Our Team
The Board

Christian Kjaer
Board Chair
Christian Kjaer is Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer at SuperNode Ltd in Dublin, Ireland. SuperNode Ltd. is a cutting-edge global technology development company that designs and delivers terrestrial and sub-sea superconductor-based technology for bulk power transmission.
Christian has been involved in renewable energy for more than 20 years. He was CEO of the European wind energy sector’s lobby group WindEurope in Brussels for seven years between 2006 and 2013 and the organisation’s policy director for four years prior to that. Christian has been Head of Unit in the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi, senior adviser at the Nordic Council of Ministers’ energy unit, Nordic Energy Research in Oslo and CEO of Danish wind energy association, WindDenmark.

Vivi Mathiesen
Vice-Chair
Vivi Mathiesen is VP Regulatory Affairs at Heimdall Power, where she started in 2021. Heimdall Power is a leading technology company that designs and delivers sensors and software to grid companies to help accelerate the green transition. Vivi has worked in Nordic and European power markets for more than 20 years in various roles. From 2020-2021 she was Industry policy advisor to the Norwegian Renewable Energy Association, and from 2013-2021 she was Head of wholesale markets and transmission at the Norwegian Regulatory authority (NVE). In this role she i.a. worked closely with colleagues in European regulatory authorities and ACER to develop guidelines for the European wholesale power market. Vivi has also worked as Senior adviser to the Nordic Council of Ministers’ energy unit, Nordic Energy Research and has experience working for a Germany utility, in the Mergers and acquisitions department of Bewag AG in Berlin, Germany. Vivi now lives in Oslo, where Heimdall Power has its headquarters.

Mark Norton
Vice-Chair
Mark Norton has worked in the international electrical utility industry for 31 years, 14 of those in management. During his career, he has worked in the evaluation, design and planned development of power networks in Ireland and throughout Europe. In his current role as Vice President of European Business Development with pioneering power technology firm Smart Wires, he is working with some of Europe’s largest utilities helping them solve their biggest business challenges.
Mark's previous roles and responsibilities have included chairing the steering group for the European ten-year network development plan, developing the Irish Grid Development Strategy, leading the development of a network code which is now European Regulation for new demand users, and making investment decisions for network development projects with a five-year capital budget of over 1 billion Euros.

Frederic Vassort
Treasurer
Frederic Vassort is the CEO of Ampacimon, which he joined in 2013.
With over 25 years’ experience in general management of industrial, innovation-driven companies, he has been particularly active in the Power industry since the early days of his career, starting with Schlumberger (now Itron), and later Electrabel (Engie). He also spent eight years with industrial conglomerate Danaher, where he led several of Danaher’s sensors and controls businesses worldwide.
An electrical engineer by training, Frederic also earned an MBA at Insead in France and Singapore.
Frederic is a French national with a strong international background, including postings in Asia, Germany, the UK, and now Belgium which he has called home for the past 14 years.

Martin Andrae
Member of the Board
Martin Andrae is a Senior Executive with broad international experience in power generation, renewables and plant engineering industry.
He has spent many years as CEO/President in Germany, China and Latin America and as CMO heading global sales and marketing activities.
He is a Director of the Board in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Skilled in management, integration of international teams, global strategic business development and restructuring of international subsidiaries.

Max Luke
Member of the Board
Max Luke is Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at VEIR, a Breakthrough Energy Ventures-funded company developing the next generation of long-distance cost-effective superconducting electric transmission lines that carry five- to ten-times the capacity of conventional transmission lines at a given voltage level. He oversees VEIR's strategic engagements with governments and regulatory bodies in the United States and globally. He leads advocacy for new policies and regulations, and changes to existing policies, that improve prospects for the rapid deployment of transmission capacity necessary for least-cost deep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. He ensures that such policies and regulations are inclusive of innovative, advanced transmission technologies that greatly increase the transfer capacities of existing infrastructure corridors. He also directs the company’s policy and regulatory research efforts.
Prior to VEIR, Max was a Senior Consultant at NERA Economic Consulting, where he helped grow NERA’s activities and expertise related to climate change and emerging trends in energy sectors. At NERA, he supported more than 40 clients in more than a dozen countries, frequently in the context of regulatory proceedings and litigated disputes. Prior to NERA, I was a principal researcher in the MIT Energy Initiative’s Utility of the Future study and a graduate of MIT, where I completed a Master of Science in Technology and Policy, specializing in economics, engineering, and regulation of electric power systems. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree at McGill University, majoring in Environmental Science (Honours) and minoring in Economics.

Alex Houghtaling
Member of the Board
Alex Houghtaling is the Vice President of Sales at LineVision. He has spent his career helping large commercial organizations and global utilities succeed with demand-side management programs, energy efficiency technology, next-generation energy procurement, and advanced overhead line monitoring. Solving each of those challenges has required the adoption of new technologies and new mindsets, "the twins of innovation," each of which will be a significant factor in currENT's ability to optimise and maximise the use of the existing electric grid.

Jay Vitha
Member of the Board
Jay has 10 years of experience in the energy industry working for banks, renewable project developers, infrastructure debt funds and large electricity retailers. Jay has worked in physical commodity operations, solar project finance, electricity product innovation and carbon offset business development. At MetOx, he applies his experience to assist in fund raising initiatives, market research, financial modelling, and other strategic initiatives.
Jay has a BA, Masters in Environmental Management and an MBA from Duke University in Durham, NC.

