צור קשר
- החברה לאנרגיה מתחדשת אילת-אילות
- ד.נ ערבה דרומית 885000
- 08-6371717
- conference@eilateilot.org
Assistant Vice President in the Acquisition team of Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners
Since joining CSEIP shortly after its foundation in 2014, he has been responsible as a project manager for numerous successful transactions such as the acquisition of stakes in FluxSwiss/Transitgas and Romande Energie. Moreover, Mr. Marahrens significantly contributed to the successful acquisition of the Norwegian wind farm project Fosen Vind.
Prior to joining CSEIP, he worked for a Swiss and an American investment bank in Zurich and London, respectively, covering large-cap M&A mandates in EMEA. He has special experience in the areas of due diligence, deal execution, financial modeling and fund structuring.
Tim Marahrens holds a dual Master of Science Degree in Financial Mathematics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich and the University of Zurich.
Director, Global Public Affairs and Sustainability, Intel Corporation
Todd Brady is the Director of Global Public Affairs and Sustainability for Intel Corporation. In this role he leads state and local government affairs, media and community relations, corporate volunteerism and sustainability at the company's major manufacturing and office locations around the globe. In addition to overseeing regulatory and community engagement strategies in the US, China, Southeast Asia, Israel, Ireland and Latin America, he directs Intel’s global initiatives to make Intel “smart & green” by leading corporate-wide sustainability programs such as climate, energy and water conservation, green design and the integration of internet of things (IoT) solutions to create smart and green offices, buildings and facilities of the future. During his 20+ years at Intel, Todd has represented the company publicly in numerous forums and led industry-wide initiatives in many national and international committees. He has authored more than 20 papers in scientific journals and conference proceedings on a variety of sustainability topics. In 2009, he was named by Scientific American as one of ten outstanding leaders involved in research, business or policy pursuits that have advanced science and technology. Todd holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and a MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Chairman & CEO Brenmiller Energy
Mr. Brenmiller has founded Brenmiller Energy in 2012, an innovation-oriented company with vast experience in developing groundbreaking technologies. Brenmiller Energy has developed a new way to handle energy storage in a cost efficient and environmentally friendly way by utilizing its thermal storage generation unit.
Prior to founding Brenmiller Energy, Mr. Brenmiller acted as the CEO of Siemens CSP, previously Solel Solar Systems, from 1997.
With a proven track record going all the way back to the 1980’s, to days of Luz Industries, which built the SEGS, 354MW solar power plants in California, Mr. Brenmiller, has led his companies through extensive development and implementations of thermal technologies and applications. Among which, is the design & construction of four solar thermal Plants in Spain of ~200MW over a period of less than 4 years. Mr. Brenmiller earned his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State University.
Head of Urban Governance Innovation, Solving complex challenges for future cities
Stuttgart Area, Germany
CEO of Zalul (“clear” in Hebrew), one of Israel’s leading NGOs, is dedicated to marine, water and river preservation, and to plastic pollution elimination.
Maya represents the environmental organizations at the governmental Spilling to Sea Discharge Committee, she is part of the founding team of "Sane Construction" (Binui Shafui), a civil movement aimed at ensuring sustainable development in housing and construction, and was chosen by Lady Globes Magazine as one of 20 leading women activists for 2018.
Maya has over 20 years of experience in strategic consulting, government relations and campaign management. She was part of former Prime Minister Ehud Barak's close staff, later Chief Information Officer at the Israeli Consulate General in New York during the Second Intifada and as Chief Representative of the Geneva Initiative (Beilin – Yasser Abed Rabbo) in North America. Upon her return to Israel in 2005, Maya served as Director of the Center for Philanthropy at Sheatufim and later as an independent consultant in the field of social investments for philanthropists, politicians and organizations, as well as a Director of Communication and Government Relations at The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
Maya holds a Master's degree in public administration from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, an MIA From Columbia University and a BA in communications and history of Israel from Tel Aviv University
Head of Renewable Energy Section, Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA)
Honi Kabalo is an economist (M.A) specializing in energy and environment, serving as the professional position in the ERA (former PUA) in charge of renewable energy regulation.
In his position, Kabalo is leading economic analysis and setting Support Schemes (e.g. Feed -in-Tariff, Net Metering, Auctions) for Renewable Energy Sources (RES) systems and projects, as well as evaluating overall impacts of RES policy implementation on electricity market and electricity tariffs.
Since 2016 he is serving as the ERA representative, and vice chair, of MedReg's Working Group on Environment, Renewable Energy Sources, and Energy Efficiency.
Between 2010-2011 Kabalo worked as a senior economist in the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and between 2003-2009 he served as professional economist in the IAF (Israeli Air force).
Alessandro Steffanoni is Senior Corporate Banker Energy – CIB Department at Intesa Sanpaolo, the largest Italian banking group.
Alessandro has worked extensively for more than 15 years on various energy and infrastructure deals.
He was Head of Project Finance at BPER and Interbanca/GE Capital and was formerly associated with Banca Intesa.
He is one of the coauthors of the three editions of “Project finance in theory and Practice” – ELSEVIER, and faculty member of Bocconi University Management School.
CEO EnergiyaGlobal Capital and co-founder Gigawatt Global Wind
Named by CNN as one of the top six leading Green Pioneers worldwide, as Person of the Year by the Israel National Business and Energy Conference, by PV Tech as “one of the most inspiring solar CEOs” worldwide and winner of the Green Globe—Israel’s highest environmental and climate award—Yossi Abramowitz is a founder of the solar industry in Israel and Africa. Yosef has been the driving force behind Israel joining the US Power Africa program and was a member of the Israeli negotiating team at the Paris Climate Conference. He is a former International Chair of Eilat Eilot.
