Discover our guests & speakers

Marie-Claire Aoun is the Director of Prospective and Institutional Relations of Teréga, a transport and storage gas operator. She is also the Chair of Gas for Climate. Holding a PhD in Economics from Paris Dauphine University, she was a policy officer at the French energy regulatory authority (CRE) during 2008 and 2014 and the Director of the Center for Energy and Climate at the French Institute for International Relations (Ifri) between 2014 and 2017. She is also a lecturer at Dauphine University and Sciences Po Paris.

Plenary n°01: «Massive local production and/or importation of green hydrogen»

Since December 2017, Philippe Boucly has been President of France Hydrogène, the association which brings together players in the French hydrogen and fuel cell industry, after having been its 1st Vice-President for 4 years within this association. From 2009 to April 2013, Philippe Boucly was the Managing Director of GRTgaz, the main French operator of the natural gas transmission network. It was during his tenure that the company made the transition to renewable gases, particularly hydrogen. Philippe Boucly has spent his entire career with Gaz de France, which became GDF Suez then ENGIE.

Plenary n°03 : « Industrialization: going forward with giga factories» 

Plenary n°01 : “Europe: strong ambitions. Roadmaps to align ?”

Born in 1982 in Chambéry (France), Mehdi Ferhan is graduated from the National School of Advanced Techniques (Paris) and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and holds an Executive MBA from HEC.
Mehdi Ferhan started his career at PSA in 2004 as Hydrogen Research Engineer. In 2010, he joined the Asia Department as Powertrain Manager for C-D segments, based in Shanghai. In 2013 he returned to France and joined Plastic Omnium as Mechatronics R&D Director, then Strategy Director of the Clean Energy Division. End of 2017, he was appointed to the Group as Director of Technological Investments and contributed to the constitution of an ecosystem of innovation and industrialization on Hydrogen. He has since then served as administrator of the French SAE – Society of Automotive Engineers and President of the Automotive Research Council within the PFA – French Automotive Platform. Beginning of 2020, he took on the role of Vice-President for Engineering, Innovation and Partnerships of the Intelligent Exterior Systems Division and assumed the mandate of President of the Services engineering subsidiary.
Since January 1st, 2022, Mehdi Ferhan is Chief Operating Officer of the HYVIA joint venture created between Renault Group and Plug Power, which paves the way towards a complete ecosystem of technologies and services for hydrogen mobility.

Plénière n°07 : « How to speed up the refueling infrastructure ? »

Plenary n°03 : « Liquid hydrogen : what kind of applications in transportation?»

1982 – 1985      Post-doctoral Research Fellow, University of Southampton.

1985 – 1992      Lecturer in Physical Chemistry, University of Edinburgh.

1992 – 2022      Professor of Physical Chemistry, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

2008 – 2022      Adjunct Professor, Engineering Research Center of Innovative Scientific Instruments, Ministry of Education of China, Fudan University, Shanghai.

2011 – 2014      Dean of the Bachelor & Master School, EPFL

2015 – 2020      Director of Electromobilis, Martigny, Valais.

2022-               Director of H2Valais, Suisse. Visiting Professor UM6P, Morocco

Strategic plenary : « Blue hydrogen: So usefull to start the market ? »

Plenary n°10 : «When disruption leads to a possible eruption»

Civil Engineer in Electromechanics (Université Libre de Bruxelles),

Has a long career in the field of chlor-alkali electrolysis in which he has held various positions ranging from operations, technology, projects.

Within INEOS Hydrogen, he is currently responsible for the “Hydrogen” technology and leads a team of process engineers who develop the company’s numerous water electrolysis projects.

Plenary n°04 : « The challenge of low-cost hydrogen »

Roland Hequet is Vice-President Partnerships & Mobility Solutions of John Cockerill Hydrogen. After getting a Master’s degree in engineering and general management, Roland has taken several managerial positions in large multi-national companies. He has spent his career in Europe, the USA and other parts of the world. With John Cockerill, he has been in charge of several of the group companies in France, Germany, USA, Russia and India. Since 2018, he has been developing the hydrogen activity of John Cockerill worldwide.

Plenary n°01 : “Europe: strong ambitions. Roadmaps to align?” 

Plenary n°03 : « Liquid hydrogen : what kind of applications in transportation?»

Plenary n°06 : « Hydrogen transportation and storage : how to make it more affordable? »

Plenary n°08 : « Natural hydrogen : a land of milk and honey? »

Plenary n°06 : « Hydrogen transportation and storage: how to make it more affordable? »

Plenary n°02 : «E-fuels and H2 : the furure for thermal engines?»

Plenary n°02 : «E-fuels and H2 : the furure for thermal engines?»

Vincenzo Verdino is Chief Engineer and Program Manager within Punch Hydrocells. He has more than 20years experience in Product Development area working in the Aerospace as well Automotive,  combustion engines sectors. He covered a wide range of positions starting from design , development and calibration ending then in the Program Management area.   He has been managing  global programs within General Motors releasing engines to production  for the India , China and USA market , last of them best in class for fuel economy and « state of the art » in terms of technology . Formerly has been working for IVECO and VM Motori. He has a « leading innovation » and « green » mindset as a personal background which is now fully devoted to develop for Punch Hydrocells , part of the Punch Group, the Fuel Cells pillar within the Green H2 strategy of the company which includes Production , Storage and Distribution as well Internal Combustion Engines.

Plenary n°02 : « A global approach to mobility » 

Plenary n°08 : « Natural hydrogen : a land of milk and honey? »