Governing Bodies

Rannveig LOKEN, an electrical engineering expert with over 30 years of experience, steps into her new role after an extensive career at Statnett, Norway’s transmission system operator. A graduate of Trondheim University College and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), she has been involved with CIGRE since 2008, contributing to Study Committee B5 on protection and automation systems. As the new Technical Council Chair, Løken will lead 16 study committees focused on key global power system challenges like grid modernization and renewable energy integration.

Vincent THOUVENIN is a member of the senior management of RTE, France's electricity transmission & system operator, leading RTE’s international affairs since 2024, after several years heading the European affairs. Former civil servant and graduate of École Polytechnique and École des Mines de Paris, he began his career in public service, including at the European Commission's DG Competition and managing positions overseeing electricity and gas policy at the French energy ministry. Vincent joined RTE in 2006, moving through several management roles, including chief of staff to RTE's Executive Chairman, Deputy Director of the Paris-Normandy Regional Electricity System and Director of RTE’s Finance and Tariff Regulation Department. He has represented RTE’s CEO in General Assembly at ENTSO-E, the European association of transmission system operators. Vincent is now Vice-President of Med-TSO, the association of Mediterranean power system operators, chair of CIGRE France and newly elected Vice-President Finance (Treasurer) of CIGRE.

Graduate Engineer of the Ecole Centrale de Paris, Philippe ADAM started his career in EDF R&D division in 1980 as a research engineer in the field of HVDC and FACTS. Then he held several management positions in EDF Generation and Transmission. In 2000, he was appointed manager of the financial and management control department of RTE. In 2004 he contributed to the creation of RTE international. From 2011 to 2014 he has been the Strategy Director of Infrastructures and Technologies of the Medgrid industrial initiative.

He have served CIGRE as the Technical Committee Secretary and as the Secretary and Treasurer of the French National Committee. He was appointed Secretary General of CIGRE in March 2014.

Jorge Alejandro Tarchini is an Argentine engineer and prominent executive in the energy sector, currently serving as the Secretary of Energy at tbe Province of Entre Ríos.

 

Current Leadership & Roles

 

• Provincial Secretary: He manages energy policy and infrastructure development for the Entre Ríos province.
• Corporate Executive: He served as the General Manager of ENERSA (Energía de Entre Ríos S.A.) and EPESF (Empresa de Energía de Santa Fe), the provincial state-owned electricity distribution and transport company.
• CIGRE President: He serves as the President of the Argentine Committee of CIGRE (International Council on Large Electric Systems) for the 2025–2029 term, which is the most influential international network in the electric power sector.
• Gas & Market Influence: He holds the presidency of the Compañía Entrerriana de Gas S.A. and operates as an alternate Director on the board of CAMMESA, Argentina's wholesale electricity market administrator.

 

Education & Focus

Tarchini completed his higher education at the prestigious Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna. His professional agenda heavily focuses on regional energy transitions, upgrading provincial grid systems (such as the 132 kV network), implementing sustainable infrastructure, and driving public-private state modernization.

Peter McIntyre has over 40 years’ experience in electricity transmission having held senior executive positions responsible for network planning, system operations, customer connections, asset management and regulatory and corporate strategy. He served for six years as Managing Director of the Australian transmission network company Transgrid. He has also held CEO positions with Engineers Australia, the peak engineering body in Australia with over 100,000 members, and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, which is responsible for the training of the majority of specialist doctors in Australia and New Zealand.

Peter has also been a director and Deputy Chair of the Australian Power Institute, a director and Deputy Chair of the Energy Networks Association and the Chair of Grid Australia. Recently, he as also held the position of non-executive director of Tasnetworks, the Tasmanian transmission and distribution network service provider. Currently, Peter is the Chief Executive Officer of CIGRE Australia.

Peter has a passion for the development of the net generation of engineers and is a strong supporter for diversity initiatives in our industry.

