Energy Transition Investment Conference 2025

As the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Dr Fatih Birol has moved the Agency to the forefront of global efforts to ensure secure, affordable and sustainable energy systems. After taking office, Dr Birol led the IEA in its first comprehensive modernisation programme since its creation in 1974. These efforts focused on broadening the IEA’s energy security focus beyond oil to also cover electricity, natural gas, renewables and critical minerals; making the IEA the global hub for energy efficiency and advanced energy technologies; and “opening the doors” of the IEA to major emerging economies. With new governments joining the IEA Family under his tenure, its share of global energy demand has risen from 40% to almost 80%.

Dr Birol took up his position after rising through the ranks of the IEA over two decades. He has been named in the TIME100, TIME's annual list of the world's most influential people. He has also been named by Forbes as one of the most influential people in the world of energy and by the Financial Times as the Energy Personality of the Year. Dr Birol is the recipient of the highest civilian awards from numerous countries around the world, including the French Legion of Honour, the Japanese Emperor’s Order of the Rising Sun, the highest Emirati civil decoration and the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. He chairs the World Economic Forum’s (Davos) Energy Advisory Board.

Before the IEA, Dr Birol worked at the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He earned a BSc degree in power engineering from the Technical University of Istanbul and received an MSc and PhD in energy economics from the Technical University of Vienna. He is an honorary life member of Galatasaray Football Club.

Thierry Lauriol is Chairman and Founder of the Energy Law Group (ELG).

He is a recognised specialist in the fields of mining, energy and natural resources law, and in international, commercial and investment arbitration, and OHADA law.

A partner in Jeantet and manager of the Energy, Mining and Infrastructure Department, he has almost 30 years’ experience in France, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Thierry, who has a Doctorate in Law, teaches at Paris II – Panthéon-Assas University, where he co-leads a university diploma dedicated to economic international law in Africa.

Mr. Okan Demirkan is a partner at Kolcuoğlu Demirkan Koçaklı where he leads the Firm’s Dispute Resolution, Energy & Infrastructure and Ethics & Compliance practices. In the field of energy, he has advised on major pipeline projects, natural gas sale projects, and a number of electricity generation facility projects, including renewable energy projects. He was extensively involved in all legal issues surrounding the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline Project (BTC), where he played a key role in regulatory, real estate and litigation issues. In addition to BTC, Okan has advised clients in connection with the Nabucco Gas Pipeline and the Samsun-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline. Okan also took an active role in the Shah Deniz Stage 2 Natural Gas Sales Project, where he led the KDK team advising on the project’s legal structure in Turkey, including the intergovernmental agreements, Turkey’s natural gas market legislation and on related commercial and public international law matters. In addition, he led the KDK team in the firm’s key role in the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP). In this multibillion-dollar project, the KDK team drafted the Host Government Agreement and negotiated it with the Turkish Government, along with the Intergovernmental Agreement. He has specific expertise in the privatization of energy facilities as well as EPC contracts. Okan has significant experience of almost 25 years in international arbitration, including arbitration proceedings concerning major energy and infrastructure projects. He received the Lexology Client Choice Award for Turkey in the field of Energy in 2013, 2014, 2017, and again in 2025. Since 2020, Lexology recognizes him as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” in the field of Energy.

Azadeh has a broad practice spanning financing, restructuring, regulatory and M&A mandates across the energy and infrastructure sectors and is Head of Energy & Infrastructure Financing. She has particular expertise in renewables and emerging technologies, and regularly advises clients on complex, cross-border transactions involving innovative financing structures and large-scale energy transition projects. Her work reflects a deep understanding of the commercial, regulatory and technical dynamics shaping the global energy landscape.

Azadeh’s experience includes advising on the development and financing of offshore wind, green hydrogen, energy storage, and decentralised decarbonisation infrastructure. She is also highly experienced in the restructuring of renewable energy portfolios and the implementation of bespoke financing arrangements tailored to the needs of energy-focused funds and investors.

