Dr. Toshihiro Tanaka (BEng 1980, DEng 1985, Osaka Univ.) became Professor in 2002. His research focuses on high-temperature materials processing, contributing to advanced materials design, and industrial process optimization. He has received numerous awards. As Dean of Engineering (2015–2019), he promoted international programs and industry collaboration. Since 2019, he has served as Senior Executive Vice President, leading education and research reforms at the University of Osaka.

Tanja Zimmermann is the Director of Empa and a Professor of Materials Science at ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne. She built up the research topic of cellulose nanocomposites at Empa as a group leader and later as head of department. Since 2017, she has been a member of the Empa Executive Board. She is particularly interested in topics such as resource efficiency and NetZero targets. Tanja Zimmermann is a member of various national and international committees and scientific advisory boards.

Education as Automotive Engineer, Since 2001: Head of Laboratory at Empa with 6 Research Groups; Co-coordinator of SWEET Consortium reFuel.ch, aiming at investigation the robust supply of sustainable fuels to Switzerland

Dr. Kazunari Sasaki graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees.He received his Dr. sc. techn. from ETH Zürich in 1993. After 10 years in Europe at ETH and Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Research, he joined Kyushu University in 1999, becoming a professor in 2005 and a senior vice president in 2016. He chairs the Government’s Hydrogen and Ammonia Policy Sub-Committee. His research focuses on materials and processes for fuel cells and electrochemical systems.

Paolo is the CEO and one of the co-founders of Zaphiro Technologies, an innovative company helping power utilities to accelerate their digital transformation.
Our solution SynchroGuard is the first grid-intelligent software platform designed to process PMU time-synchronised measurements and integrate with existing control room solutions. With over 250 PMU devices installed in the field, our solution is currently deployed with more than 25 DSOs, TSOs & microgrid operators all around the globe.

storage-control (www.storage-control.ch) operate medium-size grid-connected batteries (BESS) by maximizing their ability to participate in electricity markets in coordination with local grid operators. Our solutions allow local control by the grid operator to alleviate congestion, provide voltage support and improve hosting capacity of distributed renewables.

GRZ Technologies SA operates at the forefront of the hydrogen economy, delivering proven solid-state storage and compression systems for industrial and energy markets. Our vision is a world fuelled by renewable energy – day and night, summer and winter. Backed by strategic global partners, a growing patent portfolio, and a clear growth roadmap, GRZ offers a strong foundation for sustainable, long-term value creation in clean energy.

Joined The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. in 1995. After working in transmission and distribution, including power system operation, planning, and technology development, he moved to new business development in 2020. Since 2024, he has served as Executive Officer and Vice Head of the Solutions Headquarters. He currently leads decarbonization-related businesses, including grid-scale battery storage, electric mobility, and regional solutions utilizing distributed energy resources.

Ieaki Takeda has served as Director-General of the Kansai Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry since February 2026. Born in Nara in 1971, he joined METI in 1994. He holds an LL.M. in International Economic Law from Paris 1 University. After serving as Counsellor at the Embassy of Japan in France, he was Japan’s delegate to the BIE and Director of Expo Promotion at METI. He was engaged in Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai for about nine years, from its bidding stage through to its successful realization.

Kent Warren joined the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zürich as Assistant Professor of Solar Energy Engineering in 2025. In this role, he leads a research group focused on developing practical technologies for sustainable energy conversion and storage, with an emphasis on thermochemical pathways for producing low-carbon fuels from circular feedstocks and renewable heat sources, including concentrated solar radiation.

Yoshiyuki Shimoda is Professor, Urban Energy System Laboratory, Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University. He received his Doctor Degrees in Environmental Engineering from Osaka University, in 1990. He also serves as Director-General of Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE), Chair, Global Environment Committee of the Central Environment Council, Japan, and Council Member of Science Council Japan.

SmartHelio is a Swiss AI software company helping solar and battery storage operators maximize asset performance. Our physics-informed AI platform combines predictive analytics with autonomous operations through two solutions: Autopilot, for continuous diagnostics and fault detection, and GAIA, an AI agent that analyzes performance, automates operational workflows, optimizes dispatch, and answers technical questions in natural language. Trusted across more than 8 GW of assets worldwide.

Munekazu Matsumura is the CEO of Shizen Connect Inc., an energy-tech startup spun out from Shizen Energy in 2023 that provides an AI/IoT platform for Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) to optimize distributed energy like batteries and water boilers. A serial tech executive, he previously served as CEO of Blue Marlin Partners, CEO of a GMO CLICK Securities subsidiary, and co-founder/COO of Toposware, a blockchain firm later acquired by Polygon Labs. He now leads Japan’s VPP market innovation.

Ryoichi Komiyama obtained a Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2003. He served as senior researcher in Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), research associate in the University of Tokyo and present position since 2022. His fields of research are energy system modeling and analysis. He is also involved in electricity market design including capacity market, non-fossil value trading etc. in the METI committee.