João Carlos Mello is CEO of Thymos Energia, a consulting company in São Paulo. and currently the President of CIGRE Brasil. Dr. Mello has M.Sc. and D.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from PUC-RJ. He has been worked in CEPEL – R&D center, developing computational models for power system assessment. Dr. Mello has also been contributed to the revision projects of market design of Brazilian power sector in the mid-1990s and 2000s. He also participated in the implementation of the Wholesale Energy Market in Brazil

Dr. Mohamed RASHWAN holds BS.C, MS.C, and PhD. In electrical engineering. He is the president of TransGrid Solutions (TGS) specializing in HVDC and Power Electronics. Dr.  Rashwan is the recipient of 2010 Uno Lamm HVDC Medal and Award. His career in the power industry spans 45 years between utility, manufacturers and consultants. He is currently the chairman of Cigre SC B4 “HVDC and Power Electronics”

Jianjun Zhao received his doctorate degree in Power System and Automation from China Electric Power Research Institute(CEPRI) in 2005. He is a professor-level senior engineer. His main research interests are power system analysis and simulation, power electronics. He is Deputy Secretary General of Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering .

He has been engaged in high-voltage testing of substation equipment, power grid scheduling, power grid planning, power system analysis, and power electronic device control research. He has been awarded one China Excellence Patent Award, published more than 10 papers in core journals and international conferences, participated in the translation of 4 monographs and a dozen of technical reports.

Claus Leth Bak is a professor at AAU Energy, Denmark. He has +30 years of practical, academic and management experience in power transmission. His main research interests include electromagnetic transients, underground cables, insulation coordination and protection. Claus has authored more than 475 scientific publications in international journals and conferences.

Claus is a member of the board of directors of Nordenergi (DSO) and manager of the section of electric power systems and microgrids at AAU Energy.

Claus has contributed to CIGRE during his entire career with session and symposia papers, WG and green book contributions, administrative council (8Y), Danish NC member (20Y), Danish NC chair (8Y), member of C4, B5 and D1 and C4 AG1, several CIGRE task forces, organizing of symposia, creation of NGN and WiE national chapters and elected to technical council 2020-2022.

Claus received the CIGRE distinguished member award (2020) and the technical council award for C4 (2020).

Thani Al Khusaibi is holding MSc in Electric Power Engineering from UMIST (UK). He is currently holding position of Transmission and Planning Affairs Advisor in Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC). Prior to this role he was heading a technical team responsible of establishing OETC as part of restructuring of electricity sector in Oman and became General Manager of OETC. Before restructuring he had several years of experience as distribution, transmission and projects engineer and later became director of electrical projects managing projects of power stations including desalination plants, distribution, and transmission networks. He was a director in several state owned electricity companies in Oman and has represented Oman in the board of GCC Interconnection Authority for over six years. He is the past chairman and advisor of GCC CIGRE board, and representing Oman in the board from 1993 until present.

Pascal Daleiden, 53, a native of Luxembourg, holds a degree in electrical engineering and industrial information technology from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and started his career at Schneider Electric and Rockwell Automation.
In 2009, he joined ABB Benelux as Power Technology Sales Manager and moved to ABB Germany in 2014, also as Power Technology Sales Manager.
Since the launch of the joint venture between Hitachi and ABB in July 2019, he has served as
Head of Sales and Marketing Germany.
Since March 1, 2022, he has been CEO of Hitachi Energy Germany AG and Country Managing
Director Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 

 

 

Ravindra TYAGI Dr. R. K. Tyagi is a distinguished power-sector leader with over 35 years of experience in UHVAC/HVDC systems, Grid Interconnection with Cross –Border Power Transmission, Transmission Planning, Condition Assessment of   Transformer, Circuit- Breaker along with EHV Equipment’s and Large-Scale Renewable-Energy Integration in India. A Fulbright Scholar at Carnegie Mellon University, he holds an M.Tech. in Energy Studies from IIT Delhi and a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College. As former CMD of POWERGRID, he led major investments and project development and managed a 2.7 trillion transmission network achieving 99.8% system availability. He has also conceptualized and implemented, the world’s first 1200 kV transmission system in India, enabling major inter-regional & international interconnections. He is currently leading Power Sector Development Activities at PFI.

Mr. Enrico Maria Carlini graduated in Electrical and Energy Engineering from Sapienza University of Rome in 1991.

