Sama BILBAO Y LEÓN 
Director General, World Nuclear Association

Sama Bilbao y León became the Director General of World Nuclear Association in October 2020. Sama has more than 20 years of experience in nuclear engineering and energy policy. Sama has a very diverse professional experience having worked in the nuclear industry (Nuclear Safety Analysis Engineer, Dominion Energy, USA), in academia (Director of Nuclear Engineering Programs and Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), USA) and in international organisations (Head of the Division of Nuclear Technology Development and Economics at the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), Head of the Technical Secretariat for the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), Head of Water Cooled Reactors Technology Development Unit, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)). Sama, who is originally from Spain, holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Energy Technologies from the Polytechnic University of Madrid; a master’s degree and a PhD in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison; and an MBA from Averett University. Sama is one of the seven founders of the North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN).

Daneš BURKET
President of the Czech Nuclear Society, Director of the R&D Dept., Centre of Research Řež

After graduating from the Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague in 1994, he worked at the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant, where he held various positions up to the Head of the Reactor Physics Department. In 2007, he moved to ČEZ’s headquarters, where he worked as the Director of the Technical Support Section and was responsible, among other things, for implementing life management programs at nuclear and conventional power plants and preparing documentation for extending the life of the Dukovany NPP. On 2016 he was appointed the Director of the Research and Development section at the Řež Research Center.

Daneš Burket received his Ph.D. in the field of nuclear engineering. He was a member of the Scientific Board of the Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague, and of the Supervisory and Scientific Board of the Research and Testing Institute in Pilsen. He took part on work of the WANO Peer Review teams at TEPCO and the Fukushima Daiichi and Kashiwazaki Kariwa NPPs, and also at the Tianwan NPP in China. Since 2010 he has been the President of the Czech Nuclear Society.

Yves DESBAZEILLE
Director General, nucleareurope

Yves Desbazeille is French and graduated in electrical engineering from the Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité (“SUPELEC”) in France in 1991 and studied on an MBA program in the early 2000s. During his successful career, he has been involved in different businesses and responsibilities at EDF: nuclear engineering, hydro and thermal power projects management in France, USA as well as in Asia, where he was for 5 years. His previous position as EDF representative for energy in Brussels has provided him with an in-depth knowledge of the EU institutions and Brussels’ stakeholders and of the energy and climate stakes for Europe. *FORATOM is the Brussels-based trade association for the nuclear energy industry in Europe. FORATOM acts as the voice of the European nuclear industry in energy policy discussions with EU institutions and other key stakeholders. The membership of FORATOM is made up of 15 national nuclear associations.

Tomáš EHLER  
Deputy Minister for Nuclear Energy, Ministry of Industry and Trade

Tomáš Ehler has been involved in energy and energy policy for a long time, he was previously head of the Nuclear Energy Department at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Elektrárna Dukovany II. Prior to the MIT, he worked, for example, at the Chamber of Commerce and in the diplomatic services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He worked in Berlin and Vienna, and as a commercial counsellor he headed the commercial and economic department of the Czech Embassy in the Federal Republic of Germany. Tomáš Ehler graduated from Charles University in Prague and the Institute for Industrial and Financial Management, and is currently in the doctoral programme at the University of Economics in Prague.

Julie GORGEMANS
Project Engineering Manager, EMEA New Plants, Westinghouse

Julie Gorgemans holds a Master in Physics Engineering from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium) and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Manchester (United Kingdom).  She joined Westinghouse in 2005, developing nuclear systems solutions in support to safety improvement projects and power uprating programs on European pressurized water reactors. She then joined the Westinghouse new plant division in 2008 which she supported until 2017,  working on the development and International deployment of the AP1000 plant. During these years, Julie worked on the finalization of the AP1000 passive safety systems, contributed to several proposal developments for European customers, and spent four years in the UK working on the Generic Design Assessment of the AP1000 plant by the UK safety authorities and the development of the AP1000 Moorside project. From 2017 until early 2021, she focused on the support to European pressurized water reactor customers as a product manager for the nuclear island engineering services, with a focus on long term operation. She recently returned to support Westinghouse new plant division and provides technical leadership for new plant business and bid proposal development in Europe.

Jiří HŮLKA
consultant, Deputy Director for R&D, National Radiation Protection Institute

He received his M.Sc. in nuclear sciences and physical engineering in 1980 from the Czech Technical University in Prague. His whole professional carrier is connected within the National Radiation Protection Institute in Prague (NRPI) – he gradually engaged in monitoring of nuclear power plants, monitoring of high natural radioactivity in the buildings and coordinating the Radon Programme of the Czech Republic. Since the year 2000 he was responsible for research and development in the field of radiation protection. He focuses mainly on general issues of protection against ionizing radiation, modern methods of NPP monitoring and the impact of accidents on the environment, including impact of the Chernobyl accident. He is a member of Group of Experts referred to in Article 31 of the Euratom Treaty.

