Jefferson Edwards

Vice President, Shell Energy

Jefferson Edwards is Vice President in Shell Energy, accountable for fundamental analysis of global gas, LNG, power and low carbon energy markets. Shell Energy is responsible for the marketing and trading of gas, LNG, power and environmental products within Shell Plc. He leads a team of professionals located in Houston, London, the Hague, Dubai, Beijing and Singapore, focused on the analysis of global energy markets and sits on the leadership team of Shell LNG Marketing and Trading and Shell’s internal global energy forecasting leadership team. He is the Shell representative to the Governing Board of the Gastech conference and the Programme Committee of LNG2025.

Previously, he was General Manager for Shell Energy with responsibility for Shell’s global policy and advocacy efforts related to natural gas market development. Prior to that role, Mr. Edwards has held various commercial and strategy roles within Shell’s Exploration & Production and Integrated Gas businesses, based in London, the Hague and Singapore.
Prior to joining Shell, Mr. Edwards was Director of Asian Energy Research for Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA). He holds a MS in International Business Diplomacy from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., focused on energy security.

Gergely Szabó

Regional Chairman, MET Central Europe

Gergely Szabó has been leading MET Hungary since December 2014 and was appointed Regional Chairman of MET Central Europe from 1 January 2019. In the newly formed organisation Gergely Szabó is responsible for the overall management and coordination of the regional business operation and local subsidiaries in Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia, where MET Central Europe has more than 7000 long term partners in the industrial natural gas and power segment.

Gergely Szabó started his career at the Gas Division of MOL Group in 2007. He was Executive Director of Origination and Structured Trading at MOL Energy Trade Ltd. between 2010 and 2011, then managed the Swiss subsidiary of MET Group as CEO at MET International between 2011 and 2014.

In addition to his role of CEO of MET Hungary Ltd., Gergely Szabó is Chairman of the Board of Directors of E2 Hungary Ltd., the joint venture energy trading company established by Magyar Telekom and MET Holding, as well as Member of the Board of MET Croatia and MET Slovakia.

Dr. Vitaliy Baylarbayov

Deputy Vice-President, SOCAR

Dr. Vitaliy Baylarbayov is the Deputy Vice-President of SOCAR. Dr. Baylarbayov has over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and holds a PhD in Economics. He is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators and has held executive positions in the negotiations and management of a number of major oil and gas projects, including the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oilfields, the Shah Deniz gas/condensate field, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, and the Southern Gas Corridor Projects – the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline and the establishment of the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Dr. Baylarbayov heads the Southern Gas Corridor Gas Value Chain Integration Team, is a Chairman of the board of SOCAR-UNIPER LLC, Chairman of BoD of the South Caucasus Pipeline Company Ltd., Chairman of BoD of SOCAR Midstream Operations LLC, the International Pipeline Company Sarmatia, a board member at the AGRI LNG project and the Azerbaijan Gas Supply Company – AGSC, a marketing vehicle of the Shah Deniz Consortium.

Konstantinos Sifnaios

Vice President & Managing Director, Gastrade S.A.

Mr. Sifnaios started his professional career at Mobil Oil Hellas in 1987 as a Strategic Planning analyst. He continued in several positions within Sales and Marketing reaching the post of Sales Manager for South & Western Greece. He was then transferred to Mobil Oil International in London and Madrid where he assumed posts in supply and trading. In 1997 he moved to BP International, in Brussels, to work on the European restructuring of the company. He returned in Greece as General Commercial Sales Director for BP Greece (2000 – 2002) to then resume his international career within BP’s European supply chain till 2007. From June 2007 to the end of 2021, he worked in Copelouzos Group initially as New Projects Manager, gas sales Commercial Manager and then as Group Energy Director in the sector of Gas. He also managed the development of the Alexandroupolis LNG Terminal Project to its Final Investment Decision.
Since January 2022, when FID was taken on the Alexandroupolis LNG Project, he was appointed Managing Director of Gastrade, the owner and operator of the Terminal.