He developed his career in Terna TSO, where he progressed from the position of ‘thermal power plant operation’ senior engineer to the director of ‘Dispatching and System Operations’ and, lately, of ‘Grid Planning, Interconnection and Permitting”.

Alongside with his position in Terna, he plays several leading roles in the key organizations of the energy community, among which: ENTSO-E, CIGRE-SEERC, IEA, IEC, CEI (Italian Electrotechnical Committee), AEIT (Italian Association of Electrical, Electronics, Automation, Information and Communication Technology), SEleNe (Southeast Electricity Network Coordination Center) and CORESO (COoRdination of Electricity System Operators) Regional Security Coordinator.

Experience on power system long-term planning and design, network access and administrative permitting procedures, operational planning and dispatching, electricity markets, the systems and processes that support them.

Entered the Advisory Council of CIGRE in 2020, chairman of CIGRE Italian Committee since 2021, elected to the CIGRE Steering Committee in 2022.

Frequent invited speaker at conferences globally on secure energy transition in the power sector. Author of more than 170 scientific publications in international journals and conferences.

Koji KAWAKITA is a Fellow, Chief Technology Advisor at Chubu Electric Power Grid Co., Inc., with more than 40 years of experience in utility management, asset management, engineering, operation and maintenance, and international collaboration.

 

An active participant in CIGRE since 2000, he has served as Working Group Convener, Secretary, Regular Member, Chair of Study Committee B3 (2018–2024), Member of the Technical Council, and Chair of the ELECTRA Editorial Board.

 

In 2026, he was appointed as an Administrative Council member, a Steering Committee member, and the Administrative Council representative on the Technical Council.

 

He is a CIGRE Honorary Member, Liaison Officer between IEC TC17/SC17C and CIGRE SC B3, and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ).

Pablo REALPOZO del CASTILLO President CIGRE México Seasoned engineer with deep expertise in the Electric Sector, at the intersection of technology, infrastructure and public policy. Last 15 years at CFE as Manager of Transmission Lines and Electrical Substation Projects (130+) Participated in SIEPAC 230 kV interconnection linking eight Central American countries and Colombia. Private sector executive: General Manager at IEM Westinghouse Power Transformers Division (300+ CFE projects) and Founding General Manager of Weidmann High Voltage Technology Mexico. Bridges government, industry and academia, building lasting relationships across USA, Canada and Latin America. Recipient, National Award for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (2012). Leading advocate for Mexican engineering: President IEEE Mexico Council, Pan American Confederation of Mechanical and Electrical Colleges (COPIMERA) and Pan American Academy of Engineering.

Khayakazi DIOKA represents CIGRE Southern Africa on the CIGRE Steering Committee. A registered Professional Engineer, she is Corporate Specialist for Transformers and Reactors at Eskom and holds BSc and MSc degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cape Town. She chairs CIGRE Southern Africa, co-convenes Working Group A2/D1.67 and serves on Study Committee A2. Her experience spans transformer specifications, design reviews, factory assessments, failure investigations, asset health and lifecycle decision support. Khayakazi has also served as International Chair of CIGRE Women in Energy and contributed to the Green Books on Transformer and Reactor Procurement, and Transformer and Reactor Life Management. Her leadership focuses on strengthening African participation, technical collaboration, mentoring, capacity building and an inclusive, resilient energy transition

Javier IGLESIAS is Project Director in Red Eléctrica de España (Spanish TSO), being responsible of investment projects for the electrical transmission system in Spain. He has over twenty year experience in engineering, construction and management of transmission lines and substations projects.

At present, he is the Chairman of the CIGRE National Committee of Spain, the Chairman of the Technical Advisory Group B2.4 “Electrical aspects of Overhead Lines” and Regular Member of the Study Committee B2. Javier has been Convenor of two CIGRE working groups and active member of more than fifteen. He has been Special Reporter in the Paris Session in 2016, as well as Chairman of various CIGRE Symposia and Workshops. He has been co-author of sixteen papers and publications, and received the Technical Council Award by the Study Committee B2 in 2018.