She plays an active role in shaping the firm’s energy and infrastructure strategy as a member of its global steering committee and contributes to industry-wide dialogue as co-chair of an international working group focused on interface risk in floating offshore wind. Her work spans a wide range of technologies and jurisdictions, positioning her at the forefront of legal and commercial developments in energy investment. Azadeh is widely recognised for her technical expertise and commercial insight, and is regularly sought after by clients navigating the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition.

David is Ørsted’s Deputy Head of Partnerships and M&A.

He was notably involved in Ørsted’s recent rights issue and is currently leading the Hornsea 3 divestment as well as Ørsted’s implementation of its early development stage partnership and financing strategy in Korea.

Before joining Ørsted, David worked in the banking sector as a project finance advisor and lender leading Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s EMEA Renewable Energy team and previously at Natixis (Dubai, Paris) covering conventional and renewable energy.  

David has over 15 years of experience in conventional and renewable energy infrastructure.

David is an ESSEC Grande Ecole MiM graduate.

Jana is Legal Counsel at DEME Group, a global leader in offshore energy and marine infrastructure. Based in Luxembourg, she provides strategic legal support for DEME’s offshore wind and marine projects. A key part of her role involves working closely with the procurement team, advising on contract negotiations, risk allocation, and compliance in a sector where multi-million-euro supply chain decisions are critical to project success.

Previously, Jana worked at Uría Menéndez in Madrid for seven years, specializing in international arbitration and cross-border disputes. Jana holds a dual degree on business administration and law from University Carlos III of Madrid and a Master of Laws from the same university; she is admitted to the Madrid Bar. She is also a founding member of the Luxembourg Chapter of the Spanish and Ibero-American Arbitration Club.

Clément is a founder of Green Giraffe and is now a Managing Director, global head of Green Giraffe Advisory, together with Udo Schneider. He is based in London, where he founded the London office in 2011.

He has led multiple transactions in offshore and onshore wind, both on the equity and debt sides. He coordinates Green Giraffe’s efforts in floating offshore wind.

He also developed Green Giraffe’s offtake advisory expertise – among others he supervised the transaction Google when they sourced all of their European renewable energy electricity in 2019

Before founding Green Giraffe, he worked at Dexia in Paris in 2008-10 within the project finance team. Prior to that, he spent a year in Beijing at AFD in 2006-07

He graduated from Ecole des Ponts ParisTech and holds an MSc in project finance from Université Paris X

Kunal is responsible for offshore projects across Europe, manages the overall floating portfolio, and oversees Southern Europe across all technologies.

Prior to joining CIP, Mr. Patel held various roles at Ørsted, including responsibility for Ørsted’s Global M&A and Structured Finance activities and served as Head of Portfolio Development and Strategy responsible for investment strategy and capital allocation. During his time at Ørsted, he was notably involved in the divestments and financings of Hornsea 1 & Changhua 1.

Before joining Ørsted, Mr. Patel worked at Barclays. He holds a BSc from the London School of Economics and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) from the CFA Institute. Mr. Patel has over 15 years of experience in business development, M&A, financing and project development within energy infrastructure."

Svanhild Vesterheim, partner in Wiersholm, assists Norwegian and international clients throughout the renewable energy and related infrastructure value chain. She has considerable experience with complex development projects and transactions related to onshore wind and small-scale hydropower, as well as projects and investments related to new energy solutions such as offshore wind and clean hydrogen. Svanhild also has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating complex power purchase agreements and related hedging arrangements. Svanhild has assisted several players in the Norwegian market navigating the regulatory framework for offshore wind, drafting and negotiating joint venture agreements and associated service agreements, as well as assistance in connection with offshore wind tender processes.

Michael Schouten is a partner in the corporate team at De Brauw and advises on mergers & acquisitions and large-scale energy and infrastructure projects.

Michael recently acted as lead counsel to TenneT in raising equity for the expansion of its German high voltage grid from APG, GIC and NBIM. He has advised on battery storage, solar and wind investments, for strategics as well as financial sponsors. He advises the Dutch state on the planned construction of nuclear power plants and is involved in a range of projects driving the energy transition in the Netherlands.

