OUR EXCLUSIVE SPEAKERS
Meet Our Speakers of 2025
Duncan McLachlan
Director
Duncan McLachlan
Director
A physicist and systems thinker with 22 years of international experience leading successful teams at the cutting edge of the automotive, defence and energy sectors. Duncan is io consulting’s VP Europe, leading io’s operations and business development across Europe. Prior to taking this role, Duncan led the systems engineering capability including development of io’s unique Model Based Systems Engineering approach to projects. Duncan has successfully led projects across io’s portfolio, including power to X, CCUS & sustainable aviation fuel.
Grace Meikle
Director for Technology Impact
Grace Meikle
Director for Technology Impact
Grace Meikle is the Director for Technology Impact at Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA). Through the Government of Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund, ERA reinvests carbon tax from heavy industrial emitters into emissions reduction and technology innovation projects from technology readiness levels 7-9. Grace oversees ERA’s $100M+ CCS technology portfolio. She has over 12 years’ experience in clean energy technology scale-up, business development and project management. Previously, Grace worked in the US and Canadian nuclear industries and in oil and gas field operations in Alberta. She has a B.Sc. in Physics and Mandarin from the University of Notre Dame.
Joop Hazenberg
Director
Joop Hazenberg
Director
Joop Hazenberg has been leading the European office of the CCSA since 2023. He has a long track record in EU energy and climate policies. Amongst others, he was EU correspondent for a range of international media, campaign manager for European NGOs on the phase-out of coal power plants, and Director External Affairs at the GSMA, representing the mobile telecommunications industry in Europe. He also worked for the European Heat Pump Association and represented SolarPower Europe and WindEurope on the topic of corporate renewable energy sourcing.
Before moving to Brussels in 2013, Joop worked in political circles in his home country The Netherlands. He held several functions in the Dutch Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a national newspaper. He also founded a think-tank for young professionals and wrote six books and many op-eds and essays. His latest book deals with climate action.
Before moving to Brussels in 2013, Joop worked in political circles in his home country The Netherlands. He held several functions in the Dutch Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a national newspaper. He also founded a think-tank for young professionals and wrote six books and many op-eds and essays. His latest book deals with climate action.
Mathilde Blanchard
Senior Policy Lead
Mathilde Blanchard
Senior Policy Lead
Mathilde is an energy and climate expert with competencies in policy, strategy, and project delivery. As Senior Policy Lead at the Global CCS Institute’s Brussels office, she conducts in-depth analysis of policy, legal and regulatory issues related to carbon capture and storage (CCS). Her insights contribute to the Institute’s thought leadership reports and inform consultancy and member services.
With over six years of experience in energy and climate sectors, Mathilde has held key advisory positions in policy and external relations at major public and private organisations, including Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), ENGIE and the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Congo.
Mathilde holds a dual Master of Arts in European Affairs from Sciences Po Lille (France) and Aston University (United Kingdom). Since 2022, she has been a visiting lecturer at École des Ponts ParisTech, where she teaches on the regulation of energy markets
With over six years of experience in energy and climate sectors, Mathilde has held key advisory positions in policy and external relations at major public and private organisations, including Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), ENGIE and the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Congo.
Mathilde holds a dual Master of Arts in European Affairs from Sciences Po Lille (France) and Aston University (United Kingdom). Since 2022, she has been a visiting lecturer at École des Ponts ParisTech, where she teaches on the regulation of energy markets
Robert Jutson
Group Managing Director
Robert Jutson
Group Managing Director
Robert M T Jutson, Jr., is Group Managing Director of Griffin Capital Partners, a corporate and project finance advisor serving clients and their projects across a range of industries including energy and resources.
Last year, he presented market-based solutions for CCU/S project finance in Oslo at the inaugural Global CemCCUS Conference on carbon capture for the cement and lime industries.
Active across the Americas and Eurasia since 1994, he is widely published and has appeared on CNN International. Mr. Jutson was previously a limited partner of Fieldstone Private Capital Group, L.P., a Vice President of Eastdil Realty, Inc. and a Vice President of Gerald D. Hines Interests. Mr. Jutson graduated Rice University’s School of Architecture and attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Business Administration.
Last year, he presented market-based solutions for CCU/S project finance in Oslo at the inaugural Global CemCCUS Conference on carbon capture for the cement and lime industries.
Active across the Americas and Eurasia since 1994, he is widely published and has appeared on CNN International. Mr. Jutson was previously a limited partner of Fieldstone Private Capital Group, L.P., a Vice President of Eastdil Realty, Inc. and a Vice President of Gerald D. Hines Interests. Mr. Jutson graduated Rice University’s School of Architecture and attended the Columbia University Graduate School of Business Administration.
