Speakers

Vice President of Energy Regulatory Office since 2012, since 2013 – Acting President of ERO.
Maciej Bando graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Warsaw University of Technology. He also completed postgraduate studies in business and management, as well as various courses and trainings in this field. During many years of his professional career he gained experience working in different entities as financial director and Member of the Board responsible for finance and investment. In the years 2002-2009, he was involved in the activities of Polska Grupa Energetyczna, being Vice President of the Board of Pumped-Storage Hydroelectricity Plant (currently PGE Energia Odnawialna) and director of the Investment Bureau of PGE Dystrybucja Warszawa Teren. He is the author of various analyses and reports on energy, he also cooperated as an expert with, among others, CASE group.

Graduate of the Agricultural University in Poznan (1990), scholar of the European Union FH Weihenstephan (1991-1992).
In the years 1994 – 1999 expert and Project Manager carried out under the aid programs PHARE and USAID. He started his career at the Voivodeship Office in Poznań, in the years 1993 – 2005 member of the board and of supervisory boards of commercial law related to the economic consultancy, information technology and the energy industry. Since 2006 he associated with the capital group Asseco, where he is managing the energy and gas sector.
Co-author of a series of studies of the energy market, the development strategy of energy companies, restructuring programs and studies for the development of the energy market. Member of the Steering Committees in several of the largest Polish IT projects implemented for the energy industry. Co-author of the development strategy of Asseco on domestic and foreign markets, he supervises development of Asseco products and their internationalization and globalization.

Jan specializes in consultancy for Polish and foreign companies from the power and production sectors. He focuses on improving efficiency, process optimization and customer support in choosing the optimal investment options. In addition, Jan supports clients on business aspects and business cases in the field of digitalization and automation of production processes.

Anna has 17 years of finance and banking experience, including extensive expertise in structured finance.
Currently Anna is responsible for EBRD activity in Poland with focus on Power, Energy & Utilities as well as Natural Resources business segments. Her responsibilities involve structuring and execution of EBRD’s financings including project finance structures, public-private partnerships and privatisations.
Anna joined EBRD in 2006, and since then she has led numerous financing in different sectors (including also IT, transport, property) with an gradually increasing specialisation in energy and infrastructure. These transactions included wide range of complex debt, equity as well as syndicated deals. Prior to joining EBRD, Anna worked as an equity derivatives risk manager at Barclays Capital in London. Before that she gained experience at AIB in Dublin, HVB in Munich and National Bank of Poland.
Anna holds PhD in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics, MA in Finance from the Warsaw School of Economics, CEMS Masters in International Management.

Expert providing advice to Polish and foreign companies from the power and production sectors. Specializes in determining investment options, improving the efficiency of processes, creating development strategies, cost optimization and restructuring. She leads a team of strategic advisors who support clients in the analysis of technological data, digitalisation and automation of production processes.

Doctor of Technical Sciences in the field of electrical power engineering and energy economics. He has associated his career with the energy sector from the very beginning. At the Energy Regulatory Office since 2004, recently – since 2014 – as the deputy director of the Department of Market Development and Consumer Issues. Civil servant official (since 2007).
Rafał Gawin has experience in supervising energy companies, particularly in the field of financial reporting and audit as well as investment and development.
He has wide experience in international cooperation. Rafał Gawin was an expert of the European Commission for the TAIEX programmes and twin-project in Ukraine, related to the functioning of the electricity market, security of energy supply, the balancing market and congestion management. He was also an expert at Florence School of Regulation on the development and operation of regional electricity markets. He has also repeatedly represented the Energy Regulatory Office on the international forum.
In 2013, he was a national expert with the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) in Lubljana, where as a member of the market monitoring group he worked, inter alia, on the Agency’s report on the assessment of national energy markets, on Regional Initiatives and issues related to unplanned energy flows. He was also responsible for cooperation with national energy regulators.
A lecturer. As an expert in the Energy Law Act Rafał Gawin is an author of publications and studies on the functioning of electricity markets, including the grid access principles, balancing and regional markets. Co-author of i.a. commentary on Polish Energy Law Act (2010 and 2016).
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki appointed Rafał Gawin President of the Energy Regulatory Office on 24th July 2019.

