Stephane Arditi

Stephane Arditi works as a Policy Officer for the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) on Product and Waste. EEB is a federation of Environmental NGO’s, with more than 140 members all over Europe.

In his current work on Ecodesign & WEEE Directives, he tries to promote rewards schemes for low environmental impact design, noticeably low global warming potential refrigerants.

Before joining EEB, Arditi worked as an industrial consultant, mainly on improvement and lean enterprise strategies. He also collaborated with a University team to design and evaluate energy efficiency in building policy. 

Robert Arthur

Robert Arthur joined the refrigeration industry in 1968 in a training programme with Prestcold (Southern) Ltd. Various roles and employment within the refrigeration and building services industry led to joining Marks and Spencer within their refrigeration department in 1986 as a regional engineer, covering UK, Europe and American business developments.

This led to the role of Refrigeration Manager responsible for all aspects of the companies’ refrigeration portfolio. He is now operating as an independent refrigeration consultant specialising in the retail sector and currently providing services to Resource Data Management and Space Engineering.

Antoine Azar

Antoine graduated from the University of Liège in Belgium, with a Master's degree in electro-mechanical & energy engineering. Antoine worked at the Coca-Cola Company for 16 years. Between July 2011 - December 2016 he held the position of global program director of Coca-Cola’s sustainable refrigeration program. Prior to that, Antoine performed as the maintenance manager and worked in various departments including engineering, design and innovation, quality control and telecommunication.

Katja Becken

Katja Becken is a Senior Policy Advisor at the German Federal Environment Agency. For over 15 years she has been responsible for issues regarding ozone depleting substances and fluorinated greenhouse gases. Her work field consists of policies and measures to reduce F-gas emissions at national and European level, with a special focus on natural refrigerants. She obtained her degree from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany, after studying environmental engineering and technical chemistry. She complemented her studies with courses in environmental management at the University of Nottingham, UK.

Jan Boone

After finishing the mechanical engineering degree in Brussels, Jan Boone started working with MAYEKAWA (MYCOM) since 1979 in heavy duty industrial gas compressors. His experience was built-up as member of most of the company divisions from sales, engineering, production, quality, and service activities with profound interaction with Mayekawa Japan with focus on customer relations and optimised product-operation in the field.

Mayekawa focuses on natural refrigerants. In fact, the company is applying NH₃ since more than 85 years and CO₂ as well as hydrocarbons since more than 40 years.

Christoph Brouwers

Christoph Brouwers started his professional life with an apprenticeship as refrigeration mechanic. Right after completion his studies he joined the former Linde Kältetechnik – later acquired by Carrier Corporation - in 1992 working as field inspection and commissioning engineer in the field of commercial and industrial refrigeration all over Europe and has come in touch with nearly all types of different refrigeration systems and refrigerants.

After having taken over different management positions in the areas of technical services, installation and project engineering he was in charge of the go to market initiative for deploying Carriers CO₂OLtec technology in food retail applications across Europe. Following his appointment to focus on a more holistic approach combing natural refrigeration, space heating and cooling for best in-class efficiency and sustainability, Christoph is currently in charge of Turnkey Operations responsible for establishing design and execution standards related to types of new technologies on an European scale.

Gunnar Busse

Before joining Obrist Engineering, Gunnar Busse was working with Behr, a Stuttgart/ Germany based Engine Cooling and HVAC Company, for 12 years. In October 2010, he has joined Obrist/ Austria to strengthen its business development in North America.

Busse graduated from Technical University of Berlin, Germany, with a PhD in Energy Technology.

Marc Chasserot

Marc Chasserot is a specialist in natural refrigeration with over 15 years of experience in the HVAC&R sector, starting as the Marketing Manager for the Norsk Hydro business unit specialised in CO₂ transcritical refrigeration and heating. He worked closely with several Japanese manufacturers selling the market innovative "CO₂ Ecocute heatpumps".

In 2006 Marc founded the industry leading website for CO₂ cooling and heating experts worldwide, called www.R744.com. This was followed by three additional industry resources for hydrocarbons, water and ammonia (namely: www.hydrocarbons21.com, www.R718.com and www.ammonia21.com).

