Speakers

Alda Ozola has served as Chair of the Board of the Public Utilities Commission of Latvia since July 2021. As the chair of a multi-sector regulator, she focuses on dynamic, forward-looking regulation that supports the energy transition towards climate neutrality. Prior to joining the regulator, she served as Deputy State Secretary at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (2013–2021), overseeing climate policy, sustainability, environmental protection, and biodiversity. Her career also includes leading several environmental NGOs in Latvia, international work, and serving on the board of the state-owned Latvian Environmental Investment Fund. Since November 2022, Alda Ozola has been a Vice President of the Council of European Energy Regulators and, since April 2023, a member of the Presidium of the Energy Regulators Regional Association. In 2026, she will join the Bureau of the Network of Economic Regulators at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, further strengthening her role in Europe’s regulatory and energy policy landscape.

Burkhard von Kienitz is an experienced energy expert. He manages COO processes at the Headquarter of E.ON SE and works directly for the CEO, Dr. Leo Birnbaum. He gives lectures at the Technical University of Munich, holds mandates in national and international organizations and is supervisory Board Member of several international Companies. Burkhard has worked in various countries and functions in the energy sector over the past decades. He is Board Member of United Europe and an Officer at the World Energy Council (WEC). At WEC he is Chair for regional initiatives and member in the studies and the finance committee.

Eamonn Lannoye is Director of Research & Development at EPRI Europe. Based in Dublin, he leads initiatives in Transmission Operations & Planning focused on grid flexibility, reliability, and system planning. His recent work focuses on data center grid integration, artificial intelligence and industry dialogues on lessons from the Iberian system event, turning research into actionable guidance for operators and policymakers. He has a PhD from University College Dublin and an MBA from Imperial College London.

Gundars Bērziņš is rector and professor of the University of Latvia, he has a PhD in Management Sciences (Dr. sc. admin.). He is also a leading researcher at the University of Latvia and a full member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, as well as Chairman of the Productivity Board of Latvia. Bērziņš started his work at LU in 2000 as a lecturer at the Faculty of Business, Management and Economics (FBME), and in 2003 he also became the executive director of the faculty. Later, from 2008 to 2010, he worked as the director of the Finance and Accounting Department of the LU. In 2010, he became the chancellor of the University of Latvia, but in 2014 he started a successive path to the academic position of professor, which he obtained in 2018. Bērziņš was the dean of LU FBME from 2016 until March 2024. From 2019 to 2021, he was also the chairman of the council of AS "Olainfarm". Gundars Bērziņš has also been a adviser to the President of Latvia and an expert of the Parlament (Saeima).

Jörg-Andreas Krüger, president of NABU (The Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union) – Germany’s oldest and largest environmental association. With more than 960,000 members and 70,000 active volunteers, NABU works tirelessly to protect species, habitats and climate, at home and worldwide. NABU is the German partner of BirdLife International. Jörg-Andreas Krüger is an experienced leader in nature conservation and environmental policy with over 25 years of expertise in biodiversity, ecological footprint management, and sustainable development. He had different strategic leadership roles at major environmental organizations, including NABU and WWF Germany. Furthermore, he has a strong background in landscape architecture and long-standing commitment to conservation since early youth.

Mr. Kaspars Melnis is the minister for Climate and Energy of the Republic of Latvia. Mr. Kaspars Melnis is a politician with extensive experience in local politics - he was a member of the Rezekne Municipality Council and member of the 14th Saeima, representing the political party “Union of Greens and Farmers”. The Minister was a board member of the Latvian Farmers' Union and the Cooperation Council of Farmers' Organizations, as well as chairman of the board of the Association of Livestock Farms, etc. Currently, as the Minister of Climate and Energy of the Republic of Latvia, he has clearly set a main goal - stabilisation for energy prices, as well as energy independence and security.

Mārtiņš Čakste has been the Chairman of the Management Board of Latvenergo AS, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Member of the Board of Directors at Eurelectric, Vice President of the Latvian National Committee of the World Energy Council since 2021. M. Čakste holds a PhD in Business Administration from Riga Technical University (RTU) (2007) and a Master’s degree in Engineering Economics from Rīga Technical university (RTU,1999). Latvenergo Group is currently working hard to achieve very high and ambitious targets in green energy production, delivering results that are strategically important both for the development of the Latvian state and for energy security.