Sarah-Jane is a versatile lawyer, experienced in major project delivery across the energy sector.   Her primary focus is on low carbon energy where she has worked with developers, sponsors and banks to deliver windfarms (both onshore and offshore), hydroelectricity, solar, bioenergy, battery and tidal projects. Additionally, she has supported the development of many district heating projects.

Sarah-Jane guides clients through the early stages of projects on structuring, procurement and finance including 'first of a kind' projects. She supports clients on operational projects including sales and refinance.  Sarah-Jane also advises on energy licensing and regulation, with a particular focus on decentralised energy projects, including the developing regulatory regime for heat.

Kari Tikkanen is Head of Revenue at Aukera Energy, an European renewables and energy transition independent power producer with over over 200 MWs in construction and more than 10 GW of project pipeline of solar PV, BESS and onshore wind. He is responsible for the revenue strategy focusing on origination, structuring and negotiating revenue strategies for the assets, for example a recently announced co-located solar PV and BESS agreement in GB. He is a commercially driven engineer and has been structuring renewable deals for over 3 GW of projects across Europe with previous employers including CVC DIF and OX2 as well as starting his career in real estate projects.

James is a Project Financing specialist focused on the low carbon energy sector across Europe. He is an active financial advisor as well as mobilises Santander’s balance sheet to support energy projects. He has experience across renewables, BESS, CCS, hydrogen, sustainable fuels, EfW and other related sectors. He has led a number of high profile financing processes delivering 10s of billions of debt capital to projects. He is currently leading a number of GW scale financing processes in the offshore wind sector across the UK and Europe.

Anna is an experienced legal counsel with long running involvement in the renewable energy sector, both in private practice and in-house. She began her career in the renewables industry in 2010, starting in private practice and acting initially for lenders and developers building out and financing multi-technology renewable projects throughout the UK. She gained valuable experience advising clients and carrying out due diligence in respect of development finance and long-term funding.

As part of the Nadara team since 2018, Anna has overseen the company’s transition from UK operator to pan-European renewable energy business, and one of Europe's largest renewable energy independent power producers. The role has evolved over her tenure, with a specific focus on supporting the company’s growth and large financing and restructuring projects. Today, Anna is responsible for group legal and corporate affairs, ensuring strong corporate governance, as well as compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and for Nadara’s sustainability strategy. The legal and sustainability functions partner with other teams and stakeholders to support business success and sustainable growth while protecting long term value and reputation, ensuring appropriate management of legal and sustainability related risk.

Martin Tavaut is an experienced lawyer who advises French and international clients on their projects in the energy and mining sectors in France, Africa and Latin America. He assists clients through the whole project lifecycle, including project development, licencing, regulatory and environmental matters, M&A and JVs, and commercial contracts (EPC, O&M, PPA, grid connection contracts).

He also has extensive experience in international arbitration (ICSID, ICC, UNCITRAL, etc), notably in energy and mining disputes, and is regularly involved in institutional and legislative reform programs. Martin lectures at the Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas on international economic law, and he is also a facilitator of the Climate Desk, which he deploys at Jeantet.

Ruxandra Bologa co-heads the Energy and Natural Resources and Corporate/M&A practices at Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen (NNDKP).

She is a highly versed corporate and energy lawyer with 23 years of experience, having been a Partner of the firm since 2008.

Ruxandra has extensive expertise in the energy sector, having coordinated major oil & gas projects, low carbon energy projects, mining projects and carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.

In the renewables sector she has been acting for developers, sponsors or financing banks, across all sectors – solar, wind, storage, hydrogen, energy efficiency, etc. She advises clients in respect of all matters relating to energy projects, including structuring, acquisition, development (including EPC and related project agreements), regulatory matters, financing & refinancing and M&A.

Ruxandra has unrivalled expertise in the offshore sector, having contributed, inter alia, to the creation and development of the legal framework regarding deep offshore and onshore hydrocarbons projects and of CCS projects.

Education

Studied at and graduated from the Eötvös Loránd University School of Law, Budapest in 1998. Attended a post-graduate course in EU law, international business law and arbitration at the TMC Asser Instituut (The Hague) in 2000.