Marc is co-founder and CEO of shecco, an independent market development company specialised in bringing Natural Refrigerants 'faster to market', working with numerous companies worldwide. Marc has chaired and organised several international workshops bringing together leading policy and industry experts to discuss 'how to bring natural refrigerants' faster to market, known as 'ATMOsphere'. He is also an active member of ASHRAE.

Daniel Colbourne

Dr Daniel Colbourne has done extensive scientific and analytical work on environmental safety and efficiency related aspects of refrigerants and refrigeration systems. He is a member of the UNEP Refrigeration Technical Options Committee (TOC) for the Montreal Protocol as well as a number of European and international standardisation committees. Committed to international cooperation, he played a major role in various demonstration projects supported by the German GIZ.

Wilhelmus de Wilt

Philippe Delpech

Philippe Delpech is President of Carrier Commercial Refrigeration, one of Carrier Global Division. Carrier is the world’s leader in high technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions and experts provide sustainable solutions, integrating energy efficient products, building controls, and energy services for residential, commercial, retail, transport and foodservice customers.

Prior to joining Carrier, Philippe Delpech held various positions and was among those Executive Vice President at Danfoss Commercial Compressors and Sales & Marketing Director at ABB. Philippe Delpech holds a MBA from the European School of Management, Paris France, a Business degree from Insead Asia, a Business Administration Degree from IAE, France and a Bachelor in Science in Mechanical Engineering from ENIT, France.

Jean-Michel Fleury

As Assets Director for Carrefour group, Jean Michel Fleury carries out strategic projects. Among them, he is in charge of switching over current commercial refrigeration systems using synthetic gas to natural refrigerants. Moreover and according to the sustainable development policy of Carrefour, he leads the objectives regarding increasing energy savings for countries throughout the world where Carrefour operates.

Previously Jean Michel Fleury has been Asia Procurement Director, based 8 years in Shanghai, where he drove sourcing for Asian countries, performing international tenders, and seting up global agreements. Furthermore since sustainable development is at the heart of Carrefour’s strategy, he also tested and set up some new equipments and devices in China which have proven their reliability and contribute to environmental sustainability.

ATMOsphere Roadmap for Natural Refrigerants in Europe

This Voluntary Roadmap is the result of thorough industry consultation to set concrete and achievable targets for 2012 - 2013. It addresses the educational, technological, financial and information barriers challenging the use of natural refrigerants – air, ammonia, carbon dioxide, water and the group of hydrocarbons

Raphael Gerber

 Raphael Gerber is working for a Swiss consultant in refrigeration, being in charge of innovative technologies and especially CO₂. In the last years, he gained comprehensive experience in engineering sub- and transcritical CO₂ plants for different retail stores and has been involved in the design and realization of ground-braking refrigeration technologies with CO₂. Before entering the world of refrigeration, he used to work for a company offering technologies for technical gases, such as CO₂, in different applications. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering.

J Michael Griffin

Mike Griffin is a program manager, leading container refrigeration new product development teams for Carrier Transicold. Having joined Carrier Transicold in 1984, he has extensive experience in both design and application of transport refrigeration equipment. In his current role, Mike leads the development of Carrier’s new, natural refrigeration (CO₂) technology for container applications.

Mike earned an MBA from Syracuse University, School of Management, Syracuse, N.Y., and a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Christian Heerup

Christian holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering supplemented by 30 years’ experience within refrigeration, including solutions for supermarkets, cold stores, heat recovery and air conditioning systems with focus on natural refrigerants CO₂ and hydrocarbons.

Christian has initiated several projects aiming at reducing climate impact and optimizing energy performance and he share his discoveries when delivering training courses in CO₂ refrigeration.

Neil Hughes

Neil Hughes has overall responsibility for the strategic direction of engineering and the environment within the largest fresh liquid milk company in the UK. Previously working in the position of Group Technical Manager for 8 years, he was recently promoted to the position of Engineering Director.

Amongst his key objectives are reductions in energy and use of natural resources (as detailed in RWD’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy). This is predominantly 30% reduction in gas, 25% reduction in electricity and 25% reduction in water. From a refrigeration perspective Robert Wiseman Dairies intend to phase out all man made refrigerants by 2030 and reduce leakage rates to below 3% by 2015.