Rudolf MEIER graduated at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) as an electrical engineer and holds a postgraduate degree in economics. He started his career as a software engineer for control systems. He then worked as senior consultant and team leader for utilities at a consultancy firm. In 2006 he entered Alpiq Grid (TSO and DSO) as head of Asset Management Grid. In 2010 he created a new entity called EnerTrans, specialized in engineering and maintenance works for TSO and DSO and served as its Managing Director. In 2018, the Service Division of Alpiq was acquired by Bouygues/Equans. EnerTrans has continuously evolved and has deployed its activities in Switzerland, Germany and France. Within CIGRE Rudolf MEIER was member of the C1 Study Committee. He was elected president of the Swiss National Committee in 2020. Since 2025, he is also leading the Investment Committee of the CIGRE Innovation & Education Fund.

Mark WALDRON has more than 30 years’ experience in electricity transmission asset management focussing upon substation primary equipment, particularly switchgear. He is employed by National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) in the UK as Net Zero Asset Strategy Technical Lead and has a particular interest in SF₆ management and alternatives to SF₆. He is active internationally within CIGRE, IEC, IEEE and ENTSOE, and has held senior leadership positions within both CIGRE (past Vice President Technical) and IEC (present Chair of Sub-Committee 17A). His present national & international activities focus heavily upon alternatives to SF₆ and the wider environmental context of reducing SF₆ emissions and inventory associated transmission assets, supporting NGET’s commitments and ambitions towards Net Zero.

Christopher E. Root, PE, DASH POWER PARTNERS Industry Consultant, is a former accomplished utility executive with over 40 years with two utilities. He was a chief operating officer and senior vice president in multiple T&D and engineering areas for 26 years. He has vast experience in the operations, construction, and maintenance of a T&D utility and all phases of the engineering and design of the power system.  He has been the IEEE Division Vll Director and on the PES Governing Board and is the Past President of the US National Committee of CIGRE.  He is a Distinguished Member of CIGRE and on the Administrative Council.  He has received the 2022 IEEE PES Leadership in Power Award and the 2021 Meritorious Service Award for Leadership in PES and the 2021 Attwood Associates Award and the 2025 Philip Sporn Award from the US National Committee of CIGRE.  He is a Senior Member of IEEE and a Distinguished Member of CIGRE.  He is a Registered Professional Engineer in MA and RI.  He has a BSEE from Northeastern University, Meng of Power Systems from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and attended the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School.  He is a member of both Eta Kappu Nu and Tau Beta Pi.

Arianna Guarneri. Environmental Engineer as well as expert in Geographic Information System after attending a master's degree at the University of Studies Palermo. She attended a specialization course as well in Environmental Management Systems.

Since 2007 she works in Rome for the Italian Transmission System Operator, Terna, dealing with Environmental Protection, Authorisation and Connection Procedures to the High Voltage Electric Grid, Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF’s Reference person in Terna). In 2018 she qualified as Envision SP (Envision Protocol for Sustainable Infrastructure). From Jan 2022 till Dec 2025, she supported Lazio Region as specialist Project Leader in Environmental Engineering.

She is member of Technical Committees in Technical Committee TC 106 Methods for the assessment of electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields (EMFs) associated with human exposure, member of the EMF working group in ENTSO-E (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity).

She has been involved with CIGRE since 2008 contributing mainly to Study Committees C3 and C4 for topics related to EMFs and Environmental issues. CIGRE Distinguished Member 2022 in acknowledgement of the long-standing collaboration to the work of the Association.

Bogdan LEU is an energy professional and power systems engineer with nine years of experience in the energy sector, focusing on research, innovation, digitalisation and the transformation of power systems.

Since 2017, he has been with Transelectrica, Romania’s Transmission System Operator, where he serves as Research & Innovation Project Manager, leading projects on innovation and power system development and fostering international industry and research collaborations.

Bogdan has been actively involved in CIGRE for several years and currently serves as Chairman of CIGRE Next Generation Network (NGN), following his leadership of CIGRE NGN Romania.

He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Power Systems, with studies at University Politehnica of Bucharest and Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble. He is also an Associate and Summer School Director at Energy Policy Group.