Digital Ambassadors

Filip Koprčina is the founder of Energy Shift, a blockchain powered platform that enables citizens to jointly invest in and co-own solar farms. He has previously worked in a solar installation company, as well as advised Big Oil companies and the UN, and won the EUSEW Young Energy Trailblazer Award in 2021.

— Invest in the change you want to see in the world, because Shift Happens!

Ann Mettler works with European partners at Breakthrough Energy to accelerate clean tech innovation in the pursuit of net-zero emissions. Previously, she served as Director-General at the European Commission where she ran the internal strategy department, reporting directly to the President.

— Achieving greater energy autonomy and a decarbonised economy means Europe must invest and massively deploy the next frontier of clean energy technologies as a matter of urgency.

Dorthe Nielsen is executive director at Eurocities, the network of more than 200 larger European cities. Leading on strategy development and implementation, she coordinates the political positioning of the network to the EU and works for a greater recognition of the role of cities at EU level in the green, digital, and just transformation. She holds a seat at the European Commission’s Fit for Future Platform and is member of the board of the Institute for European Environmental Policy. Before joining Eurocities in 2011, she worked for the Greater London Authority (EU office) and in the Secretariat General of the European Commission. She holds two Master degrees from the College of Europe (BE) in European Politics and from the University of Roskilde (DK) in Public Administration as well as a certification in international strategic foresight and management.

Psychiatrist and explorer, Bertrand Piccard made history by accomplishing two aeronautical firsts – flying around the world non-stop in a balloon, and more recently in a solar-powered airplane plane without fuel. Pioneer in his way to consider ecology through the lens of profitability, he began working in the early 2000s to promote renewable energies and clean technologies. As Chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, he has succeeded in his mission to select 1000 profitable solutions to protect the environment and support clean growth.

— I wanted to go looking for new ideas blowing in the wind, to try and function better on earth as a doctor and a human being.

Julian Popov is Fellow of the European Climate Foundation, Chairman of the Building Performance Institute Europe and Former Minister of Environment of Bulgaria. He was the Goodwill Bulgarian Ambassador for energy and climate policy, and energy security adviser to the President of Bulgaria.

— Accelerated digitalisation of the energy system is key for our energy security and climate goals.

Ivana Rogulj uses her interdisciplinary background and diverse experience to focus on the multiple benefits of energy transition. She works for more than fifteen years in energy efficiency, currently leading IEECP’s work with companies. IEECP is an EU wide energy policy think tank, implementing more than 30 sustainability projects.

— To enable the energy transition, we need more cooperation: bottom-up, top-down, inter-governmentally, between stakeholders, and between sectors.

Louise Sunderland's work focusses on demand side energy policies and energy justice. She has worked on energy efficiency and sustainability in the energy and buildings sectors for 15 years. Before moving into the energy field, she spent her early career working in international development.

— We know what our sustainable energy future looks like technologically, now we have to work hard on guaranteeing the process of getting there is fair and benefits the poorest most.

Rafał Trzaskowski is the Mayor of Warsaw since 2018. He is a member of the European Committee of Regions. In 2020 Rafał Trzaskowski was the Civic Platform’s candidate for the Presidency of Poland. Former Minister, Member of Parliament, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the European People’s Party.

— Local governments are in the forefront of the green transformation, we deliver concrete results on the ground for our citizens, we make things happen!

Diana Ürge-Vorsatz is a Professor at the Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy at the Central European University (CEU). She was elected as Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in July 2023. In the Sixth Assessment cycle she served as Vice-Chair of IPCC’s Working Group III. (Mitigation). She was a Coordinating Lead Author in both the Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports (AR4 and AR5) of the IPCC. She is Vice President of the Hungarian Scientific Panel on Climate Change. She holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and UCLA and worked in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

— "The most sustainable energy, and material, is the energy, and material we never needed."