Sarah ILLOUZ
Offer Director – Czech Republic New Build Offer, EDF New Nuclear Projects & Engineering – International Development

Sarah Illouz started her career at the French Embassy in Rome, Italy, dealing with bilateral cooperation, she then joined a top French consultancy firm specialized in the Public Sector to implement major State reforms. In 2011, she joined the energy sector at AREVA (now Framatome) to support its business development activities in the nuclear and renewable fields as institutional relationships representative in Italy. She then moved into the AREVA Offshore Wind business where she managed the winning response of AREVA (in consortium with Engie) to one of the very first French public call for tender in the domain for the supply of two 500 MW wind farms in the North of France. After this experience, she came back to nuclear activities joining the AREVA New builds commercial division.

In 2017 Sarah Illouz joined the EDF Group, leader of the French nuclear industry, to reinforce its New Nuclear development activities. As such she was involved in the redefinition of major strategic international partnerships, notably with CGN (China) and MHI (Japan), and she led business development efforts in various geographies, notably in the UK. In 2020, Sarah Illouz took charge of EDF’s New Nuclear marketing activities, leading the promotion efforts on EDF’s range of nuclear reactors, namely on EPR (1650 MW), EPR1200 (1200 MW) and NUWARD SMR (340 MW). In 2020 she was also appointed Offer Director for the Czech Republic leading EDF’s offer preparation for the Dukovany 5 bid.

Sarah Illouz graduated in Humanities from Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) and in Political Science and Public Affairs from Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po Paris), both top and renowned French academic institutions.

William D. MAGWOOD, IV
Director-General, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)

Mr Magwood took up his duties as Director-General of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) on 1 September 2014. He has extensive experience in both the regulatory and developmental aspects of nuclear energy, including at the international level. From 2010 to 2014, he served as one of the five Commissioners appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). While a commissioner, he advocated the importance of nuclear regulatory independence and the necessity of maintaining strong, credible and technically sound nuclear regulation in the United States and all countries that use nuclear power. Prior to his appointment at the NRC, from 2005 to 2010 he provided independent strategic and policy advice to US and international clients on energy, environment, education, and technology policy issues. From 1998 to 2005, Mr Magwood was Director of the US Government’s civilian nuclear energy programme at the US Department of Energy (DOE). During his tenure, he established the Idaho National Laboratory; created activities that reversed the decline of US nuclear technology education; and launched important initiatives such as the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) and the US “Nuclear Power 2010,” which helped restart nuclear plant construction in the United States. He was also actively involved in the work of the NEA, serving as a Steering Committee Bureau member from 1999 to 2005, including a term as Chair of the Steering Committee from 2004 to 2005. Prior to his experience at the DOE, Mr Magwood managed electric utility research and nuclear policy programmes at the Edison Electric Institute in Washington, DC, and was a scientist at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr Magwood, a US national, holds Bachelor degrees in Physics and English from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Pittsburgh.

Jiří MAREK
 NERS • 2022 Conference Chairman

Jiri is the consultant in the field of power industry and is the Partner & Head Executive of JMM Consulting, Ltd. – a company focused on advisory services and organization of professional activities. After graduating from the Czech Technical University, Faculty of Technical and Nuclear Physics, he worked in research; he has been working in the power industry field since 1974 (until 1996 in ČEZ). For the last more than twenty years, he was the advisor of the Minister of Industry and Trade, chairman and vice-chairman of the Supervisory Board of ČEZ, a member of supervisory boards in several energy distribution companies and an advisor of Deputy Ministers of Finance. In these positions, he was dealing with the reorganization of state administration in power industry, the development of state energy policy, the establishment of the State Office for Nuclear Safety and with the preparation of the privatization of Czech power industry. He is occupied by publication activities, mainly in the field of nuclear power industry and has wide experience in organizing of international and specialized professional conferences and meetings. His positions are quoted on TV, radio and in economic periodicals. In 2014 Jiri was elected the President of the Association of Czech Nuclear Veterans.

Jozef MIŠÁK
Vicepresident for Strategy, ÚJV Řež, a. s. (Nuclear Research Institute)

He graduated from the Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering. His more than 50 years of work in the field of nuclear power industry is focused on nuclear safety. During 1971 – 1977 he worked in Power Research Institute, from 1978 in NPP Research Institute (VUJE) including the post of the director of the institute. During 1993 – 1997 he was the first chairman of Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Slovak Republic. Between 1997 and 2004 he was with International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna as a head of safety development unit involved in the development and application of safety standards. At present he is the Vice-President for Strategy at the ÚJV Řež, a.s. and a key nuclear safety expert.in major national and international projects. He is a member of several international advisory bodies and regularly provides his expert services to the IAEA and European Commission.