Dr. Michael W. Howard is committed to advancing a sustainable and equitable energy future. With more than 40 years of global leadership in the electric utility industry, he combines deep technical expertise with business insight, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He served for a decade as CEO of EPRI, a $500 million global research organization driving innovations in nuclear power, renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicles to ensure reliable and affordable electricity. Earlier in his career, he worked at Westinghouse, co-founded a technology start-up, and led a power electronics company later acquired by EPRI. Dr. Howard holds degrees in electrical engineering and business from the University of Tennessee and the University of Pittsburgh and earned a Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Tennessee,where his research focused on artificial intelligence. He has also taught graduate courses and worked with private capital firms supporting mid-stage technology companies. Today, Dr. Howard is chair emeritus of the World Energy Council and serves on three energy-technology boards and advisory councils, including Carnegie Mellon’s Scott Institute. A regular contributor to U.S. National Academies studies on electricity, he was honored with the Distinguished Energy Award and remains active in global energy leadership through the IEEE and the American Nuclear Society.

With over 25 years of experience in EU affairs, Mihails Kozlovs career spans national and international administration, diplomacy, international financial and audit organisations. He worked in the intersection of economic, financial and fiscal policies and contributed to Latvia’s EU and euro area accession and its successful presidency of the Council of the EU. As a Member of the European Court of Auditors since 2016, he has led audits on key EU policy areas and served as Dean of Chamber IV (2021–2025), overseeing audit work on artificial intelligence, foreign investment screening, electricity market integration, state aid control, EU space assets, and ethical frameworks. Currently, he leads audits on the Recovery and Resilience Facility & REPowerEU, restrictive trade measures, and ECB supervisory tools, with upcoming audits on the European Innovation Council and the European Institute of Technology. He holds a postgraduate diploma in Audit of Public Organisations and Policies (Université de Lorraine), an Executive MBA with distinction (Cass/Bayes Business School), and degrees in social sciences from the University of Latvia and Riga Technical University.

Since 2005, Olga Bogdanova has been working for the governmental sector. Her current position at the Ministry of Climate and Energy of Latvia is Deputy State Secretary for International Affairs and Climate Policy. Olga Bogdanova is the president of World Energy Council Member Committee Latvia. She is a Chair of the Supervisory board of the Power Transmission System operator of Latvia AS “Augstsprieguma tīkls” holding the controlling stock of the Latvian gas transmission and storage system operator. She is a member of the Studies Committee at the World energy Council, an alumni of the World energy Council Future Energy Leadership Program (2018-2022), and an active expert at the World Energy Council. Olga Bogdanova has Doctor Degree in Economics. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Latvia, Faculty of Business Management and Economics and an expert of the Latvian Scientific Council in economics. Dr.oec. Bogdanova is co-author of 4 scientific monographs and author of more than 40 scientific publications focused on the challenges in the energy field, regional cooperation issues and economic development.

Reinhold Schneider is the CEO of SCHWENK Northern Europe and Chairperson of the Management Board of SCHWENK Latvija, based in Riga. He joined the SCHWENK Latvija and Northern Europe team at the company’s launch in the region in June 2019. He has more than 30 years of professional experience in the European building materials production sector and holds an Engineering degree in Physics from Munich University. He is fluent in German and English. In addition to his corporate roles, he currently serves as President of the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce (AHK) and as Chairperson of the Foreign Investors’ Council in Latvia (FICIL).

Renate is a seasoned technology leader with over 25 years of experience in the IT industry and management consulting. Currently, she serves as the National Technology Officer for the Central Europe and Central Asia region, where she supports customers in their AI transformation journey. Before joining Microsoft in 2016, Renate was an Executive Director at EY Management Advisory. Since 2021, she has been an independent supervisory board member of Swedbank Latvia. Renate is also an active mentor for women in tech and holds a Doctorate in Engineering from the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology at the Riga Technical University, as well as a master’s degree in management from the University of Latvia. Additionally, she has a background as a leading researcher at the Riga Technical University Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology. Over the years, she has served as a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Latvia and the Latvian Information and Communications Technology Association.