Mr. Sifnaios graduated from the school of Mathematics and Applied Sciences of the University of Athens having completed a special program on studies, methods and applications of Linear Programming and Network Flows. He went on to work as a research and faculty assistant at Columbia University, New York, U.S. where he received a Master of Science (MSc) in Operational Research and Applied Business Administration.

Mr. Sifnaios was born in Athens in 1960 and originates from the island of Lesvos. He speaks Greek, English, French and Spanish.

Teodora Georgieva

Executive officer and Board Member, ICGB AD, Interconnector Greece Bulgaria

Teodora Georgieva has more than 20 years of experience as a strategic manager, leading significant projects in various economic sectors. Currently, Ms. Georgieva is the Executive Director of the Bulgarian side of the project company ICGB and is also a member of its Board of Directors. ICGB is responsible for the overall management and development of the gas pipeline between Greece and Bulgaria and will soon be an independent transmission system operator. 

From 2012 to 2014 Teodora Georgieva was Managing Director of Nabucco Bulgaria, and before that she worked at OMV Bulgaria for 13 years, 8 of which she was Managing Director of the company, holding cluster positions for Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia. Georgieva was the coordinator for Bulgaria of the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT), in 2009 and 2010 she was awarded as Manager of the Year and is in the list of the top 10 Bulgarian managers. 

She graduated from the University of National and World Economy and has a master’s degree in Finance. Married, with two children

Lászlo Fritsch

CEO, MVM CEEnergy

During more than 20 years spent in the oil and gas industry Mr. Laszlo Fritsch has gained extensive professional knowledge from various fields of the energy sector. He started his career at Shell Gas Hungary where his professional expertise has been broadened in various positions held in several European countries. Later he joined E.ON Gas Storage as CFO and from 2013 to 2020 he held the position of CEO and Chairman of the Board of Hungarian Gas Storage. In order to gain in-depth knowledge also in the technical operation Mr. Fritsch has successfully completed a reservoir engineering course in Houston. Since 2020 he is appointed CEO of MVM CEEnergy (formerly Hungarian Gas Trade). With his extensive knowledge of the energy and natural gas industry, Mr. Fritsch actively contributes to the domestic and international development of the sector as the chairman of the Hydrocarbon Mining Section of the Hungarian Mining Association and a member of the International Gas Union (IGU).

Franck Neel

Member of the Executive Board, OMV Petrom

Franck studied Energy at the University of Rouen and received an Engineer Degree and then followed a Master of Mechanical Engineering at Cranfield University in United Kingdom. Later on, he earned an Executive Degree from the London Business School. Franck spent 25 years working for the Group Engie. Thus, he started his career at Gaz de France in the engineering department for 7 years and then moved to the Marketing and Sales with different functions in different countries such as France, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands, Italy and UK before joining OMV Petrom. He was appointed member of the OMV Petrom Executive Board as of July 1, 2018 and President of FPPG as of January 30, 2019.

Szabolcs I Ferencz

Chairman-CEO of FGSZ Natural Gas Transmission Ltd.

Szabolcs Ferencz is the Chairman-CEO of FGSZ Natural Gas Transmission Ltd. since February 2019.
Previously, he held the position of SVP MOL Group Corporate Affairs supervising international and domestic governmental relations for Regulatory and Public Affairs, Strategy Development and Corporate Communications. Beforehand, Mr. Ferencz was the CEO and Country Chairman of MOL Romania, a key MOL Group subsidiary. Between 2003 – 2009 he held the position of Vice President for Corporate Communications of MOL Group and was in charge of the overall communications activities of the fast growing Group.

Since 2015 Mr. Ferencz is the Chair of the National Committee of the World Petroleum Council. He is also member of the Advisory Board of the Regional Centre for Energy Policy Research Foundation. Mr. Ferencz is an Associate at the European Round Table for Industry since 2011. He is founding partner of the SEED School for Executive Education and Development based in Budapest.
Mr. Ferencz received his MA in Economics from the University of Regensburg and pursued postgraduate studies in political science.