Matthew Kestner

Matthew Kestner has worked on Energy Efficiency in the European Commission since 1990. He set up the Energy Labelling scheme (Directive 92/75/EEC) and was responsible for the first 6 implementing measures (Domestic Refrigerators and Freezers, Washing Machines, Tumble Driers, Washer Driers, dishwashers and Lamps).

He is currently part of the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling team, dealing with (among other products) DG Energy's Commercial Refrigeration (lot 12 display cabinets, cold vending machines)', and covering the F-Gas file for DG Energy.

Georges Khoury

Since 2008, Dr.-Ing. Georges Khoury leads the development of SANDEN CO₂ systems for the European market. SANDEN is a global first class supplier of automotive air-conditioning systems, vending, commercial refrigeration, and heat pumps. Georges Khoury joined SANDEN in 2006 as a R&D Engineer. Until 2008, He worked on automotive projects with OEMs to improve the Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) environmental impact, to phase out the R134a refrigerant and to create new concepts for thermal comfort in vehicles. He is a Mechanical Engineer and holds a PhD Degree in Energetics from the “Ecole des Mines de Paris”. His thesis, as part of a European project, presented the specific development of high efficiency air-conditioning technologies adapted to the hybrid and electric vehicles.

Halvart Koeppen

With a background in chemical engineering, environmental management, and "Third World" development, Halvart Koeppen joined UNEP in 1996. Initially working on environmental management in industial estates, he started working in the OzonAction Programme in 1997 developping training modules and organised workshops in English and French-speaking developing countries (mainly Caribbean and Africa).

From November 2002, Koeppen took over management and coordination tasks related to project and financial monitoring as well as the certifying function. Since September 2005, He is in charge of the Network of Ozone Officers in Eastern Europe and Central Asia providing compliance assistance, organising annual network meetings, thematic meetings and facilitating regional awareness raising, country-to-country assistance and programmatic assistance.

Janusz Kozakiewicz

Since 1993 Kozakiewicz actively participated in development of the EU regulations dealing with F-gases and ODS and Polish legislation based on those regulations and provides advice to Polish Government in the related matters.

Kozakiewicz also represented Poland in the meetings of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol and in the EC Committee devoted to F-gases and ODS. In 2004, he served as Co-chair of the Montreal Protocol OEWG and MOP. He is Author and Quality Reviewer of several UNEP publications related to ODS management policy and conducted a number of workshops on ODS monitoring and control in developing countries and CEITs.  He received the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award for Diplomatic and National Leadership in Ozone Layer Protection from USEPA (1997) and the Montreal Protocol Outstanding Contributors Award from UNEP (2007).

Lambert Kuijpers

After receiving his PhD thesis for work on nuclear fusion at the Technical University Eindhoven, Lambert Kuijpers started work in the 1980s at Philips Research Labs Eindhoven, NL. He steered a research group dealing with heat transfer and thermodynamics, specifically in the area of refrigeration. Since 1988-89, Kuijpers has been particularly involved in the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) and the Refrigeration Technical Options Committee under the Montreal Protocol, which he both co-chairs. After having left Philips (in 1993) the work for UNEP has been the main emphasis (co-chairmanships of Panel, Committee and Task Forces).

Asbjorn Leth Vonsild

Asbjørn Vonsild coordinates the Danfoss refrigerant policy, Danfoss internal gatekeeper group on refrigerants, and internal standards for product requirements related to flammable refrigerants. He also participates in the international standardization in the area of refrigerant safety including the updating of EN 378 and ISO 5149.

Asbjørn Vonsild has a Master degree in Computer Systems Engineering, and has previously worked as technology platform manager for Danfoss Automatic Controls, developing technology for valves, and to some extent sensors, for refrigeration applications.

Thomas Lingard

Thomas Lingard is Global Advocacy Director at Unilever, responsible for Unilever’s efforts to drive change in public policy to support the delivery of Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan.

Previously Lingard spent two years on secondment to the leading environmental think tank and NGO, Green Alliance, where as deputy director he oversaw the development of the organisation's three year strategy and was responsible for leading the policy team.

