A lawyer and journalism student by background, Daniel started his EU Commission career in its competition department, working on industry and digital files. In the previous Commission mandate, he served as speechwriter to EU Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager. In 2019, he was appointed to the Cabinet of Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans for the European Green Deal. Daniel is currently a Member of the Cabinet of EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. Within that Cabinet, he fulfils the new role of Business Envoy for the climate transition and holds the industry, energy and transport portfolios. He is father to three girls and an avid runner in his free time.

Workflow

2018  -   Manager Head Office & Scientific Consultant

     German Federal Association of eMobility (BEM)

2016 - 2018 Project Manager Urban Cargo, subcontractor green logistics (Amazon)

2015 - 2017 Marketing & Project-Manager Berlin, sustainable logistics, General Overnight Berlin, GO!

2009 - 2014 CEO Urban-e Limtd., Berlin, eMobility Consulting,

           Sales und product manager for eScooters, electric vehicles

2009 - 2011 CEO German Federal Association of eMobility, Berlin

2008 - 2009 Climate-change studies at the Technical University, Berlin

1997 - 2012 Director, D.O.P. and producer for feature, documentary-and commercial films

2000 - 2001 Freelance producer, Los Angeles

1991 - 1996 Bachelor at the film school Baden-Württemberg, Ludwigsburg

1988 - 1991 Economics at Free University of Berlin

Working for sustainable Mobility

2015 - 2018 Project Manager, EU Project „Cyclelogistics Ahead“

2012 - 2015 Project-Leader DLR Projekt „I substitute a car“, Developing of Charging infrastructure

          EU Climate Change Program with the Federal Ministry of Environment

2013 - 2014 Project-Leader DLR, TÜV Süd,

2009 - 2012 Organisation of eMobility—Roadshows with electric cars in D and CH Consultant EON and EnBW

General Manager at AEDIVE since its creation in 2011, the Spanish/Portuguese eMobility cluster, a non-profit association representing the industrial, technological and services value chain of electric vehicle and its ecosystem.

Vicepresident of AVERE, the European association representing and advocating for electromobility on behalf of the industry, academia, and EV users at both EU and national levels.

As the International Director of the Spanish Association of Electric Vehicle Users, Néstor is passionate about promoting electric mobility and sustainability. Recently, he joined EV Insights, a customer research project on sustainable mobility, as a Growth Strategist. In this role, he leads consumer research, analyzes industry trends, and develops growth strategies to expand the company's operations and markets in the field of electromobility.

As a business educator, he has had the privilege of teaching and mentoring students from diverse backgrounds in Business, Marketing, and Finance at different Universities. His passion for practical learning led him to create the Virtual Firms Applied to University (VFAU) program, where students can experience running their businesses and engage in the European B2B market.

In addition, his years of experience as a Business Development Trainer at the Bilbao Chamber of Commerce have allowed him to provide guidance to hundreds of small companies on topics such as entrepreneurship, business strategy, finance, sales, and marketing.

He believes that businesses have a critical role to play in creating a sustainable future. To that end, he pursued a Master's degree in Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, followed by a PhD in Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Environmental Psychology, which he is currently working on.

Nils Poel is CLEPA’s head of market affairs. Nils leads CLEPA’s market intelligence activities and policy work on industrial competitiveness, trade, and corporate sustainability. Raising awareness of the importance of fostering a broad and deep NEV supply chain in Europe is a key priority and something that CLEPA monitors closely. Nils started his career in the knowledge department of the Boston Consulting Group, focusing on the automotive supply industry, and later worked for Brunswick Group and the European Commission before joining CLEPA in 2019.

With a background in engineering and management, Jana Kirchen's career expands across multiple industries - from energy generation to the passenger car market to truck/bus manufacturing.

Jana spent seven years in technical and strategic consulting, leading a team in the field of electric mobility, before taking over her current position as Product Strategy Manager Automation at MAN Truck & Bus SE. In her role, she is responsible for the product roadmap, automation pilot projects and the corresponding partnerships.

Leif Axelsson is currently Innovation Strategy Director at CEVT, where he is also managing strategic partnerships, external funding and Innovation Hubs. He has 25 years experience from Automotive and ICT. Previously working in different managing positions at Lindholmen Science Park, Volvo Technology and Ericsson, where he has gained profound experience in coordinating larger international projects, managing portfolios of many projects and business development. Leif Axelsson holds a PhD degree in Physics from the University of Gothenburg and has filed six patents and published more than 100 papers in scientific journals and conference proceedings.

Since 2023 (ZEEKR Europe, GEELY Group): CCO, Member of the Executive Management team

2016 -2022 (BMW M): General Manager, Global Sales and Marketing.

2013 - 2016 (BMW Group Slovenia): CEO BMW Group Slovenia.

2011 - 2012 (BMW Central- and Eastern Europe): Project Manager: BMW Croatia.

2009 - 2011 (BMW Europe): Regional Area Manager South Europe.

