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Roundtable Members

Roundtable Members

Catherine Vandenborre

Elia Group CEO a.i.

Stefan Kapferer

CEO 50Hertz and Chair of REEF

Elia Group is the parent company of the Belgian TSO Elia and the German 50Hertz. Their REEF-representatives are Catherine Vandenborre, CEO a.i. Elia Group, and Stefan Kapferer, CEO 50Hertz. Stefan Kapferer is chair of REEF since September 2024.

Thomas Egebo

CEO of Energinet

Energinet owns, operates and develops the Danish electricity transmission network for electricity and gas. Their core mission is ensuring security of supply so that consumers always have power in their socket.

Philippe Piron

President & CEO, GE Grid Solutions

GE equips utilities and industries with connection solutions for electricity from generation to final consumption. Their REEF-representative is Philippe Piron, President & CEO, GE Grid Solutions.

Andreas Schierenbeck

CEO, Hitachi EnergY

Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader. Headquartered in Switzerland, they serve utility, industry and infrastructure customers across the value chain. Their REEF representative is Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO.

Ana Paula De Jesus Assis

Chair and General Manager IBM Europe, Middle East & Africa

Luq Niazi

IBM CONSULTING GLOBAL MANAGING PARTNER, INDUSTRIES

IBM Europe delivers technology and innovation solutions for cloud, analytics, mobile, social and security purposes including servers, mainframes and supercomputers. Their REEF-Representatives are Chair and General Manager Ana Paula De Jesus Assis and IBM’s Consulting Global Managing Partner Industries, Luq Niazi.

Ben Wilson

President, National Grid VENTURES

National Grid maintains the electricity and gas networks of the UK and works to decarbonise the energy system. Their REEF-representative is Ben Wilson, President.

Christian Bruch

CEO, Siemens Energy

Tim Holt

Member of the Executive Board and Labour Director at Siemens Energy

Siemens Energy is one of the world’s leading energy technology companies, working with its customers and partners on the energy systems of the future and helping them transition to a more sustainable world. Their REEF-representatives are Christian Bruch, President and CEO as well as Tim Holt, Member of the Executive Board and Labour Director at Siemens Energy.

Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal

CEO, Statkraft

Statkraft is a major Norwegian utility and the largest generator of renewable energy in Europe. Their REEF-representative is Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal, CEO.

Elisabeth Vike Vardheim

CEO, Statnett

Statnett is the system operator of the Norwegian power system, owning and operating the transmission grid, providing reliable and sustainable power supply at all times. Their REEF representative is Elisabeth Vike Vardheim, CEO.

Manon van Beek

CEO, Tennet

Tennet is the first cross-border TSO in Europe and is operating and expanding the Dutch and large parts of the German electricity grid. Their REEF-representative is Manon van Beek, CEO.

Gerhard Christiner

CTO, Austrian Power Grid (APG)

Austrian Power Grid (APG) operates the Austrian transmission grid and coordinates and controls the cross-border flow of electricity. Their REEF-representative is Gerhard Christiner, CTO.

Internal Rules

Internal Rules

The Roundtable of European Energy Industrialists (hereafter: Roundtable) supports the development of an integrated energy market for electricity in Europe by developing, where necessary, the network of interconnectors and appropriate market mechanisms and the maximum integration of renewable sources of energy.

The main aim of the Roundtable is to provide a forum for the leaders of its member companies (coming from European energy producers and transmission and distribution system operators as well as technology providers) to share experiences, and to reach out to other stakeholders sharing the same visions for a more integrated and energy efficient Europe. At the same time the Roundtable recognises the existing regulatory framework and other applicable legal restrictions.

The Roundtable is registered in the European Transparency Register. The Roundtable will apply best practices in transparency in its activities and will not work on issues relating to market sharing or price fixing.

The Roundtable consists of companies producing and/or distributing or transporting electrical energy and/or energy technology providers in Europe.

Its main activities and statutory aims are:

  • To examine all issues relating to the European energy policy, in particular from the point of view of production, transmission and distribution of electrical energy as well as provision of energy technologies;
  • To analyse problems in relation to such issues and, where appropriate, to propose solutions;
  • To exchange views with the EU institutions, and other stakeholders in order to discuss these issues and present possible solutions;
  • To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and best practices for improving Europe’s energy market.

