Bart Biebuyck is since 16th May 2016 the Executive Director of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), a public-private partnership aiming at facilitating the deployment of fuel cells and hydrogen technologies in Europe. Under his leadership, a strong emphasis on cooperation with cities and regions led to the creation of the European Hydrogen Valleys partnership with around 40 European regions. Dissemination of project results, building technology awareness and enhanced basic research became his key focusing points.

Before the FCH JU, Bart Biebuyck was at the Fuel Cell department of Toyota Motor Europe where he held the position of Technical Senior Manager. His expertise in the automotive industry includes extensive knowledge related to the deployment of new technologies in the European market. It is as part of the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) program in Berlin that Bart worked at reinforcing European trials for the Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle. He also had the opportunity to develop and expand his expertise in Japan, where for two years he worked on the development of Toyota and PSA’s small vehicle.

In addition to his industrial experience, Bart has been politically active in his local town since 2006. In 2013 he became the vice president of the City Council, responsible, among others, for the local economy and education.

Bart’s term as the Executive Director of the FCH – JU was extended for four years until 15 May 2023.

Eiji Ohira is the Strategy Architect of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)’s Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology Office In this capacity, he has been responsible the overall strategy, execution and coordination of NEDO’s research, development and demonstration project on fuel cell and hydrogen since 2013.
He has also coordinated fuel cell and hydrogen activities with international stakeholders, through International Energy Agency’s Technology Collaboration Program (IEA Hydrogen TCP (Vice Chair), Advanced Fuel Cell TCP), and International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE).

He joined the NEDO in 1992, just after graduation from the Tokyo University of Science. He served as a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997-1998.

Before taking up the current position in April 2013, he served in several positions, including Representative at NEDO Asian Representative Office, Director of the Energy Storage Technology Division.

Dr Gokce Mete leads the Hydrogen for Net Zero Initiative (H2NZ). H2NZ is a multi-stakeholder platform supported by Verra and Gold Standard that aims to unlock carbon finance for hydrogen projects by developing the first methodologies for the voluntary carbon market. H2NZ is co-initiated by South Pole and Perspective Climate Group. She also leads the policy and advocacy efforts of South Pole in the low-carbon hydrogen and heavy industry transition space.

Gokce is co-founder of the Women in Green Hydrogen Network, author of over 30 publications, and has over a decade of policy and regulatory analysis, public affairs, project development and stakeholder management experience focused on climate change, just transition and sustainability in the energy, heavy industry and minerals sectors.

Previously she was Head of Secretariat of the UN Leadership Group for the Industry Transition hosted by the Stockholm Environment Institute which explores how policy, finance and business practices in hard-to-abate industry sectors such as steel, cement, heavy duty transport and chemicals can be aligned to achieve climate neutrality. At SEI, she also project led initiatives focusing on oil and gas transitions, green trade and green public procurement in road transport and construction sectors.

Javier Cavada was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Mitsubishi Power, from January 2022. Dr Cavada’s mission is to expand Mitsubishi Power’s business in the region, accelerate decarbonization and provide total solutions that empower its customers to affordably and reliably combat climate change.

With more than 20 years of global experience in the energy sector, primarily in senior executive roles, Dr Cavada has led companies through all phases of corporate development and growth. Before joining Mitsubishi Power, he was President and CEO of Highview Power, developing and leading the long duration energy storage industry. Prior to that, he spent 17 years with Wärtsilä Corporation serving as President of the energy division and member of the executive board, leading its transformation into renewables integrator including energy storage.

Dr Cavada received his doctorate Cum Laude (With Highest Honors) in Industrial Engineering from the University of Cantabria, Spain in 2012, where he held a professorship at the School of Industrial Engineering and Telecommunications, and was recognized as Distinguished Alumnus in 2015, joining a group of 20 distinguished alumni along the 50 years of history of the University.
All of this has ultimately led to Dr Cavada becoming a renowned and award-winning leader who successfully moves large companies forward in the energy transition.

Julie Cerqueira most recently served as the Executive Director of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of governors working together to advance the most ambitious state climate agenda in our nation’s history. As its inaugural director, Ms. Cerqueira played an integral role in building the coalition from the ground up and provided the tools, resources and technical expertise to help two dozen governors deliver on their climate and clean energy priorities. Prior to that, she served as a Senior Advisor to the Special Envoy for Climate Change at the U.S. Department of State where she led U.S. engagement in strategic partnerships, such as the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the U.S.-Brazil Climate Change Working Group. Among other things, she also helped negotiate climate deliverables for high profile events such as the North American Leaders Summit, created the climate pillar of the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council, and launched the Brazil Climate Innovation Lab to mobilize climate investments overseas. Prior to her work in the federal government, Ms. Cerqueira worked with developing countries to design and implement climate policies and financial instruments at the climate think tank Center for Clean Air Policy, advised U.S. companies at the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia to expand U.S. investments overseas, and served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines working with teachers and farmers to promote economic development and environmental stewardship. Ms. Cerqueira also worked in the private sector and for non-profits. She has a M.A. in International Political Economy and Development from Fordham University, and a B.S. in Biotechnology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Lord Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of major power and industrial companies, investors, environmental NGOs and experts working out achievable pathways to limit global warming to well below 2˚C by 2040 while stimulating economic development and social progress.

He was chairman of the Institute for New Economic Thinking until January 2019, where he remains a Senior Fellow. He is Chairman of Chubb Europe and on the Advisory Board of Envision Energy, a Shanghai-based group focussed on renewable energy, batteries and digital systems.

From 2008-2013, Lord Turner chaired the UK’s Financial Services Authority, and played a leading role in the post crisis redesign of global banking and shadow banking regulation.

Lord Turner has held high profile roles in public policy: he was Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (1995-2000); chairman of the UK Low Pay Commission (2002-2006); chairman of the Pensions Commision (2003-2006); he was the first chairman of the Climate Change Committee (2008-2012) an independent body to advise the UK Government on tackling climate change. The recommendations set out in their first report “Building a low-carbon economy” were adopted in 2009.

He became a cross bench member of the House of Lords in 2006.

Amongst his business roles, Lord Turner was at McKinsey&Co (1982-1995); was Vice-Chairman of Merrill Lynch Europe (2000-2006) and a Non-Executive Director of a number of companies, including Standard Chartered plc (2006-2008).

He is Senior Fellow at the Centre for Financial Studies (Frankfurt) and a Visiting Fellow at the People’s Bank of China School of Finance, Tsinghua University (Beijing). He writes regularly for Project Syndicate, and has published “Between Debt and the Devil” (Princeton 2015), and Economics after the Crisis (MIT 2012).

He is a Trustee Emeritus of the British Museum, honorary fellow of The Royal Society, and received an Honorary Degree from Cambridge University in 2017.

Ms. Schwager has more than 20 years of experience in managing international technical cooperation programmes and networks for inclusive and sustainable industrial development. In her current position at UNIDO, Ms. Petra Schwager promotes the uptake of frontier energy technologies in developing and transition countries. She develops new business and cooperation models to impulse the transfer of low-carbon technologies for productive use and poverty alleviation. She designed and leads UNIDO’s Global Programme for Green Hydrogen Application in Industry. Ms. Schwager studied economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration and environmental management at the University of London.