Yossi currently serves as CEO of Energiya Global Capital, a Jerusalem-based impact investment platform that provides healthy returns to investors while advancing the environmental and humanitarian goals of providing affordable green power to underserved populations as a fundamental human right. He is co-founder with Ilan Goldstein of Gigawatt Global Wind and can be followed @KaptainSunshine
Ilan is a seasoned entrepreneur with executive track record. Before founding Chakratec, Ilan co-founded Genoa Color Technologies a display semiconductor company and successfully led the company as a CEO for 12 years. Prior to that, Ilan held several senior executive positions in the electronic printing industry. Ilan served in the prestigious 8200 IDF unit, he is the inventor of more than 20 patents families and holds a B.Sc. ME and a M.Sc. EE from Tel-Aviv University
Hanan Ginat is the Mayor of the Eilot region and is currently in his second term of office.
Hanan Ginat Phd in addition to his role of the mayor of the region is currently the chair of the Israel drainage authority. Before entering into politics Mr. Ginat served as the scientific director of the Dead Sea and Arava Science Research Center and the principal of the Ma’aleh Shacharut regional high school.
Hanan received his PhD in earth sciences from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has lectured at the Hebrew University and worked as a senior researcher at the Arava Institute and published in Israel and international science publication. Hanan was a President of the Israeli National Geological Society until 2018. During his army service Hanan served as an officer in the Nahal Brigades paratroop regiment of the IDF.
Hanan is married to Nili who together have raised 5 children at their home on Kibbutz Samar in the Eilot region.
Current Position
Technological Manager of TEPS consortium of industries and academia, which develops cutting-edge technologies for power sources for electric vehicles.
Previous employment
• DDR&D (Directorate Defense R&D) of the Israeli MOD : Deputy Director of R&T Unit, Head of Department of Microsystems and Energy
• RAFAEL : Head of R&D Infrastructure, various positions in fields of material, microelectronics and solid state devices.
• Sabbatical leaves in XEROX and MacDermid
Publications
33 publications in international refereed journals , 12 patents
Dan Schneier is a researcher with a B.Sc. in the fields of materials engineering and chemistry from the Technion and M.Sc. with honors in chemistry from Tel Aviv University. For the past five years he has been working at Tel Aviv university under the guidance of professor Emanuel Peled, a world renowned expert in the area of batteries, fuel cells and super-capacitors. Dan's research is focused on silicon based anodes for lithium ion batteries, a subject he got his M.Sc. on and is now developing in his Ph.D.. These anodes, which consist of nanometric structures and composite materials, have the potential to increase the energy capacity of LIBs by over 40%. Recently, Dan became the research project manager and is working in collaboration with the battery industry in Israel to try and take their academic research to the next level.
CEO & Founder, KohiloWind
Derek Grassman is the CEO of a globally recognized wind turbine enterprise, Kohilo Wind. Grassman invented the core technology behind the Kohilo product line, amidst a period of living off-grid in Upstate New York. This technology, along with his other innovations, were born from Grassman’s vision to actively involve more people in the transformation of the renewable energy industry by directly influencing an increase in wind energy sources. Grassman's innovation to the typical turbine system as been labeled the "world's most efficient wind turbine" due to its ability to function in low-altitude, turbulent, and low-wind environments. This has placed Kohilo Wind and Grassman's technology under a global spotlight.
Previously, Mr. Grassman was Mechanical Engineer, Designing and Developing equipment for MESA Reductions. Grassman designed biomass injection systems incorporated into coal power and cement processing plants throughout North America to reduce emissions.
Founder, HomeBiogas
Yair is a visionary entrepreneur committed to the cause of sustainability, the environment, and fully driven to empower the underserved communities of the developing world. He is an internationally recognized authority on small biogas systems and on-site recycling. In 2012, Yair co-founded the company HomeBiogas, whose patented small-scale biodigesters are changing lives of people developed and developing areas worldwide. The technology saves money, improves health and provides energy & waste management infrastructure.
Dr. Nurit Gal is the head of the regulation division at the Electricity Authority.
In this capacity she is responsible for long term planning, regulation of renewable energy and the establishment of a competitive market in the electricity sector.
Prior to that Dr. Gal was the head of system analysis department at the IDF general staff.
Dr. Gal holds a BSc in Physics and Math, 3 Master degrees in Business Administration, Public Administration and Energy policy, and A PhD in Business Administration. Her PhD thesis focused on the effect of fuel price uncertainty on capacity investment in competitive electricity markets.
Dr. Moshe Tshuva is the current Head of the School of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Tshuva has a B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Tel Aviv University. Dr. Tshuva serves in several positions: the chairman of the Israel Sustainable Energy Society, the head of the energy branch at Israeli Society of Mechanical Engineers and as a chairman and member of several standards committees at the Israeli Standards Institution. Dr. Tshuva Lectured at Tel Aviv University, the Open University and several colleges in the country. In addition, he was a facilitator in SIT – Systematic Inventive Thinking. Dr. Tshuva is a world expert in the fields of thermodynamics and multiphase flow, and has over 25 years of experience in developing and managing projects; he served as director of development at engineering companies, and served as an engineer and project manager at development unit in the IDF.
James Maillu is a market systems development specialist with a PhD in Entrepreneurship with a focus on Financial Inclusion. He has 17 years of experience, including 8 years of direct experience deploying market-led inclusive financial products for on-farm and off-farm MSMEs in East and West Africa. James has direct experience implementing market systems facilitation approaches in the agriculture and clean energy sectors by supporting aggregators and strategic partners to foster improved and more inclusive linkages with smallholder farmers, eco-inclusive enterprises. He has experience in M4P system for inclusive growth and green economy.
Head of R&D at the Chief Scientist office of the Ministry of Energy
Dr. Gideon Friedmann is head of R&D at the Chief Scientist office of the Ministry of Energy. Areas of expertise: Renewable energy technology, policy & pricing, Energy Storage, the electricity market, Smart distributed Grid & Grid Security, Smart transportation and Energy Efficiency.
Holds a Ph. D. in Physics from Stanford University, a B.Sc. in Mathematics & Physics (Magna Cum Laude) from Tel Aviv University, studies for MA in Economics, and a diploma in Bioinformatics from the Open University.
Over 15 years of industry experience in both management and R&D. Worked in the semiconductor metrology, medical instrumentation and biotechnology industries. Also ran a small pharmaceutical startup.
Publishes opinion articles in Israel’s largest newspaper, Yediot Aharonot, and Calcalist.
