Announcing the Mentors of the Energising Women to Advance the Energy Transition Mentoring Programme

GWNET is excited to share the selected mentors for the Energising Women to Advance the Energy Transition Mentoring Programme, launched in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), across select countries under the German bilateral energy partnerships.

Each of these mentors is a senior professional committed to making a difference and having a positive impact on a younger woman’s career in the energy sector. We are proud to have them as part of this program.

The mentors include:

Mentors for Algeria

• Asal Ibrahim: Regional Growth & Innovation Lead, Energy Systems at DNV, UAE
• Berit Müller: Manager at DGS – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sonnenenergie Landesverband Berlin Brandenburg e.V., Germany
• Nathalie Cliquot: Project Manager at CINEA – European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, France
• Noara Kebir: Founder, Managing Director and Partner at MicroEnergy International, Germany
• Nicole Vermeulen: Supply Chain Manager Green & Industrial hydrogen at Shell, Holland
• Yamina Saheb: Lead Author at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, France
• Awatef Miraoui: Trainer at UNIDO, Tunisia
• Karima Bergheul: Electrical Engineer at Autorité de Régulation des Hydrocarbures, Algeria
• Benoit Lebot: Senior Policy Advisor at the Ministère de la Transition Ecologique et Solidaire, France
• Gelem Lluberes: Head of Generation Service Agreements Implementation Europe, Africa & Asia at Siemens Energy, Dominican Republic
• Vickie Healey: Board Member at the Global Women’s Network in the Energy Transition, USA
• Fadhila Kebir: Director at the Ministère de L’énergie, Algeria

Mentors for Brazil

• Luisa Valentim Barros: Energy and ESG Director at Scala Data Centers, Brazil
• Leah Jara: Senior Legal Counsel at Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority
• María Isabel Roldán Serrano: Techno-economic Analysis and System Modelling at German Aerospace Center (DLR), Granada
• Margaret Groff: Regional Leader of the Women of Brazil Group at Women of Brazil Group, Brazil
• Lylian Coelho Ferreira: Development Director at AgroParisTech-SUEZ “Water For All” Chair at SUEZ, Brazil
• Karla G. Cedano Villavivencio: Head of Technology Management at Instituto de Energías Renovables – UNAM, Mexico
• Dorottya Kriechbaumer: Project Manager at German Aerospace Center (DLR), Hungary
• Leonardo Beltran: Board Member at SEforALL and Fundacion Por Mexico, Mexico
• Ana-Maria Diez-Suarez: Professor at the University of León, Spain
• María Mercedes Vanegas Cantarero: Lecturer at the Europa-Universität Flensburg, Nicaragua
• Paula Mints: Founder and Chief Market Research Analyst at SPV Market Research, USA

Mentors for Chile

• Balini Ketheeswraan: Key Account Manager – Connected Vehicle Systems at Molex, Germany
• Amanda Niklaus: PPA Transaction Manager at Pexapark – The Renewables Platform, Switzerland
• Emma Baz: Geothermal Energy Consultant at Inter-American Development Bank, Spain
• Suzy Gasparini: Communications Consultant at SG Comunicação e Conteúdo, Brazil
• Ariana Ramos: Postdoctoral Research Associate at Vlerick Business School, Honduras
• Sylvia Herzog: Director at The Charcoal Project, USA
• Iliyana Arnaudova: Clean Energy Finance Manager at C40 Cities, Bulgaria
• Paula de la Fuente: Head of commercial and Business Development at TRACTEBEL, Chile
• Ellen Bomasang: Specialist Leader at Deloitte, USA
• Maria Locarnini: Commercial Director South Cone, Grid Solutions at GE Renewables, Argentina

