Benoît Revaz has been Director of the SFOE since 2016. Prior to his current position, he held various management positions in Entreprises Electriques Fribourgeoises (now Group E), EOS Holding, Alpiq Holding and E-CUBE Strategy Consultants.

Born in Lausanne in 1963, of Lucerne origin and bilingual. He studied economics at the University of Lausanne, graduating with a degree in 1984 and a postgraduate diploma in 1986. After teaching at the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne, he was appointed Associate Professor of Economics at EPFL in 1994. His teaching and research activities cover the natural environment (environmental economics, climate economics, sustainable development economics) and the built environment (construction, real estate and housing economics). He heads the Laboratory of Urban and Environmental Economics (LEURE), which is attached to the Natural, Architectural and Built Environment Faculty (ENAC) of EPFL.

Dr. Kazunari Sasaki was born in 1965. He graduated Tokyo Institute of Technology for bachelor and master degrees. He then joined Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH-Zürich), Switzerland, and received a Ph.D degree in 1993. After spending 10 years in Europe, at ETH and Max-Planck-Institute for Solid State Research in Germany, he became an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University in 1999. He became a Professor of Faculty of Engineering in 2005.

He has been appointed as a Distinguished Professor of Kyushu University in 2011 for his outstanding contributions as a professor. He is a Senior Vice President of Kyushu University since 2016, Director of the Next-Generation Fuel Cell Research Center since 2012, and Director of the International Research Center for Hydrogen Energy since 2006. He is currently acting as a temporary member of Council for Science and Technology, Japanese Government, an associate member of Science Council of Japan, and a Vice President of Fukuoka Strategy Conference for Hydrogen Energy. He is currently the Chair of Hydrogen and Ammonia Policy Sub-Committee and the Chair of Decarbonized Fuel Policy Sub-Committee of the Japanese Government. His research areas are materials and process research on fuel cells and related electrochemical devices and systems. He is the leading researcher in hydrogen energy in Japan.

Bereva is a Belimo Group startup dedicated to the innovation of HVAC components, designing, manufacturing, and selling actuated valves for refrigerating circuits. The Bereva’s DNA contains the know-how developed by the Belimo Group in over 40 years of being a world leader in the control valve and fluid distribution systems market. Bereva’s mission is to produce the next generation of smart valves that improve the productivity, safety, energy consumption and duration of refrigerating systems.

EX-Fusion is a startup focused on building the world’s first laser fusion power plant. Based on the research and development from Osaka University’s Institute of Laser Engineering, EX-Fusion is using Japan’s own Fast Ignition method to build a 10-times more efficient laser fusion reaction compared to existing methods. EX-Fusion plans to demonstrate electricity production by 2030 and build a commercial fusion plant in the early 2040’s.

Tensor Energy is a technology startup on a mission to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon economy. We help companies make the most out of their renewable energy assets, operationally and financially.

Since more than 30 years in the energy business with experience as trader and analyst in all energy commodities

Mr. Tadashi Yamamoto currently serves as the Deputy Senior General Manager of the Energy Resources and Carbon Neutral Business Department. He began his career with Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. in 1992. From 2003 to 2006, he was the Deputy General Manager of the London Representative Office. He then served as Senior Vice President of Osaka Gas USA Corp. in Houston from 2014 to 2017. Since 2023, he has been in his current role, focusing on energy resources and carbon neutrality initiatives in Osaka.

Nagahiro Minato is the president of Kyoto University. Born in 1951, Minato holds the degree of doctor of medicine. His field of specialization is immunology. After completing his undergraduate education at Kyoto University’s faculty of Medicine in 1975, Minato served as a medical intern at the Kyoto University Hospital, an associate researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US), and an associate professor in the department of internal medicine of Jichi Medical University (Japan), before assuming a professorship in Kyoto University’s Faculty of Medicine in 1992. He was subsequently appointed as the dean of the Faculty and Graduate School of Medicine in 2010. In 2014, he was appointed as Kyoto University’s executive vice-president for strategy coordination, research, planning, and hospital administration, and additionally, in October 2017, as the university’s provost. His current appointment as president began in October 2020. He contributed to the development of checkpoint blockade cancer immunotherapy in collaboration with Dr. Tasuku Honjo, and he is the recipient of several prestigious accolades, including the Japanese Cancer Association CHAAO Award (2014) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan Award for Drug Research and Development (2016).

Professor Benjamin McLellan received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Queensland in 2007, worked as a post-doc and research fellow at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (UQ) until 2010, and then moved to Kyoto University`s Graduate School of Energy Science.

