Plenary Sessions
Plenary Session 1
Sponsored by
March, 6th
10:30 - 13:00
Auditorio
Green Hidrogen production, transport and distribution
Speakers: REPSOL – PETRONOR, IBERDROLA, CEPSA, BP, SMART ENERGY, BOSCH, ENAGAS, NORTEGAS
MODERATOR: AFRICA CASTRO
Vice-president of the Spanish Hydrogen Technology Platform (PTeH2)
Africa Castro is vice-president of the Spanish Hydrogen Technology Platform (PTeH2) and designated expert in international working groups (European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, Electrolyser Partnership and Clean Hydrogen Mission in Mission Innovation). She is the Director of Strategy, Business Development, and Communication at H2B2. In this role, she plays a vital part in shaping communication strategies and fostering government relationships with key stakeholders.
TOMAS MALANGO
Renewable Fuels and Circular Economy Director at Repsol.
President of SHYNE (Spanish Hydrogen Network)
Tomas Malango is a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, with postgraduate education in Advanced Management from IE Business School and Management of Research, Development and Technology Transfer from IESE Business School. Tomas Malango joined Repsol in 2001 at the Puertollano Refinery, where he was operation head in different areas before joining the Repsol Technology Center team as Senior Refining Technologist in 2008. Since then, Tomas Malango has managed different technology development projects for Refining and Mobility businesses at Repsol Technology Lab. He was also Hydrogen Director, responsible of creation and development of the renewable hydrogen strategy in Repsol. Since 2022 he is Director of renewable fuels and circular economy and also President of SHYNE (Spanish Hydrogen Network).
JORGE PALOMAR
Global Hydrogen Development Director in Iberdrola
Jorge Palomar is responsible for the promotion of Green Hydrogen projects and business development in Iberdrola. He has more than 22 years of experience in the energy sector where he´s experienced on engineering and fuel trading and has previously held different senior positions in the company including being the Head of Global Operations and Trading in Europe and the Head of Corporate PPAS to finally become two years ago the Head of Green Hydrogen Development where he is boosting more than 60 projects in 8 countries that Iberdrola has now under development. By education, he is a Mining Engineer from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Has got an International Executive MBA from Universidad Antonio de Nebrija and a Master on Energy Industry Economics from Carlos III University and has taken several leadership senior programs by IMD Business School. He is also an educator in Masters and postgrades in different universities.
JOAQUÍN RODRÍGUEZ JADRAQUE
Director Hydrogen & Clean Power
With a solid track record in the energy sector, Joaquin has played key roles in the development and strategic management of clean and renewable energy projects internationally. As Director of Hydrogen and Clean Energy at CEPSA, he leads the green hydrogen and sustainable fuels strategy, with the objective of building and operating 2 GW of green hydrogen equivalent production by 2030, establishing strategic alliances for the viability of projects such as the Andalusian Hydrogen Valley. Previously, at Fisterra Energy, a Blackstone portfolio company, he led the development of a portfolio of green hydrogen projects in the MENA region and the generation of renewable energy assets in Mexico, including the creation of the first private and independent supply company in the country, Ektria. In addition, he has advised private equity and infrastructure funds such as Macquarie, JP Morgan, TCI and Blackstone in the Mexican energy market. His experience includes leading roles at ENEL GREEN POWER and ENDESA Group, ranging from leading strategy, business development and M&A to global financial and commercial risk management.
CAROLINA MESA IVERN
VP, Hydrogen Spain and New Markets
Carolina joined bp in 2012 and has had a variety of roles covering Business Development, Commercial and Planning across Group, Upstream and Solar. She currently manages the Hydrogen business in Spain, New Markets and leads the Center of Excellence (COE) Hydrogen team. Prior to joining bp, she spent her career in M&A and Private Equity, covering a number of different industries, including Energy.
JOSÉ MARÍA LLOPIS
Managing Director Smartenergy Spain & Wind Europe
Benefiting of his wide experience in the energy sector, José María Llopis is managing Smartenergy’s Operations in Spain, as well as the Groups’ Wind Business. He is Industrial Engineer by the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia with a superior course in Energy Business by ICADE. José María has more than 26 years of professional experience in the energy and utilities industry, having worked in IBERDROLA and in DS2, a telecommunications start-up participated by ENDESA and ITOCHU. Early 2009, he joined the German PV specialist IBC SOLAR, and started his track record in renewable business. In this Group, he was holding various executive management positions leading the expansion of the company from wholesale retail distribution business into large scale project business. During his over 12 years of experience in the solar PV sector, he has been leading highly qualified multinational teams in EPC, O&M and project development business in countries like Spain, Germany, India and Japan.
PAUL SIMON
Director of Renewable Fuels and Circular Economy
Paul Simon has been director of business unit development for electrolysis technology and services at Bosch since July 2022. Before joining the Bosch Group in 2022, he already gained dedicated experience in the field of hydrogen business development, sales, strategy, and project management. Paul Simon was born on March 4, 1992 and studied mechanical engineering at the university of Würzburg, Germany. He is married and has two children.
