Climate, jobs and investment
Truth About European Climate Ethanol | The people
ERIC SIEVERS, DIRECTOR OF INVESTMENTS AT ETHANOL EUROPE RENEWABLES LTD
Eric W. Sievers is the Director of Investments of Ethanol Europe Renewables Limited, a green investment vehicle whose flagship project is Pannonia Ethanol, Europe’s newest bioethanol production facility and located in Hungary.
In the early 1990s, he founded and directed for seven years an environmental NGO in Central Asia. From 2000 – 2007, he practiced law with several international law firms in Asia, Europe and the United States, and from 2007 - 2010 ran the origination desk for a private bank in Switzerland.
He has been involved in the structuring and financing of more than 5 billion litres of biofuel production capacity, as well as several gigawatts of renewable power.
He received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his JD from Yale Law School.
STEVEN MOORE, SALES DIRECTOR AT ETHANOL EUROPE RENEWABLES LTD
Steve Moore has led Ethanol Europe’s market development efforts since the company was founded in 2009. The firm now supplies 350 thousand tonnes of pure antibiotic free protein feed to Europe’s premium livestock sectors, nearly half a billion litres of climate ethanol for transport decarbonisation and 10 thousand tonnes of corn oil.
He has played a key role in the development of high value and diversified protein feed brands (the Pannonia Gold range) for some of Europe’s most important food segments, assuring that the value add of Europe’s farm output is maximised and that the ingredients in Europe’s food are fully traceable.
Prior to joining Ethanol Europe Steve held a number of market development and sales positions in central Europe and South America.
Steve holds a degree in economics from San Francisco State University and an MBA from the University of South Carolina.
ISTVÁN BORBÉLY, FARMER, BÁCS-KISKUN COUNTY, HUNGARY
Mr Borbély's family has farmed in the region for several generations. Among other markets they supply corn feed cereal to the Pannonia Ethanol plant at Dunaföldvár.
The demand security generated by the nearby ethanol factory assures long term stable income at the higher end of cereals price ranges. This in turn allows farmers to invest in resource efficiency for sustainable yield improvement.
Long term secure demand also allows farming families to plan a future for their children on the farm.
JAMES COGAN, INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND ENVIRONMENT ANALYST
James Cogan is a senior policy advisor on European affairs relating to innovation, investment, science and the environment.
In 2016 he developed a number of key studies and proposals for the European Commission and for research and industrial organisations in the fields of investment, climate and the bioeconomy.
He has over twenty years of high tech and energy efficiency industrial experience with Alenia, Accenture and PNO Consultants. He currently advises Ethanol Europe Renewables Ltd on the implementation of Europe’s new renewables energy legislation and on the development of spin-off technologies from ethanol operations.
He is a campaigner for the Water Framework Directive which if properly implemented would eradicate most of Europe’s environmental and microplastics problems and he is active in combating corruption in local government.
In 2016 he was a speaker at the 4th European Union Bioeconomy Stakeholders’ Conference hosted by the Netherlands government in Utrecht.
He holds a degree in electronics engineering from University College Dublin and an MBA from Trinity College Dublin.
DARIO GIORDANO, CEO AT BETA RENEWABLES S.P.A.
Dario joined Mossi Ghisolfi Group in 1990 and within group he has had several positions including PET Production Technologist in Cobarr, Start-up Manager and Process Engineer in Sinco Engineering and R&D European Director in Sinco Ricerche.
Dario held the role of Chief Technology Officer at subsidiaries BioChemtex and Beta Renewables prior to being appointed Chief Executive Officer at Beta Renewables in 2015.
Beta Renewables is a world leader in advanced biofuels and biochemical compounds. It was established in 2011 as a joint venture between Biochemtex and the U.S. fund TPG, with a total investment of €250 million. In 2012, Novozymes – world leader in the enzymes industry – became a 10% shareholder of Beta Renewables. Beta Renewables owns the PROESA™ technology, applied to the field of biofuels and chemical intermediates. Beta Renewables operates an advanced biofuels plant in Crescentino in Italy, the first commercial facility in the world for the production of second-generation ethanol.
Dario obtained his degree and masters at the Politecnico di Torino.
TINA SEJERSGÅRD FANØ, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AGRICULTURE & BIOENERGY AT NOVOZYMES A/S
Tina Sejersgård Fanø is responsible for application research, technical service, sales and marketing in the Agriculture & Bioenergy division of Novozymes.
Tina has been with Novozymes since she graduated as a chemical engineer from the Technical University of Denmark in 1993. She started as a trainee and worked her way up through the organization holding a number of positions in applied research, marketing and business development.