Omar Aoun
Business Development & Sales Manager - PMP
Omar Aoun
Business Development & Sales Manager - PMP
Omar is a Business Development and Sales Manager at Linde Engineering specializing in carbon capture technologies, purification, liquefaction, storage and offloading. Prior to joining Linde and transitioning his knowledge to advancing sustainable solutions for carbon management, he was based in Paris and has worked for more than a decade on major capital energy projects in various worldwide locations both onshore and offshore. His experience at Technip Energies, Actemium and Total includes proposal development, design engineering and commissioning and plant start-up. His educational background is process engineering and holds a Master’s degree in industrial technology and quality as well as a post Master’s degree in Gas Engineering and Management.
Paolo Testini
Director
Paolo Testini
Director
Paolo is Director CCS and Carbon Removal Development at Snam. He is also a Director of dCarbonX, a company engaged in the development of multi-molecule storage to serve decarbonization, based in the UK.
Paolo earned a Master of Sciences in Economic and Social Sciences at Bocconi University in Milan. He started his professional career in 2009 as Associate Consultant at Bain & Company, a strategic advisory firm. At Bain he spent 11 years, focusing on the energy industry and on energy transition. Active in the EMEA and Americas, Paolo led multiple projects on strategy, M&A, business planning, project management and development, energy management and optimization, natural gas LT contracts origination and renegotiation. He left Bain as Associate Partner and joined Snam in 2020, serving in the Office of the CEO until end of 2022, when he took his current position.
Paolo earned a Master of Sciences in Economic and Social Sciences at Bocconi University in Milan. He started his professional career in 2009 as Associate Consultant at Bain & Company, a strategic advisory firm. At Bain he spent 11 years, focusing on the energy industry and on energy transition. Active in the EMEA and Americas, Paolo led multiple projects on strategy, M&A, business planning, project management and development, energy management and optimization, natural gas LT contracts origination and renegotiation. He left Bain as Associate Partner and joined Snam in 2020, serving in the Office of the CEO until end of 2022, when he took his current position.
Pim Keep
Regional Sales Director
Pim Keep
Regional Sales Director
Pim is Aker Carbon Capture’s Regional Sales Director for their operations across continental Europe. He holds an MSc in Chemical Engineering as well as in Business Management. Having started as a Process Engineer at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in syngas technology, he subsequently engaged in several techno-commercial roles in a wide range of industries, from petrochemicals to food and beverage. In the last six years, Pim has been supporting asset owners in their sustainability endeavors, first as a Commercial Director at an advanced heat recovery start-up and now in carbon capture and its value chain.
Rene Haas
- Co-Founder & CEO
Rene Haas
- Co-Founder & CEO
René (Co-Founder & CEO) is a strongly value-driven industrial engineer. His passion is long-distance mountain running, and after years of running through the Alps, he became very aware of the damages of climate change, leading him to study Industrial Engineering with focus on Energy and Resource Management before founding NeoCarbon.
Roy Calder
- Oil & Gas Industry Principal - New Energies
Roy Calder
- Oil & Gas Industry Principal - New Energies
A graduate Chemical Engineer from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow I have been working in the Industry for forty years with almost half of these in South Africa.
As Industry Principal – New Energies at AVEVA my focus is on identifying Industry Trends in the area of Energy Transition our Industries are focusing on today. This includes aspects of Sustainability such as Hydrogen, CCUS, Bio Fuels and Feedstocks as well as the Circular Economy. These identified trends are then addressed in terms of AVEVA’s unique Industrial Software portfolio covering all aspects of Digitalisation from simple Simulation work all the way though to complex Enterprise- Wide Engineering and Information Management systems.
As a graduate Chemical Engineer my personal focus has primarily been on Simulation based applications but today my role has broadened to cover AVEVA’s broad product spectrum portfolio and currently my focus is towards Digital Twins and their applicability in the Hydrogen area of the Sustainability Industry.
As Industry Principal – New Energies at AVEVA my focus is on identifying Industry Trends in the area of Energy Transition our Industries are focusing on today. This includes aspects of Sustainability such as Hydrogen, CCUS, Bio Fuels and Feedstocks as well as the Circular Economy. These identified trends are then addressed in terms of AVEVA’s unique Industrial Software portfolio covering all aspects of Digitalisation from simple Simulation work all the way though to complex Enterprise- Wide Engineering and Information Management systems.
As a graduate Chemical Engineer my personal focus has primarily been on Simulation based applications but today my role has broadened to cover AVEVA’s broad product spectrum portfolio and currently my focus is towards Digital Twins and their applicability in the Hydrogen area of the Sustainability Industry.