JUAN VILLAR MARCELINO
Managing Director of the Gas Distribution business of Nortegas
Juan Villar is the Managing Director of the Gas Distribution business of Nortegas, a gas distributor in the north of Spain. He has worked at Nortegas for more than 3 years, initially as CFO, then COO of the Group and currently as responsible of the distribution business. His current role involves leading the team that sells gas solutions to our clients, expands and operates our gas networks, and works with our clients to help them use gas effectively and transition towards renewable gases. Before Nortegas, he spent 14 years at Citi, where he was Managing Director in the Investment Banking division, covering Business Services for EMEA, based in London and Madrid. He has also worked as strategy consultant in the Telecom sector, where I had the opportunity to work in the launch of a number of telecom operators in Morocco, Brazil, India and South Africa, taking positions in sales, customer services, marketing, IT and network deployments. He is an Industrial Management Engineer and have an MBA from IESE Business School, with an Exchange at NYU Stern School of Business.
NATALIA LATORRE
General Director of Energy Transition
Professional with more than 20 years of experience in the energy sector (logistics, marketing, sales and construction). General Manager of Energy Transition of Enagas, S.A.,. She is currently leading the company’s sustainability journey, the regulatory aspects and the company’s strategy, as well as the development of renewable hydrogen infrastructure. Formerly President of Shell Spain between 2015 and 2022, Member of the Strategic Committee and the Board of Directors of Sedigas, the Spanish gas association. Independent Director of Befesa, member of the Advisory Board of Marsi Bionics, member of the Strategic Advisory Board of the “Women and Engineering” program at the Royal Academy of Engineers of Spain. Member of the Board of Directors of the International Women Forum, she belongs to Aemener and also to Women Corporate Director.
Plenary Session 2
March, 7th
09:00 - 11:00
Auditorio
Hydrogen uses in industry and mobility
Speakers: TOYOTA, HYUNDAI, AIRBUS, CAF, NIPPON GASES, CARBUROS
MODERATOR: MARIBEL RODRÍGUEZ
Responsible of Hydrogen business
Forestry Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and MBA from EAE Business School and Rovira y Virgili University. She has developed her professional career in the field of innovation and technological development of renewable hydrogen and the application of low-carbon energy technologies in industry. She began her professional career in 2007 in Ariema Energía y Medioambiente, a nationally pioneering R&D&I intensive SME in the green hydrogen value chain as a project technologist. In 2014 she became deputy director of the company. She has participated in more than 35 projects related to the application of green hydrogen technologies in industry funded by the European Union and the Government of Spain. In 2017 she started collaborating with the European Commission as an external evaluator of SME instrument proposals in the analysis of innovative business ideas based on clean energy and greenhouse emissions reduction. In 2021 she worked at Fotowatio Renevables Ventures as business development manager in green hydrogen initiatives. In November 2021 he joined Repsol’s Hydrogen Division as business development manager, currently being responsible of the hydrogen team.
STEPHAN HERBST
Technical Head Powertrain Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Business Unit of Toyota Motor Europe’s (TME) R&D and Fuel Cell Business Group responsible for hydrogen strategy
Stephan is currently acting as Technical Head Powertrain Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Business Unit of Toyota Motor Europe’s (TME) R&D and Fuel Cell Business Group responsible for hydrogen strategy, new products and sustainable mobility. He is on the Management Board of the Hydrogen Council and Chair of the Mobility Working group of Hydrogen Europe. Stephan is also alternate Liaison Delegate to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Previously he held various positions in TME Environmental Affairs, Trend Research and Business Strategy. Stephan also worked in Toyota’s Global Headquarter in Japan looking after the global environmental strategy. Stephan studied business administration and economics and he holds a PhD in economics. Stephan worked for seven years in the automotive industry in Germany and China before joining TME in 2005.
JAVIER DEL VAL MUÑOZ
Product Manager. Electrification & New Technologies at HYUNDAI
Industrial Engineer, passionate about the automotive world and everything related to it. With more than 15 years of experience in the automotive world, knowing different areas of the business such as after sales, product, marketing and training. Currently, from the product department, responsible for the range of electric vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen and new technologies, both market data and the technical operation of the product itself.
ISAAC PÉREZ-FAFIAN
Delegate Airbus UpNext Spain
Isaac Perez-Fafian is the Delegate for Airbus UpNext in Spain. In this role, Isaac’s mission is to accelerate the technologies of the future, incubate talents and inspire the Airbus transformation. Isaac orients the activities in Spain to actively shape the future of aerospace: supporting the Airbus ambitions by prototype developments to evaluate, mature and validate new products and services. To match their ambitions, Isaac Perez-Fafian creates an inspiring place for people to work and develop themselves. He works with the Airbus innovation ecosystem to identify and engage potential partners and suppliers. Isaac has already contributed to a number of innovative platforms including the Airbus Beluga XL as well as the A350 and E-Fan X. Isaac Perez-Fafian is not only an experienced engineer and entrepreneur. He also is a competitive cyclist.
ARMANDO ANSON
Zero Emission Innovation Program Manager
Armando Anson is Technical project manager role in the following CAF projects: FGC UT-113, Freiburg Urbos trams, Utrecht Urbos trams, Amsterdam Urbos trams. Among its functions is the coordination of strategy activities and definition of the equipment that supplies or distributes energy within the train between the different vehicle platforms.
