Kadri Simson is an Estonian politician from the Centre Party. She is serving as a European Commissioner for Energy in the Von der Leyen Commission since 1 December 2019.

She was previously the Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure in Jüri Ratas' first cabinet from 2016 to 2019. During the Estonian Presidency in the Council of the EU, Simson chaired both energy ministers and transport ministers meetings in TTE Council and ministers of economy format in EU Competitiveness Council.

From 2007–2016 Kadri Simson was a member of the 11th, 12th, and 13th Riigikogu and in 2019 she was also elected to the 14th Riigikogu. She holds a Master's degree in Political Science from University College London.

Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner is redefining the company’s future – building on its proud history with exciting ambitions for the business to be the cornerstone of a zero carbon economy.

Following an international career spanning the US, UK & Latin America, including Executive positions at JP Morgan, Easynet and CSR, Will joined Drax in 2015 as CFO, as it was completing the final stages of the largest decarbonisation project in Europe, following the conversion of the power station from coal to sustainable biomass.

Will is now leading Drax on another journey of transformation. Appointed as CEO in 2018, Will’s vision for Drax is firmly focussed on enabling a zero carbon, lower cost energy future, and spearheading the company’s world-leading ambition to be carbon negative by 2030.

Under his leadership, Drax is pioneering the development of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), putting Drax and the UK at the forefront of negative emissions technology to fight climate change. 

Kwasi Kwarteng was appointed Secretary of State at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 8 January 2021.

He was previously Minister of State at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Kwasi was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Exiting the European Union from 16 November 2018 to 24 July 2019.

Kwasi read classics and history at Trinity College, Cambridge, and then attended Harvard University on a Kennedy Scholarship. He earned a PhD in economic history from the University of Cambridge in 2000.

Before becoming a Member of Parliament, Kwasi worked as an analyst in financial services.

Kwasi was elected the Conservative MP for Spelthorne in 2010. From 2010 until 2013 he was a member of the Transport Select Committee, and in 2013 he joined the Work and Pensions Select Committee where he was a member until 2015.

In October 2016 Kwasi joined the Public Accounts Committee, where he was a member until May 2017.

In 2015 Kwasi was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the House of Lords, and in 2017 he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Simon has a long history with Wood Mackenzie. He first joined the company in 1983, as a North-West Europe upstream analyst, later moving to Sydney to become an equity analyst covering the Australian oil, gas and mining sectors.

On returning to the UK in 1992, Simon was a No.1 ranked oil analyst with NatWest Markets after which he took on the role of MD and Head of Pan European Utilities Research with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. There he worked with the boards of many utility companies and was involved in most of the major European privatisations, including Enel, EdF and GdF.

Simon re-joined Wood Mackenzie in 2010, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience across a breadth of commodities and sectors including oil and gas, utilities and mining. His experience makes him uniquely qualified to occupy the role of Chief Analyst and Chairman, which sees him produce high-value content and thematic research. 

Simon’s views on the issues shaping the energy world are regularly sought by industry leaders as well as international media.

He is a graduate of the prestigious Parisian École Polytechnique and a scholarship holder in the field of quantum optics of the National Institute of Standards and Technologies, located near Washington, D.C., where he worked under the leadership of Nobel laureate in physics William D. Phillips. During the course of his studies, he also specialised in economics, with particular focus on market organisation, studying under Professor Jean Tirole, the 2014 Nobel laureate in economics. In the field of international economics, he studied at the University in Louvain-la-Neuve and he acquired his master’s degree at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics. He defended his doctoral dissertation at the University of Warsaw. He was a lecturer in the field of change management, economics, market organization and industrial strategy at the University of Warsaw, the Collegium Civitas and the Oxford Programme On Modern Poland. He is a co-author of the concept of implementation of effective changes in an enterprise, described in the book Change Management. From Strategy to Action, as well as the author of the book From Restructuring to Modernisation. Delayed Transformation of the Polish Power Sector in 1990–2009.

He began his professional career in the Office of the Committee for European Integration, in the team of Minister Jan Kułakowski – responsible for conducting accession negotiations with the European Union – where he led the analytical team and was directly responsible for the field of energy and transport. Later, he oversaw the modernisation of many Polish companies by supporting them in adapting to the challenges of the European and global markets. He was a promoter of European cooperation in the area of industrial change and adjustment of the European industry to the challenges of globalisation at, among others, the European University of Labour and the Dublin Foundation.

He is the author of the government programme for electromobility development in Poland, which was described for the first time as a concept in the book written in 2013–2015, together with Professor Leszek Jesień, New Electricity and New Cars.

