Plenary Speakers & Opening Session
The official opening of the 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference will take place on Wednesday and will set the strategic framework for the days ahead. The session will begin with opening remarks from representatives of the IEA and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure.
This will be followed by high-level international plenary lectures addressing key topics such as Energy & Climate Policy and Technology & Industry Transformation. Our distinguished speakers will provide strategic insights into the role of heat pump technologies in strengthening industrial competitiveness and advancing the global energy transition.
Welcome and Opening
- Thomas Fleckl, Chair, National Organising Committee of HPC 2026 and AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
- Andreas Kugi, Scientific Director, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
Opening Speech
- Peter Hanke, Federal Minister of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure, Austria
- Jürgen Czernohorszky, Executive Councillor for Climate, Environment, Democracy and Human Resources, City of Vienna
Opening Remarks from IEA and its Technology Collaboration Programme
- Mary Burce Warlick, Deputy Executive Director, IEA
- Stephan Renz, Chairman, Technology Collaboration Programme on Heat Pumping Technologies
- Sophie Hosatte-Ducassy, Chair, International Organising Committee of HPC 2026
Energy & Climate Policy Keynotes
- Yosr Allouche, Director General, International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR)
- Riccardo Savigliano, Chief of Energy Systems and Industrial Decarbonization Unit, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Technology & Industry Transformation Keynotes
- Karl Gruber, Managing Director, ImWind Gruppe (Wien Energie Gruppe)
- Mitsunobu Nakajo, Director, Heat Pump & Thermal Storage Technology Center of Japan
- Rushad Nanavatty, Managing Director, Rocky Mountain Institute