JOAQUÍN DE DIEGO RINCÓN
Director Combustion Applications Europe
Joaquín de Diego Rincón is Director Combustion Applications Europe at Nippon Gases Euro- Holding. Based in Madrid, Spain. He is responsible for Oxycombustion developments in aluminum, glass, frits, lead, iron, steel and cement applications. After joining Nippon Gases in 1997 has been working in different roles inside Nippon Gases. Joaquín received a Master Degree of Chemistry from Complutense University in Madrid (Spain). Holds a European Welding Specialist Certificate by the European Welding Federation and a MBA by ESIC Business and Marketing School in Madrid (Spain),
HÉCTOR CARBONELL RAMO
H2 and Energy Transition Director for Southern Europe at Air Products
Héctor Carbonell Ramo – H2 and Energy Transition Director for Southern Europe at Air Products (Carburos Metálicos) leads the company’s undertaking in the development of the hydrogen market in both Spain and Portugal. This position is backed by 25 years’ experience in Industrial Gases and Healthcare B2B markets, in a variety of positions in EMEA and LATAM, covering sales, operations, supply chain, marketing, retail, ERP/SAP deployment and business integrations. This extensive professional career has been developed in different countries over three continents, establishing long periods of permanence in base countries such as Spain, the United States, Germany, Chile and Israel. Chemical Engineer and MBA academic background has achieved broad experience in implementing complex transformational projects and improving business results.
JORGE PARADELA
Regional Minister for Industry, Energy and Mining at Junta de Andalucía
Jorge Paradela holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Seville and completed his training education at INSEAD (Fontainebleau), Wharton (Filadelfia), IESE Business School – University of Navarra and San Telmo Business School.
Europe Director of Corporate Affairs at Heineken from 2018 to 2021, has held several positions at the multinational brewing company since 2007: Regional Sales Manager, Director of Commercial Operations and Director of Corporate Affairs in Spain. Prior to joining the Government of Andalusia, he held the position of Business General Manager on the Executive Committee of Sevilla FC.
Paradela is also a founding partner of ‘Multinacionales por Marca España’, has chaired the presidency of the Corporate Social Responsibility Commission of the Confederación de Empresarios de Andalucía and was the first chairman of Dircom in Andalusia. He is a patron of the Banco de Alimentos de Sevilla.
Plenary Session 3
Sponsored by
March, 7th
10:30 - 13:00
Auditorio
Cross-sectoral Synergies: The role of hydrogen valleys
Speakers: IDAE, Hydrogen Europe, CH JU, The European Commission, Corredor Vasco del Hidrógeno
JOSÉ IGNACIO HORMAECHE
Director General del Cluster de Energía del País Vasco
José Ignacio Hormaeche has been working for many years with the industrial and private sector, developing a long-standing experience on the role of those actors in the Energy Transition, but also on the potential such a transition represents for them. He worked for the Gamesa Group, one of the leading companies in wind turbine design and manufacturing, before becoming the Managing director of EVE, the Basque Energy Agency. Jose Ignacio Hormaeche is now, since 2013, the General Manager of the Basque Energy Cluster (Asociación Cluster de Energía), gathering the main organisations of the value chain of the energy sector present in the Basque Country, involved in strategic areas such as hydrogen, decarbonisation, wind energy or smart grids.
DANIEL FRAILE
Chief Policy & Market Officer at Hydrogen Europe
Daniel Fraile is Chief Policy & Market Officer at Hydrogen Europe where he leads the policy and market intelligence work of the association. He has 18 years of experience on energy policy, renewables energy technologies and international cooperation. He is an engineer with a masters on telecommunications and a Masters in renewable energy. Today, he is leading the Hydrogen Europe policy work, leading a team of analysts and policy specialists. Before, Daniel had been Director of Market Intelligence at WindEurope, where he worked for 7 years leading the market research and leading several policy topics such as system integration and hydrogen. Previously, Daniel has worked on strategic management consulting in the Power to gas sector, has worked for the European photovoltaic industry association, for the environmental NGO CANEurope and for the Spanish utility Iberdrola.
ANTONIO AGUILÓ RULLÁN
Senior Project Officer, Clean Hydrogen Partnership
Antonio is an Industrial Engineer with more than 15 years of experience in the private and public sectors in the field of sustainable energy. In January 2017 he joined the Clean Hydrogen Joint Partnership as a Senior Project Officer. He is currently the Team Coordinator of the Project Officer team and is also responsible for the coordination of the partnership activities on Hydrogen Valleys.
ROSALINDE VAN DER VLIES
Director of the Clean Planet Directorate in the European Commission’s
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and Deputy Mission
Manager of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission
Ms. Rosalinde van der Vlies is the Director of the Clean Planet Directorate in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and Deputy Mission Manager of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. Before her appointment as Director, Ms. van der Vlies was the Head of Coordination & Interinstitutional Relations Unit, and acting Head of the Communication & Citizens Unit. Previously she held positions in Directorate-General Environment, Directorate- General Justice and Home Affairs, and in the private office of Janez Potočnik, the European Commissioner for the environment. Before joining the European Commission, she worked as a competition lawyer in an international law firm in Brussels and was a part-time teacher at the Catholic University in Brussels.
CHATZIFOTIS KONSTANTINOS
Manager of European Affairs of MOH Group
Mr. Konstantinos I, Chatzifotis is Manager of European Affairs of MOH Group, Member of Directors of Hellenic Hydrogen, and registered lawyer in Athens Bar Association (2005). He has served as Member of Cabinet of EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship (Brussels, 2016-2018), Head of Cabinet of a Vice President of European Parliament (Brussels, 2005-2014), as well as senior advisor of International and EU Affairs and Funding for various Ministers of the Greek Government (Ministry of Development, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food). He has also advised and supported as external EU funding expert numerous Greek Ministries, Regional and Local Authorities in strategic planning, developing, promoting and managing EU cofunded programs and he has participated as legal expert in international ICT projects.