Social activist involved in local government in Mevasseret Zion near Jerusalem, mainly in education, but also in economics, and transportation issues.
Research Analyst in the Power & Renewables practice at Wood Mackenzie
Benjamin Attia is a Research Analyst in the Power & Renewables practice at Wood Mackenzie, a global consultancy providing data analytics, market research, and advisory services across the energy and extractives sectors (formerly Greentech Media / GTM Research). He primarily covers downstream solar PV markets in the Middle East and Africa, and leads the firm’s emerging coverage of off-grid power markets for energy access. Benjamin regularly publishes research studies and thought leadership articles on trends in the energy transition and presents his work at industry conferences around the world. His research and writing have recently been featured in such leading publications as Foreign Affairs, The Economist, FT, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, IEEE Spectrum, Bloomberg, the World Economic Forum, and Greentech Media. Benjamin also conducts affiliated research as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines, The Energy for Growth Hub, and the Foundation for Renewable Energy & Environment, and advises off-grid energy access startups operating in Nigeria and Myanmar. He previously worked in solar asset management and commercial operations at SunEdison and on clean energy transition-focused regulatory research for utilities and policymakers at the National Regulatory Research Institute. He holds a Master of Energy & Environmental Policy and a B.S. in Economics and Energy & Environmental Policy from the University of Delaware.
Program Manager at Pears Program for Global Innovation
Hagit is the Program Manager at the Pears Program for Global Innovation, an Israeli non-governmental which aims to increase Israel’s contribution to international development through technology-based, financially sustainable solutions to problems facing people affected by poverty. She believes in the transformative power of values-driven innovation to improve the lives of people all over the world.
She holds a master’s degree in International Development Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the Open University of Israel.
Renewable Energy Manager at Tetra Tech
Dr. Carolina Barreto is a renewable energy professional with 15+ years of experience in the off-grid and small scale renewable energy sector. She provides expert advice to governments, financial institutions, private sector companies, donors, industry associations and end users. She’s been the technical lead for large off-grid USAID funded initiatives such as Powering Health, Powering Agriculture. Currently, she is Power Africa Beyond the Grid (BTG) Lead Advisor for Kenya providing technical assistance to 50+ off-grid solar home, mini-grid and C&I companies and investors in the Kenyan market. Dr. Barreto support to the BTG sector is focused on capital raising; regulatory navigation; enabling environment; market intelligence and business development. She has a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering, a Masters in Science in Solar Energy and Doctor of Energy Engineering from University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Director, Power Planning and Development Division
Louis Ting is the Director of Power Planning and Development for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He is responsible for the overall Power System regulatory, resource, grid, and strategic planning. Since joined LADWP in 1992 after graduating from UCLA, he had the privilege of career diversifications and increasing responsibilities from Fleet Engineering designing utility-specific vehicles, Water System pipeline design and construction, including trunk line redevelopment projects. He then moved to the electric side of LADWP to manage major projects including renewables generation, hydroelectric, combined-cycle power plants, transmission line, and substation projects.
Co-CEO at The Sustainable Group
Jonathan Haran is an entrepreneur and expert in Energy, Waste, and Sustainability. Mechanical Eng. with vast hands-on experience in the Process and Energy industries.
Currently serving as Co-founder and Co-CEO of the Sustainable Group, designing and building the first of its kind Self-Sustain Off-Grid neighborhood.
Founder and CEO of Sustainergy: Project management and consulting firm for Waste and Energy; Exclusive distributor of CLESS: 100% Electric waste collection truck.
Former CEO of of Engineers Without Borders Israel. Waste expert for the Arava institute Track II program, Mentor and Academic project adviser.
Senior Assistant General Manager, Power System
Engineering, Planning, and Technical Services
Reiko Kerr is LADWP’s Senior Assistant General Manager of Power System. She manages all aspects of the Power System’s critical engineering and planning functions. She is responsible for Power System’s strategic planning, resource acquisition, system planning, regulatory compliance, power plant projects, external generation, and major projects, as well as modernization of all electrical distribution and transmission facilities to ensure the long-term reliability of the power system to meet customer expectations.
In addition to maintaining system reliability, Ms. Kerr is responsible for developing strategies to transition toward a sustainable energy future, improving public accountability, and developing the next generation workforce.
Prior to joining LADWP in 2016, Ms. Kerr served in various capacities for another Southern California Publicly Owned Utility, including the Assistant General Manager for Power Resources, Assistant General Manager/Chief Financial Officer, Energy Risk Manager, and Finance/Rates Manager.
Ms. Kerr is a Certified Public Accountant and an experienced utility professional, with over 25 years in the financial and utility utilities industries, with a strong leadership background in both the technical and financial aspects of water and power utilities.
CEO of Driivz
Mr. Frenkel is the CEO and co-founder of Driivz, an innovative end-to-end EV (Electrical Vehicles) charging software platform which serves as the operating systems for EV Charging Network Providers. The platform was selected by worldwide major EV charging networks.
Mr. Frenkel is participating in major worldwide strategical workshops regarding the future of EV charging, smart energy management with a vision to leverage e-mobility as a solution for the energy world.
Mr. Frenkel holds a bachelor degree in Electronic Engineering, cum laude, Tel Aviv University, and is a serial entrepreneur. Before he founded Driivz, he served as CEO of We!Secure and held the position of GM of Israeli Operations at Sphera. As Director at Amdocs (NYSE), he was responsible for accounts such as Nextel and T-Mobile. Additionally, Doron served as VP Products at MTS Systems Corporation (NASDAQ: MTSC), and was in charge of OEM relationships with Ericsson, Philips, and Siemens. He also served as advisory board member for Micronet, a leading fleet management solutions provider.
Co-Founder, Chairman CresoPharma, Australia. CPH – ASX AU Stock Exchange. CF, Director, inventor – Rootssat ROO – ASX.
Mr. Wachtel is a co- founder and executive director of ROOTS. Mr. Wachtel is the inventor of Roots core technologies: Irrigation By Condensation (IBC) and Root Zone Temperature Optimization (RZTO).
He has published 25 articles on water issues and he is a frequent lecture on Agritech, middle eastern water issues and sustainability. He is a marketing consultant and a Medical Cannabis Development pioneer in Israel.