The Roundtable carries out its aim by, in particular, developing policy positions, responding to queries from the EU institutions, holding regular public meetings and meetings of expert committees and participating in events organised by the EU institutions.

Member companies shall abstain from exchanging views, opinions and information on business practices and commercial strategies of their companies that can be relevant from competition perspective.

Roundtable of CEOs 

The Roundtable of CEOs is responsible for defining the general policy orientations and for deciding on all major strategic and financial matters. It shall direct all activities of the Roundtable through the elaboration and the monitoring of the implementation of an annual work programme defining priorities of the Roundtable, meetings, chairmanship and relevant guests as well as budget.

The Roundtable of CEOs shall consist of one authorised person per member company, in capacity of (i) the CEO, (ii) a member of the board or (iii) any holder of a proxy granted by a member company to represent it at the Roundtable meetings.

It is anticipated that the Roundtable of CEOs shall meet at least twice a year. Each member company shall be present at these meetings or provide for a valid excuse. Unrepresented member companies should be duly informed about all decisions taken during a meeting.

All decisions are to be agreed by mutual consent.

Chairperson

The Roundtable of CEOs shall be headed by one elected representative (Chairperson). The Chairperson is appointed among the CEOs of the member companies. The Chairmanship shall rotate every 12-18 months among member companies based on a two-year rotation list to be agreed unanimously by the Roundtable.

The Chairperson is responsible – with the support of the Secretary and Secretariat – for the overall planning and strategy relating to the preparation of the Roundtable meetings, including its agenda setting and moderation. The Chairperson represents the Roundtable externally, first and foremost, in high-level preparatory meetings with third parties invited to a Roundtable meeting (e.g. European Commission).

The Chairperson also oversees the Support Group and liaises with the Secretariat on all activities on behalf of the Roundtable.

The Support Group

The Support Group consists of one representative (the Sherpa) per each member company, appointed by the management of the respective companies.

The responsibilities of the Support Group are to develop political statements and policy positions to be approved by the Roundtable of CEOs and to support the implementation of the annual work programme.

The Support Group shall meet on a regular basis and at least four times per year in order to assist in preparing the Roundtable of CEOs.

Secretariat

The day-to-day management of the Roundtable is entrusted to the Secretary of the Roundtable. Currently Tor Eigil Hodne of Statnett serves as the Secretary. The appointment of the Secretary lies with the Roundtable of CEOs. The Secretary shall be supported by his local organisation in Brussels (the “Secretariat”).

The Secretariat is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Roundtable under the strategic framework set by the annual work programme.

In particular, the Secretariat shall be responsible for:

  • Organising, together with the Chairperson, the meetings of the Roundtable, the meetings of the Support Group and other events;
  • Preparing the draft annual Work Programme to be submitted to the Roundtable of CEOs for approval;
  • Preparing the annual budget and the annual membership fees, to be submitted to the Roundtable of CEOs for approval;
  • The implementation of the decisions adopted by the Roundtable of CEOs.

 

Application procedure 

Candidates for membership must submit an application in writing to the Chairperson of the Roundtable. The decisions regarding the admission of members or any change of membership status shall be taken by the Roundtable of CEOs.

Eligibility criteria 

Candidates for Membership must fulfil the following criteria:

  1. They must be the owner or operator of electricity production or infrastructure, have a national network management responsibility or provide energy technology;
  2. The registered offices of these entities and their main activities must be within the territory of the EU and the European Economic Area;
  3. They must have electricity as their core business.

Membership Fees 

The Roundtable’s financial resources shall consist of membership fees paid by the member companies of the Roundtable in accordance with these internal rules.

All member companies shall pay an annual membership fee based on calculation rules determined by the Roundtable of CEOs.

Any company admitted as a new member of the Roundtable in the course of a financial year shall qualify for a pro rata reduction of its fees according to the date of admission to the Roundtable.

Resignation and Discharge

In case of resignation, a member company should notify the Roundtable of CEOs of its decision with a six months notice.

A member company may have its membership discharged by decision of the Roundtable of CEOs for one of the following reasons:

  1. The membership conditions are no longer met;
  2. Infringement of the internal rules;
  3. Failure to pay membership fees or fees relating to projects which are outside of the budget and agreed by the Roundtable of CEOs, owed to the Roundtable for a period of more than six months.

When discharged by decision of the Roundtable of CEOs, a member company shall be deprived of its voting rights but shall be entitled to present its view, if it so desires.