OLIVIA INFANTES MORALES
She is an Industrial Engineer from the University of Malaga, having completed her studies with an Executive MBA from the Instituto de Empresa, a PDD from ESADE and a Master in Technical and Economic Management of the Electricity Sector from the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas.
Since November, she has been responsible for hydrogen and clean energy regulation at Cepsa’s Hydrogen Department.
Until November, she worked at ENGIE where she held the position of Head of H2 Development. Previously, he was Head of New Products (renewable hydrogen, sustainable mobility, decentralized generation and storage). Prior to that, he held the positions of Head of Innovation for two years and Head of Regulatory Affairs for eight years.
She joined ENGIE from Red Eléctrica de España where she worked as an Operation Markets Technician and specialized in the design of system adjustment services and the integration of production from renewable energy sources, cogeneration and waste into the electricity system.
Plenary Session 4
March, 8th
09:00 - 11:00
Auditorio
National H2 Institutions: tailoring the transition of their national energy systems
Speakers: CORFO – Chile, BID – Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo en Brasil, U.S. Department of Energy, Ministerio de Energia y Minas de Colombia
MODERATOR: JOSE MARÍA BLASCO
Director of the Infrastructure, Health and Digital
Entrepreneurship Division of ICEX
José María Blasco Ruiz is State Chartered Economist and Trade Expert (civil servant) with a double degree in Economics (Public Economy) and Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Zaragoza. José María is Director of the Infrastructure, Health and Digital Entrepreneurship Division of ICEX and he previously was Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Spanish Embassies in Israel and Singapore, Director at ICEX-Invest in Spain and Deputy Assistant General Director at Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
SUNITA SATYAPAL
Director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office
Dr. Sunita Satyapal is the Director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. She oversees more than $1.6 billion in hydrogen and fuel cell activities, coordinates roughly $10 billion in hydrogen activities across DOE, had a lead role in developing the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy, and is a Director of the U.S. government’s Hydrogen Interagency Task Force.
JOSEPH STANFORD
Communications Lead and Senior Advisor for International Collaboration at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office
Joseph Stanford is the Communications Lead and Senior Advisor for International Collaboration at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (as a contractor with The Building People). Prior to this role, he held a position as a technology analyst at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Research Center. He also has a background in journalism and several years of service in commercial marine shipping. He has a Master’s degree in System Design and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy from Binghamton University.
RAFAEL BEN
Energy Specialist for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region of the World Bank
Rafael Ben is an Energy Specialist at the World Bank, where he is currently part of the hydrogen team and co-leads both the Energy Storage and Offshore Wind teams. In previous positions at the World Bank, he worked with the Climate Investment Funds and with the LAC Energy operational unit. Prior to the Bank, Rafael had worked already a decade on renewable energies (mostly wind and solar PV), green hydrogen and fuel cells, both at the Spanish Institute of Aerospace Technology and at international private companies. With ARIEMA (www.ariema.com), he commissioned several small scale Alkaline Electrolyzers and PEM fuel cells, already 15 years ago. He studied chemical engineering and holds a master’s degree on Renewable Energy and Energy Markets from the EOI, Madrid.
ANA MARÍA RUZ FRIAS
Chief Executive Officer
Ana Maria Ruz, head of the Green Hydrogen Committee of CORFO, has 5 years of experience in green hydrogen, including setting up government strategies, liaising to determine how industry needs and fair policy can both be met, and establishing regulations to ensure accountability for hydrogen’s promise of decarbonization. She holds a degree in Electrical Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Environmental Management & Planning. She has been awarded the Best Government Initiative at the H2LAC 2023 Industry Awards for accelerating a sustainable and green hydrogen industry in Chile, as well as PE Media Network, 2023 Women in Hydrogen Policy and Regulation category, which recognizes women creating, providing feedback on, and advocating for policies to support the nascent hydrogen economy.
BERT DE COLVENAER
Belgian Hydrogen Council
Bert De Colvenaer was appointed as CEO of WaterstofNet as of 1st September 2023. WaterstofNet is a knowledge and collaboration platform aiming, together with the industrial sector and the government, to contribute to a carbonneutral society by supporting and realizing hydrogen projects in Flanders, the Netherlands and the Benelux. Prior to his appointment he was Executive Director of the of the ECSEL Joint Undertaking, a public-private partnership on nanoelectronics, embedded software and smart system integration, and the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, mandated to bring the FCH technology to the point of market readiness. Joint Undertakings are autonomous European Union bodies.