Starting 1 January 2016, he served as the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Energy, where he was directly responsible for the technological development and implementation of innovations in the energy sector, implementation of climate and energy policy in the fuel and gas sector, conducting international relations with countries and international organisations. He was also responsible for supervision of the state’s participation in the biggest Polish energy companies in the oil and gas industry, such as Orlen, Lotos and PGNiG. He was the originator of “The Electromobility Development Plan”, and thereafter he guided the creation of the Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels, thanks to which these forms of transport will be able to develop dynamically.

On 27 April 2018, he was appointed as Government Plenipotentiary for the Presidency of COP24 – the United Nations Climate Summit in Poland. On 2 December 2018, he became the COP24 President, which ended with a success. At the 24th UN climate summit, the international community agreed on the Katowice Rulebook, implementing the Paris Agreement.

From July 2018, he held the position of the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Environment.

On 15 November 2019, he was appointed as the Minister of the newly established Ministry of Climate and Environment.

Rod Christie is Executive Vice President of Baker Hughes and President & CEO of its Turbomachinery & Process Solutions (TPS) business, which is headquartered in Florence, Italy. With operations across 120 countries, TPS boasts one of the industry’s most extensive portfolios for rotating equipment, process flow, transmission technology, and lifecycle services serving the entire energy value stream, including onshore-and-offshore production, gas processing, pipeline, liquefied natural gas (LNG), refining, petrochemical, light industrial and process industries, and new energy frontiers such as hydrogen, CCUS and energy storage. For hydrogen, Baker Hughes provides compression and energy conversion technology and services that are used across the value chain worldwide, including production, transportation and utilization. For CCUS, Baker Hughes provides advanced turbomachinery, solvent-based state-of-the-art capture processes, well construction and management for CO₂ storage, and advanced digital monitoring solutions.

Rod is an industry veteran with more than 30 years of international experience in the Power & Energy industry. In his current role, he is responsible for overseeing the development of Baker Hughes’ CCUS, Hydrogen and Clean Integrated Power Solutions portfolio and strategy. He also leads the Baker Hughes Technology Leadership Council.

Rod is highly engaged in global energy transition initiatives and serves on the Hydrogen Council and the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance. He is also a founding member of the Cogen World Coalition. Prior to joining Baker Hughes, Rod spent 15 years with Scottish Hydro Electric (now Scottish & Southern Electric) in a wide range of engineering, project development and management roles. Rod holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Glasgow Caledonian University.

Shaun Kenny is president of Bechtel’s Infrastructure global business unit, with responsibility for a worldwide portfolio of power, communication, aviation, rail, and civil infrastructure projects.

Shaun has more than three decades of EPC industry experience in the infrastructure, mining, and water sectors. At Bechtel, he has held key construction, project management, strategy and business development, and executive leadership roles in the U.K., Australia, the U.S., Chile, and the Middle East. As president of the Infrastructure business, he is based in the unit’s London headquarters.

Before leading the Infrastructure business, Shaun was project director for the Bechtel-led consortium designing and building Lines 1 and 2 of the Riyadh Metro project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He was previously general manager for Bechtel’s infrastructure business in the Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific regions.

Earlier, Shaun served as president of Bechtel’s Mining & Metals global business unit, based in Brisbane, Australia. Shaun joined Bechtel in 1997 as a construction engineer on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in the U.K. He began his career in the U.K. civil construction industry.

Shaun holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Liverpool Polytechnic. He is a chartered civil engineer in the U.K., a member of the U.K. Institution of Civil Engineers, a fellow of Engineers Australia, and a registered engineer in Australia.

Rafael Mateo, with nearly 40 years of experience in the electricity sector, is one of the most experienced professionals in the renewable-energy sector, having played an active role in the global shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies.

His professional career began in 1982. He held different positions during his long trajectory in Endesa, including Production Director of Endesa Generación, Managing Director of Endesa Generación Latam, and chief executive officer of Endesa Chile (NYSE: EOC). He has wide-ranging knowledge of Latin-American markets, having managed a broad generation portfolio in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

In 2010, he joined the Company as General Manager, becoming chief executive officer in 2013, the position he currently holds. He has been essential for consolidating the excellent track record of the Company over that period, guaranteeing solvency, reliability and growth through diverse regulatory cycles and geographies.

Mr Mateo Alcalá is a member of the Supervisory Board’s Strategy and Technology Committee at Nordex SE. He is also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Acciona Energía International, S.A. and a member of various administrative bodies of other Acciona Group subsidiaries.

