Gerhard DELL & Christiane EGGER

Gerhard Dell is the Managing Director of OÖ Energiesparverband (ESV) and Energy Commissioner of Upper Austria. Additional roles he holds are being a Joint Representative for Energy Efficiency of the 9 Austrian regions and Deputy Joint Representative for Buildings. He is also a member of the advisory council of the Austrian Electricity Regulator. 

As Energy Commissioner to the Upper Austrian Government, he is responsible for advising the regional government on all energy-related matters and for coordinating and providing scientific support to the Upper Austrian Energy Strategy. Gerhard is the author of the annual Energy Report of the Region of Upper Austria and was awarded the National Energy Research Award and Merit Award in Gold of the Republic of Austria. He holds a doctorate and a post-graduate degree in Electrical Engineering and Energy Economics. 

Christiane Egger is the Deputy Manager of ESV and Manager of the Cleantech-Cluster Energy, a network of 250 companies active in sustainable energy and the environment. She is the Conference Director of the World Sustainable Energy Days, one of Europe’s largest annual conferences on the energy transition and climate neutrality and has developed and led over 40 EU-funded projects. Christane is also a member of the management board of NEFI, the Austrian R&D platform for the decarbonisation of industry. As an expert in market development, she has developed and implemented numerous promotional activities for energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. She holds a law degree and a post-graduate degree in environmental engineering. 

In their roles as Vice-Presidents for Climate Neutrality, Gerhard Dell and Christiane Egger support FEDARENE members in developing and implementing regional and local pathways towards climate neutrality.  With climate neutrality offering a major growth strategy in Europe, the Vice-Presidents address the topic with a focus on competitiveness, industrial transformation, and citizens’ involvement. 

Some areas of interest for Gerhard and Christiane include advocating for a European policy framework to support regions and cities in pursuing climate neutrality and developing meaningful narratives to promote climate neutrality and increase the visibility and impact on energy agencies.