2007 – 2009 (MINI Germany): Area Manager Sales and Marketing

2005 – 2007 (BMW Germany): Head of Marketing and PR

With some 30 years' experience in automotive strategy and marketing, Dr. Alexander Klose has a deep understanding of the mobility sector around the globe. Before joining Aiways in 2018, Dr. Klose has held roles as the CEO of Volvo Cars (China), and Asia Pacific President of PAG, which included the Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo brands. He has also provided consultancy and support services to a number of automotive retail groups in China. Dr. Klose is responsible for Aiways' operations outside of China.

Roberto Diesel, Vice President at EDAG Engineering GmbH for Energy Systems and Drivetrain. With over 20 years’ experience in the automotive industry in different leadership position at Opel/GM, Webasto and as Chief Technical Officer of Sono Motors. Roberto Diesel is experienced in the fields of automobiles especially electric vehicles, future mobility and with a focus on new technology.

Lucas studied industrial engineering at the University of Applied Science in Munich (BEng) and the Technical University Darmstadt (M.Sc). Since 2021 he has been working on his PhD thesis about ensuring safety and security within AD systems for scaleability by providing an integrated process and compliance framework. In addition to his academic research, since 2018 he works as principal in the international technology & management consulting company P3 in the area of autonomous mobility and co-leading a team of 35 consultants for AD technology & regulation . His expertise focuses on the implementation of the AD/AI Regulations (e.g. ALKS, DCAS and L4 Law) for L3/L4 application within different European OEMs, development of technology strategies and conducting technology due diligences in the area of autonomous driving.

Sex male | Date of birth 07/09/1979 | Nationality Spanish

Since 2018 in the electric mobility industry

WORK EXPERIENCE

July. 2014 to present Managing Partner

EV Insights, Barcelona, Berlin, Milan. www.evinsights.co

Consumer market research for the electric mobility

Currently my role is business expansion in the main European markets to bring the most accurate and vertical knowledge about consumers, the new electric driving culture, values, behaviours and deliver reports to large companies in the electric car value chain: Automotive, Energy, Chargers, Insurance.

Past roles:

· Data Analysis

· Definition of business verticals

· Consumer panel development

· Business strategy

· Product development

Feb. 2004 to Feb. 2014 Reporter & Author

El País Newspaper, Madrid, Barcelona. www.elpais.com

Jun. 2009 to Mar. 2012 Public Relations Associate

Creative Marketing Services, Barcelona. www.agency.cm-creative.net

Marcom agency

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Mar. 2024 – Data Science Professional Certificate, Certificate issue by IBM

Nov.2020 Introduction to healthcare, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford

Sept. 2006 Literature Master Degree, Autònoma University of Barcelona, Barcelona

Sept. 2000-2004 Journalism Bachelor Degree, Jorge Tadeo Lozano University, Cartagen

Benedikt Sobotka is Chief Executive Officer of Eurasian Resources Group.

He has extensive experience in the mining and energy sectors, previously having held management positions at BCG advising multinationals, including in Germany, Russia, South Africa and the UK.

Mr Sobotka works in close partnership with the World Economic Forum, taking an active role in many industry groups and wider initiatives. He sits on the Governors Steering Committee for the Metals and Mining Community and the Steering Committee for the Partnering Against Corruption Initiative.

He is co-chair of the Global Battery Alliance and founding member of the Re|Source initiative, which work towards establishing ethical and sustainable value chains for batteries and renewable energy systems.

Mr Sobotka is also Advisor to the Hainan International Energy Exchange and an investor in high-tech start-ups, including MVS, which was sold to Platts/Dow Jones in 2015. In addition, he has co-authored a Financial Times Top 10 bestseller, ‘China Champions’, about success strategies for investment in China.

He holds an MA in Management from the WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management and has also studied at the Rotterdam School of Management, CEIBS Shanghai, and the Moscow Finance Academy.

Bekir Mercan has been the Business Development & Programs Director at Blue Solutions since April 2023, focusing on Solid State Batteries for e-Mobility and sustainable automotive solutions. Previously, he played a pivotal role at Valeo as the Managing Director for e-Machines Europe, contributing significantly to the company's growth and innovation.

With a career spanning over 25 years in the automotive industry, Mercan has held numerous leadership roles, including over 22 years at Valeo, where his efforts in various capacities, including M&A and licenses, have significantly enhanced the company’s presence and profitability. His extensive experience across diverse global markets, including Turkey, France, and Russia, underscores his adaptability, strategic vision, and profound understanding of market dynamics, making him a key figure in the industry.

15+ years dedicated focusing in battery industry for automotive and energy storage application.

Frank started at the finnish based Fortum in 2020 and is now Managing Director of Fortum Batterie Recycling GmbH, german entity of Fortum Battery Recycling business, a company supplying battery production companies with secondary raw material. In his role he is copying and expanding successful operating battery recycling business from the Nordics to middle Europe. Before joining Fortum, Frank was working around 10 years at Viessmann GmbH, family owned heating devices manufacturer; he was leading business unit Mobility and Energy Systems at a Joint Venture from Viessmann and BMW.