Mr. Wachtel is the chairman of Creso Pharma – a medical cannabis/hemp Australian publicly traded nutraceutical company. He is cofounder and former CEO of Australia's first publicly traded medical cannabis company- MMJPhytotec.
Mr. Wachtel is a certified Clinical research manager and holds an MA in management and marketing from the University of Maryland.
VP Marketing & Product Strategy, Founder, SolarEdge
Lior Handelsman founded SolarEdge in 2006 and currently serves as our Vice President of Marketing and Product Strategy in which he is responsible for defining and steering SolarEdge’s strategic global marketing activities, media outreach, product roadmap and vision, corporate product strategy, as well global product management, and corporate business development. Prior to founding SolarEdge, Mr. Handelsman spent 11 years leading power electronics research and development teams and directing large-scale, multidisciplinary research and development projects. Mr. Handelsman holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (cum laude) and an MBA from the Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology.
Israel's Minister of Energy
a member of the Knesset from the Likud party. He served as Minister of Finance (2009-2013) and as Minister of Intelligence and Strategic Affairs (2013-2015). Steinitz holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and was a senior lecturer at the University of Haifa.
Co-Founder and CEO of ElectReon
Oren holds M.Sc in System Engineering from the Technion and B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering.
Oren founded ElectRoad in 2013 with a mission to reduce air pollution and dependence on oil.
Prior to ElectReon, Oren served as Chief electronic engineer at Elbit Systems and led the excellent group for real-time processors. He was a Director of R&D department at ElOp, led the innovation process and absorption of new technologies.
Oren has acquired knowledge in managing large-scale multidisciplinary projects for well-known international companies.
Oren was involved in strategic projects such as Autonomous vehicles and tracking systems based laser and cameras.
Director Of Tikkun Olam Ventures, International Development Program
Arieh is responsible for establishing and managing JDC's evergreen debt impact fund – Tikkun Olam Ventures. TOV is a philanthropic fund that connects the best of Israeli technology, global philanthropy, and business models to tackle poverty in the developing world. It is based on providing loans and business services to enterprises and smallholder farmers to enable those farmers to purchase and adopt packages of Israeli agricultural technology. TOV launched in Ethiopia in 2017, with the intention of growing to additional countries in the years ahead. Applying the blended finance approach, TOV is a partnership between NGOs, a private bank, and Israel's Ministry of Economy and Industry.
Commercial Specialist U.S. Commercial Service
Naama Altman serves as a Commercial Specialist, at the U.S. Commercial Service, covering several sectors including Energy, Environmental Technologies, Automotive, Agribusiness, and more. In this capacity, Naama is responsible for facilitating the marketing of U.S. products and services in Israel by providing market intelligence and trade promotion assistance, creating market entry strategies, providing strategic consulting services and carrying out advocacy for U.S. clients.
Previously, Naama served as a Business Development Executive at the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce (FICC), the national chamber of commerce in Israel, where she was in charge of the North America and Middle East desk. In this capacity, Naama provided international business development services to companies across numerous sectors, hosted international business delegations, organized seminars and events pertaining to international trade, and more.
Prior to FICC, Naama served as a Project and Development Manager at the Peres Center for Peace, an Israeli NGO founded by the late Israeli President Shimon Peres, promoting peace between Israel and its neighbors. In this framework she developed and implemented large-scale projects in the field of cross-border economic and business cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as joint economic research and advocacy initiatives.
Prior to the Peres Center, Naama held several positions in private sector organizations in Israel and abroad, including: HSBC Bank in Israel, Bank Leumi in London, and Visa C.A.L. in Israel.
Naama holds a B.A. in Government and Society from M.T.A (Tel Aviv-Jaffa Academic College), with a minor in International Politics.
Co Founder and CEO Apollo Power
Mr. Rozenberg has been the CEO of Apollo Power since its inception in 2014. Before founding the company, he was Deputy Director at Metalicon Technologies and led the CNC factory construction. Previously, he was a senior flight instructor at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Mr. Rozenberg holds an MBA in Finance from IDC Herzylia and a BA in Economics from Haifa University.
Director General, Israeli Ministry of Energy
Udi Adiri is a graduate of Tel Aviv University in Economics (cum laude) and in history (summa cum laude), has an MA in Economics from Tel Aviv University (2010), and an MA in Public Administration from Harvard University (2013).
Adiri joined to the Ministry of Energy after gaining extensive experience in the Budget Division of the Ministry of Finance, where he began his career in 2005 as a transportation referent. From 2013 until recently, Adiri served as Deputy Commissioner of Budgets in the Ministry of Infrastructures: Transportation, Energy, Minerals, Water and Agriculture. Adiri worked to build and manage the budgets of government bodies operating in these areas, initiated structural changes and reforms, and promoted national projects.
Adiri led complex processes that included conducting through negotiations with government, private and public bodies, labor committees and foreign financial corporations and entities; Construction and monitoring of infrastructure company development plans; And professional management of multi-participant matrix processes. In addition, he was responsible for the manpower work force of the Budgets Department, including recruitment, recruitment and training.
Deputy Mayor, City of Nice
Vice President, NCA Metropolis
Economy, Industry, Digital Technology,
Real Estate Development and Urbanism.
Metropolitan Councilor.
President of the Employment, Economic Development and International Economic Promotion of the Territory.
Mr Christian TORDO (he graduated from the HEC business School of Paris) has been General Manager of the French subsidiary of Texas Instruments Inc from 1994 to 2013.
He has been Deputy Mayor in charge of Finance and Economy for the city of Nice and Vice President of the Nice Côte d’Azur (NCA) Metropolis, in charge of Economic Development since 2008.
In April 2014, his responsibility covered Economic Development, Employment, Industry and Digital Innovation for both the city of Nice and the NCA Metropolis. In February 2015, he was put in charge of Urbanism and Real Estate Development.
Mr Christian TORDO is also the Vice President of the board of the EPA Nice Ecovallée sustainable development project. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for NCA and member of the supervisory board of the Côte d’Azur Savings Bank (CECAZ).