Mentors for China

• Krishnan Rajagopalan: Head Global BD and Proposals – Hybrid Energy & Storage Solutions at Sterling and Wilson Pvt Ltd, India
• Hanne May: Head of Communications at the Germany Energy Agency (dena), Germany
• Judith Joan Walker: COO at African Clean Energy, Holland
• Judith Raphael: Programme Director GET FiT Zambia at Multiconsult, South Africa
• Smita Chandiwala: Founder at Energe-se, India
• Betty Chan-Massey: Global VP of Commercial Sales Operations at KORE Power, USA
• Nidhi Gupta: Associate Director at Environmental Design Solutions, India
• Ghada Darwish: Country Head – Gruppo Maccaferri at SECI Energia, Egypt
• Karla Solis: Programme Officer at UNFCCC, Peru
• Sandra Retzer: Director Funding Programs at GIZ, Germany
• Arthouros Zervos: Chair at REN21, Greece

Mentors for Ethiopia

• Muluken Zegeye Getie: Lecturer at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia
• Daphne Pit: Founder at Pit Pure Power, Holland
• Filagot Tesfaye: Founder at On Energy Consult and President at EWiEn- Ethiopian Women in Energy, Ethiopia
• Vasmijahan Hasanova: HR Management & OD Consultant, Azerbaijan
• Oyin T Alabi: Climate Ambassador at Climate Interactive, Nigeria
• Ncobile Nkosi: Lecturer at North West University, South Africa
• Katharina Habersbrunner: Management Renewable Energy and Climate Protection at WECF, Germany
• Manjushree Banerjee: Freelance Contributor at Observer Research Foundation, India
• Ruse Moleshe: Founder and Managing Director at Energy Solutions Consulting, South Africa
• Sarah McCormack: Associate Professor at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
• Sonal Adlakha: Energy Access & Distributed Renewable Energy Consultant and Certified Empowered Entrepreneurship Trainer, India
• Tigabu Atalo: Energy Program Ethiopia, EPE, under EnDev Project as a Policy Advisor and Service Line Lead, GIZ-Ethiopia office

Mentors for India

• Indira Shakya: Program Manager at Centre for Appropriate Rural Technology, Nepal
• Georgeta Auktor: Research Fellow at the German Development Institute, Romania
• Priya Selvaraj: General Manager, PV Technology and Energy Storage, Strategy and New Business at Siemens Gamesa, India
• Rahul Agnihotri: Coordinator, District Energy in Cities Initiative in South Asia at UN Environment Programme, India
• Tania H. Rödiger-Vorwerk: Director Private Sector, Trade, Employment and Digital Technologies at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany
• Susan Mwaniki: Finance Planning and Analysis Manager at PowerGen Renewable Energy, Kenya
• Bindu Madhavi Polumahanti: Manager – Policy & Regulatory, IESA at Customized Energy Solutions, India
• Heloísa Guedes Mendonça: Industrial PhD researcher at Vestas, Brazil
• Kajol: Manager, Energy at WRI India, India
• Usha Khatiwada: Chief Executive Officer at NRN Infrastructure & Development Limited, Nepal

Mentors for Jordan

• Malak Alnory: Advisor at the Ministry of Energy, Saudi Arabia
• Corina Radu: Founder/ Sustainability Consultant & Coach/ B Corp Leader at Solutions4Impact, Romania
• Sunyoung Suh: Cleantech Innovation Expert at UNIDO, South Korea
• Farah Dawoud: Head of Landfills and Transfer Stations Section at the Ministry of Local Administration, Jordan
• Sara Elhag: Senior Sustainable Energy Expert – Head of SE Projects’ Implementation Unit at the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), Sudan
• Magdalena Teufner: Managing Partner – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, at kleinkraft, Austria
• Ashraf Kraidy: Director, Planning and Technical Projects at Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), Syria
• Imen Karoui: Head of the Regional Development Unit in Sfax at Tunisian Post, Tunisia
• Sofia Gonçalves: Smart Grid & Energy Storage Project Manager at EIT InnoEnergy, Portugal
• Jacqueline Musiitwa: Research Associate at University of Oxford, Uganda
• Nameerah Hameed: Founder and Chair at Women in Energy Pakistan, Pakistan

