Secretariat

Antonella Battaglini is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Renewables Grid Initiative.

Antonella is currently a member of the European Commission's expert group on electricity interconnection targets and has previously been an expert member of the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 2014-2016 Global Agenda Council on the Future of Electricity. In 2015 she was named one of Tällberg's 2015 five Global Leaders for her commitment to a sustainable energy future and combating climate change. She is also a senior scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) where she leads the SuperSmart Grid (SSG) process, a concept she developed together with her team to reconcile different approaches to the system integration of renewables. By adopting a holistic approach, the SSG addresses the challenges of the transformation of the power sector considering generation, transmission and demand management. In this concept, both centralised and decentralised options play an undisputed role.

Antina Sander joined RGI in March 2012. She is responsible for the instigation and coordination of national TSO/NGO collaboration projects, for providing feedback to EU grid development processes and RGI's organisational planning. In 2011, Antina has finalised an MSc in Environmental Management and Policy at Lund University, Sweden where she has written her master thesis about grid expansion and public acceptance. The thesis "From 'Decide, Announce, Defend' to 'Announce, Discuss, Decide'" won the first prize of the "Ökostrom für Alle!" Award in 2012. Antina furthermore holds an MBA and has been working for seven years in the private sector (strategic management consultancy and in the consumer goods industry) and with the United Nations.

Nikola joined RGI in June 2013. He is responsible for RGI accounts and the financial reporting of RGI’s projects to different donors. Nikola has more than six years of experience dealing with EU Regional Policy, EU Structural and Cohesion Funds and donor funding as a financial consultant and project manager both in the private and public sector. In 2008, he was a stagiaire in the European Commission. Nikola possesses a Master degree in Finance and a Bachelor in International relations, both obtained in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Theresa joined RGI in November 2011. She is responsible for RGI's communication activities, the best practice project, and the organisation of workshops and conferences. Prior to RGI, Theresa worked at a communication consultancy firm in Berlin, advising clients in public affairs, media relations and crisis communication with a focus on renewable energies. Theresa studied at the University of Passau and the University of Hamburg in Germany, obtaining a master degree in European Studies. During her studies, she also stayed in Växjö, Sweden and Prague, Czech Republic.