Mr Christian TORDO’s earlier career was built working with Texas Instruments since 1977. His roles included financial responsibilities for the company’s European organization and serving as General Manager of its French subsidiary from 1994 to 2013.
Director Centre of Excellence of the Nice Cote d'Azur Metropole
Mr Chateau worked for 30 years for major telecommunication and semiconductor companies where he acquired deep knowledge in the development and application of digital technologies.
Leveraging his international experience in R&D management, he has been leading the Smart City Centre of Excellence of the Nice Cote d'Azur Metropole since 2014. He is deploying the strategy for sustainable and inclusive territorial development based on digital transformation and he is conducting the city innovative and collaborative pilot projects.
Sebnem Rusitschka is a computer scientist, who leads the Energy Committee at the German Blockchain Association. Her company Freeelio is a venture to find new business models for disruptive technologies in Energy. She founded Freeelio after a decade of applied research at Siemens, where her focus areas had evolved from P2P computing, to machine learning, to smart embedded systems – mainly in the domain of decentralized energy systems. Her newly found passion of tokenizing energy promises to bring digital scale to solutions for the 1.3 billion people living on earth without access to clean electricity. Since February 2018, Sebnem develops these concepts to be deployed via https://TheSunProtocol.io
Gil Shaki, Senior Director, Energy, Sustainability & Infrastructure
Israel Innovation Authority (IIA)
Gil is part of a team pivoting a revolution in Israel's innovation policy, aimed at creating the conditions for growth of tech companies active in "hard" fields, such as energy, cleantech, construction, transportation, and more. In its strive to broaden the economic and social impact of Israel's knowledge-intensive industry, the Israel Innovation Authority has joined forces with 9 other ministries and governmental agencies to transform Israel into a "Beta Site", and to support, financially and regulatory, the adoption of innovative technologies. Additionally, the IIA has set target to have "patient" capital platforms available for investments in tech companies active in "hard" fields.
Gil has had a fundamental role is setting up Israeli government's policy for local content in extractive industries, resulting in nearly $1 billion of local content commitments and in activities to promote collaborations of Israeli tech companies with key global players.
In his 20-years career as a public servant, Gil has also been the head of Israel's economic and commercial offices in India, Spain and Portugal, Director of Israel's Economic Representatives Cadet's course, and Israel's representative to the OECD's Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP).
VP Technology Development, Capital Nature
Noam is vice president of business development and co-founder of Capital Nature, a renewable energy technologies investment firm. He is also the founder and chairman of the Eilat Eilot renewable energy international conference.
Between 2006 and 2010 Noam co-founded and managed the The Eilat Eilot Renewable Energy Initiative, creating a unique model for solving the energy crisis while generating substantial regional development.
Prior to this position Noam was engaged in business development and consulting in the field of Renewable Energy, pioneering bio-fuel production in Israel and promoting solar energy legislation in the Israeli Parliament. In the 90′ Noam founded and managed Cortext Ltd, an innovative software development company with leading clients in Israel and abroad. Noam holds a masters degree in environmental studies from Tel Aviv University, focusing on renewable energy. He is very familiar with the Israeli and global renewable energy technology market place and is a well-known speaker on those topics.
CEO, Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy
Dorit Davidovich Banet co-founded and managing the Eilat-Eilot Renewable Energy Initiative for the last 12 years. The project demonstrates a model for solving the energy crisis by advancing all necessary components while generating substantial regional development. The activities include: Leading the process of construction the largest decentralized power station in Israel, which includes 17 solar power stations of various sizes that provide 70% of the electricity of the largest tourist city in Israel during the day time, building RE Education curriculum, leading the Establishment of R&D & innovation center including pilot projects, branding and advancing suitable regulation. The project has received wide recognition by the government and the public in Israel and globally.
Prior to this position Dorit was the founder and the head of the environment unit at the Eilot Regional Council and Eilat town for eight years. Among her activities were, supervising, advising and policy designer regarding urban planning, sewage, marine ecosystem, hazardous materials in industry, education, public awareness and realization of several unique environmental projects including sewage solutions with constructed wetlands in the kibbutzim in the region, massive recycling infrastructure in the whole region and creating an interface regarding open areas in the Arava and in the Eilat coastal region.
Dorit holds a master’s degree in Geomorphology from Ben-Gurion University, focusing on stratigraphic issues and earthquakes. She holds a BA in Geography from Haifa University
PhD, physicists, Technical Services & R&D manager at PI Berlin AG
Lars is working in the PV industry since 1996 when he started his first PV module manufacturing start-up. Since then he is a specialist in PV module technology and manufacturing.
From 1999 until 2014 Lars was working for SOLON, one of the German PV pioneers and Germany´s very first stock-listed solar company. For 10 years he was the CTO, and under his leadership SOLON´s brand recognition for high-quality and innovative solar products got established in the market.
After SOLON, in 2014 Lars established a solar technology consulting firm, and 2015-2016 his entire team was working in PV module R&D and engineering for First Solar´s high-efficiency technology unit “Tetrasun”.
After First Solar Lars joined PI Berlin (which he co-founded in 2006) where he is leading the Technical Services department as well as R&D.
Additionally, to his regular positions he was serving on advisory committees for several PV start-ups in Europe and the US. Although being mostly recognized as a PV technology expert he has 20 years of experience in general management from the start-up phase to becoming a large stock-listed enterprise.
Lars studied physics at Technical University Berlin, and he earned his PhD for research on semiconductor materials for LEDs.
Chairman of the Israeli Electricity Authority (appointed 8/5/2016).
Held several positions at the Antitrust Authority since 2012, his last position being the Chief Economist and deputy Antitrust
Commissioner. In this role he managed a team of 35 economists in the areas of competition, regulation and government, and
represented the Antitrust Authority in main governmental committees regarding import, credit data and banking.
Previously, he served as vice president at Compass Lexecon in San Fransisco, and held several teaching positions at Stanford
University, the Open University and the Hebrew University.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Law and Economy from the Hebrew University, cum laude, is a certified attorney since 2003
and holds a doctorate in Economy from Stanford University, specializing in antitrust, industrial organization and applied microeconomics.
