Dr. Klaus Bonhoff studied Mechanical Engineering at the RWTH in Aachen, Germany and ENSTA in Paris, France. He finalized his PhD in energy process engineering at the Jülich Research Center in Germany. He then started his professional career as assistant to the Board of Directors at the Jülich Research Center in the field of energy and materials research and later became head of Jülich’s Fuel Cell Project. Afterwards he joined Ballard Power Systems GmbH as the manager of business development in Europe before starting to works for DaimlerChrysler AG where he held various positions within DaimlerChrysler’s fuel cell activities including responsibility for strategy, communications, global demonstration projects, political programs and market development. In 2007 he received a contract with the German National Government to coordinate the German National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies (NIP). 

Since February 2008 he has served as managing director (chair) of Germany’s National Organization for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW GmbH).

NOW GmbH (National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology) is responsible for the coordination and management of the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP) and the Electromobility Model Regions programme of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI). In addition, NOW also supports the German Ministry of Transport in the continued development of the Mobility and Fuel Strategy (Mobilitäts- und Kraftstoffstrategie — MKS) as well as for the implementation of EU Directive 2014/94/EU on the development of alternative fuels infrastructure (CPT).

Mr. Al Cioffi has 36 years of management and executive leadership experience in telecommunication, reliable power, reserve energy, and alternative energy industries. He started his career in 1980 at AT&T Bell Laboratories. Throughout the following years, he held numerous engineering, operations, product management, marketing, and customer advocacy roles. He has experience at large multi-nationals such as Lucent, Marconi, Eltek, and General Electric, as well as start-up and turn-around experience at Valere Power, PECO II, and Unipower. He currently works with Plug Power to advance the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell technology in motive applications adjacent to the commercial market share Plug Power already holds.

Mr. Cioffi holds seven patents and has published numerous articles and conference papers. He holds a BSEE from Manhattan College, an MSEE from Polytechnic Institute of NY, and has studied business and finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton school of business.

Ulf Groos studied Chemical Engineering at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg until 1996. The diploma thesis was written at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI in Karlsruhe, where he worked until 1997. During 1998 and 1999 he was a consultant at Rudolf Spitzmueller in Gengenbach. Beginning of 2000 he came to the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg. There, he was responsible for marketing of today’s division Hydrogen Technologies until end of 2008. Since beginning of 2008 Ulf Groos is head of the department Fuel Cell Systems. He is in charge for around 20 engineers and scientists. 

Dr. Patrick Hartley leads the Oil, Gas and Fuels research program at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. The program delivers applied R&D focussed on the sustainable development and processing of Australia’s petroleum resources and on the associated challenges of large scale carbon dioxide storage. In 2018, he established CSIRO’s Hydrogen Energy Systems Future Science Platform, which addresses the research challenges facing Australia’s hydrogen industry. Also in 2018, he co-led the development of CSIRO’s ‘National Hydrogen Roadmap, and, with the Chief Scientist of Australia, the briefing paper ‘Hydrogen for Australia’s Future’ for the Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) Energy council.

Patrick graduated with a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, London in 1994, and was subsequently awarded a research fellowship from the Royal Society, London, which allowed him to take up full time research fellowship roles at the University of Melbourne from 1994 to 1998, when he joined CSIRO as a research scientist. Since then, he has led research teams working with national and international large corporations and SME’s to develop new technologies for applications in drug delivery, energy storage, water treatment and petrochemical recovery. He has co-authored more than 90 peer reviewed publications almost all in collaboration with university and/or other research institution partners.

Patrick has occupied senior research management roles in CSIRO since 2006, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He holds an Adjunct Professorship at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia

Tim Karlsson is Executive Director of the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE) Secretariat. The IPHE is an inter-governmental partnership of 18 countries and the European Commission, working to help facilitate the transition to clean and efficient energy and mobility systems using fuel cells and hydrogen technologies.  

Previously, Mr. Karlsson held various positions including Director of Emerging Technologies, and, Director of Environmental and Clean Energy Industries in the government of Canada’s Department of Industry. 

He has worked on numerous policy issues related to energy and the environment including domestic and international climate change as a member of Canada’s delegation to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Dr. Maik Ziegler spent most of his professional career in the commercial vehicle manufacturing industry. Over the last 15 years, he has been in charge of the Commercial Vehicle Advanced Engineering Departments on three continents. In his current position at Hyundai Commercial Vehicles in Seoul, Korea, he is responsible for R&D Strategy & Advanced Engineering. For Freightliner/DTNA in Portland, Oregon, he was responsible for the Advanced Engineering Center. At Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Stuttgart, Germany, he led the Entire Vehicle Concepts Department.

At Hyundai Commercial Vehicles, he initialized the industry-leading Fuel Cell Electric Heavy Duty Truck project, that was first unveiled at the 2018 IAA Motor Show in Hanover, Germany. 

His extensive knowledge of advanced technologies led to the great success of the $115 million 2015 SuperTruck project at Freightliner (partially funded by the US DoE) that he oversaw. An overall 115% freight efficiency improvement has been achieved. 

In Germany, he was the project coordinator of the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck, the world's first all-electric heavy-duty truck in his position of Head of Entire Vehicle Concept Dept. within Advanced Engineering, Daimler Trucks. 

Dr. Ziegler received his doctorate degree at Fraunhofer ICT in Pfinztal, Germany. He has been a lecturer for New Materials, Innovation and Patent Rights at the DHBW Cooperative State University Karlsruhe and for Commercial Vehicle Technology at the University of Berlin.