Lingard serves on a variety of boards and including for Oxfam GB, CSR Europe, Refrigerants, Naturally!, and project leadership boards for the World Economic Forum and World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Thomas Lingard holds an Advanced Diploma in Sustainability and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Cross-Sector Partnerships for Sustainable Development from Cambridge University and a Masters in Development Management from the Open University.

Knut Lutnæs

As environmental manager since 2000 at the cooperative retailer Coop Norway, Knut Lutnæs is responsible for Coop Norway’s CSR activities, including sustainability issues as energy savings and –efficiency, waste management, ecolabelling and organic products. Knut Lutnæs is Leader of the board at Ethcial Trading Initiative, Norway, and represents Coop Norway at EuroCoop’s Sustainability Working Group.

Knut Lutnæs holds a Master in Resource and Development Economics from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, included an internship at Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia as a part of his Master Thesis in development economics.

Nina Masson

Nina has been working with shecco for 11 years in various roles, including Deputy Managing Director shecco SPRL and Chief Market Development Officer shecco group. Today, as Chief Strategy Advisor for Special Projects, she is responsible for EU and UN projects for natural refrigerants and sustainable HVAC&R solutions. She holds two Masters’ degrees in Business Management and in Environmental Management. Nina has been the lead author on various publications. She serves as an independent expert for UN and EU agencies on policy analysis, capacity building, renewable energies and energy efficiency.

Thomas Nowak

Thomas is a long term (renewable) energy aficionado. Apart from closely following the energy transition both in the electricity and heating sectors, he is the owner of a heat pump, a PV power plant and a building in which both peacefully cooperate.

In his professional life, Thomas represents the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) as Secretary General in Brussels. His main responsibilities are the representation of the industry at the European institutions, networking with other stakeholders in the field of heating and cooling as well as the management of the association and its future development.

Thomas has published several articles on heat pump technology and the integration of heat pumps in the energy system and has spoken on this topic in European and international conferences.

He has also been contributing to scientific publications including the IEA energy technology perspectives and the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report. Before working for the EHPA, he has worked in several projects on the economic and social benefits of renewable energy.

Thomas holds a university degree in business administration and economics.

Alexander Cohr Pachai

Alexander Cohr Pachai started in the refrigeration industry in 1978 and has been working with hydrocarbons since 1995 and CO₂ since 1997. He worked with both R&D, production, sales and installation of systems using these natural refrigerants. Pachai has sold and commissioned the first HC/CO₂ system in Auckland for a supermarket as well as the largest HC/CO₂ supermarket system in the UK. As a pioneer in the field of natural refrigerants, he has also sold, built and commissioned the first larger supermarket system using CO₂ in Denmark and the first large scale HC AC system for computer cooling. Currently he is involved with the phase-out of R22 worldwide and the implementation of natural refrigerants. Pachai has carried out a lot of training for technicians and engineers in using the above-mentioned natural refrigerants in modern refrigeration plants. He is also experienced with the usage of the refrigerants ammonia and water.

Dave Pearson

In 2004, as a Director at Starfrost Spiral freezers, Dave Pearson's work was commenced to use ammonia in a packaged LPR system to minimise the charge and utilise reverse cycle defrost. This is now the standard offering for spiral freezers and is achieved without any control valves inside the factory or freezer. Recently he was involved in the supply of the world’s first Transcritical CO₂ system for a spiral freezer.

As Director of Innovation for Star Refrigeration things have “hotted up” for Pearson as he has spent much of the last 3 years working to maximise the opportunity for ammonia heatpumps in district heating and process applications using “single screw” compressors.

Pearson is a dual graduate of the University of Strathclyde, first in Mechanical Engineering then from the MBA course. These support his passion that “Ideas” are nothing until they are implemented and earn profit- that is real Innovation. Natural refrigerants are a key part of proven and viable operational and financial improvements in most businesses.