WILSON SIERRA
MIEM - Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining of Uruguay
He is a Chemical Engineer with a degree from the “Universidad de la República” (UdelaR). He has professional experience in the renewable energy field and he is currently the Head of the Renewable Energy Division of the Secretary of Energy, from the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining in Uruguay. In particular he has participated in the development of activities to generate the necessary technical and regulatory framework for the promotion of wind energy, bioenergy, energy from small hydro plants and solar energy in Uruguay. Since 2018, he has been involved in the development of green hydrogen, having participated in the design of the National Strategy for the development of green hydrogen and its derivatives in Uruguay. Additionally, he has participated as a lecturer in various courses in School of Chemistry and School of Engineering at the “Universidad de la República” (UdelaR) in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Plenary Session 1
March, 6th
10:30 - 13:00
Auditorio
Green Hidrogen production, transport and distribution
Speakers: REPSOL – PETRONOR, IBERDROLA, CEPSA, BP, SMART ENERGY, BOSCH, ENAGAS, NORTEGAS
Sponsored by
MODERATOR: AFRICA CASTRO
Vice-president of the Spanish Hydrogen Technology Platform (PTeH2)
Africa Castro is vice-president of the Spanish Hydrogen Technology Platform (PTeH2) and designated expert in international working groups (European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, Electrolyser Partnership and Clean Hydrogen Mission in Mission Innovation). She is the Director of Strategy, Business Development, and Communication at H2B2. In this role, she plays a vital part in shaping communication strategies and fostering government relationships with key stakeholders.
TOMAS MALANGO
Renewable Fuels and Circular Economy Director at Repsol.
President of SHYNE (Spanish Hydrogen Network)
Tomas Malango is a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, with postgraduate education in Advanced Management from IE Business School and Management of Research, Development and Technology Transfer from IESE Business School. Tomas Malango joined Repsol in 2001 at the Puertollano Refinery, where he was operation head in different areas before joining the Repsol Technology Center team as Senior Refining Technologist in 2008. Since then, Tomas Malango has managed different technology development projects for Refining and Mobility businesses at Repsol Technology Lab. He was also Hydrogen Director, responsible of creation and development of the renewable hydrogen strategy in Repsol. Since 2022 he is Director of renewable fuels and circular economy and also President of SHYNE (Spanish Hydrogen Network).
JORGE PALOMAR
Global Hydrogen Development Director in Iberdrola
Jorge Palomar is responsible for the promotion of Green Hydrogen projects and business development in Iberdrola. He has more than 22 years of experience in the energy sector where he´s experienced on engineering and fuel trading and has previously held different senior positions in the company including being the Head of Global Operations and Trading in Europe and the Head of Corporate PPAS to finally become two years ago the Head of Green Hydrogen Development where he is boosting more than 60 projects in 8 countries that Iberdrola has now under development. By education, he is a Mining Engineer from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Has got an International Executive MBA from Universidad Antonio de Nebrija and a Master on Energy Industry Economics from Carlos III University and has taken several leadership senior programs by IMD Business School. He is also an educator in Masters and postgrades in different universities.
JOAQUÍN RODRÍGUEZ JADRAQUE
Director Hydrogen & Clean Power
With a solid track record in the energy sector, Joaquin has played key roles in the development and strategic management of clean and renewable energy projects internationally. As Director of Hydrogen and Clean Energy at CEPSA, he leads the green hydrogen and sustainable fuels strategy, with the objective of building and operating 2 GW of green hydrogen equivalent production by 2030, establishing strategic alliances for the viability of projects such as the Andalusian Hydrogen Valley. Previously, at Fisterra Energy, a Blackstone portfolio company, he led the development of a portfolio of green hydrogen projects in the MENA region and the generation of renewable energy assets in Mexico, including the creation of the first private and independent supply company in the country, Ektria. In addition, he has advised private equity and infrastructure funds such as Macquarie, JP Morgan, TCI and Blackstone in the Mexican energy market. His experience includes leading roles at ENEL GREEN POWER and ENDESA Group, ranging from leading strategy, business development and M&A to global financial and commercial risk management.
CAROLINA MESA IVERN
VP, Hydrogen Spain and New Markets
Carolina joined bp in 2012 and has had a variety of roles covering Business Development, Commercial and Planning across Group, Upstream and Solar. She currently manages the Hydrogen business in Spain, New Markets and leads the Center of Excellence (COE) Hydrogen team. Prior to joining bp, she spent her career in M&A and Private Equity, covering a number of different industries, including Energy.
JOSÉ MARÍA LLOPIS
Managing Director Smartenergy Spain & Wind Europe
Benefiting of his wide experience in the energy sector, José María Llopis is managing Smartenergy’s Operations in Spain, as well as the Groups’ Wind Business. He is Industrial Engineer by the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia with a superior course in Energy Business by ICADE. José María has more than 26 years of professional experience in the energy and utilities industry, having worked in IBERDROLA and in DS2, a telecommunications start-up participated by ENDESA and ITOCHU. Early 2009, he joined the German PV specialist IBC SOLAR, and started his track record in renewable business. In this Group, he was holding various executive management positions leading the expansion of the company from wholesale retail distribution business into large scale project business. During his over 12 years of experience in the solar PV sector, he has been leading highly qualified multinational teams in EPC, O&M and project development business in countries like Spain, Germany, India and Japan.
PAUL SIMON
Director of Renewable Fuels and Circular Economy
Paul Simon has been director of business unit development for electrolysis technology and services at Bosch since July 2022. Before joining the Bosch Group in 2022, he already gained dedicated experience in the field of hydrogen business development, sales, strategy, and project management. Paul Simon was born on March 4, 1992 and studied mechanical engineering at the university of Würzburg, Germany. He is married and has two children.