Sotirios Bravos

Chief Officer, Commercial Services, DESFA

Mr. Sotirios Bravos is the Chief Officer of Commercial Services of DESFA. He has graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a Diploma in Electrical Engineering and has a demonstrated working experience of over 30 years in the gas industry in Greece, in engineering, operations and commercial sectors. Mr. Bravos is a member of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE). His mother tongue is Greek, and he is fluent in English.

Danijela Šimović

Director of the Commercial and Financial Affairs Sector, LNG Croatia

Danijela Šimović is Director of the Commercial and Financial Affairs Sector at LNG Croatia LLC. She joined the company in 2019 and first managed the Finance Sector, and in 2022, she also took over Commercial operations.
Before that, she worked at PBZ CARD Ltd., where, as Director of Accounting, she participated in developing numerous projects at the company level and PBZ Group. She has extensive experience in finance, accounting, and control and is constantly improving by participating in conferences and seminars in the country and abroad.
She graduated from the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb, in 2010 and obtained the title of Master of Science in Economics.

Mario Matković

CEO, MET Croatia Energy Trade Ltd.

Since Mario Matković joined MET in 2015, the company made it from a small start-up to a large player in the market. The company has gone from being only a trader in wholesale to becoming one of the most well-known suppliers, with almost 2 billion euros of annual revenue.

Mario started in MET Croatia Energy Trade Ltd. as a Key Account Manager in the Sales Department and, due to his results, was soon promoted to the Head of Sales. Since 2017, he has been the CEO and Member of the Management Board, overseeing some of the MET’s vital strategic resources, such as the KRK LNG Terminal which significantly helped the company’s overall growth.

Mario’s previous experience also includes posts in the biggest Croatian oil company, INA – Industrija nafte Ltd. where he worked his way up from Junior Trader to Feedstocks and Fuel Oils Desk Leader before joining MET Croatia Energy Trade Ltd.

Kiril Ravnachki

Member of the Management Board, Bulgartransgaz

Ion Sterian

Director General, Transgaz

The Director General of the National Gas Transmission Company TRANSGAZ, Ion Sterian, is a renowned name in the energy sector of Romania and the European Union as well as worldwide.

He joined the company in 2007 as a representative of Transgaz’ major shareholder, the Romanian State by the Ministry of Economy in the General Shareholders Assembly and further on, in 2013, he was appointed Chairman of the company’s Board of Administration and since 2017 he has been Director-General.

Ion Sterian graduated the Oil and Gas University of Ploiești, being specialized in well drilling and exploitation of oil and gas fields, and the Faculty of Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture within the University of Bucharest. He received a Master’s degree in management and a Master’s degree in management and rural development and completed training courses in International Relations, all of which award him the perfect profile to run a company like Transgaz.

He has professional expertise and background in both energy and corporate management and has held positions of responsibility in different key institutions of Romania. He was Executive Director of the Technical Division within the Autonomous Administration of the Brăila Free Zone, Executive Director of Technical Division of the Autonomous Administration of State Protocol Patrimony; In 2010, Ion Sterian also held the position of State Under-Secretary within the Ministry for Regional Development and Tourism.

Throughout his career, Ion Sterian developed and perfected his professional knowledge on security and corporate governance, international and diplomatic relations and financial management, having a substantial contribution to the development of the performant company he runs and to the effective implementation of the strategic projects under the assumed Administration Plan.

Under the close coordination of Ion Sterian, Transgaz has been implementing one of the largest and most important natural gas transmission infrastructure development plans in Romania over the past 20 years, with investment projects estimated at over 3.4 billion euro.

A charismatic and committed leader, an effervescent and positive personality, Ion Sterian has won the trust and respect of his national and international peers, of the EU, international and Romanian authorities, of the mass-media and of his over 4,100 employees.