Gaku Shimada

In 1996, Gaku Shimada graduated from WASEDA University (with a Major in Applied Physics) and entered SANYO Electric Co.Ltd as a Mechanical Engineer of compressors. After receiving a Master degree in 2006 from Boston Univ., School of Management, he became the compressor sales manager as well as a strategic business planning manager of the new technology research department. Since 2017, Mr. Shimada has been the Manager of Strategic Planning of Condensing Unit Business and Overseas Sales, Cold Chain Business Division of Panasonic Corporation.

Theodoros Skylakakis

Theodoros Skylakakis is a member of the European Parliament as well as a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. He is very knowledgeable with regards to Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and will help us understand how CDB credits benefit natural refrigerants.

Smith Smith

208.100.0.117

Mikkel Aaman Sørensen

Sørensen has for several years been responsible for issues regarding ozone depleting substances and fluorinated greenhouse gasses. He was co-chair for the Montreal Protocol meetings in 2007 and 2008. In 2009 he chaired the negotiations on a global phase down of HFCs under the Montreal Protocol. 

Sørensen holds a master’s degree in environmental biology from the University of Copenhagen. He graduated in 1986.

Bente Tranholm-Schwarz

Since 2010 Bente Tranholm Schwarz is deputy Head of Unit in DG Climate Action in the European Commission responsible for, inter alia, protecting the ozone layer and the climate system against adverse effects of ozone depleting substances and fluorinated gases.

From 2004 to 2009 she was in charge of State aid policy development in DG Competition where she also worked as a national expert between 1996 and 1999. Before she joined the European Commission she worked for the Danish Ministry of Economics and Business Affairs.

She began her career in 1994 and from 1999-2001 she was the Assistant to the State Secretary. Between 2001 and 2004 she was posted as Industry and Maritime Counsellor at the Danish Permanent Representation to the European Union.

Klaas Visser

Klaas Visser has an extensive international experience in the design, building and trouble shooting of medium to large ammonia systems with involvement in more than 800 NH3 projects during the past 45 years.

The world’s first Multi Function 2 Stage Transcritical CO2 Refrigerating System with Parallel Compression (MF2STCCO2RSPC) has now been operating seven years, performing six cooling and nine heating functions at a small food processing plant.
Commissioning of the second MR2STCC02RSPC system near Sydney has been delayed. It is the first CO2 system in the world employing an evaporative condenser/gas cooler (ECGC). 
A case study comparing ECGCs and Adiabatically Assisted Air Cooled CO2 Gas Coolers in terms of their Energy and Water Consumption and the COP Improvement of the refrigeration systems at ambient Wet Bulb Temperatures up to 28 degrees C – not exceeded in 98% of the World’s climates - achieving 31 degrees C Gas Cooler Exit Temperature.   
The design of a MF2STCC02RSPC with an ECGC for a −30°C 40,000 cubic metre cold store near Kuala Lumpur is complete and waiting for building approval.

Paula Widdowson

Paula Widdowson has founded an independent sustainability consultancy called CSR-i focused on profiting through sustainabilityt. Paula had several years experience as Director of Sustainability for Northern Foods working with M&S on delivering Plan A, Sainsbury on achieving their 5 core principles and ASDA on managing the Walmart sustainability index. In 2010 ‘sustainability’ in Northern Foods added £3M profit.

Originally trained as a Biochemist at Leeds University, Paula started working life as a science teacher and then moved into industry. She has successfully held a number of senior roles at Esso, ASDA, Bass and Improve (the sector skills council for food and drink manufacturing). The move into independent consultancy has resulted in CSR-i working with Government and Commercial businesses delivering a real difference to the bottom line.

Alain Wilmart

Alain holds a Master in Agricultural Engineering and a Master in Science and Management of the Environment both from the University of Brussels (ULB). He has been the representative of the major Worker Union in Belgium in several National, Federal and Regionals Councils that are dealing with the Social and Economic Development, Environment, Waste Management, and Sustainable Development.

He has been in charge of the implementation of both the F-Gas Regulations and the Ozone Regulation for the last 15 years at the Federal level, coordinating the policy making in Belgium but also as lead negotiator at European and International Level (Montreal Protocol widely and Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol). For the time being, Alain is one of the Two Co-Chair of the Preparatory Segment of the Open Ended Working Group of the Montreal Protocol.