JUAN VILLAR MARCELINO
Managing Director of the Gas Distribution business of Nortegas
Juan Villar is the Managing Director of the Gas Distribution business of Nortegas, a gas distributor in the north of Spain. He has worked at Nortegas for more than 3 years, initially as CFO, then COO of the Group and currently as responsible of the distribution business. His current role involves leading the team that sells gas solutions to our clients, expands and operates our gas networks, and works with our clients to help them use gas effectively and transition towards renewable gases. Before Nortegas, he spent 14 years at Citi, where he was Managing Director in the Investment Banking division, covering Business Services for EMEA, based in London and Madrid. He has also worked as strategy consultant in the Telecom sector, where I had the opportunity to work in the launch of a number of telecom operators in Morocco, Brazil, India and South Africa, taking positions in sales, customer services, marketing, IT and network deployments. He is an Industrial Management Engineer and have an MBA from IESE Business School, with an Exchange at NYU Stern School of Business.
NATALIA LATORRE
General Director of Energy Transition
Professional with more than 20 years of experience in the energy sector (logistics, marketing, sales and construction). General Manager of Energy Transition of Enagas, S.A.,. She is currently leading the company’s sustainability journey, the regulatory aspects and the company’s strategy, as well as the development of renewable hydrogen infrastructure. Formerly President of Shell Spain between 2015 and 2022, Member of the Strategic Committee and the Board of Directors of Sedigas, the Spanish gas association. Independent Director of Befesa, member of the Advisory Board of Marsi Bionics, member of the Strategic Advisory Board of the “Women and Engineering” program at the Royal Academy of Engineers of Spain. Member of the Board of Directors of the International Women Forum, she belongs to Aemener and also to Women Corporate Director.
Plenary Session 2
March, 7th
09:00 - 11:00
Auditorio
Hydrogen uses in industry and mobility
MODERATOR: MARIBEL RODRÍGUEZ
Responsible of Hydrogen business
Forestry Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and MBA from EAE Business School and Rovira y Virgili University. She has developed her professional career in the field of innovation and technological development of renewable hydrogen and the application of low-carbon energy technologies in industry. She began her professional career in 2007 in Ariema Energía y Medioambiente, a nationally pioneering R&D&I intensive SME in the green hydrogen value chain as a project technologist. In 2014 she became deputy director of the company. She has participated in more than 35 projects related to the application of green hydrogen technologies in industry funded by the European Union and the Government of Spain. In 2017 she started collaborating with the European Commission as an external evaluator of SME instrument proposals in the analysis of innovative business ideas based on clean energy and greenhouse emissions reduction. In 2021 she worked at Fotowatio Renevables Ventures as business development manager in green hydrogen initiatives. In November 2021 he joined Repsol’s Hydrogen Division as business development manager, currently being responsible of the hydrogen team.
STEPHAN HERBST
Technical Head Powertrain Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Business Unit of Toyota Motor Europe’s (TME) R&D and Fuel Cell Business Group responsible for hydrogen strategy
Stephan is currently acting as Technical Head Powertrain Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Business Unit of Toyota Motor Europe’s (TME) R&D and Fuel Cell Business Group responsible for hydrogen strategy, new products and sustainable mobility. He is on the Management Board of the Hydrogen Council and Chair of the Mobility Working group of Hydrogen Europe. Stephan is also alternate Liaison Delegate to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Previously he held various positions in TME Environmental Affairs, Trend Research and Business Strategy. Stephan also worked in Toyota’s Global Headquarter in Japan looking after the global environmental strategy. Stephan studied business administration and economics and he holds a PhD in economics. Stephan worked for seven years in the automotive industry in Germany and China before joining TME in 2005.
JAVIER DEL VAL MUÑOZ
Product Manager. Electrification & New Technologies at HYUNDAI
Industrial Engineer, passionate about the automotive world and everything related to it. With more than 15 years of experience in the automotive world, knowing different areas of the business such as after sales, product, marketing and training. Currently, from the product department, responsible for the range of electric vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen and new technologies, both market data and the technical operation of the product itself.
ISAAC PÉREZ-FAFIAN
Delegate Airbus UpNext Spain
Isaac Perez-Fafian is the Delegate for Airbus UpNext in Spain. In this role, Isaac’s mission is to accelerate the technologies of the future, incubate talents and inspire the Airbus transformation. Isaac orients the activities in Spain to actively shape the future of aerospace: supporting the Airbus ambitions by prototype developments to evaluate, mature and validate new products and services. To match their ambitions, Isaac Perez-Fafian creates an inspiring place for people to work and develop themselves. He works with the Airbus innovation ecosystem to identify and engage potential partners and suppliers. Isaac has already contributed to a number of innovative platforms including the Airbus Beluga XL as well as the A350 and E-Fan X. Isaac Perez-Fafian is not only an experienced engineer and entrepreneur. He also is a competitive cyclist.
ARMANDO ANSON
Zero Emission Innovation Program Manager
Armando Anson is Technical project manager role in the following CAF projects: FGC UT-113, Freiburg Urbos trams, Utrecht Urbos trams, Amsterdam Urbos trams. Among its functions is the coordination of strategy activities and definition of the equipment that supplies or distributes energy within the train between the different vehicle platforms.