Ben`s research focuses on sustainability within the energy and resources sectors, with a particular interest in emerging resources and technologies. Recently, he has been involved in research on the topic of just transitions and stakeholder engagement for globally preferable solutions to energy and resources challenges. He has specifically been involved in research into the technical, environmental, economic and social implications of deep sea mining since 2014. This research has focused on identifying the relative impacts of DSM as compared to terrestrial mining. This research links to broader examination of the use of critical minerals (which can be sourced from the deep ocean) for clean energy technologies. He also examines other aspects of the energy-X-nexus (X being any other sector, e.g. water, minerals, land).

Thomas J. Schmidt has been Professor and Chair for Electrochemistry at ETH Zurich since 2011 and Head of the Research Division Energy & Environment at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen (Switzerland) since 2018. Since 2023, he acts as Director of the Swiss Center of Excellence on NetZero Emissions. Between 2011 and 2017, he was Head of the Electrochemistry Laboratory at PSI. Prof. Schmidt was Director of the Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research (SCCER) Heat & Electricity Storage between 2014 and 2021.

He received his University Diploma in Chemistry from the University of Ulm/Germany in 1996 and his PhD in Chemistry from the same University in 2000. That same year he joined Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as a Chemist Postdoctoral Fellow. During this period, he intensively studied the fundamentals of electrocatalysis of fuel cell reactions. He continued to work at Paul Scherrer Institut in Villigen/Switzerland on the development of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) using radiation-​grafted membranes and on oxygen electrocatalysis with oxide containing catalysts. Since fall 2002, he was working in the industrial development of high temperature membrane electrode assemblies and its components (membranes, catalysts, electrodes) using polybenzimidazole based membranes at BASF Fuel Cell GmbH (formerly Pemeas GmbH). During these eight years in industries, Dr. Schmidt led the high-​temperature MEA R&D activities as Director R&D.

In parallel since 2009, he has been working as lecturer for Physical Chemistry at Provadis School of International Management and Technology, University of Applied Sciences in Frankfurt/Germany.
He also holds an executive MBA degree from EPFL.

Currently, Prof. Schmidt acts as Associate Editor of the Journal of the Electrochemcial Society.

In fall 2010, he received the Charles W. Tobias Young Investigator Award from the Electrochemical Society. He was awarded the Otto-​Monsted Visiting Professorship at the Technical University of Denmark (Lyngby) in 2013. In 2019, he received the C.W. Schönbein Gold Medal from the European Fuel Cell Forum. He is an elected Fellow of the Electrochemcial Society (2019) and elected member of the Swiss Academy of Technical Science (2022).

Prof. Schmidt is member of the Swiss Energy Research Commission of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy and member of the Energy Commission of the Swiss Academies of Sciences.

Neology is an innovative startup based in Lausanne, Switzerland, focused on revolutionizing the hydrogen supply chain for hard-to-abate sectors. By leveraging ammonia as a hydrogen carrier, Neology addresses the complexities of hydrogen storage and distribution, providing a more efficient and scalable solution through its proprietary ammonia-to-hydrogen generation system. This technology aims to significantly reduce emissions and costs, positioning Neology as a key player in the transition to sustainable energy.

AC Biode is a cleantech startup with expertise in chemistry and material science. We are developing patented catalysts to decompose plastic waste into monomers or organic waste into hydrogen and other gases only at 200 degrees C. Within a few years, we aim to commercialize the technologies.

IGS is a Deep Tech company dedicated to solving human challenges by making the invisible visible through innovative technology. Our products include a nondestructive battery inspection system, microwave mammography and walk-through security system.

Patrik Meli, graduated with a BSc Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master Degree in Business Engineering, is Managing Director of MAN Energy Solutions Schweiz AG – one of the largest private industrial companies in the city of Zurich. With a focus on innovation, the traditional industrial company has developed into a high-tech enterprise. Patrik Meli previously held various management positions in engineering and, as Project Director, is responsible for pioneering technologies such as the world’s first underwater compressor “Åsgard” and the new MAN ETES energy management system. In addition to his functions at MAN, he is president of various associations in the field of industry and new energy systems.

Tatsuo Ogawa graduated from Osaka University’s School of Science with a degree in Chemistry in 1989. Starting his career at Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (now Panasonic Corporation), Ogawa has held numerous leadership roles. By 2017, he became the Director of Manufacturing Technology and Engineering, and in 2018, he was appointed Executive Officer in charge of Manufacturing Innovation, Quality Administration, and Environmental Affairs. Ogawa advanced to Vice President of the Automotive Company in 2019, overseeing Manufacturing and Logistics. He became the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in April 2021, responsible for Pharmaceutical Affairs. His role expanded in October 2021 to include Corporate Innovation & Venture Strategy. In December 2022, Tatsuo Ogawa was appointed Executive Officer and Group Chief Technology Officer (Group CTO) of Panasonic Holdings Corporation, handling technology, manufacturing, quality, environment, intellectual property, and customer service.