• CERAWeek
  • March 18 - 22, 2024

Gwenaelle Avice-Huet

Schneider Electric

Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer

Gwenaelle is Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer of Schneider Electric and has been a member of the Executive Committee since April 1, 2022. Gwenaelle leads the development of Corporate Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions and Divestment activities, Sustainability, and Customer Satisfaction & Quality. Prior to her current position, Gwenaelle led Schneider’s Corporate Strategy as SVP, Corporate Strategy and Energy Management Strategy between March 2021 and March 2022. Before joining Schneider Electric, Gwenaelle worked for ENGIE (formerly GDF SUEZ) from 2010 to 2021, first as Senior Vice-President for European and Regulatory Affairs, then as Chief Executive Officer of ENGIE France Renewable Energy, and in her last role as part of the Executive Committee of Engie, serving as the Chief Executive Officer of ENGIE North America and in charge of the Global Business Line on Renewable Energies. She started her career in scientific research at the French National Research Institute and the French Atomic Energy Commission on nuclear energy, before joining the World Bank as a consultant in Washington D.C. She also worked for the Service of the Prime Minister in France within the General Secretary for European affairs overseeing energy and competitiveness matters, and as the advisor for various ministers. Gwenaelle is Independent Director at the Board of Air France-KLM since May 2021. She has been nominated as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2019, she received a Knight of the National Order of Merit in France. Gwenaelle holds a degree in Physics and Chemistry from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Cachan, a post-graduate diploma in Molecular Chemistry from France’s Ecole Polytechnique, and an engineering degree from the Corps des Ponts et Chaussées. She is currently located in Boston MA, United States.

Sessions With Gwenaelle Avice-Huet

Thursday, 9 March

  • 10:30am - 11:00am (CST) / 09/mar/2023 04:30 pm - 09/mar/2023 05:00 pm

    Crossing the Chasm: From low-carbon innovations to large-scale businesses

    Successful start-ups not only need financing through their stages of growth, but also access to top labs; open innovation support from their ecosystem of customers and partners and government support for related infrastructure development. How can start-ups or industry in general ensure these ingredients are available to maximize the potential of innovation?
  • 12:00pm - 12:50pm (CST) / 09/mar/2023 06:00 pm - 09/mar/2023 06:50 pm

    Choices for Flexible Power: Gas, batteries, storage and beyond

    Power & Renewables
    As renewable generation becomes increasingly widespread in power markets globally, the associated variability and impact on system reliability are highlighting the importance of flexible power sources. Today, power markets are addressing the challenge in different ways, from ramping gas or coal fleets up and down, to enhancing transmission interconnections, leveraging pumped hydro or batteries storage and innovating demand-side management. Policies and market mechanisms are poised to evolve to incentivize and reward flexible power supply, particularly those zero-carbon solutions that can advance energy transition. Is there an optimal balance between variable renewable capacity and flexible power resources, theoretically or in practice? Which flexible solution has the most positive cost curve outlook and at what scale? What are the main policies and market mechanisms addressing flexibility today? What changes need to be made to create commercial opportunities for flexibility suppliers?