He is married with two children and lives in Herzliya.
Solar Energy Consultant, Advisor to Solcrypto & Co-founder of the ElectriCChain, Lead Affiliate to the SolarCoin Foundation
François graduated with a Masters in Finance (hons) from ICHEC Brussels Management School and is an expert in Solar Energy Business Development, having co-founded Belgium’s N°1 award-winning solar installer SunSwitch SA in 2007 at a time of little focus for Renewables outside of Germany, and acting as its Business Developer and Chief Strategist, and building up the Startup to over 90 employees and over 30MEur Turnover in under 30months and with as little as 45keur pocket capital. François made his first steps at Euronext NV and the Audit Firm and banking institution Lloyds and PwC in Luxemburg and has extensively traveled. François currently works as a solar consultant on projects in developing nations, advising towards several solar energy and blockchain projects. François also advises SolcryptoJV and Affiliates to the SolarCoin Foundation with the Digital Asset. ElectriCChain is a dot.org and global platform to help create momentum for the Clean Energy Transition.
Global Head of the Energy industry in the Corporate & Investment Banking Division of Intesa Sanpaolo
Since May 2017 Luca Matrone is the Global Head of the Energy industry in the Corporate & Investment Banking Division of Intesa Sanpaolo, with the coverage responsibility for both the Power & Utility and the Oil & Gas sectors. Previously he headed the Energy M&A team in Banca IMI, the investment bank of Intesa Sanpaolo group, leading the main M&A transactions completed by the bank. He joined Banca IMI in 2000. Luca graduated in business administration from Bocconi University in Milan.
Director of Global Utilities & Infrastructure and Sr. PE at Intel Corporation
Marty has been with Intel 24 years, integrating Energy Management and Energy Supply Policy responsibilities within a formal process. He and his staff are responsible for all utility supply issues, ensuring the capacity, price and reliability of Utility Supplies/Infrastructure to Intel facilities worldwide, as well as, supporting energy efficiency programs. Marty is responsible for evaluating/incorporating alternative energy options w/in Intel and establishing sustainable energy positions/strategies for renewable energy policy within Intel’s energy portfolio. He leads the utility site selection component of a corporate team that identifies and recommends potential new locations for Intel Facility/Manufacturing growth worldwide. Marty is Intel’s external energy representative in various private/public, State and Federal energy action groups and task forces. He is a member of various DOE Steering Committees and has sat on several state Governors’ energy committees. Previous to joining Intel, he spent 14 years in the electric utility industry in a variety of functions including: Operations, Rates, Environmental, Energy Supply/Engineering, Power Plant Operation and Key Account Management. In 2015, Marty was honored to be the recipient of the “Green Power Leader of the Year” by the Center for Resource Solutions at the annual US EPA/CSR REM event.
Director of Innovation, NREL
Richard joined NREL in 2011 and draws on his 20 plus years of international experience with small, medium, and large corporations across a broad range of industry sectors. He is recognized as proven driver of organizational performance and is the author of Results Ladder—a model for successful strategic planning and execution. Prior to joining NREL, Richard was the CEO/President of Warralong Group, a management consulting firm focused on organizational performance with a specific emphasis on how to grow successfully. Richard is a graduate of the University of New England (Australia), with a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics, and holds a Graduate Diploma of Business from the Phillip Institute of Technology (Australia).
Director, Research And Development, Southern Company
Tracy West currently serves as director of research and development for Southern Company, America’s premier energy company. Southern Company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric operating companies in four states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers in 11 states across America and a nationally recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications.
In her role, West oversees a broad spectrum of research programs and projects, including the generation, environmental, power delivery and end-use sectors of Southern Company’s electric utility business and is developing a research program for the newly acquired natural gas subsidiary of the business.
Prior to joining Southern Company’s research and development organization in 2016, West was a general manager in environmental affairs for Southern Company’s Georgia Power subsidiary, overseeing air emission strategies, compliance monitoring and reporting, as well as the Georgia Power environmental laboratory, which provides services for the entire Southern Company system electric generating fleet.
West holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Samford University. She currently serves on Georgia Tech’s Mechanical Engineering External Advisory Board and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Microgrid Steering Committee.
Coordinator, Power Africa
Andrew M. Herscowitz, a Minister Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service, has been the Coordinator of the U.S. Government’s Power Africa program since 2013. Power Africa now is the world’s largest partnership for development, with 160 public and private partners who have committed $54 billion to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Herscowitz served as USAID's Mission Director in Ecuador from 2011 to 2013, and as Deputy Mission Director in Peru from 2009 to 2011.
After joining USAID in 2001, Herscowitz served as the lawyer for USAID’s Office of Development Credit, which has leveraged hundreds of millions of dollars in private sector funds through its Development Credit Authority loan guarantee program. He also worked with the USAID legal team that designed the original framework for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He began his career in international development as a consultant with Probe International.
Following graduation from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Herscowitz spent a year as a Georgetown volunteer in Nicaragua. After earning a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center, he worked for the law firms of Piper & Marbury (now DLA Piper) and Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison in Washington, D.C. While at Piper, he was named pro bono lawyer of the year for running a Boy Scouts of America Law Explorers program for inner-city youth and for successfully helping victims of political persecution obtain asylum in the United States.
In 2005, the Federal Bar Association recognized Herscowitz as one of the five most outstanding lawyers under the age of 35 in the U.S. Government. He has been named as one of the 60 Most Influential Figures in East and West African Power and one of the Top 50 Most Influential Figures in Southern Africa Power.
Climate Impact Investing and Development Finance Professional
Committed to private sector development through support and investment in ventures with high social and environmental impact, such as microfinance and clean energy energy investments. I have gained experience in this field in Europe, Africa, United States and Israel.
Specialties: Experienced in combining the business perspective with the social and environmental objectives. Financial and economic analysis, social impact study/evaluation, research, use of new media, and high communications skills.
Energy & Project Finance Practice, Partner
Orit combines her scientific, business and legal background, with an extensive global network of scientists and consultants in the clean tech and environment fields, to help her clients reach their commercial objectives.
