Valerie Bouillon-Delporte
Executive Director, Clean Hydrogen Partnership
Valerie Bouillon-Delporte is the new Executive Director of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, effective 1 June 2024.
Prior to this appointment, she served as the Hydrogen Ecosystem Director at Michelin, where she played a pivotal role in the development and deployment of hydrogen solutions. Her leadership extends to her tenure as Board member and Co-President of the French Hydrogen Association, as well as her coordination of the H2 Mobility France consortium.
Ms. Bouillon-Delporte has also made significant contributions as the former President of Hydrogen Europe, the European association of hydrogen industries. Additionally, she has chaired the governing board of the Fuel Cell Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, the precursor to the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, where she championed research, technological development, and demonstration activities in fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies across Europe.
Mrs. Bouillon-Delporte has worked for more than 20 years for several top leading automotive Tier one manufacturers. She has a track record in both aftermarket and OE automotive industries and acquired a strong expertise in marketing clean technology innovations.
Until end of May 2024 Mrs. Bouillon-Delporte was independent board member of Lhyfe, pioneer in industrial green hydrogen production and of Rely Solutions, Belgian company JV between Technip Energies and John Cockerill
Mrs. Bouillon-Delporte holds a master’s degree in international management from Kedge Business school and an executive degree in International Management from ESSEC Paris.
In January 2021 she was selected to be Knight of the Order of the French Legion of Honour.
She received many other recognitions from her peers. In March 2024 she was nominee amongst the trailblazing women in energy 2024 by Reuters. In 2021 she received from Green Univers and Andera Partners the Prize of Women in energy transition 2021 in the category: private sector industrials. Early 2019 she was selected by La Tribune as one of the 100 persons who are transforming France and won the Prize “transforming France 2019” in the mobility category. In 2017 she was one of the candidates selected to the WBCSD Leadership Women Award 2017.
Mrs. Bouillon-Delporte is also one of the founders of the automotive association WAVE (Women Automotive and Vehicles in Europe) whose mission is to attract more women into the automotive industry.
Ms. Bouillon-Delporte takes over from Mirela Atanasiu, who was ad interim and acting Executive Director between May 2023 and until May 2024.
Mirela Atanasiu
Executive Director ad interim of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership from 15.05.2023 to 01.06.2024
Mirela Atanasiu was between 15.05.2023 and 1 June 2024 the Executive Director ad interim of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, taking over from Bart Biebuyck.
She is also the Head of Unit Operations and Communication since 2016.
Previously, for more than 12 years she was a Senior Project Manager and Research Programme Officer in the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) and the European Commission (Directorate Research and Innovation/Energy), following on a background experience as researcher in the Energy sector in Romania. She holds an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering/Materials Science and an M.Sc. in Economics/Cybernetics and Economic Analysis.
Bart Biebuyck
Executive Director of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership between May 2016 - May 2023
Bart Biebuyck was the Executive Director of the Clean Hydrogen JU between May 2016 - May 2023. Under his leadership, a strong emphasis on cooperation with cities and regions led to the creation of the Hydrogen Valleys concept and the formation of the relevant partnership. Dissemination of project results and building technology awareness among the European citizens became as well an important priority.
Before, he held various management positions at the Powertrain Division of Toyota Motor Europe where his expertise in the automotive industry included extensive knowledge related to the deployment of new technologies such as H2 and fuel cells in the European market. Bart was responsible for the European trials of the Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle, which were conducted partly in the German Clean Energy Partnership program.