As a recognition of his professional merits and managerial qualities, Mr. Ion Sterian received on his own behalf and on behalf of Transgaz, numbers of awards, diplomas and accolades, being invited to deliver presentations/speeches on topics specific to the energy sector, management and corporate governance, negotiations and financing related to complex and large-scale investment projects in national and European energy infrastructure, and other topics related to the prospects for sustainable development of the energy sector in Romania and Europe, energy diversification in Europe, digitization of the energy sector, etc.

Pawel Stanczak

Advisor at Representation in the EU, LLC Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine

Working in gas transport, distribution and storage for over 25 years, mainly in PGNiG and Gaz-System S.A., Poland, JSC Ukrtransgas and LLC Gas TSOUA, Ukraine.
Being an authorized representative of the Board in PGNiG, Poland (2003-2004), was responsible for unbundling of gas transmission system and foundation of independent Gas Transmission System Operator of Poland, Gaz-System S.A. Later, was a Board member and Technical Director at PGNiG Technologie S.A. in Krosno Poland (2004-2008).
In 2018-2019 was a Board Member of JSC Ukrtranszaz (Gas TSO of Ukraine before the unbundling). Was responsible for unbundling of gas transmission system and foundation of independent Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine, followed by the position of the Deputy CEO on Strategy and Transformation of LLC Gas TSO of Ukraine (2020) leading the integration of the GTSOUA into the European energy market.
From October of 2022 until March of 2023 was Acting CEO of LLC Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine. After appointment of the new CEO of Gas TSO of Ukraine in March in 2023, headed the Transformation and Development Division. Since October of 2023 is Advisor of CEO at Representation of GTSOU in the European Union.

Pawel Stanczak holds an MBA of the University of Bradford, Leon Kozminski Academy, Warsaw (2008), degree on Top-management of the Warsaw School of Economics (2000), Engineering and Technical degree of the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute (1991) and Emilian Konopczynsk Higher Technical School, Warsaw (1983).

Veselin Sinabov

Director of Natural Gas Trading Directorate and Member of the Board of Directors, Bulgargaz EAD

Veselin Sinabov is a Member of the Board of Directors of Bulgargaz EAD. His career path began in 2012 as a Natural Gas Trading Expert at the company Overgas Inc. JSC. In 2015 Mr Sinabov continued his professional career at the natural gas transmission operator Bulgartransgaz EAD, rising from a specialist in the Gas Transmission Network Balancing Department to Director of the Commercial Services Directorate. In August 2022, he was appointed Director of Bulgargaz’s Gas Trading Directorate.
He has an MA degree in International Law from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). In 2013 he was awarded an MA degree in Management in the Oil and Gas Industry from the Moscow Institute of Technology.

He is fluent in English and Russian.

Viktória dr. Mészáros Kardosné

Manager of the Green Transition Office, FGSZ Natural Gas Transmission Ltd.

Viktória dr. Mészáros Kardosné has been the Manager of the Green Transition Office at the Hungarian Gas Transmission System Operator, FGSZ Ltd. since 1 May 2022. She joined FGSZ in 2020 as Internal Audit Manager. In her current role, she is responsible for the development and the representation of the Company’s strategic goals related to the green transition processes, such as the integration of hydrogen, biomethane and carbon transmission. Emission reduction strategies, sustainable development factors, energy efficiency actions, methane mitigation tasks and operational environmental protection are also part of her team’s work. She received her doctoral degree in Law at the Pázmány Peter Catholic University of Budapest.