From 2013-2016 she was Vice President of Business Operations, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Tina has significant experience in developing and managing global partnerships and has been instrumental in negotiating several major business deals for Novozymes over the years.
ROB VIERHOUT, ETHANOL INDUSTRY ANALYST
A graduate in Political Science and European Law, for 14 years Rob was the voice of European ethanol producers providing political and strategic insight to the membership of the various associations he led.
He first was the principal advisor to AFTA (Association for Fair Trade in Alcohol) and then Secretary General of eBIO (European Bioethanol Fuel Association) later to be appointed the first Secretary General of ePURE (European Renewable Ethanol Association) in 2010, a post he held until 2014.
Rob began his professional career as an academic researcher followed by 8 years in the European Parliament. He then moved on to private industry and became a public affairs consultant at Deloitte & Touche.
Before Rob started working for the ethanol sector he was the managing director of the consulting firm European Affairs Management (EAM), which he founded, now called TEAM. Since the end of 2014, Rob has been providing advisory services to a number of companies, inside and outside Europe, operating in the bioenergy sector.
He is member of the European Commission’s Advisory Group on Advanced Biofuels.
ZOLTÁN SZABÓ PHD, SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT
Zoltán Szabó, PhD, is an environmental economist.
Over the past fifteen years, both as a researcher and a consultant, he has been working in the field of the economics of climate change, energy policy, biodiversity economics, environmental valuation, transport policy and agricultural economics. Besides participating in several research projects at the Corvinus University of Budapest, he has worked for the public administration, co-ordinated international research projects, worked for an environmental NGO, been engaged with the business community as a consultant. He is the author of various scientific papers, book chapters and policy papers.
Over the past three years Zoltán Szabó has been sustainability advisor in the bioenergy industry. With his experience in public administration, research, NGOs and business, he strives to work toward reconciling climate, energy, agricultural, transport and environmental policies.
JAN KONINCKX, GLOBAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR BIOFUELS AT DUPONT
Jan Koninckx is Global Business Director for Biorefineries at DuPont since 2007, where he oversees the development of processes and technologies.
A Belgian national Jan has been with DuPont for over 26 years having joined the company in 1990 at Dordrecht Works in the Netherlands. Jan has held a range of R&D and marketing management positions and had general business responsibility for chemicals and commodities.
Jan served as the Chair of the Board for Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC at its inception in 2009. He has also been a Member of the Board of Directors for Vivergo Fuels. He received a DuPont Work Life Award in 2001.
Prior to joining DuPont Jan served as a lieutenant in the Belgian Army. He began his career as a research assistant at the University of Maryland.
A recognised authority on biofuels Jan testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in 2011. He is a sought after speaker and source for policy and industry researchers and journalists.
Jan holds a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Ghent in Belgium and a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland.
JESPER HEDAL KLØVERPRIS, SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER AT NOVOZYMES A/S
Life Cycle Analysis specialist Jesper Hedal Kløverpris did his PhD at the Technical University of Denmark on the topic of ‘indirect land use change’ (ILUC) from crop consumption (2005-08). He now works at the Novozymes department for Sustainability Development. Novozymes is the world’s largest producer of industrial enzymes and the company also offers other biological solutions.
Dr. Kløverpris works with life cycle assessment (LCA) of Novozymes’ products and their application including enzymes for production of bioethanol from starch and cellulose. In this regard he is actively involved in the improvement of the methods currently being developed for assessing the environmental consequences of replacing fossil fuels with biofuels. This especially concerns the issues of land use change and time accounting.
DICK ROCHE, FORMER ENVIRONMENT MINISTER AND ADVISOR ON PUBLIC POLICY
Dick Roche was a member of the Irish parliament from 1997 to 2011, holding the role of Environment Minister from 2004 to 2007 and that of Minister of State for European Affairs from 2007 to 2011.
In his period as Minister of State for European Affairs he held responsibility for Ireland's Presidency of the European Council in 2004. It was also the period in which Ireland conducted two referendums on the Treaty of Lisbon of the European Union.
Dick originally worked as a public servant at the Departments of Posts and Telegraphs, Transport and Power, Finance and at the Department of Economic Planning and Development.
In 1978 he was appointed lecturer in Public Administration and Public Finance at University College Dublin.
In 1978 Roche became the first Irish Citizen to be awarded a United Nations Human Rights fellowship. He subsequently became a member of the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace and served as a time as Chairman of the Commission.
In the Irish Senate Roche introduced a Freedom of Information Bill based closely on the Norwegian Freedom of Information legislation.
In 2004 he was conferred with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana by the Government of Estonia for his support of Estonia's accession to the European Union.
He currently advises a number of organisations on European Affairs.