At Instrat Michał is responsible for energy transition and environment, economics of taxation and inequalities. He worked in business associations, transaction advisory firm and in the public sector, in both Poland and Germany. Graduate of Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), he held scholarships at the University of Mainz (DAAD) and at University of St. Gallen (SEMP)

Vice-President of the Board, General Director, Polish Chamber of Energy Storage
An expert in the energy industry with 20 years of professional experience. He gained experience in energy distribution and transmission companies as well as in consulting companies. A longtime publicist in the field of energy market in economic media. A consultant in the field of system solutions in the power industry cooperating with government institutions and the Parliament. The first president and co-founder of the only Polish organization of companies in the field of energy storage technologies (electricity, heat, hydrogen and cold) and electromobility (vehicle charging infrastructure, battery and hydrogen technologies) and energy management in energy clusters.

In his current SAP position, he is responsible for cooperation with Energy & Utility companies and Industry Associations to set and bring new ideas where innovative SAP Technology can help to grow, drive additional value and answer to industry trends. Big enthusiast of Digital Transformation and IoT being also a part of various innovative SAP initiatives focused on Utility value chain. He is also a member of Era-net smart grids plus initiative working group and plays an active role in FutureFlow initiative conducted with four Power Transmission Companies under Horizon 2020. Before joining SAP, he worked for 15 years in big consulting companies conducting several big projects in the area of process & cost optimization, asset management, corporate planning in Utilities & Energy industry.

He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering and Environmental Engineering at the Wrocław University of Technology. He completed postgraduate studies at the Wrocław University of Technology in the field of Management and Marketing and at the Warsaw University of Technology in the field of Gas Engineering. He completed postgraduate studies in Project Management at the Warsaw School of Economics. He is a graduate of the Executive MBA studies organized by the Gdansk Foundation for Management Development in partnership with the Institut d’Administration des Entreprises Aix–Marseille. He has the necessary qualifications to both design and manage works in the field of gas installations and networks alongside with being the owner of the PRINCE2 Practitioner certificate.
He has extensive professional experience in the field of operation of energy facilities. He has been connected with the gas industry for over 25 years. He initially worked as a designer and later as a head of design studio in GAZOPROJKET S.A all while participating in the design of the most important investments in the power industry which included: Transit Gas Pipeline System, gas storage facilities in Mogilno and Wierzchowice, transit gas compressor stations, gas compression station in Hołowczyce, Jeleniów, Krzywa, Kotowo i Załęcze and the biggest gas interchanges alongside with several dozens of gas stations.
After beginning employment in PGNiG S.A. head office he was involved in the most important strategic projects connected with the diversification of gas supply to Poland such as the construction of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście and the Poland -Denmark connection project Baltic Pipe.
In recent years he worked for OSP GAZ-SYSTEM S.A. where he was responsible for the development of the gas transmission system, planning new investment projects and programs, as well as producing multi-annual development plans responding to the needs of the developing gas market in Poland. At the same time, he held the position of Deputy Director of the Gas Dispatch Centre.
He was awarded with the Bronze Cross of Merit and many industry awards. He also holds the title of Mining Chief 2nd Grade and is a member of the Scientific and Technical Association of Technicians and Engineers of the Oil and Gas Industry.
On 1 October 2018 he was appointed as Member of the Management Board of Polska Spółka Gazownictwa and on 21 August 2019 he was appointed as Member of the Management Board of the Polska Spółka Gazownictwa responsible for technical and network maintenance.

Till 2016 she was a senior associate in the Agora Energiewende – international think tank on energy. Earlier she was the director of the department for market development and a managing board member of the Danish Dong Energy. In 2007 – 2011 she was working in the Ministry of Environment. During the Polish EU presidency she was undersecretary of state and represented Poland on the international forum. She led the team which executed the pilot sale of the Kyoto protocol’s AAUs to the Spanish and Irish governments which gave more than 500 mln PLN for low-emissions investments. She contributed to the climate negotiations – especially the preparation of the UN COP14 climate summit in Poznań, Poland. Author and co-author of number of energy focused publications and strategies. Holder of a number of scholarship programs for research and support of young professionals. She was a student and an employee of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and of the Potsdam University. PhD in impact assessment of investment projects.

He graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. He gained professional experience in law firms in Warsaw.
In 2014, he was elected the youngest councillor of the Mokotów District of the Capital City of Warsaw. In the years 2014–2018 he was a member of the Committee on Spatial Order and Environmental Protection, the Committee on Statute and Local Affairs, as well as the Committee on Health, Social Welfare and Family.
From the beginning of his public activity, he has been involved in local government activities in the field of combating environmental pollution. In 2018, he coordinated the work of the team creating the program on combating air pollution and municipal waste management.
Since 2018, he has been a councillor of the Capital City of Warsaw. He is a member of several committees, including the Committee on Environmental Protection, Committee on Complaints and Motions and the Committee on Audit in the Council of the Capital City of Warsaw.
In 2015-2018 he worked as an advisor in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister in the governments of Beata Szydło and Mateusz Morawiecki. In 2018, he was appointed by the Prime Minister as a representative of the Minister of Justice in the Central Council for Social Readaptation and Assistance to Convicts.
In the parliamentary elections of 2019, he was elected a deputy to the Sejm of the Republic of Poland of the 9th term.  He is a member of the parliamentary committee on Justice and Human Rights and Legislative Committee.

Mr. Tomasz ROGALA President of Euracoal (European Association for Coal and Lignite) and Chairman of the Board at Polska Grupa Górnicza SA (PGG – Polish Mining Group), the largest hard coal producer in Europe, with an annual output of around 30 million tonnes. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Silesia where he specialised in financial law. He also completed postgraduate studies in EU law at the Faculty of Law of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and in business management at the University of Economics in Katowice as part of the Harzburg Kolleg programme. Mr. Rogala is a state-licensed insolvency practitioner and expert on corporate valuations. Previously, he was the President of the Management Board of Kompania Węglowa SA, prior to its restructuring.

COO in the Neo Energy Group. Active in the renewable market since 2007; has participated in creation of AQUA VIS, hydro energy company.
From 2016 through 2018 Vice President of PGE Energia Odnawialna S.A., where he was responsible for the area of hydropower pumped power plants. In PGE also worked on projects in the fields of energy storage and PV.

Arkadiusz Sekściński holds a PhD in social sciences (political science) from the University of Warsaw. He was the organiser of the Internal Security study programme focusing on Energy Security, and a lecturer in such subjects as “Poland’s Energy Policy”, “Energy Policies of Contemporary Countries”, “Renewable Energy Sources” and “Planning and Financing Investment Projects in the Energy Sector”. Author of research articles in Polish and English. He received his Master of Business Administration an MBA Energy programme at Lazarski University.
He held a scholarship from the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (University of Bergen, Norway), the Leonardo da Vinci Programme (the Białystok Province Regional Office, Brussels, Belgium), the Socrates – Erasmus Programme (Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece).
Mr Sekściński started his professional career in the energy sector in 2007, working as a consultant in companies providing advisory services to businesses operating in the heat and power sector. From 2011, he served as director and member of the Management Board of the Polish Wind Energy Association. In 2016, he joined PGE Energia Odnawialna S.A. where, as Vice President and acting President of the Management Board, he supervised investment projects, innovation, operation of generation assets, communication, human resources and security. He served as president of special purpose vehicles responsible for the construction of onshore wind farms and development of wind farm projects in the Baltic Sea. He was also Head of the Photovoltaic Development Programme at the PGE Group.
Mr. Arkadiusz Sekściński is employed at the University of Warsaw as an lecturer (he is currently on unpaid leave).
Vice President, Chief Development Officer, supervises and coordinates the Company’s operations with respect to: 
1) innovation and growth projects involving PGNiG S.A., 
2) analysing and monitoring opportunities to obtain EU funding for the Company’s operations; 
3) oversight of standardisation activities at the Company, 
4) development of technical assumptions, rules, norms and standards for the gas area, 
5) operations of the PGNiG Central Measurement and Testing Laboratory. 

He graduated from MBA Energetyka managerial studies at Lazarski University, international relations at the University of Warsaw and managerial studies at the Warsaw School of Economics.
In 2018-2020 he was the Vice President of the Management Board for development at ORLEN Serwis S.A. and the President of Board of Directors at ORLEN Service Lietuva. From 2020 he is Member of the Supervisory Board of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A.
In 2016-2018 he was the President of the Management Board of the Logistic Operator for Liquid Fuels. After he worked for PKN ORLEN S.A. as the Executive Director in charge of logistics.
Between 2006 and 2016 he was the Deputy Mayor of the City of Ostrołęka. Before he was also the Deputy Director for Foreign Investment and Economic Development in the Department of Regional Development Strategy in the Marshal’s Office of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship.