Eszter Szekeres

Executive Director of Wholesale&Portfolio Optimization, MET Central Europe

Gökhan Soruş

Board Member and Gas Group Leader, PETFORM

I have 11 years of experience in energy sector. I worked as Secretary General of Petroleum and Natural Gas Platform Association (“PETFORM”) which is the main industry association of upstream and wholesale gas companies in Turkey until August, 2021. In my previous role, I managed the PETFORM activities, assisted the PETFORM Board on their actions, analyzed the global market developments, presented the association as speaker in conferences and led the regulatory affairs of PETFORM. With the aim of contributing to the gas trading hub strategy of Turkey, I coordinated the EU funded- TRGas-Hub Project, which was awarded as the “Best Project of 2013”. I wrote a master thesis on “Turkey’s Natural Gas Market Liberalization Goal and Turkey – EU Relations”.

I have been working for MET Turkey as Chief Commercial Officer since August, 2021. I coordinate natural gas business operations&strategies, business development efforts and administrative affairs in MET Turkey.

Anett Csontos-Tóth

Head of EU Regulatory Affairs, MOL Group

Mrs Csontos-Tóth is Head of EU Regulatory Affairs at MOL Group, responsible for assessing the impact of EU policies and regulations on MOL Group and carrying out related advocacy activities. Before joining MOL Group, she spent 5 years in Brussels working for the consultancy Burson, where she gained an expertise in EU public affairs and strategic communication campaigns in the area of sustainability, energy and climate policies.

MOL Group is an international, integrated oil, gas, petrochemicals and consumer retail company, headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. MOL Group operates three refineries and two petrochemicals plants under integrated supply chain-management in Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia, owns a network of almost 2000 service stations across 10 countries in Central & South Eastern Europe, and as of 2023 will be responsible for municipal solid waste management in Hungary. MOL is committed to transforming its traditional fossil-fuel-based operations into a low-carbon, sustainable business model and aspires to become net carbon neutral by 2050, while shaping the low-carbon circular economy in Central and Eastern Europe.

Mykola Kolisnyk

Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine

From May 13, 2022 Mykola Kolisnyk is the Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine. He started working in foreign commercial enterprises of the oil and gas complex. For three years he worked at the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine and in the past 6 years he held senior positions in the Ministry of Energy. He worked on the implementation of European legislation, in particular EU Regulations and Directives, on the security of natural gas supply, on daily balancing on the natural gas market, implementation of technical regulations on the quality of light petroleum products and coordinated cooperation with the NATO Energy Security Center on strengthening the security of critical energy infrastructure facilities.

From May 2018 until his appointment to the post of Deputy Minister he was the Head of the Directorate of the Oil and Gas Complex and Development of Oil, Natural Gas and Oil Products Markets responsible for policymaking, interactio with the enterprises of the oil and gas complex, implementation of projects to increase gas production, and signing of agreements on product distribution.

He completed specialized training abroad, in particular: JICA (Japan) courses on energy planning and management in energy markets; under the program BP & SOCAR az management in the energy sector – ADA University (Azerbaijan, Baku). He also took part in a post-graduate program on natural resources at DUKE University (USA) and others.

He is a representative of the Ministry at the International Energy Charter and a natural gas expert in the UNECE.

György Berze

CEO, HEXUM Földgáz Zrt.

After graduating from the University of Forestry and Wood Sciences in Sopron, Dr. György Berze started his professional career in 1993 as a technical manager at the Austrian State Forestry in Austria. Later, after graduating from the Budapest College of Foreign Trade with a degree in engineering and economics, he held commercial and marketing positions in both Hungary and abroad, first in middle and then in senior management positions, in multinational oil companies (ARAL, BP and OMV) until 2007.

In 1996 he earned a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Vienna. From 2008 to 2015, he worked in the Hungarian petroleum industry as CEO and board member of Opal Tartálypark Zrt., a crude oil and petroleum product strategic stockpiling company owned by the Hungarian Hydrocarbon Stockpiling Association (HUSA), and thus contributed responsibly to ensuring the country’s uninterrupted supply in crisis situations and to maintaining the security of Hungary’s energy supply.

