Implementing the Hydrogen Economy in Europe

Graduated in Physics at University of Hamburg and holding a PhD in Solid State Physics for Solar Materials in Berlin, Eric has an experience of more than 25 years in the solar industry and related markets. Management positions mainly for sales, product management and marketing in module manufacturing, inverter technology, quality & process control and for equipment suppliers. During these different positions and activities, a profound understanding of the renewable energy markets and technology was established. Since the beginning of 2023 as well in the field of production and installation of battery storage systems and hydrogen equipment and production in the RCT Group. RCT Hydrogen is now an important player to achieve LCOH levels for economical use of green hydrogen.

Olivier is an entrepreneur in the field of efficient energy transformation. Just following his degree in Chemical Engineering in 2000, he created the fuel cell and electrolyser company HTceramix today known as SolydEra. He gained many projects in the field and actively contributed the programming of topics as Vice Chair of the Coordination Group in which role he also co-drafted the SRIA of the current Clean Hydrogen Partnership. Since 2010, Olivier acts as President of the European Electrolyser and Fuel Cell Forum EFCF, Europe's reference event for science and technology in the fuel cell and hydrogen world. In this role, he also co-edits since 2012 an annual Special Issue of 'Fuel Cell - From Fundamentals to Systems' published by Wiley. In 2021, he joined ExerGo as Executive Chairman and lead successfully the company's seed financing round. In August 2023, he co-founded Adele Hydrogen, company developing and commercialising advanced alkaline electrolyser electrodes where he acts as Executive Chairman.

Before becoming independent, he worked for more than 20 years in the European Commission. In 1999 he joined DG Enterprise and Industry in the sector for technical harmonisation in the Common Market and EN standardisation. In 2003 he was appointed Head of Unit dealing with Entrepreneurship and SME Policy and later Advisor in the same area. In 2016 he became Senior Adviser for Macroregional Strategies the Danube Region, working from Vienna. After returning to Brussels in 2018 he was named Senior Adviser for Advanced Industrial Technologies and Hydrogen Coordinator in DG GROW. Before joining the European Commission, Christian Weinberger worked in the private sector, for 10 years with a large multinational corporation in Marketing, Sales, Finance and Special Business Operations in various countries and at European HQ and then founded an international SME in Information Technology and was its CEO for 10 years. Being a European born in Austria, Christian Weinberger holds a Master of Physics in Engineering, an MBA and a Ph.D. in Economics.

As Managing Director, François Paquet leads the Renewable Hydrogen Coalition and its advocacy outreach, with the support of the Coalition members, to scale up renewable hydrogen in Europe. Belgian-national, François has thirteen years of experience in EU Public Affairs, industry interest representation and EU association management in Brussels. His fields of expertise include energy, climate change, resource efficiency and circular economy. François holds an MA degree in Business from the Louvain School of Management (Belgium) and an Executive MA degree in Public Affairs and Advocacy (European Institute for Advanced Studies in Lobbying/Strasbourg University). He speaks English and French.

Graduated in Environmental Sciences and holding a Master's degree in Energy, Environmental Technology, and Economics, Berta has over a15 years of experience in the R&D&I incentives sector. She specializes in environmental and renewable energy topics, with deep knowledge of environmental regulatory frameworks and key European innovation programs such as Horizon Europe, Innovation Fund, CEF, and LIFE. Since 2024, Berta has served as an expert evaluator for the European Commission. Currently, Berta is a Senior Manager at EY in Global Incentives, where she leverages her expertise to assist organizations in accessing funding opportunities and advancing innovation. She has collaborated with a wide range of actors and consortia across Europe and internationally, in both private and public sectors. In previous roles, Berta played a vital role in energy regulation in Great Britain.