Mr Mateo Alcalá is a leading public figure in renewable energy and participates in an array of international organizations that promote a decarbonized economy and renewable development.
He acted as president of Unipede-Eurelectric’s production group, is currently a member of the chief executive officer’s Electricity Group of the World Economic Forum, and actively participates in different forums and renewable-energy organizations.

Mr Mateo Alcalá holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Higher Technical School of the University of Zaragoza (receiving the Extraordinary Honors Award). He has also completed a General Management Program at IESE Business School and a Business Management Program at INSEAD.

Colette Cohen is the Chief Executive Officer for OGTC, an organisation committed to the research and development of technology to accelerate the Oil and Gas industry’s transition to an affordable net zero future. Colette has worked in the industry for more than 25 years, both in the UK & Internationally for BP, ConocoPhillips & Centrica E&P, where she was the regional VP for the UK & Netherlands before joining OGTC. Colette has a degree in Chemistry from Queens in Belfast, a masters in Project Management & Economics from CERAM in France and an honorary PhD from Aberdeen University. Colette was

also awarded the Order of the British Empire by the Queen for services to the Oil and Gas industry.

She is the Chair of the National Composites Centre and sits on the boards of OPITO, NORECO and the Lloyds Advisory Board. She is also a Commissioner for the Just Transition Commission for Scotland, a Trustee for Springer Rescue for Scotland and an ambassador for Powerful Women. Colette is an active champion for the industrial transition of the oil and gas industry to a net zero future and a committed role model for women in industry

Born in the United Kingdom, Nick Walker holds degrees in Mining Engineering from Imperial College London, Computer Science from University College London as well as an MBA from City University Business School also in London.

Mr. Walker started his career as a petroleum engineer with BP plc and also worked in senior management positions at Bow Valley Energy plc. Between 1994 and 2011 he worked with Talisman Energy Inc. in various senior operating and commercial roles. Mr. Walker held country manager positions with Talisman Energy in the UK and Malaysia/Vietnam. From 2009 to 2011 Mr. Walker served as Executive Vice President International Operations with Talisman Energy.

Between 2012 and 2015 he worked as Chief Operating Officer with Africa Oil Corp. Nick Walker joined Lundin Energy as Senior Vice President Development and Operations in 2015. Later the same year, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer, a position he held until being appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer for Lundin Energy in January 2021.

Dr. David Burns is Vice President of Clean Energy Development at Linde. Prior to this, Dr. Burns served as Vice President for Hydrogen and Syngas Global Business Development.

Dr. Burns joined Linde (formerly Praxair) in 2005 and, since then, has made significant contributions to the development of new business in the hydrogen and energy industries globally. Prior to Linde, Dr. Burns worked at Dow Chemical, where he held several business management roles.

Dr. Burns has a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Leeds in the UK and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Hakan Ozmen has been Senior Vice President Projects Business and Chief Executive Officer at Prysmian Powerlink Srl since June 2018. After graduating as Industrial Engineer, he began his career in 1993 as Internal Audit Manager and Corporate Secretary at Siemens AS in Istanbul. In August 1999, Hakan achieved an MBA at Yeditepe University in Istanbul. He joined Pirelli SpA in September 1999, whose activities were Internal Audit Management for the region EMEA and completed audits in Germany, Italy, Finland, UK, Turkey, Romania and Check Republic. In January 2001, Hakan became Chief Financial Officer & Board Member at Turk Pirelli in Istanbul and later becoming President. After holding the position of Global Director of Prysmian Telecom at Prysmian Cavi & Sistemi for two years, he was President & Chief Executive Officer of North America at Prysmian Group from 2011 to May 2018.

Stephen Bull was appointed head of Aker Solutions’ renewables business in August 2021. The Briton has more than 20 years of energy industry experience, most recently as senior vice president of wind and low-carbon development for Equinor's renewables business area. He started his career at JP Morgan as an analyst and has held several international executive positions at Norsk Hydro and Equinor. Bull is chair of RenewableUK, the largest renewable energy industry association in the UK, and has served on expert panels for the UK Government covering low-carbon solutions. He studied politics and economics and holds a MSc (Econ) from the London School of Economics and a BA (Hons) from the University of Portsmouth, UK.

Stephen Fitzpatrick founded OVO Energy in 2009 and led its growth to become the largest independent energy provider in the UK. Today, OVO serves nearly 5m members in the UK and internationally, and is on a mission through its strategy, Plan Zero, to tackle the most important issue of our time - the climate crisis. He is also the Founder of Kaluza, the intelligent energy platform transforming how customers engage with energy and driving the global transition to a distributed and secure, zero-carbon grid.