IEA Bioenergy welcomes new Chair, Vice-chairs and Technical Coordinator
Professor Mark Brown, Forest Research Institute – USC, Australia.
Professor Mark Brown – University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia, has been elected as the new Chair of the IEA Bioenergy Technology Collaboration Programme for 2025 and 2026. He follows Dina Bacovsky of BEST – Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies, Austria, who served as Chair in the past 2 years.
Dina Bacovsky: “It was my honour and pleasure to Chair IEA Bioenergy for two years and advance the science as well as the communication about the science together with our network of experts. I believe we are providing highly relevant reports and events to the community and addressing the hot topics. I am happy to hand over to Mark and the new team, and I will surely support them as needed.”
Mark Brown: “As the new Chair of IEA Bioenergy, I feel deeply privileged to build upon the incredible progress achieved under Dina’s leadership and those before her, especially at such a pivotal time for bioenergy. Together with our partners in the TCP, I am committed to leveraging the power of collaboration and our global networks to advance the technical expertise needed to maximize the sustainable use of bioenergy in meeting the challenge of reducing global carbon emissions.”
Birger Kerckow, FNR – Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe, Germany
Anna Malmström, Swedish Energy Agency, Sweden
Two Vice-chairs were appointed to assist the Chair in his work: Birger Kerckow of FNR – Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe, Germany (who already served in this role in the past 2 years), and Anna Malmström of the Swedish Energy Agency, Sweden.
The IEA Bioenergy Executive Committee also appointed Eric van den Heuvel of Studio Gear Up, The Netherlands, as the new Technical Coordinator. He follows Luc Pelkmans of Caprea Sustainable Solutions, Belgium.
Eric van den Heuvel, Studio Gear Up, The Netherlands.
Eric van den Heuvel, who was trained as a Technology Innovation and Strategy Manager at the Eindhoven University of Technology, is an international expert on sustainable energy, low carbon solutions, bio-based society and bioenergy. He held positions in various organizations, both public and private. Throughout his career, Eric van den Heuvel has been working at the intersection of market, policy and society, focusing on the issues of bio-feedstocks, bioenergy and biofuels.
Dina Bacovsky: “Special thanks go to Luc Pelkmans, who has served as Technical Coordinator for 9 years, for all the contributions that he has made to our organization and its work. While Luc cannot be replaced, I am confident that our new Technical Coordinator Eric van den Heuvel will settle in quickly and use his skills to help us create impact.”
Eric van den Heuvel: “My ambition as Technical Coordinator is that my efforts, in collaboration with all involved in IEA Bioenergy, help build recognition by policy makers and investors that bioenergy is essential and strategic in the energy and feedstock transition.”
Contact details of Chairs, Technical Coordinator and Secretary available here.
