repeal or reform the RFS,” The Hill, August 2, 2013. “ Obama’s Keystone pipe blockage, U.S. energy dependency is counter-progressive,” The Washington Times, August 13, 2013. “Don’t let protectionism strangle America’s energy renaissance,” The Hill, December 23, 2013. “American Perspective, Oil and Gas Development, Arctic in World Affairs, A North Pacific Dialogue, Korean Maritime Institute, 2013.  “Will Latin America join petroleum’s new world order?” Forum, Oxford Energy Institute, November 2014, Issue 98. “Congress’ Bizarre idea to pay for health care (with L. Goldstein). Politico, July 2015.  “The SPR Can Limit the Economic Harm from a Supply Disruption,” Wall Street Journal, November 15, 2015.  “Pruitt will reform EPA's heavy-handed regulations,” The Hill, January 10, 2017. “US consumers benefit from energy integration with Mexico, Canada,” The Hill, February 17, 2017.  “Time to take fuel-efficiency mandates in for a checkup,” The Hill, March 11, 2017.  “Growing importance of US–Mexican energy trade,” Forum, Oxford Energy Institute, June 2017.  “Future of Asian LNG”, Joint Project of EPRINC and Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), published annually  2017, 2018, and 2019.

Gianfranco is Italian, graduated in Mechanical Engineering with a PhD in Thermo-Mechanic Engineering Systems. Soon after his graduation Gianfranco became affiliate professor of Technical Physic and developed many entrepreneurial initiatives.

In 2000 Gianfranco joint McKinsey & Co. where he held the position of Associate Partner in the industrial sectors, mainly in Power&gas, Oil and Basic Material. In 2010 Gianfranco joint Azimut|Benetti Group, world leader in luxury yachts production, as Central Director. After one and half year, Gianfranco decided to come back in the consulting, as Owner & Managing Partner at 3HPartners. In parallel, Gianfranco came back to the accademia as Affiliate professor of Professor of Operations Management, Energy Markets, Digital Management and Entrepreneurship in London, Milan and Rome.
At the beginning of 2016, Gianfranco was designed by the Health Ministry President of Istituto Nazionale Genetica Molecolare, until 2021. Between 2017 and today Gianfranco was designated member of many boards (ClubDealonLine, ReiWa Engine, Envision, iStarter ltd, Hydraink).

Gianfranco's interests are also in management transformation. He is the author of numerous articles (as “Management Matters” on Corriere della Sera, “I campioni della crescita” on Global Competition) and case studies (as “reducing uncertainty through disciplined experimentation). In October 2021 Forbes refers to him as “Il consulente del Cambiamento”. Gianfranco is also author of many scientific publications in Energy sector. Gianfranco speaks fluently English and Italian.

Thalia Valkouma with more than two decades of experience in the infrastructure & renewable energy sector, is a passionate and experienced leader who combines environmental engineering, project and strategic management, sustainability and ESG expertise.

Running a PhD in Environmental Engineering Technology, she also holds an MBA in Business and Project Management, a Master’s in Science (MSc) in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Biology. She has been trained in the College of Europe on EU energy policy and Governance, Goals and Challenges of the EU Energy Market. She has several certifications in energy, sustainability, management, quality assurance and ESG & CSR.

She has worked for several years as Environmental Project Manager and Strategic Planning Director in the private and public sector and has also acted as advisor and consultant of the Greek Government/Ministries and other international bodies on environment, energy and sustainability. She has delivered various presentations and speeches in different international conferences, forums and trainings.

Since 2016 she is co-founder and owner of Faria Group and Faria Thess S.A, companies focused on investment, development, construction and operation of renewable energy projects. As President and CEO of FARIA Renewables S.A. since March 2023, she leads a joint corporate formation between FARIA Group and Capenergie 5 Fund managed by OMNES Capital, with the vision to create a leading independent power producer using renewable energy sources [offshore & onshore wind, photovoltaics, hybrid & storage projects, green hydrogen, and innovative solutions] and with the mission to drive green innovation and sustainability, foster strategic partnerships and collaborations, and deliver high-quality and impactful results for stakeholders, partners, and the environment.

Mr. Menelaos (Mel) Ydreos is the Secretary General of the International Gas Union (IGU), whose mission is to advocate for Gas as an integral part of a sustainable global energy system and promote the political, technical, and economic progress of the gas industry.

Mr. Ydreos has most recently served as the Executive Director of LNG2023, the global LNG conference staged in Vancouver, Canada, in July 2023. He also served as the Executive Director of Public Affairs and Chairman of the International Gas Union’s Coordination Committee for its 2015-2018 US Presidency triennium, and supported the staging of the 2018 World Gas Conference in Washington, DC. Also, during the IGU's Malaysian Presidency, Mr Ydreos chaired the special geopolitics and natural gas task force.

Mr. Ydreos also serves as the Executive Director of Energy Vantage Inc. in Toronto, Canada. He launched Energy Vantage Inc. after a long career at Union Gas Ltd, now a subsidiary of Enbridge, where he held several executive positions. He served as interim president and CEO of the Ontario Energy Association from 2013 to 2014 and, in 2009, Mr Ydreos was the Interim President and CEO of the Canadian Gas Association.

Mr. Ydreos has been and continues to be involved in an advisory and board capacity with a variety of energy-related organisations such as the Waterloo Institute of Sustainable Energy, Pollution Probe and the Canadian Standards Association. Mr. Ydreos holds a B.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Waterloo.