JOAQUÍN DE DIEGO RINCÓN
Director Combustion Applications Europe
Joaquín de Diego Rincón is Director Combustion Applications Europe at Nippon Gases Euro- Holding. Based in Madrid, Spain. He is responsible for Oxycombustion developments in aluminum, glass, frits, lead, iron, steel and cement applications. After joining Nippon Gases in 1997 has been working in different roles inside Nippon Gases. Joaquín received a Master Degree of Chemistry from Complutense University in Madrid (Spain). Holds a European Welding Specialist Certificate by the European Welding Federation and a MBA by ESIC Business and Marketing School in Madrid (Spain),
HÉCTOR CARBONELL RAMO
H2 and Energy Transition Director for Southern Europe at Air Products
Héctor Carbonell Ramo – H2 and Energy Transition Director for Southern Europe at Air Products (Carburos Metálicos) leads the company’s undertaking in the development of the hydrogen market in both Spain and Portugal. This position is backed by 25 years’ experience in Industrial Gases and Healthcare B2B markets, in a variety of positions in EMEA and LATAM, covering sales, operations, supply chain, marketing, retail, ERP/SAP deployment and business integrations. This extensive professional career has been developed in different countries over three continents, establishing long periods of permanence in base countries such as Spain, the United States, Germany, Chile and Israel. Chemical Engineer and MBA academic background has achieved broad experience in implementing complex transformational projects and improving business results.
JORGE PARADELA
Regional Minister for Industry, Energy and Mining at Junta de Andalucía
Jorge Paradela holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Seville and completed his training education at INSEAD (Fontainebleau), Wharton (Filadelfia), IESE Business School – University of Navarra and San Telmo Business School.
Europe Director of Corporate Affairs at Heineken from 2018 to 2021, has held several positions at the multinational brewing company since 2007: Regional Sales Manager, Director of Commercial Operations and Director of Corporate Affairs in Spain. Prior to joining the Government of Andalusia, he held the position of Business General Manager on the Executive Committee of Sevilla FC.
Paradela is also a founding partner of ‘Multinacionales por Marca España’, has chaired the presidency of the Corporate Social Responsibility Commission of the Confederación de Empresarios de Andalucía and was the first chairman of Dircom in Andalusia. He is a patron of the Banco de Alimentos de Sevilla.
Plenary Session 3
March, 7th
10:30 - 13:00
Auditorio
Cross-sectoral Synergies: The role of hydrogen valleys
Speakers: IDAE, Hydrogen Europe, CH JU, The European Commission, Corredor Vasco del Hidrógeno
Sponsored by
JOSÉ IGNACIO HORMAECHE
Director General del Cluster de Energía del País Vasco
José Ignacio Hormaeche has been working for many years with the industrial and private sector, developing a long-standing experience on the role of those actors in the Energy Transition, but also on the potential such a transition represents for them. He worked for the Gamesa Group, one of the leading companies in wind turbine design and manufacturing, before becoming the Managing director of EVE, the Basque Energy Agency. Jose Ignacio Hormaeche is now, since 2013, the General Manager of the Basque Energy Cluster (Asociación Cluster de Energía), gathering the main organisations of the value chain of the energy sector present in the Basque Country, involved in strategic areas such as hydrogen, decarbonisation, wind energy or smart grids.
DANIEL FRAILE
Chief Policy & Market Officer at Hydrogen Europe
Daniel Fraile is Chief Policy & Market Officer at Hydrogen Europe where he leads the policy and market intelligence work of the association. He has 18 years of experience on energy policy, renewables energy technologies and international cooperation. He is an engineer with a masters on telecommunications and a Masters in renewable energy. Today, he is leading the Hydrogen Europe policy work, leading a team of analysts and policy specialists. Before, Daniel had been Director of Market Intelligence at WindEurope, where he worked for 7 years leading the market research and leading several policy topics such as system integration and hydrogen. Previously, Daniel has worked on strategic management consulting in the Power to gas sector, has worked for the European photovoltaic industry association, for the environmental NGO CANEurope and for the Spanish utility Iberdrola.
ANTONIO AGUILÓ RULLÁN
Senior Project Officer, Clean Hydrogen Partnership
Antonio is an Industrial Engineer with more than 15 years of experience in the private and public sectors in the field of sustainable energy. In January 2017 he joined the Clean Hydrogen Joint Partnership as a Senior Project Officer. He is currently the Team Coordinator of the Project Officer team and is also responsible for the coordination of the partnership activities on Hydrogen Valleys.
ROSALINDE VAN DER VLIES
Director of the Clean Planet Directorate in the European Commission’s
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and Deputy Mission
Manager of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission
Ms. Rosalinde van der Vlies is the Director of the Clean Planet Directorate in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and Deputy Mission Manager of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission. Before her appointment as Director, Ms. van der Vlies was the Head of Coordination & Interinstitutional Relations Unit, and acting Head of the Communication & Citizens Unit. Previously she held positions in Directorate-General Environment, Directorate- General Justice and Home Affairs, and in the private office of Janez Potočnik, the European Commissioner for the environment. Before joining the European Commission, she worked as a competition lawyer in an international law firm in Brussels and was a part-time teacher at the Catholic University in Brussels.
CHATZIFOTIS KONSTANTINOS
Manager of European Affairs of MOH Group
Mr. Konstantinos I, Chatzifotis is Manager of European Affairs of MOH Group, Member of Directors of Hellenic Hydrogen, and registered lawyer in Athens Bar Association (2005). He has served as Member of Cabinet of EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship (Brussels, 2016-2018), Head of Cabinet of a Vice President of European Parliament (Brussels, 2005-2014), as well as senior advisor of International and EU Affairs and Funding for various Ministers of the Greek Government (Ministry of Development, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food). He has also advised and supported as external EU funding expert numerous Greek Ministries, Regional and Local Authorities in strategic planning, developing, promoting and managing EU cofunded programs and he has participated as legal expert in international ICT projects.