In 2013, he took a leading role – on behalf of HUSA – in the state transaction of the Szőreg-1 underground strategic gas storage facility, in the development of the terms and conditions of the operating contracts between MMBF Zrt. and MOL Nyrt. Between 2014 and 2015, he was a member of the Board of MMBF Zrt., operating the strategic gas storage facility.

Between 2016 and 2018, he worked as the Managing Director of National Public Utilities (NKM) Natural Gas Network Ltd. (formerly FŐGÁZ Földgázelosztási Kft.) focusing on the rationalisation of the natural gas distribution operations and the consolidation of the integrated processes of the national public utility company. Under his management, the company operated 5,860 kilometres of well-maintained gas network, upgraded approximately 30 kilometres of pipeline each year, and supplied gas to 810,000 consumers, ensuring the daily supply of natural gas to nearly 2 million people.

In 2018, he made a short detour from the gas industry to MVM, where he was in charge of technical services. He was the Chairman of the Supervisory Board and member of the Board of Directors of MVM Titán Zrt. Since 2019, he has been the CEO of HEXUM Földgáz Zrt. (formerly MMBF Zrt.), which operates the 1.9 bcm Szőreg-1 underground gas storage facility in possession of the strategic and commercial natural gas storage licence issued by the Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Office (MEKH) and in accordance with the designation granted by the Ministry of National Development under Decree no. 13/2011 (7.4.2011), ensuring high level of supply to its trading partners, firstly through the HUSA (strategic gas reserve), and secondly through its unique level of preparation in Europe resolving eventual supply problems.

Since 2022 Dr. György Berze has been the appointed CEO of HEXUM Holding Zrt., and he also holds the position of CEO of both HEXUM Földgáz Zrt. and HEXUM Tartálypark Zrt. As a member of the Board of the MBSZ, his aim is to strengthen the representation of the sector’s interests and to improve the operating conditions of mining enterprises. In 2023, Dr. György Berze was awarded a ministerial diploma recognizing his outstanding professional performance on the occasion of St. Borbála’s Day.

Rastislav Ňukovič

CEO, EUSTREAM

Rastislav Ňukovič studied at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava. From 2000 to 2002, he completed postgraduate studies specializing in the gas industry at the Faculty of Environmental Technology at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague. His career in the gas industry began in 1998 in the Slovtransgas division of SPP, where he served as an IT systems administrator and later became the head of the Data Collection and Technical Support Department. From 2005 to 2008, he worked as the Director of Centralized Maintenance, and over the following four years, he served as the Director of Strategic Projects. Since July 1, 2014, he has been the CEO of EUSTREAM. He is a long-standing member of the Executive Committee of the Technical Association of the European Gas Industry (Marcogaz). Since September 2022, he has been serving as the President of the Slovak Gas and Oil Association (SPNZ).”

Mónika Zsigri

Head of Unit, DG ENER Task Force European Commission

Mónika Zsigri works for the European Commission as Head of Unit of Energy
Security and Safety. Previously she was Head of Unit in the Energy Platform Task
Force, focusing on joint purchasing of gas and international outreach in support
of the EU’s diversification strategy. She has experience of over a decade on
different aspects of EU energy policy, including the reduction of methane
emissions, LNG and storage, as well as energy security, energy infrastructure and
regional cooperation. In the past, she has worked in the area of cohesion policy
in support of the twin transition to a green and digital economy. Before joining
the Commission, as management consultant, she worked on different
assignments in the energy and telecommunications sectors helping clients
optimizing their business processes or developing successful business strategies.
Ms Zsigri holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Vladimir Malinov

CEO, Executive Member of the Management Board, Bulgartransgaz

Vladimir Malinov is the CEO and Executive Member of the Management Board of the Bulgarian gas transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz since 2018.

Mr. Malinov joined Bulgartransgaz as Head of Legal Division in 2010. He was responsible for regulatory affairs and was deeply involved in relations with EU institutions, the company’s TSO certification and unbundling and the implementation of NCs.

