Opening Night: Vision. Innovation. Change.

Edurne Zoco currently leads team's research activities across clean technologies and supply chains at S&P Global Energy. She manages internal and external initiatives, providing research, analysis, and actionable insight to customers on the development of clean technologies and their role in energy transition. Dr. Zoco has been involved in the renewable industry for almost 20 years holding global positions within corporate and strategic marketing. Dr. Zoco contributes to a wide range of deliverables across the research team. She is the author of numerous reports, including cost breakdown models, companies' benchmarking, price forecasting, supply chain analysis, and technology outlook delivered to established companies and new entrants in the cleantech sector. She has presented at leading industry events and conferences, and her commentary and analysis appear regularly on industry and mainstream media. Dr. Zoco holds a PhD in political science from the University of Notre Dame, United States.   

Dr. Casimir Lorenz is Managing Director for Central Europe at Aurora Energy Research. He advises investors, utilities, and developers on transactions and strategic planning, with a strong focus on assessing project, market, and regulatory risks across European markets. His experience includes due diligence support on transactions across the full value chain of energy markets especially utilities, IPPs, cross-technology portfolios and infrastructure. He has also guided companies on market entry strategies throughout Europe, helping them navigate commercial uncertainties and evolving policy environments. He has furthermore supported utilities, NGOs, and governments onmarket design. Before joining Aurora, he worked at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and the German Advisory Council on the Environment. He studied industrial engineering and completed a PhD in economics at TU Berlin, focusing on power market modelling.  

Heiko Seitz is a Partner and Global eMobility Leader at PwC. With more than 20 years of experience shaping smart and sustainable transport ecosystems worldwide, he advises governments, global industry leaders, and investors on national mobility transformation strategies-accelerating  ecarbonisation, enabling autonomous mobility, and integrating next-generation multimodal ransport systems. A regular commentator on CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg, Heiko connects policy insight, commercial strategy, and execution to help organisations deliver the future of mobility.  

Kilian Reichert is a German TV- and Event-Presenter. He works with The smarter E for two decades now. For more than 15 years he is the face of the The smarter E Award Ceremonies. Kilian holds a Master of Speaking Sciences, Political Sciences and Psychology of the University of Munich (LMU).

A native New Yorker who now calls Berlin home. She has been hosting corporate events, galas, and conferences for more than 10 years, as well as presenting corporate videos, product videos, and web TV. Before becoming a host, Marianna worked as a radio journalist for Deutsche Welle Radio, as well as a PR consultant and copywriter for renowned global agencies. Marianna studied comparative literature and philosophy at New York University.