Economist, expert for credit, financial, operational and market risk management issues, member of several management boards and supervisory boards, specialist for change management and Closed-End Investment Funds for Non-Public Assets issues. 
 
He has broad experience in assessing the financial risk of investment projects, as well as in developing strategies and managing a multi-level structure.
 
Since 2017, he has been the Vice-President of the Management Board for financial affairs at GSG Towers and Stocznia Gdańsk [Gdańsk Shipyard]. Previously, for two years he was a member of the Management Board for Finance and Risk Affairs in the Polish Development Fund (formerly Polskie Inwestycje Rozwojowe [Polish Development Investments]). Between 2004 and 2013 he worked at DnB Nord Bank, where he built a risk division from the ground up. He managed the Credit Risk Management Department of SMEs and Retail Banking, and was also the director and member of the Bank’s Management Board.  Between 1997 and 2004 he was the Deputy Director of the Credit Risk Department at BNP PARIBAS. He started off in banking and risk areas in Pomorski Bank Kredytowy [Pomeranian Credit Bank] in 1992. At the same time, he conducted scientific research at the University of Szczecin, and then at Gdańska Akademia Bankowa [Gdańsk Banking Academy].
 
He was born in 1965. He graduated from the University of Szczecin. Following completion of his studies at the Faculty of Economics, he began his professional career as a researcher, interning at the University of Sterling in Scotland and the Carleton University in Canada. He also completed post-graduate studies at the University of Navarra in Spain. He holds a Receiver Manager license.

Privately, he is a sports fan. He plays tennis, goes skiing and goes fishing. He also likes DIY works.

Lawyer, public policy expert specialised in financial services and energy sector. Graduate of the London School of Economics and the University of Warsaw. Katarzyna acquired her professional experience at the Warsaw Stock Exchange and Polish Power Exchange. Works as a policy advisor in the financial sector in London

A graduate from the Faculty of Physics at Warsaw University, Roman Szwed received his habilitation in high-energy physics. He has significant scientific achievements. In 1991, he led a team of engineers responsible for the historical event of connecting Poland to the Internet. Co-founder and President of ATM company, he now manages the stock exchange listed company Atende, which derived from the separation of IT services from ATM. Atende is the leading network integration company in Poland. With 25 years of experience in the realization of technologically advanced IT infrastructure projects, today Atende as a Capital Group specializes also in software integration, offering among others its own cloud services and highly innovative software solutions for the financial, telecommunications, energy, public and medical sectors. During his professional career, Roman Szwed has earned numerous awards.. He is a member of several professional associations, , among others the Council for the Polish Chamber of Information Technology and Telecommunications. In 2013, Roman Szwed was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit by the President of Poland for promoting the development of the information society.

Robert Tomaszewski is responsible for the energy and petroleum sector. A leading author of PI Energy, has been working at Polityka Insight since its launch in 2013. He graduated in International Relations from the University of Warsaw, he also completed postgraduate studies on the functioning of the energy market at the Warsaw School of Economics. A scholar of the Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago and Radboud University Nijmegen.

Jakub Wiech – lawyer, journalist, deputy editor-in-chief of Energetyka24.com. In his work, he covers issues in the field of energy and information security. He was awarded and distinguished in many journalistic competitions (Studencki Nobel, MediaTory, GrandPress). Author of the book “Energiewende. Nowe niemieckie imperium” regarding German energy transition. Awarded with the James S. Denton Transatlantic Fellowship’s scholarship.

Born in 1969. He is a graduate of Electrical and Control Engineering Faculty at the Opole Higher Engineer School. Furthermore, he completed postgraduate studies in accounting and finances and energy at the Wrocław University of Economics.
He has been involved in energy sector since the beginning of his professional career. He commenced work in 1994 in electricity distribution company in Opole where he performed the function of Head of Department of Carrier Service Realization. He was a Director of the Department of Distribution System Management in EnergiaPro concern as well as Head of Carrier Service Office in TAURON Dystrybucja. He was also a member of the Technical Committee by the Polish Committee for Standardization. In recent years he performed the function of Distribution Director in the Gliwice branch of the company as well as the function of Distribution Services Sales Department Director.
Since 2002 he has been participating in activities conducted by working teams of the Polish Society of Transmission and Distribution of Electricity (PTPiREE) in the scope of energy market, smart metering and legal regulations in the area of power engineering. He is the Vice-President of this Society.