Maroš Šefčovič is a Slovak diplomat and politician serving as the Vice-President of the European Commission for Inter-institutional Relations and Foresight, coordinating the Energy Union (EU Battery Alliance). From 2010 to 2014, he was the European Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations and Administration, and for Energy from 2014 to 2019. He stood for office in the 2019 Slovak presidential election.
His area of responsibility includes leading the Energy Union, establishing a European Energy Union by connecting infrastructures, enforcing legislation and increasing competition to help drive down costs for citizens and businesses and boost growth, working to prevent energy shortages, diversifying sources of energy imports and ensuring a united European voice in negotiations to improve our energy security, helping to mobilise additional investment in power grids, renewable energy installations and other energy infrastructure, improving energy efficiency, and coordinating the Commission’s efforts to ensure the EU reaches its climate and energy targets for 2020 and 2030.
Thore leads since 4 years the Industrial part of the European Battery Alliance, EBA250, with the task to promote and develop the European Battery Industry.
Thore MSc, MBA, has 36 years of experience at management positions in system business related to electric power conversion within ABB and Bombardier Transportation.
He has consistently been working with technologies enabling the transformation to sustainability in the power and transport sectors.
Robert (Bob) L. Galyen, age 67, is recognized as one of the top executives in the battery energy storage world and within science/engineering-based communities. He is a highly sought-after public speaker as a subject matter expert. His positions as CTO of CATL (the world’s largest battery manufacturer), Chairman of SAE International Battery Standards Steering Committee, also an SAE Fellow, Chairman Emeritus and CTO of NAATbatt International, provides him a unique leadership perspective in the global battery industry. His degrees in chemistry and biology, along with decades of engineering experience and executive roles, provides him a unique view in a leadership or consulting role in cross functional technology areas. He has patents, publications and participates on multiple BOD’s and TAB’s. The 46 years’ international work experience has given him a visionary perspective on worldwide business, making him uniquely qualified as a global energy storage and scientific/engineering community thought leader. His manufacturing experience qualifies him as one of the top Lithium-Ion Battery producers (CATL) and Lead Acid Battery producers (Delco Remy Division of GM) in the world. He presently works with over 8 different battery systems in his consulting roles. Bob is married with 3 children and 8 grandchildren.
Csaba kiss is the Deputy CEO, Chief Generation Officer and Chief Nuclear Officer of MVM Hungarian Electricity Ltd. He is holding a Ph.D. degree in Technical Sciences from Vienna University of Technology in Austria, and a MBA degree from Buckinghamshire New University in the UK.
Mr Kiss has a +35 years career in the power generation industry and has solid management and business leadership experience since 1999 as Executive Managing Director and Plant Manager of operating different power plant portfolios and businesses in Hungary and Italy. As a Managing Director he had worked with major multinational integrated utilities (AES and E.ON), and Power Service companies (Alstom and GE).
He was involved in the operation and project development of new nuclear, coal, biomass, oil, gas power plants, co-generation (CHP), CCGT, steam/ranking cycle, gas-motor, wind, hydro and PV power plant technologies as well. Mr Kiss has international working experience conducting business and managing projects in the US, Brazil and Europe.
He is Board Member of FORATOM, Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. He is also the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Hungarian Nuclear Association, the Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of COGEN Europe Association, the European Association for the promotion of cogeneration industry in Brussel. He is Vice Chairman (previously Chairman) of the COGEN Hungary Association (MKET), Chairman of the Hungarian Scientific Energy Association of Hungary (ETE) as well as Member of the Wold Nuclear Association (WNA) advisory board.
Ákos Nagy is a Senior Counsel in the Kinstellar Budapest office. He is specialized in corporate, M&A, commercial, regulatory and compliance practices mostly in the automotive sector and he has more than 18 years of experience in the legal profession advising clients in this industry.
Ákos has advised in the past decade a vast number of strategic investors in relation to their successful greenfield investments in Hungary and in the region in the automotive sector, including major players of the electric vehicle battery manufacturer industry as well as OEMs and other Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in the supply chain.
He is an expert in all forms of corporate-related matters, including company establishments, corporate governance, customer and supplier issues, internal reorganizations and joint ventures, capital increases and reductions, mergers, demergers, transformations and liquidation-related matters. He has also been involved in several internal investigations in the sector, including various regulatory and non-regulatory issues and also advises its clients on a wide range of similar topics, such as strategic steps for their commercial decisions.
Ákos is personally ranked and mentioned in all decisive legal directories (such as Chambers and Legal 500) as a leading individual in the profession and in the industry in Hungary.
Mr Péter Horváth is the CEO of Dunamenti Power Plant since July 2018, formerly Deputy CEO (from 2015). Before he was Business Development Manager of MET Power Hungary since 2014. He worked as the wholesale director of MET Magyarország between 2012 and 2014. He was formerly employed at the natural-gas branch of MOL in the area of portfolio and business development.
Cillian O’Donoghue is Policy Director at Eurelectric, the sector association which represents the common interests of the electricity industry at pan-European level. Prior to joining Eurelectric, he was Director of Climate & Energy at Eurometaux, the European non-ferrous metals industry, representing producers of aluminium, copper, zinc, nickel, silicon and other metals. Cillian previously worked 5 years at the Energy Practice at FleishmanHillard and spent time at the European Commission DG Energy, focusing on gas security supply in the Central & Eastern European region.
Mr Clerens studied law at the University of Saarbrücken and the University of Mainz. Since 1996, he has worked as a consultant for a private company specialising in European Affairs in Brussels. In his capacity as Brussels Representative of different European associations, he has been involved in the climate and energy field since 2003.
He has managed the EASE office in Brussels as Secretary-General since its establishment in September 2011. Since then, EASE has grown from the initial 13 founding members to over 40.
Charles Wassen serves as General Manager of Dana Hungary Ltd. since June 2014. He is responsible for overseeing all OneDana operational activities in Győr (West Hungary), including, but not limited to, safety, engagement focus, production, quality, continuous improvement initiatives, profitability, and Campus growth strategies. In addition, under his Leadership Campus provided development input through cooperation with all Dana Business units. During his current position, he also serves as plant manager for Dana’s Off-Highway Drive and Motion Systems Plant and oversees the Aftermarket Distribution Center.
In recognition of his professional work Charles Wassen was elected to the board of the Hungarian Automotive Association (Magyar Gépjárműgyártók Egyesülete) in May 2019 and has been re-elected for 4 more years in 2022.
Before coming to Dana, Charles Wassen worked in a number of operational, engineering, sales, general management, and continuous-improvement positions at Valeo, TRW, Autoliv, Alstom, Delphi, Airbus and ArvinMeritor (Inteva). During that time, he gained strong international experience, having managed turnaround initiatives in several countries, including France, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary. Whilst his last assignment in Slovakia he turned around a declining operation to a profitable operational campus of over 1200 employees.