Orit is an expert in all legal aspects of renewable energy projects (photovoltaic solar energy, wind, biogas, saving energy etc.), and in the development of global-wide projects, mainly in Africa, and in assessing risks. She is also a highly skilled mediator.
Orit regularly represents leading developers, investors, clean tech funds, entrepreneurs and other clients before the Ministry of National Infrastructures, Energy and Water, the Public Utility Authority, the Israel Land Authority and other authorities.
Uniquely, Orit has unrivalled knowledge and experience of photovoltaic solar energy projects, and is recognized as Israel’s leading expert in this field.
Vice President, Lockheed Martin Energy
Frank Armijo is Vice President, Lockheed Martin Energy, for Lockheed Martin Corporation. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading all program and financial performance, operations, growth strategy and new business capture for the Corporation’s energy portfolio, which includes energy management, advanced energy storage, smart grid, microgrid, bioenergy, nuclear control systems and tidal energy technologies.
Previously, Mr. Armijo was Vice President, Strategy and Business Development for the Civil line of business of Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Information Systems and Global Solutions business area. In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of new business capture, business growth strategy and customer relationship management for the line of business.
He previously served as Vice President, Energy Solutions, for Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Information Systems and Global Solutions business area. In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of the business area’s energy portfolio, which included federal energy programs, energy efficiency, energy management, utility solutions and smart grids.
Throughout his more than 25 year career, Mr. Armijo led several critical initiatives for Lockheed Martin Corporation, including his role as President and General Manager of the Mission Support Alliance, a Lockheed Martin joint venture, and his position as Director of Advanced Technology Solutions for Lockheed Martin’s Information Technology team.
Mr. Armijo graduated from Eastern Washington University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Management Information Systems. He also graduated from Columbia Basin College with an Applied Science Degree in Computer Science. During his career, Mr. Armijo has completed executive courses at MIT Sloan School of Management and Stanford University.
Mr. Armijo has served on the Washington Technology Center Board of Directors and was elected to two terms on the Washington Technology Industry Association. He served and led the Columbia Basin College Board of Trustees, was a founding board member of the Reading Foundation and co-founded the Hispanic Academic Achievers Program.
President of Mints Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions to Global Challenges and TA University Honorary Fellow.
Boris Mints holds a PhD in Engineering Sciences and a Reader in Advanced Mathematics. Since 2001, Mr. Mints has pursued various business projects. Boris Mints is a committed supporter of cultural and social projects, he is a founder of the Museum of Russian impressionism. Mr. Mints is Chairman of the Board of Patrons of the CER (the Conference of European Rabbis), Russian Jewish Congress Presiding Board Bureau Member, Member of the Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress.
Principal Consultant – Energy, Frost & Sullivan
Jonathan is an experienced consultant with Frost & Sullivan’s Energy & Environment team. With involvement in well over 50 projects his experience stretches across the energy sector, however Jonathan places a primary focus on power and utilities related themes.
Aside from consulting Jonathan acts as a Director of Research for the Energy & Environment team who develops thought leadership on conventional thermal energy, renewables, battery energy storage and smart energy/grid.
Before joining Frost & Sullivan, Jonathan’s previous experience includes time at a political consultancy in London and for the NSW State Government in Australia. He has a Bachelor of Science in Politics & Law and in Economics from the University of Southampton, UK National and Master from the University of Sydney.
EU Joint Research Center (JRC)
Born on 1950, in Tel-Aviv, Israel
Academic Education
B.Sc in physics and mathematics from Tel-Aviv University, M.Sc. and Ph.D studies in Physics at Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.
Minerva Fellowship at the Max-Planck-Institüt für Kernphisik, Heidelberg, Germany.
Postdoctoral position at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California.
Professional Experience
4 years at the Weizmann Institute in theoretical and experimental nuclear physics.
The scientific adviser to family-owned companies promoting innovative projects in the infrastructure and food industries.
20 years at the Propulsion Physics Laboratory, Soreq Nuclear Research Center, Israel. Expertise: Plasma physics, fluid dynamics and propulsion, pulsed electromagnetic devices. Lead numerous, national and international, scientific projects. Served as the first Israeli coordinator in the EU RDT programs.
7 Years as the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Energy. Responsible for long-term national policy and technology development in energy, water, earth and marine sciences. Conduct academic and industrial R&D programs in Israel and on international level.
Former board member of Governors of the US-Israel Bi-national Science Foundation (BSF). Israeli representative to the EU-JRC board of governors – The European Union Joint Research Center.
2 years Sabbatical leave at the Institute of Energy, Transportation and Climate, EU-JRC, in Italy.
Main activities: Safety of off-shore oil and gas operations. Unconventional-hydrocarbon production prospects, their environmental and social impact, and, smart energy grid.
Has over 100 publications and holds 5 patents.
Present position
Professor Emeritus, an external consultant to the EU-JRC and as a consultant to technological entrepreneurship that consider to have a major impact on policy making.
Since 1985, Giovanni De Santi has been employed at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, where he developed his professional expertise by managing projects and groups of experts in the fields of energy, transport, mechanical/nuclear engineering, environmental science, and management.
In 2007, he was nominated as Director of the Institute for Energy of the JRC based both in Petten (The Netherlands) and Ispra (Italy). The Institute represents the reference centre of the European Commission for research in the energy field. It provides technical and scientific support for the conception, development and monitoring of community policies related to the production, security, safety and sustainability of energy. In particular the Institute focuses on nuclear reactor safety, renewable (solar) energy, hydrogen and fuel cells, energy system modelling and energy security.
In January 2011, the Institute for Energy was transformed into the Institute for Energy and Transport and its portfolio consequently expanded to include sustainable transport. As Director of the Institute, Dr. De Santi is responsible for the coordination and management of key energy and transport activities within the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and in the frame of international co-operation between Europe and key stakeholders – both in the research and industrial sectors – from third countries. He is member of steering committees and governing boards of numerous European initiatives, such as the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan, the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Joint Technology Initiatives, European Technology Platforms (solar energy, biofuels, etc.), the U.S.- Europe Energy Council, as well as chairman of international Task Forces UNECE-TF for the standardisation of heavy duty transport emissions.