Mentors for Mexico

• Liliana Campos: Head of Project Energy Efficient Refurbishment of Social Housing at GIZ, Mexico
• Laura Williamson: Membership & Institutional Partnerships at REN21, USA
• Elena Martinez: Project Manager – Generation International at Alpiq, Spain
• Kira Potowski: Director Innovation & Sustainability, Network of German Chambers Worldwide at DIHK, Germany
• Dana Dunel-Stancu: Head of Energy and Sustainability at Biris Goran Law Firm and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Expert, Romania
• Patricia Labra: Network Planning Engineer at REE, Spain

Mentors for Morocco

• Nicolas Fichaux: International Renewable Energy Consultant, France
• Alexandra Sombsthay: VP Europe at Akuo Energy, France
• Dana Al-Lweisy: National Project Officer for Sustainable Urbanization and Resource Efficiency (SURE) at UNDP, Jordan
• Sallouha Bouzgarrou: Environmental Training and Capacity Building Manager at Centre International des Technologies de l’environnement de Tunis, Tunisia

Mentors for Saudi Arabia

• Rosa Muehlhoelzer: Head of Business Development – Service at Siemens Energy, Germany
• Barbara Fischer-Aupperle: Founding Partner at the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition, Germany
• Rabia Ferroukhi: Director – Knowledge, Policy and Finance Center at the International Renewable Energy Agency, Algeria/Austria
• Christine Lins: Executive Director at the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition, Austria
• Christiana Hageneder: Senior Project Manager at GIZ, Germany

Mentors for South Africa

• Paballo Vilakazi: Senior Banker: Intermediary and Channel Partnerships at Land Bank, South Africa
• Chandirekera Mutubuki-Makuyana: Country Coordinator at Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN), Zimbabwe
• Elin Ledskog: Head of Market & Sales at Againity, Sweden
• Shqipe Neziri Vela: Lecturer, Energy Policy Studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Kosovo
• Sedef Budak: Founder and President of Turkish Women in Renewables and Energy Network (TWRE), Exclusive Business Partner of Vector Renewables, Turkey
• Chitra Narayanswamy: Consultant – Energy Access, India
• Diana Süsser: Research Associate and project lead of the EU project Sustainable Energy Transition Lab (SENTINEL) at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Germany
• Tripti Ratn: Project Management Consultant at Asian Development Bank, India
• Louise Paulsen: MD Vestas South Africa at Vestas, South Africa

Mentors for Tunisia

• Nawel Khaldi: Doctor-Engineer at Ministère du Transport et de la Logistique, Tunisia
• Rana Ghoneim: Chief, Energy systems and Infrastructure Division at UNIDO, Austria
• Samira Lakhlifi: Training Manager at domaine de l’Efficacité Energétique, Morocco
• Irene Giner-Reichl: Senior Advisor at the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition, Austria
• Rahul Walawakar: Global Lead – Emerging Technologies at Customized Energy Solutions, India
• Tania Faller: Head of Energy and Climate at GIZ, Germany
• Richard Loyen: Executive Director, Enerplan, France
• Mahi Sideridou: Managing Director at Europe Beyond Coal, Greece
• AnnKathrin Rabe: Originator Green Power, Statkraft, Germany
• Christine Lins: Executive Director at the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition, Austria

Become a Mentor – What’s in it for You?

As a mentor, you get the opportunity to give something valuable back to more junior professionals and to expand your own knowledge through the mentees’ perspective.

Mentoring will contribute to personal and professional development for both you and your mentee, as well as, shaping the direction of future generations within your field of expertise. If you are interested in volunteering as a mentor in one of GWNET’s mentoring programmes (which involves approx. 1 – 1.5 hours of engagement per month plus optional participation in knowledge-transfer webinars), kindly fill in our Mentor Datasheet.

Stay tuned for updates on the programme.