Marie Hayden
Marie Hayden is Managing Director of Grid Enhancing Technologies Ltd.
Her 30-year energy industry experience includes leadership roles with EirGrid, Smart Wires, and MetOx International.
At Smart Wires Marie led Business Development activities in Europe and Australia, before joining the executive team as Chief Engineer. In 2023 Marie set up Grid Enhancing Technologies and joined the MetOx International team advising on Global Business Development.
Marie has a Master’s degree in engineering management from UCD and is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers of Ireland.
John Byrne
Over the last 3 years, John has been leading ESB's UK and Ireland ecars Business and Infrastructure Roll Out.
ESB ecars has over 2,000 publicly available charge points and in excess of 150k customers across the UK and Ireland.
Prior to that, he was the Head of Smart Metering at ESB Networks (Irish DSO) and was a driving force in revolutionising Ireland's energy landscape.
His commitment to innovation led to the successful implementation of a robust, national smart metering solution, empowering Irish electricity customers.
Before Smart Metering, John served as the Smart Grid Manager at ESB Networks from 2013 to 2015. He secured national and EU funding for innovative R&D programs, positioning ESB Networks and Ireland as leaders in smart grid technology.
His efforts transformed traditional power networks into proactive smart systems. John's leadership in smart metering and grid management has made him a key figure in the energy sector. His influence continues to shape the future of energy in Ireland and beyond.
John's keynote speech is highly anticipated for its insights into the challenges in Europe regarding grid connections and capacity to support EV roll-outs.
Professor Xiao-Ping Zhang
Professor Zhang is currently Chair in Electrical Power Systems, Director of Smart Grid, Birmingham Energy Institute at the University of Birmingham, UK.
He co-authored books including the monograph “Flexible AC Transmission Systems: Modelling and Control” by Springer and “Restructured Electric Power Systems: Analysis of Electricity Markets with Equilibrium Models” by IEEE Press/Wiley. Prof Zhang is an IEEE PES Distinguished Lecturer on HVDC, FACTS and Renewable Energy Generation.
Professor Zhang has been made an IEEE Fellow for his contributions to “modelling and control of high-voltage DC and AC transmission systems.”
He is also a Fellow of IET, a member of CIGRE and Chartered Engineer. Professor Zhang has been appointed to the Expert Advisory Group of UK Government’s Offshore Transmission Network Review since 2020.
He has been appointed to Senior Editor of IEEE Open Access Journal of Power and Energy since Nov 2023.Prof Zhang is the academic chair for the 2024 IET conference on Renewable Power Generation and Future Power Systems conference to be held in Birmingham, 3 - 6 Dec 2024.
Mark Bygraves
Mark brings over 30 years’ experience in the energy sector in a career as Lawyer, Director of M&A, Investment Banker, Commercial Director and CEO.
Previously, he was Chief Executive of Elexon, the Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) company responsible for managing and operating the rules of the electricity wholesale market in Great Britain.
Amongst his current roles, he is a director of Sitigrid (www.sitigrid.com), a start-up establishing local electricity markets for P2P matching of generators to customers, creating enhanced value for both.
Hamdi Shishtawi
Hamdi is is part of the European Accenture’s Strategy practice. He has over 9 years’ experience working in strategy, development, and delivery of technology for electric utilities across four continents.
Hamdi’s industry interest lies in leveraging technology to economically accelerate the realisation of Net Zero, decarbonisation, and the “whole energy system” aspirations.
Hamdi is published in the sustainable electricity space with focus on grid optimisation, voltage control, reverse power flow effects on grid assets and the viable technology-based solutions, and recently on dynamic network reconfiguration to maximise asset utilisation via dynamic switching and dynamic impedance alteration in real time.
Hamdi has a BSc in electrical engineering, an MSc in sustainable electrical power and an MBA degree.
Martin Ansell
Martin is a seasoned international executive who has worked in the Energy industry for over 35 years. His experience spans from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies where he has guided the successful delivery of M&A activity, complex projects and innovation programmes.
At ALSTOM T&D, Martin was responsible for the business development of its T&D Protection and Automation activity and then went on to lead its UK activities in HVDC/Power Electronics, HV Switchgear and Substation Projects.
At GE Energy, he served as a member of its global T&D executive driving growth in the EMEA region and then, as an Executive of GE's Smart Grid leadership team, was responsible for the strategy and success of its global Asset Management & Optimisation software business.
Today, Martin advises clients in the Power Systems industry, is a member of CIGRE UK’s Steering Committee and holds a number of Non-Executive Board roles. Martin has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, has professional membership of the IET and the IEEE and is a Distinguished Member of CIGRE.
Patrick Calnan
Patrick Calnan is Managing Director of Reasire, a company that has a vision of a world powered by sustainable infrastructure.
The company is underpinned by 3 main pillars- analytics, commercial understanding of markets and unparalleled development experience. These pillars are based on his experience in the sector. Patrick has worked across all facets of the energy industry, but has predominately focused on renewables.
He was a Project Manager for early-stage wind projects. He has led teams on the commercial side of CCGTs with Whitegate power station coming to market.
When Brookfield Renewable came to Europe with the purchase of the Bord Gais portfolio he established the Power Marketing team which traded the assets in Ireland, established a retail book via PPA execution and managed the wider revenue portfolio.
He subsequently joined Orsted where he established and delivered on the company's entry strategy for offshore in Ireland.
Greg Dujon
Greg Dujon is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in the energy sector, including a significant 15-year tenure at Siemens. His career has been defined by leadership roles in global business development, M&A, and management consulting, with a specialised focus on smart technologies and electricity network transformation.
Greg’s journey in the industry led him to spearhead a pioneering initiative to develop a Net Zero capital investment plan for Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, a significant contributor to the UK’s energy consumption. His deep understanding of the energy landscape is complemented by a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.
Currently, Greg’s primary focus as CEO revolves around leveraging his industry knowledge and strategic acumen to drive Third Equation’s mission. He is committed to identifying and executing opportunities that align with our dedication to solving the challenges of a zero carbon power landscape.