Dr.-Ing. Marcel Weil is heading the scientific unit “Research for Sustainable Energy Technologies” (RESET), at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Since 2011 he is leading a second working group at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm for electrochemical energy storage (HIU), also belonging as a branch to KIT, in the topic field “Resources, Environment and Sustainability”. Marcel Weil is since 2019 a leading scientist and executive board member of the new cluster of excellence for “Post Lithium Storage” (POLiS) and responsible for the topic sustainability. He is active in EERA, Batteries 2030+, BEPA, Batteries Europe (Chair of Task Force Sustainability), and VDI.

Simon Voß is an expert on e-mobility and battery innovation and currently serves as the managing director of the Office for E-Mobility and eLab of RWTH Aachen University. Simon is striving on supporting the acceleration of e-mobility-development by providing a high-tech infrastructure and innovation network for R&D on the electric drivetrain. As a speaker and the formats of the “E-Mobility Innovation Podcast” and  “Then E-Mobility Lecture Series”, Simon is building a network for professional knowledge-exchange between research and industry in the professional E-Mobility space. 

Dr. Wolfgang Bernhart has been working in consulting for over 30 years. He has been Senior Partner at Roland Berger since 2007.

Within Roland Berger's Automotive and Industrials platform, he is the Global Co-Head of the Advanced Technology Center, supporting automotive, industrial, and technology clients globally to master the challenges and opportunities that new technologies bring to their businesses and markets.

One of his core areas of expertise is the Lithium-Ion battery industry. Since 2008 he advises OEMs and other battery customers, most of the global relevant cell suppliers as well as new players, material producers, refiners, mining companies and LiB recyclers, as well as public and private funds and lenders – in Europe, China, Japan, Korea, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas.

Henrik started as a field sales engineer at Keyence in 2000 and gained his first experience in the field of industrial automation. 
In 2002, he moved to Brose, where he was responsible for the DaimlerChrysler customer team for the M and S-Class door modules through to SOP. 
He subsequently gained more than 11 years of operational experience at Kostal Systeme GmbH as initial sales manager and later also the entire worldwide sales department for electromechanical components and managed several account managers. 
Before Henrik started as Head of Sales at ADS-TEC Energy since 2024 in the field of battery-based fast charging systems and battery storage, he managed sales in various areas at ABL and Sumitomo Demag for several years.

As a managing director of Sallaum Lines, David is responsible to oversee & manage operations & financial management whilst acting as an owner representative of Belgium Office. He ensures Sallaum Lines' position in Belgium is strong & that the brand consistently push beyond the company's capabilities.

David's focus is on driving progress across the brand's strategic pillars; environmental, social, innovation & digitalization, and managerial & economic. Besides that, Mr. Vanballaert is also a Managing Director for Sallaum Terminal. As part of this position, his commitment to ambitiously expanding both Sallaum Lines & Sallaum Terminal's reach across the sea & on land, whilst upholding the core values established by the brand's owners & founders.

Work Experience

 Feb. 2022 – ongoing KELLEN EUROPE

/ Function 1: Regulatory Affairs Manager - AMFEP

n  Advocacy and regulatory management (chemicals policy)

/ Function 2: Senior Policy Manager Manager – EUROBAT

n  Advocacy and regulatory management (chemicals and environmental policies)

Jul. 2019 – Feb 2022 FISCALNOTE EUROPE

/ Policy Analyst (chemicals)

Jul. 2018 – Jul. 2019 TOYOTA MOTOR EUROPE

/ Specialist European Affairs

Education

2016 - 2017 SCIENCES PO STRASBOURG

          / Master’s degree in European Affairs

2009 – 2014 SCIENCES PO TOULOUSE DIPLOMA

2012 - 2014 / Master's degree "Europe et Territoires"

2011 - 2012 / Erasmus year at the LMU (Munich)

2009 - 2011 / Bachelor

Dr.-Ing. Hannes Weinmann, Head of Pre-Sales and New Technology Exploration at Lead Intelligent Equipment (Deutschland) GmbH, is an expert in manufacturing processes and industrial machinery for lithium-ion battery production.

Previously a Business Development Manager at Lead Intelligent Equipment (Deutschland) GmbH, he accelerated the transition to electric mobility by fostering strategic partnerships and collaborations. His consultancy at rhc+ Consulting GmbH and role as researcher and project manager at the Institute of Production Science at KIT involved overseeing diverse public and industrial projects, analyzing technical processes, evaluating new production technologies, and conducting global supplier searches.

Passionate about optimizing manufacturing, his doctoral thesis focuses on cost reduction, flexibility enhancement, and efficiency improvement in lithium-ion battery production. His expertise extends to developing tailored tools for production planning, tolerance modelling, and cost accounting in battery production.