Mike Ross
Member of the Board
Mike Ross is the Managing Director of Superconductor Power Products at AMSC. Mr. Ross has been with the AMSC team for twenty years. He joined AMSC as a Transmission and Distribution Planning Engineer, designing technical solutions and applications for utilities and industry utilizing AMSC Power Electronic and High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) products. Later, he became the Director of AMSC’s FACTS (Flexible AC Transmission Systems) Product Line and then the Managing Director of AMSC’s Distribution Power Products. Today he works with electric utilities to find optimized solutions utilizing AMSC’s Superconductor based solutions to ensure that the products are ideally designed for our customers.
Prior to joining AMSC, Mr. Ross worked in the transmission planning department for Xcel Energy (formally Northern States Power).
Mr. Ross received a BSEE degree from North Dakota State University in 2000 and has performed post graduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mr. Ross is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Wisconsin and a member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers and CIGRE.

Peter Hughes
Member of the Board
Peter Hughes, CTC Global’s VP Europe, joined CTC in 2016 and leads a team in developing ACCC® business across Europe and promoting Advanced Conductor technology as a component in meeting energy transition objectives. Peter has also been instrumental in rolling-out CTC’s new InfoCore™ composite core monitoring technology and other overhead line innovations. With a background in engineering and an MBA, Peter has previously worked in defense projects and specialist logistics areas. Peter is currently based in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Dominic Quennell
Member of the Board
Dominic Quennell is the Chief Executive Officer at Enertechnos Holdings Ltd and its various subsidiary companies.
Founded in 2014, the company is a clean technology innovator holding multiple patents. The group is dedicated to delivering decarbonisation and supporting the transition to net zero. Enertechnos is working to develop more efficient low-carbon electrical network solutions, generate new technologies in the wireless EV charging field and reimagine ground operations for the aviation industry.
Dominic has led the company and its team of engineers and business development managers since its foundation.
The Secretariat

The Directors and Working Group Members

Norbert Juschicz
CEO and Co-Founder of Greenwood-Power
Norbert Juschicz is the CEO and Co-Founder of Greenwood-Power. After studying at the university of applied sciences, he started to collect experience in the field of automatization, electronics and electrical engineering. After 8 years as product manager and developer at a big manufacturer for instrument transformers for medium and low voltage, he started the fast growing company GWP, together with Willibald Bacher CTO and Co-Founder.
GWP is focusing on a specific point of the Smart Grid, the very first part of a long chain of transducers and devices up to the digital data in the Cloud. This transformers has to be small, powerless, passive, multicompatible, robust and cheap. As the CEO of GWP, he is focusing on the customer needs and is in close contact to every partner/customer in the huge area of energy grids around the world.

Hilary Pearson
Hilary Pearson has been working on clean energy policy for nearly two decades. Passionate about the technology and policy solutions needed to accelerate the clean energy transition, she currently works as Vice President of Policy & External Affairs at LineVision, a rapidly growing climate tech company, helping utility partners around the world lead the energy transition by enabling enhanced grid flexibility, resilience and security. She is also the Board Chair of the Working for Advanced Transmission Technologies (WATT) Coalition, which represents companies interested in bringing technology solutions to the US electric transmission system to improve reliability and efficiency for American citizens and businesses.
Hilary has served in key roles in the utility sector, the solar industry, and the US Senate, starting her career working for the former Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, where she held a variety of legislative and field-based roles.
Hilary holds a BA in Political Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo as well as a Program Certificate from U.C. Berkeley in Corporate Social Responsibility.

John Fitzgerald
CEO of SuperNode
John is the CEO of SuperNode a technology company developing superconductors for energy transfer. John has extensive experience of power systems and grid infrastructure. He was the Director of Grid Development & Interconnection with EirGrid, the Irish TSO, with responsibility for all onshore transmission and the development of interconnection. Prior to this, John was Project Director of the East West Interconnector, directly connecting the electricity markets of Ireland and Britain for the first time in 2012 with, what was then, the largest HVDC scheme of its kind in the World. John has been involved in the successful development of major energy infrastructure projects and corporate initiatives in the electricity and gas sectors across Ireland, the United Kingdom and Europe. A graduate of University College Dublin, he is a Bachelor of Electronic Engineering and holds an MBA from the UCD School of Business.

Robert Mork
Twenty years of experience working with the development of wholesale energy markets, and a range of leadership positions among U.S. state consumer advocates and in state, regional, national utility law associations and now in Europe too. Robert Mork loves figuring out new things and thinking outside current models to develop new approaches which can work for everyone, including end-use customers that the utility industry is supposed to serve.

Grace McLoughlin
Regulatory Affairs Director
Grace McLoughlin works with Smart Wires as Manager Marketing & Communications. Based in Dublin, she works in the areas of business development, project execution, and regulation. She has a strong interest in energy policy and regulation, believing that it can become an enabler of the energy transition by supporting the use of flexible modular solutions. Grace holds a Bachelor of Commerce International from University College Dublin.

Jessica Harrison
Executive Director at VEIR
Jessica Harrison has spent most of her career tracking trends across the power sector and developing strategies to innovate. She has multi-disciplinary experience in public policy, economic analysis and engineering analysis.
Specialties: research, innovation, strategy, energy investment decision-making, standards development, regulation, policy, private sector, non-profit, Wholesale markets, partnerships, energy storage, distributed energy resources, demand response, electric vehicles, energy efficiency