Energy Cells names Andrius Gudzinskas as CEO
Energy-industry veteran to head Lithuanian energy storage-system operator
The board of Energy Cells, an operator of energy storage systems and part of the EPSO-G energy group, has appointed Andrius Gudzinskas as the company’s chief executive officer. He begins his five-year term on 27 January.
Andrius has more than 20 years of experience in the energy industry, including electricity and heat generation, renewable-energy project development, production-operations management, energy-infrastructure modernisation and international team leadership. He holds a master’s degree in energy and thermal engineering from Kaunas University of Technology.
Energy storage-system operator Energy Cells provides an isolated operation reserve service that is essential to the security and stability of the Lithuanian electricity system. The electricity storage system managed by the company comprises four identical battery parks, each with a capacity of 50 MW and 50 MWh, located in Vilnius, Šiauliai, and the Alytus and Utena districts.
Connect with Andrius on LinkedIn
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Local SocDem councillor will also serve on the boards of other business organisations
Anne Thomas has been chosen to sit on the board of Baltic Energy Island.
Anne is a member of the Bornholm island council representing Socialdemokratiet. She chairs the council’s environment and business committee, and is expected to be chosen for vacant seats on the board of Business Center Bornholm and the Bornholm branch of Erhvervshus Hovedstaden, a consultancy.
Prior to being elected to the island council in December, Anne was the head of the Centre for Regional and Tourism Research.
Shipping executive is the first Finn to head the European association
Mikki Koskinen has been elected president of European Shipowners | ECSA. His two-year term begins on January 1.
Mikki takes office at a critical time for European shipping, amid geopolitical uncertainty, the urgent need for decarbonisation and growing skills shortages. The European fleet, representing about 35% of the global total, plays a vital role in securing supply chains, enabling European exports, and connecting Europe to the world.
Mikki is currently vice-president of European Shipowners | ECSA, and will become the first Finn to head the organisation. In addition to serving ad managing director for ESL Shipping, he sits on the board of the Finnish Shipowners’ Association, which he chaired between 2021 and 2023. He has also represented Finland on the International Chamber of Shipping board.
Connect with Mikki on LinkedIn
Experienced manager with a wealth of experience in the maritime industry moves to Rostock-based shipbuilder
Paul Brzesina has been named as the next managing director of Rostock-based Neptun Shipdesign.
He will start in the new position in January after 15 years with the TKMS group, the naval defence business of thyssenkrupp. In his most recent position, he served as the programme director of the Singaporean 218SG-class submarines and as managing director ofTKMS Singapore, the in-service support branch for the 218SG submarines.
Paul has a background in general management, is well versed in the maritime industry and ecosystems and possesses profound expertise in international sales and project management.
Experienced technology executive to head Finnish innovation fund
Pekka Ala-Pietilä, who has had a long career in technology companies, has been elected as chair of the board of Sitra.
Pekka currently serves as chair of the board of Sanoma and of the supervisory board of SAP SE. He has previously chaired the boards of Huhtamaki and Solidium, among others.
He also served as chair of the European Commission’s high-level expert group on artificial intelligence. From 2017 to 2019, Ala-Pietilä was a member of Sitra’s international expert panel.
Latvian is first to hold senior position with association of European chambers of commerce
Aigars Rostovskis has been re-elected as vice-president of Eurochambres, the association of european chambers of commerce and industry. Aigars is the president of LTRK, the Latvian chamber of commerce. His re-election helps the organistion to maintain a powerful voice among European business representatives.
Eurochambres acts as the voice of the business community at the EU level, representing more than 20 million companies. It is an important player in the European business environment, driving significant initiatives and supporting entrepreneurs to ensure a sustainable and competitive European economy.
Aigars is the first Latvian representative to hold a senior Eurochambres office.
Second term as the chair for experienced executive and board member
Alfonso Faubel has been elected to a second term as chair of the Ignitis grupė supervisory board.
Alfonso brings 36 years of experience in the energy and automotive industries and digitalisation to the position. He is valued for his skills in business turnaround, improving operations and working with teams in various cultural environments on assignments worldwide.
He has spent the past decade gathering experience in the energy sector, focusing in particular on wind energy, while working at the leading global players in the market.
Alfonso has held executive responsibilities at Siemens Gamesa and Alstom/GE, where he was senior vice-president responsible for launching in 16 new markets.
Connect with Alfonso on LinkedIn
Experienced transport and logistics manager to strengthen marketing and sales
Ports of Stockholm has appointed Johan Praetorius to be its next cargo-marketing manager.
With his extensive and solid experience and expertise in transport and logistics, Johan will strengthen Ports of Stockholm’s marketing and sales department, laying the groundwork for continued growth.
Johan’s most recent role was commercial manager for ro-ro shipping company Lakeway Link. He also has extensive experience working with container shipping from firms such as Hamburg Süd/Maersk and Hapag Lloyd. He has also held commercial roles with DHL.
Connect with Johan on LinkedIn
TASK Engineering continues to grow, adding an HR co-ordinator to its Bornholm organisation as its offshore wind activities expand.
Jacqueline’s role will be to optimise TASK Engineering’s HR structure in an effort to ensure that the the firm has a working environment that takes responsibility for its staff. She will help to create a support system for all the topics that matter to TASK Engineering employees.
Connect with Jacqueline on LinkedIn
Mintos, the investment platform that enables people to earn regular passive income through diversified investments, has announced the appointment of Kertu-Liina Lehismäe as the latest addition to its senior leadership team.
Kertu-Liina brings a wealth of marketing experience. Most recently, she led all customer acquisition globally at N26, one of Europe’s leading on-line banks. Her proven track record in driving global marketing strategies and delivering growth will be instrumental in advancing Mintos’ mission of democratising investments, highlighting the importance of long-term regular income, and growing its customer base across the European continent.
In her role as CMO, Kertu-Liina will oversee all aspects of Mintos’ marketing and external communications, including customer acquisition, engagement, PR & communications, brand and more. She will be responsible for developing and executing innovative marketing campaigns to further raise awareness around Mintos and strengthen its position in the global investment space.
Connect with Kertu-Liina on LinkedIn
Mila, the Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence, announces the election of a new board that brings together leaders and experts from various industries with extensive experience in business, innovation and technology development.
The board’s goal is to provide strategic support to the association’s activities and promote the development and integration of artificial intelligence in Latvian business and society.
The board includes six industry experts:
- Armands Broks, founder and CEO of fintech company Twino
- Oksana Sivokobilska, Financial sector digitalisation strategist
- Dmitrijs Jemeljanovs, Machine Learning expert and head of Forward IT Consulting
- Gatis Romanovskis, CEO of Hansab
- Kristaps Siliņš, brand strategist and leading partner of McCann
- Guntis Kalniņš, technology industry leader
- Dmitrijs Ņititins, board member and Chief Technology Officer at SIA TET
Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence
Read full announcement (external link)