The line-up
Erikka Askeland
News Editor, Energy Voice
Paul Addison
Director of Policy and External Affairs at GB Energy
Dr Valentina Kretzschmar
Vice President Consulting, Energy Transition Strategy at Wood Mackenzie
Nicola Macleod
General Counsel and Director of Corporate Affairs at D2Zero
Erikka Askeland
News Editor, Energy Voice
Erikka is a highly experienced, award-winning journalist. She has worked in the UK as a reporter, columnist and editor focusing on business news for twenty years, with the last ten specialising on the North Sea and the UK's widening energy mix.
She has held senior roles at publications including the Scotsman, the Press and Journal and Scottish Business Insider, and has written for titles such as the Sunday Times as well as for corporate clients. She is also a well-regarded speaker, events chair and podcaster.
Paul Addison
Director of Policy and External Affairs at GB Energy
As Director of Policy and External Affairs Paul Addison is a member of the Great British Energy executive leadership team.
Responsible for shaping and delivering GBE's policy agenda and external affairs activity to enable delivery of its mission, he works with senior leaders to build Great British Energy’s reputation as a business that is responsibly accelerating the UK's energy transition.
Previously, he was a policy adviser to the Opposition Treasury Team in the run up to the General Election, shaping infrastructure, planning and investment policies. He championed the creation of a 10 year national infrastructure strategy and the formation of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authoirty through his leadership of the Major Capital Projects Review in 2024.
Paul spent a number of years working for Siemens, and more recently leading public policy and engagement for Arup and Yorkshire Building Society.
At Arup he established the Urban Transport Review which advocated for a UK wide National Transport Strategy. He also directed the campaign calling for a new rail link connecting the West Midlands and the North West, 'Opportunity through Connectivity' following the announcement of the cancellation of HS2 to Manchester.
In 2021 he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London, and has won several awards for campaigns to create Made Smarter, a government programme supporting small manufacturers to adopt digital technology. He also founded the coalition of Building Society's that launched UK Savings Week in 2022.
Dr Valentina Kretzschmar
Vice President Consulting, Energy Transition Strategy at Wood Mackenzie
Dr Valentina Kretzschmar has over 25 years of experience in the energy sector. She is a senior expert, with a focus on corporate energy transition strategies and climate reporting.
She joined Wood Mackenzie’s Consulting team in June 2023 from Capricorn Energy, where she served as Energy Transition Director, responsible for the company’s climate change and energy transition strategy and reporting.
She is a Non-Executive Director on the Board of D2Zero – a provider of decarbonisation and clean energy solutions, as well as an Advisory Board Member at CausewayGT – a geothermal company.
Valentina has a BEng Honours Degree in Engineering from the University of Edinburgh, MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College, London, a PhD in Clean Coal Technology from the University of Edinburgh and an MBA (Finance) from Durham University. Valentina is a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng. MIMechE) and holds a Non-executive Director Diploma.
Nicola Macleod
General Counsel and Director of Corporate Affairs at D2Zero
Nicola is a distinguished leader in the energy sector with extensive experience in legal, commercial, and regulatory affairs. She joined D2Zero from Spirit Energy, where she served as EVP, General Counsel, and Director of Regulatory Affairs since 2018. In this role, she held responsibility for legal and commercial activities including Board governance, regulatory affairs, compliance, acquisitions and divestments, and joint venture management.
Recognised in the Energy Council’s Top Female Leaders, Nicola is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators. She has also held several non-executive roles. Nicola holds an MA in Politics, an MSc, a Law degree, and a Master of Commercial Laws.