Session: “The Challenges of the Energy Transition in Europe”
Aspen Institute España holds a session of the Aspen Global Politics Program next Thursday, June 6 on “The Future of the Energy Transition in Europe” with Marteen Wetselaar, CEO of Cepsa. The debate will be moderated by Juan Moscoso del Prado, Head of the International Relations Department of the Economic and Social Council and Aspen España Fellow, and will bring together a group of politicians from the last edition of the Program, including participants from the different political parties in Spain.
Marteen Wetselaar
He joined Cepsa as CEO in January 2022 and is based in Madrid. In March 2022 he announced the firm’s “Positive Motion” strategy that is aimed at transforming Cepsa into an Energy Transition leader in years to come. Prior to joining Cepsa he worked at Royal Dutch Shell for 26 years and served on the firm´s Executive Committee as Director of Integrated Gas, Renewables and Energy Solutions from 2016-2021. In that role he oversaw 38 countries for Shell, including Australia, China, Canada, Japan, Qatar, Russia and Trinidad. Before 2016 he held various financial, commercial and general management positions in Shell’s Upstream, Downstream and Trading businesses in Europe, Singapore, Brazil, Ghana, the Middle East and Russia. Wetselaar holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Groningen and a postdoctoral degree from VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands. After his studies he discharged his military service as an officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Global Politics Program
This initiative was launched during the academic year 2012-2013. The purpose of the Global Politics Program is to serve as a space for debate between young Spanish politicians and policy-oriented participants dedicated to public service who have demonstrated leadership potential. It aims at providing a well-structured space for discussion, where knowledge and reflection on the issues addressed may find common ground, and where personal ties may be established among participants. The Global Politics Program is structured around various sessions throughout the year, in the form of open discussions and brief presentations from leading experts on relevant issues in the context of politics and public service.
Sessions focus on three main areas of discussion: geopolitics, leadership, ethics, and international economics. Almost 40 speakers have participated in our sessions throughout the various editions of the Program, including Javier Solana, President of Aspen Institute España; Hugo Dixon, Chair of InFacts and Deputy Chair of People’s Vote; Robin Wright, Journalist, Author, and Foreign Policy Analyst; Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General of SEGIB; Pablo García-Berdoy, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Spain for the European Union; Robin Niblett, director of Chatham House; Óscar Fanjul, Vice-president of Omega Capital and member of the Board of Trustees of Aspen Institute España.