Giovanni De Santi is author of many peer reviewed publications in high level scientific journals and chairman of many international conferences.
Since 1st of July 2016, Giovanni De Santi became Director of the Direction I in charge of Competences and is based in Ispra.
Global strategic leader in the IoT smart energy domain
Elad Shaviv is the founder and CEO of NakiTech Ltd. Elad has wide experience as business executive in both large and small ICT companies. Elad is also the co-founder and CEO of the Israeli Smart Energy Association (ISEA), a national platform that brings together local and global Smart Energy players and stakeholders to share knowledge, drive initiatives, and build partnerships.
Before founding NakiTech, Elad held various business leadership roles at Cisco’s EMEA Headquarters for over 7 years, as the Head of Video Solutions Business for Europe, the Head of Cisco’s Security Business Practice for the European & Emerging Markets, and others.
Elad has over 20 years of executive experience in the IT, telecoms and communications industries and holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering and an MSc in Business Management.
Chairman of Israel Electric Corporation (IEC).
Served 32 years in the IDF, and retired as Commander of the Israeli Ground Forces. He also served as Chairman of the Israel Ports Company.
Ron-Tal holds an Executive MBA degree from Bar-Ilan University and a law degree (LLB) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
CEO Smart Energy Network
www.smartenergynetwork.org
Ragnvald Naero is today CEO of Smart Energy Network. In addition he works as an individual business consultant and is Senior Account Director at Gambit Hill+Knowlton and associated partner at Thema Consulting Group. From 2010 till July 2016 Ragnvald Naero was Director Business Development of Statkraft. Before that he worked as Executive Vice President Communication and Corporate Responsibility in the same company for 9 years. Statkraft is the largest Generator of Renewable Energy in Europe.
Electricity Regulatory Authority
Director General & Founder, Green Energy Association of Israel (GEA-IL)
Former Secretary, Global Solar Council (GSC)
Eitan Parnass is the founder & Director General of the Green Energy Association of Israel (formerly REEEAI), the main Renewables & Energy Efficiency advocacy organization in Israel.
Parnass is also a public pro-sustainability activist involved in numerous initiatives to promote sustainable economy in Israel and worldwide, including the formation of the Global Solar Council, launched at Paris COP21, where he served as Board Member & Secretary (2015-2017). Parnass has also served as Board Member to various NGOs including the Israel Sustainable Energy Society (ISES), Vice President of GIREC (Israel-Germany Renewable Energy Committee), member to the National Green Growth Round Table and is a notable speaker at the academy, industry, local & international conferences and seminars.
Eitan Parnass was born in Jerusalem (1971), he holds Honours law degree from the University of Warwick UK and LL.m law degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Deputy Executive Director for Business Development & BIRD Energy, BIRD Foundation
Located in Israel, Ms. Nakar-Vincent is responsible for initiating business matchmaking activities between Israeli and American companies, and strategic growth initiatives as well as promoting and managing the BIRD Energy program.
Serving in key positions both in Israel and the United States, Ms. Nakar-Vincent has extensive experience in building strategic alliances between Israeli and American companies, with strong knowledge and experience in U.S.-Israel policy and business relations.
From 2003 till September 2010, Ms. Nakar-Vincent served as East Coast and Midwest Representative of the BIRD Foundation in United States.
From 1997 to 2002, Ms. Nakar-Vincent was the Economic Consul to the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. In this position, Ms. Nakar strived to promote trade, as well as economic, technological and investment cooperation between Israel and the United States.
Prior to her appointment in the United States, Ms. Nakar-Vincent was the Director of the North American Department at the Foreign Trade Administration at the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Jerusalem. During this period, Ms. Nakar –Vincent directed the activity of Israel’s trade representatives in the United States and Canada, and coordinated the negotiations between Israel and Canada that led to the signing of the Free Trade Agreement between Israel and Canada in July 1996.
From 1992 to 1994, Ms. Nakar-Vincent was a trader and an analyst in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Ms. Nakar-Vincent holds an MBA and a BA in Economics and Management, both from Tel Aviv University.
CEO, Capital Nature
Chairman, IATI Cleantech Committee
Avi is the CEO of Capital Nature, a green energy & smart transportation investment firm that is focused on technology oriented seed and early stage ventures. Capital nature has invested in more than 17 technologies since its inception, and Avi serves in the board of many of them.
Joining Capital Nature in 2012, Avi brought extensive experience managing and funding programs in the public sector, and vast experience in leadership of entrepreneurship and startup projects.
Previously, Avi was the Founder and Director of the Regional Development Center at the Ministry of Economy and delegate to the OECD LEED Executive Committee. Avi served as Legal Advisor to the Chief Scientist and director at the Governmental Start-Up Fund and the Israeli Industry Center for R&D.
Avi holds a LL.M. from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and EMPA from Syracuse University, NY.
Deputy CEO, SolarPower Europe
Coordinator, RE-Source Platform
Co-Chairman, Global Solar Council
Bruce Douglas has been working in renewable energy for 20 years. He is currently the Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe, a member-led association based in Brussels representing over 200 organisations active along the whole solar value chain.
He is also the coordinator of the RE-Source Platform – the European alliance for corporate sourcing of renewable energy – and the Co-Chairman of the Global Solar Council (GSC), the representative body for the entire global solar PV sector at an international level, representing over 2000 solar companies around the world.
Previously he was Chief Operating Officer at WindEurope for 10 years, founding Secretary General of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Managing Director of FLiDAR, an offshore wind company.
Special Envoy on Energy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel
Ron has served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1990. During his first period at the ministry he was personal assistance to the Director General and dealt mainly with the Oslo process and the economic peace with the Palestinians. In 1997 he started a long and interesting period of 15 years dealing with all aspect of the United Nations, as counselor for economic and social affairs at the Permanent Mission of Israel in New York, director of the UN Department at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, as Deputy Ambassador of Israel to the UN in Geneva and director of Specialized agencies at HQ. Later on he became the director for the OECD membership of Israel, Permanent Representative of Israel to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dahbi, and now as the Special Energy Envoy for the State of Israel in the MFA.