OLIVIA INFANTES MORALES
She is an Industrial Engineer from the University of Malaga, having completed her studies with an Executive MBA from the Instituto de Empresa, a PDD from ESADE and a Master in Technical and Economic Management of the Electricity Sector from the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas.
Since November, she has been responsible for hydrogen and clean energy regulation at Cepsa’s Hydrogen Department.
Until November, she worked at ENGIE where she held the position of Head of H2 Development. Previously, he was Head of New Products (renewable hydrogen, sustainable mobility, decentralized generation and storage). Prior to that, he held the positions of Head of Innovation for two years and Head of Regulatory Affairs for eight years.
She joined ENGIE from Red Eléctrica de España where she worked as an Operation Markets Technician and specialized in the design of system adjustment services and the integration of production from renewable energy sources, cogeneration and waste into the electricity system.
Plenary Session 4
March, 8th
09:00 - 11:00
Auditorio
National H2 Institutions: tailoring the transition of their national energy systems
Speakers: CORFO – Chile, BID – Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo en Brasil, U.S. Department of Energy, Ministerio de Energia y Minas de Colombia
MODERATOR: JOSE MARÍA BLASCO
Director of the Infrastructure, Health and Digital
Entrepreneurship Division of ICEX
José María Blasco Ruiz is State Chartered Economist and Trade Expert (civil servant) with a double degree in Economics (Public Economy) and Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Zaragoza. José María is Director of the Infrastructure, Health and Digital Entrepreneurship Division of ICEX and he previously was Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Spanish Embassies in Israel and Singapore, Director at ICEX-Invest in Spain and Deputy Assistant General Director at Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
SUNITA SATYAPAL
Director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office
Dr. Sunita Satyapal is the Director for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. She oversees more than $1.6 billion in hydrogen and fuel cell activities, coordinates roughly $10 billion in hydrogen activities across DOE, had a lead role in developing the U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy, and is a Director of the U.S. government’s Hydrogen Interagency Task Force.
JOSEPH STANFORD
Communications Lead and Senior Advisor for International Collaboration at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office
Joseph Stanford is the Communications Lead and Senior Advisor for International Collaboration at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (as a contractor with The Building People). Prior to this role, he held a position as a technology analyst at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Research Center. He also has a background in journalism and several years of service in commercial marine shipping. He has a Master’s degree in System Design and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy from Binghamton University.
RAFAEL BEN
Energy Specialist for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region of the World Bank
Rafael Ben is an Energy Specialist at the World Bank, where he is currently part of the hydrogen team and co-leads both the Energy Storage and Offshore Wind teams. In previous positions at the World Bank, he worked with the Climate Investment Funds and with the LAC Energy operational unit. Prior to the Bank, Rafael had worked already a decade on renewable energies (mostly wind and solar PV), green hydrogen and fuel cells, both at the Spanish Institute of Aerospace Technology and at international private companies. With ARIEMA (www.ariema.com), he commissioned several small scale Alkaline Electrolyzers and PEM fuel cells, already 15 years ago. He studied chemical engineering and holds a master’s degree on Renewable Energy and Energy Markets from the EOI, Madrid.
ANA MARÍA RUZ FRIAS
Chief Executive Officer
Ana Maria Ruz, head of the Green Hydrogen Committee of CORFO, has 5 years of experience in green hydrogen, including setting up government strategies, liaising to determine how industry needs and fair policy can both be met, and establishing regulations to ensure accountability for hydrogen’s promise of decarbonization. She holds a degree in Electrical Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Environmental Management & Planning. She has been awarded the Best Government Initiative at the H2LAC 2023 Industry Awards for accelerating a sustainable and green hydrogen industry in Chile, as well as PE Media Network, 2023 Women in Hydrogen Policy and Regulation category, which recognizes women creating, providing feedback on, and advocating for policies to support the nascent hydrogen economy.
BERT DE COLVENAER
Belgian Hydrogen Council
Bert De Colvenaer was appointed as CEO of WaterstofNet as of 1st September 2023. WaterstofNet is a knowledge and collaboration platform aiming, together with the industrial sector and the government, to contribute to a carbonneutral society by supporting and realizing hydrogen projects in Flanders, the Netherlands and the Benelux. Prior to his appointment he was Executive Director of the of the ECSEL Joint Undertaking, a public-private partnership on nanoelectronics, embedded software and smart system integration, and the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, mandated to bring the FCH technology to the point of market readiness. Joint Undertakings are autonomous European Union bodies.
WILSON SIERRA
MIEM - Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining of Uruguay
He is a Chemical Engineer with a degree from the “Universidad de la República” (UdelaR). He has professional experience in the renewable energy field and he is currently the Head of the Renewable Energy Division of the Secretary of Energy, from the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining in Uruguay. In particular he has participated in the development of activities to generate the necessary technical and regulatory framework for the promotion of wind energy, bioenergy, energy from small hydro plants and solar energy in Uruguay. Since 2018, he has been involved in the development of green hydrogen, having participated in the design of the National Strategy for the development of green hydrogen and its derivatives in Uruguay. Additionally, he has participated as a lecturer in various courses in School of Chemistry and School of Engineering at the “Universidad de la República” (UdelaR) in Montevideo, Uruguay.