In 2019 Mr. Malinov was elected as Member of the Board of Balkan Gas Hub and in January 2021 – as a Member of the Board of Gastrade S.A. – the project company developing the Alexandroupolis LNG Terminal.

In December 2021 Mr. Malinov was elected Member of the Board of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG).

Since 2018 Mr. Malinov is also Member of the Management Board of Bulgarian Association Natural Gas and Member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Mining and Geology St Ivan Rilski.

Gergely Molnár

Energy Analyst, International Energy Agency (IEA)

Gergely MOLNAR joined the International Energy Agency in August 2018, as a Gas Analyst in the Gas, Coal and Power Markets Division within the Directorate of Energy Markets and Security. The Division is responsible for the development of short- and medium-term market forecasts, and the publication of the Global Gas Security Review. Before joining the Agency, he held several positions in consulting and private research companies with a focus on European gas markets and gas infrastructure.

He holds a Master in International Energy from the Paris Institute of Political Sciences and graduated in International Affairs from the Corvinus University of Budapest.

Maria Olczak

Research Fellow, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Maria Olczak is a Research Fellow focusing on the Quantification, Measurement, Reporting and Verification (QMRV) of GHG Emissions at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
Maria is also a PhD candidate at the Queen Mary University of London’s School of Engineering and Materials Science, researching policies and technologies to monitor and mitigate methane emissions across major man-made sources.

In 2022, she joined the Environmental Defense Fund as a consultant to pursue research on coal mine methane and environmental disclosure policies in the context of the LNG trading. Before that, Maria spent 5 years as a Research Associate at the European University Institute’s Florence School of Regulation Gas Area. She has focused mainly on the policy and regulatory instruments to address methane emissions, the decarbonisation of the EU gas market and the role of low-carbon hydrogen and biogas/biomethane.

Maria started her professional career in the Polish Ministry of the Environment, where she was actively involved in preparations to and proceedings of the COP19/CMP9, as a member of the Polish Presidency Team.

Zoltán Rahóty

Director of Structured Gas Trading, LNG and Upstream, MVM CEEnergy

Zoltan graduated from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics with a degree in chemical engineering and later completed his studies in finance with an MBA degree. He has more than 15 years of experience in the domestic and international energy market. He started his career in the natural gas market in 2006 at E.On Trading where he primarily took a leading role in the development of long-term energy supply agreements and regional gas supply models. Currently, as Director of Structured Gas Trading, LNG and Upstream at MVM CEEnergy, he is primarily responsible for regional alternative pipeline sourcing options, as well as for the development and management of the regional LNG and Upstream business divisions.

Tamás Pletser

EMEA Oil & Gas Analyst, Erste Group

Tamas Pletser is Erste Group’s Oil&Gas Equity Analyst covering EMEA stock markets. Pletser prepares research papers for Erste institutional and retail equity investors and help to select oil&gas investments as a sell-side analyst. The covered equities include PGNiG, PKN Orlen and Lotos Group from Poland, OMV from Austria, Romgaz and OMV Petrom from Romania, NIS from Serbia, Tupras, Petkim and Aygaz from Turkey. Pletser had started oil&gas research since 2000. He is also a CFA charterholder since 2002. Besides his main activities, he regularly writes, speaks and writes interviews about the European oil and gas markets and the development of the global crude oil prices.

Claudia Patricolo

Editor-in-chief, CEENERGYNEWS

Claudia Patricolo is the Editor-in-chief of CEENERGYNEWS, the only English-speaking news portal entirely dedicated to the energy industry in Central and Eastern Europe. Trained as a journalist in Italy, she worked for different media outlets covering foreign policy, business, investments and macro-economy. After starting her career in Rome she moved to Paris, where she worked at Le Monde. Now she lives in Budapest from where she covered the CEE region as Deputy Editor of Emerging Europe, UK-based news, intelligence and community platform. Her areas of expertise include energy, climate change and business in CEE.