Danijel Levičar has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Ljubljana. He started his career in 2000 as reactor engineer in nuclear power plant Krško, working on projects related to nuclear fuel and core design. From 2005 to 2010, he was EURATOM inspector at the European Commission in Luxembourg, in charge of coordinating activities related to inspections of reactors and storage facilities for spent fuel. In 2010, he became a project leader in the IAEA, and in 2011 he took over the role of the head of technical and investment sector in GEN energija d.o.o., the owner of half of the NPP Krško. He has been appointed the Director General of energy at the Ministry of Infrastructure in July 2013.

Mag. Dejan Koletnik is the Vice-president of the Slovenian District Energy Association and currently working as a Compliance Officer at company PLINOVODI (Transmission system operator for natural gas in Slovenia) which acts under the ITO model established pursuant to Third Energy Package.

Before he joined Plinovodi in 2012, he was for 10 years engaged as Head of natural gas and district heating department at the Slovenian energy regulatory authority where his priority activities were related to the establishment of a competitive natural gas market in Slovenia. This work included activities related to setting up economic regulation of the public service system operators of natural gas transmission and distribution networks, monitoring the operation of the natural gas market, and international co-operation with the European institutions and regulatory authorities in the energy sector (European Commission, ERGEG, ACER, the Energy Community, etc.)

Mojca Kert, Managing Director of the company Petrol Energetika d.o.o.

Mojca Kert graduated from Mechanical Engineering. She started her career in the former Ravne Steelworks /Železarna Ravne/. Since 1997, she has been successfully running the company which has undergone an intensive development and transformation cycle to become Petrol Energetika, d.o.o. that we know today. She is engaged in development of industrial and local energy sector, joining them into a successful business model of an overall supply of consumers with different types of energy and services tailored to consumers’ specific requirements. Along the lines of practices abroad, she was,together with her closest co-workers, among the first in Slovenia to implement business operations according to Multi Utility model into practice which in a way of creating public&private partnerships, financing by a third party and energy contracting allows accelerated development of energy infrastructures, introduction of measures for efficient use and renewable energy sources.She is the Chair of the Governing Board of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, the regional Chamber of Carinthia, and a member of several Governing Boards, Supervisory Boards and professional associations. On her professional and managerial path, she has received together with a team of innovative and committed co-workers several awards and prizes, among these also the award received from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia for the most outstanding economic and entrepreneurial achievements.

Irena Praček is the Director of the Energy Agency of the Republic of Slovenia. She started her professional career in 1992 in the economy sector of the Power System of Slovenia, where she worked for eight years as an Independent Assistant for economic planning and analysis. She actively participated in the preparations for setting up the Slovenian energy regulator, and immediately after the establishment of the Energy Agency in 2001 she joined the regulatory authority. Among other tasks, she actively participated in the project team for preparing technical and financial proposals to support the establishment of regulation in the areas of electricity and natural gas, and in projects of preparation of electricity and natural gas market opening. She holds an MSc degree in Economics from the Faculty of Economics and Business in Maribor. By mid-2004, she was an advisor to the Director and later on appointed as Director of the Energy Agency. She was appointed for a second five-year term as Director in 2009, and in 2014, under the new Energy Act, appointed again as Director of the Energy Agency for new, six-year term.

Mr Eberlinc graduated in 1976 at the University of Ljubljana, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Ljubljana, Slovenia and acquired BSc in mechanical engineering. He started to gain experiences at the energy engineering company Rudis, where he worked at senior positions on different energy projects in Slovenia and abroad mainly in the industry of energy production.

In January 2000 he joined gas company Geoplin at the position of Technical Director. In 2003 he was appointed Deputy General Manager and Member of the Board at Geoplin. From January 2005 he is the General Manager of Plinovodi d.o.o., Slovenian gas transmission system operator, a daughter company of Geoplin. Mr Eberlinc performed a crucial role by enhancing the Slovenian Transmission System by constructing compressor stations, doubling the back bone of entire the Transmission System for natural gas in Slovenia, implementing the 2^nd and 3^rd Energy Packages and several other achievements.

In 2010 he became the President of the Energy Industry Chamber of Slovenia, member of Slovenian Member Committee at World Energy Council, Member of Slovenian Chamber of Engineers, Member of IGU and Member of Gas Centre.

Mr Eberlinc is fluent in English and German language.

Dr. Franc Žlahtič, President WEC MC Slovenia

Dr. Franc Žlahtič received a Ph.d. at the University of Ljubljana, while studying he joined the Milan Vidmar Electroinstitute, and was still active at the Faculty of electrical engineering. After almost 25 years of applied and theoretical research on energy issues he joined to the State administration in the field of energy and was active in the European energy policy too. He collaborated with the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators and is adviser in Slovenian gas transmission system operator Plinovodi d.o.o. For many years he is active in the WEC, national standardization and other professional organizations.

Alojz Poredos, born in 1953 is full professor at University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. He is head of Laboratory of Refrigeration and district Energy, Head of Research group for Refrigeration, Head of Research program Heat and Mass Transfer, Vice dean Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ljubljana 2005-2007, Member of board EuroHeat&Power, SDDE Slovenian district energy association – president, SDHK Slovenian HVAC association – former president, IIR Int. Institute of Refrigeration – vice president of commission EII, SAZU Scientific councillor, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Member of EASAC European Academies Science Advisory Council – Energy Steering Panel, Permanent reviewer in Int. Journal of Refrigeration and int. journal Energy conversion and management. His research activities regard the Heat and mass transfer, Refrigeration, Heat pumps, District heating and cooling, Absorption cooling, Magnetic refrigeration. He is involved in many international collaborations: Institut für Thermodynamik, Hannover, ZAE Bayern, Germany, University Prague, University Graz, Universite de Pau France, EIVD Yverdon Swiss, Iowa State University, Danish Technology University, Politehnika University Bucharest. The bibliography of Prof. Poredos comprises a number of contributions in JCR journals, books and papers at scientific and professional meetings. The latest scientific monograph was published by Springer Verlag on the new technology of the Magnetocaloric Energy Conversion.

Alberto Pototschnig, an economist and econometrician by training, is the first Director of the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, established pursuant to Regulation (EC) no. 713/2009. Before joining the Agency, he was a Partner in Mercados EMI, an international consultancy specialising in the energy sector, where he served as CEO and Deputy Chairman.  He previously served as Director of Electricity Regulation in the Italian Energy Regulatory Authority (AEEG), as the first CEO of the Italian Electricity Market Operator and as adviser to the Italian Government.  Since 2004, he has been an adviser at the Florence School of Regulation, where he regularly teaches on energy regulation.

Einari Kisel is the Regional Manager for Europe in the World Energy Council Secretariat. Before joining WEC in 2012, he was engaged for 10 years as the Undersecretary of State for Energy in the Ministry of Economy of Estonia. Until 2002 he worked for 7 years in the Estonian energy utility Eesti Energia, during last years as the Director of Trade.

He has received Master degrees both in Thermal Engineering and in Business Administration from Tallinn University of Technology, and is currently a PhD Candidate in Energy Policy in the same university. Married with 3 sons.