Background: The Worshipful Company of Fuellers has been striving hard to provide a balanced perspective on this topic- a task that is getting increasingly difficult given the shrill voices and the mis-information that abounds! The webinar will cover evidence based perspective on the role of Hydrogen- how its evolving across the world in a “Jules Verne Style Hydrogen Futures” and how industrial innovation is playing a role while coping with the issues of economics and regulation. The idea is to provide a flavour of what the application markets for Hydrogen globally might look like and what the real challenges to getting there lie ahead- the right mix of optimism and a reality check.

The Fuellers Company is delighted to support the Lord Mayor’s Knowledge Miles initiative and believes a fact based, reasoned and respectful debate is required on this important energy vector.

Speakers:

Erik Rakhou is a consultant. He supports clients on their energy transition journey and investment with a focus on hydrogen and decarbonizing gas markets including CCUS. Erik brings 20+ years of experience across the globe in both commercial and policy roles, to help leading industry navigate change. He was appointed as an alternate member of the ACER, EU energy regulator, Board of Appeal for September 2016 to September 2021 – a high level EU government body arbitrating energy regulatory changes. Erik provides trainings, workshops, moderates energy conferences, co-hosts podcast “Global Tales of Carbon Transition”, and has initiated and co-authored “Touching Hydrogen Future” book, read in over 130 countries globally; and has authored “Handbook on European gas market”. In last 2 years Erik has acted as strategic advisor in over 100 cases globally, enabling him to provide transversal view on regulatory and commercial trends of energy transition.

Ashutosh Shastri is the founder of EnerStrat Consulting - a London based international strategic management consultancy practice in the Energy Sector and is currently serving as a Junior Warden in the Worshipful Company of Fuellers. He also serves as Advisor, Global Gas Centre, Geneva; Distinguished Fellow (non-resident) at the Washington DC based Energy Policy Research Foundation Inc. (EPRINC) and Member of the Advisory Board of the Research Centre for Energy Management at ESCP Business School, London.

He has authored several published papers on Global Unconventional/Shale Gas, LNG, Smart Grids and Wind Energy. He has chaired several prestigious UN Conferences on Energy Policy and Trade. He is actively involved in several committees of the World Energy Council. Prior to founding EnerStrat, he was an expert consultant in the global energy practice of McKinsey and Company based in London between the years 1995-2003. Prior to McKinsey, he worked as a TQM/ISO-9000 Champion and a Project Engineer in India.