Professional experience

Lectures in Hungarian contract law and law of succession at Civil Law Department of Eötvös Loránd University School of Law, Budapest as of 2002. Associate with one of the largest law firms in Hungary between 1998-2000. In-house counsel at the Hungarian Oil and Gas Company (MOL) (2000-2002). From 2002 head of the Regulatory Practice Group of the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Budapest. Member of the Energy Arbitration Court (Budapest) since 2009. A founding partner of Oppenheim and head of its Energy, Regulatory, Utilities and Healthcare Practice as of 2007.

Juan Sánchez-Peñuela is a senior expert in energy regulation, with extensive experience in both the European Union and Spain. He spent eight years in the public sector working on high-level energy policy and regulation.

From 2020 to 2024, he served as Energy Counsellor at the Spanish Permanent Representation to the EU, where he played a key role during the 2022 energy crisis and the Spanish Presidency of the Council in 2023. During the Presidency, he chaired the Energy Working Party and led technical trilogues with the European Parliament on major energy files, including the Hydrogen and Gas Package.

He also represented Spain at the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris from 2019 to 2024.

Earlier, in Madrid, he held several roles at the State Secretariat for Energy between 2016 and 2020, ending as Deputy Director for Hydrocarbons and New Fuels.

Since September 2024, he has been Director for Decarbonisation Regulatory Affairs at Tecnicas Reunidas, a global leader in engineering and construction in the energy sector. In this role, he covers policymaking in a broad spectrum of decarbonisation solutions, including hydrogen and its derivatives, energy storage, carbon capture, and methane emissions management.

He is a Spanish Civil Servant—Industrial State Engineer—with a background in industrial engineering and an additional degree in geography and history. Since 2020, he has also been teaching energy regulation in executive programs at the Spanish public business school EOI and the Spanish association of energy companies Enerclub.

Dr. Jose Luis Moran Gonzalez, PhD in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, brings over 30 years of experience in various leadership roles within the energy, renewable and industrial sectors. Currently, he serves as Managing Director of Brenmiller Europe, where he specializes in developing Thermal Energy Storage solutions to support industrial decarbonization. Additionally, he is the Director of Integrated Energy Solutions at Viridi and Green Enesys, leading hydrogen and green e-Methanol projects powered by hybrid PV and wind plants operating off-grid. Previously, he held the position of Director of the Solar Business Unit at Siemens Spain and served as President of the Spanish branch of Solel, a company focused on the development, design, and construction of thermoelectric power plants. Since 1997, Dr. Jose Luis Moran Gonzalez is a part-time lecturer in Thermal Engineering and Off-shore Renewable Energy at the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering School of the Polytechnic University of Madrid. In 2017, he participated in the creation and was appointed General Coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Marine Renewable Energy, which focuses mainly in offshore wind energy solutions.

Dan is a Director in Frontier’s energy practice with over 30 years’ experience in strategy, commercial and regulatory advice. Dan has advised extensively on issues related to energy storage and flexibility. He is working with a number of applicants for the UK’s Long Duration Energy Storage scheme, has advised on the use of battery storage to support network resilience in Ireland, has advised buyers on a number of major storage transactions, and has advised ENTSO-E on flexibility on European networks and the role of DSOs and new business models. Dan has also advised multiple interconnector projects between the UK and continental Europe. Dan sits on the DSO Advisory Board for SSEN in the UK.

Tomasz specialises in energy law, with a focus on regulations for the power and gas sectors. Advises and represents entrepreneurs in regulatory disputes, as well as in connection with implementation of projects. Advised Axpo Polska on execution of the pioneer long-term BESS optimization agreement.

Giovanna Branca has significant experience in energy law, from fossil and renewable sources, and in environmental law in the context of the remediation of industrial sites, the recovery of abandoned industrial areas and waste management. She advises national and international clients in project development and project financing of power plants, both for construction and operation, traditional and operated by renewable sources (wind and solar power, hydroelectric and biomasses), covering all regulatory and planning law aspects.

Giovanna Branca deals with procurement processes for works, services and supplies, as well as concessions for public works and services and the related litigation.

She has written publications for lexitalia.it and other journals in the administrative and energy law areas, and has spoken at numerous conferences and seminars.