Daniel PROCHÁZKA
Executive Director, Doosan Škoda Power, member of Board of the Czech Power Industry Alliance

Since March 2020, Daniel Procházka has been in the position of Chief Operations Officer at Doosan Škoda Power, a leading global manufacturer of steam turbines and power plant equipment. Prior to that, he worked at managerial positions in industrial turbine and business management sections of this company. He was also the Director of the Commercial and Legal Department between 2013 and 2018. Daniel Procházka is a member of the Alliance of Czech Technological Suppliers for Energy Resources Committee (CPIA). He obtained a degree in law and passed the state viva voce examination in international law at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. He has undertaken study internships at the University of Granada in Spain.

Jan SKOPEČEK 
Deputy Speaker, Chamber of Deputies, Parliament of the Czech Republic

Jan Skopeček graduated in economics and management at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice and then in economic policy and administration at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Economics in Prague, where he also completed his PhD studies. His professional interests focus on the history of economic thought, economic integration theory and public sector economics. He is one of the leading economic experts of ODS (Civic Democratic Party – right wing party, now the leading one of the governmental coalition).

He has been active in politics for twenty years, since 2017 he has been a deputy and since November 2021 he has been a deputy speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.

Andrzej SIDŁO 
Chief Expert, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Republic of Poland, Nuclear Energy Department

Andrzej graduated from Cracow University of Economics Poland, master in banking-corporate finance and French Lille University I, DESS in company management. Since 2012 in Ministry of Energy responsible for industrial issues in the field of Polish nuclear programme: supply chain and localization, technical regulations, gap analysis of local competencies, trainings activities for local industry and foreign expansion on global nuclear markets. Currently this agenda is managed under the Ministry of Climate and Environment, where Andrzej acts as Chief Expert. Before joining Polish Government Andrzej has been working 15 years as project manager in Polimex Mostostal and was responsible for numerous foreign projects in petrochemical, waste and energy sector, including nuclear.

Radek TRTÍLEK
Director, Radioactive Waste & Decommissioning Division, ÚJV Řež, a. s. (Nuclear Research Institute)

He is graduated at Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering in the field of nuclear engineering. He was working in Temelin Nuclear Power Plant for 13 years, as responsible for waste management (preparation of the operation, commissioning, and licensing). Then he was working for the service and engineering company ALLDECO.CZ /AMEC NCR on the position member of the board and executive director for 10 years. Since 2010 he has been working in the UJV Rez company as a director of Radioactive Waste & Decommissioning Division.

In the field of low and intermediate radwaste management he is involved his whole professional carrier. Among the operational and licensing matters of radwaste management in the NPPs and institutions he is participating e.g., on the draft the national strategies of the RAW and SNF management in the Czech and Slovak Republics, participates in R&D issues of long-term safety of the deep repository or in analysis of RAW disposal from new nuclear units as well. He also took part on the 5 IAEA technical missions. He lectures on universities and is co-author teaching texts and articles.

He is a member of the Advisory board of the Radioactive Waste Repository Authority and an advisor of the Czech Nuclear Association in the fuel cycle back-end issues.

Won Seok YANG  
Senior Manager, KHNP

WS Yang was awarded a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Changwon National University in South Korea. Based on his experience in the management of Nuclear Island (NI) facilities, including in-service testing and engineering optimization at the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, South Korea, he participated in reactor development projects such as the APR1400 at the Advanced Reactor Design Laboratory at KHNP’s Central Research Institute (CRI). Mr. Yang has also played a pivotal role in acquiring the European Utility Requirements (EUR) Design Certification for the APR1400 in 2017. He is currently making efforts to achieve EUR certification for the APR1000 at CRI to enhance the licensability of the APR1000 against European countries, including the Czech Republic.

Petr ZÁVODSKÝ
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Boards at ČEZ daughter SPV’s Elektrárna Dukovany II, a. s. and Elektrárna Temelín II

Petr Závodský joined CEZ Group in 1994, started at Nuclear Power Plant Temelín during construction of Units 1&2, among others as Manager of Independent Verification and Validation of the Safety Systems Software. In autumn 2006, when CEZ decided to prepare New Nuclear Built, Petr was one of the first members of the new team, responsible for technical part. In April 2009 he becomes Director of NPPs Construction Department responsible for nuclear new build within ČEZ Group, i.e. New NPPs at Dukovany and Temelín (in the Czech Republic) as well as at Jaslovské Bohunice (Slovakia).

Currently he is Chairman of the Board of Directors at ČEZ daughter SPV’s Elektrárna Dukovany II, a. s. and Elektrárna Temelín II a. s. as well as Chief Executive Officer of those companies. Additionally, he is Vice-Chairman of Board of Directors at ČEZ Bohunice, a. s.

Jiří ŽĎÁREK     
Vice-president for Business Development, Integrity and Technical Engineering Division, UJV Řež,a.s. (Nuclear Research Institute)

He finished Faculty of Nuclear and Physical Engineering Czech Technical University in Prague. His PhD started at Pennsylvania State University, USA and finished at Czech Technical University in Prague. His Master diploma work started at Research Institute Sigma Co. where he worked as Research worker and later as Head of Department till 1988. His key technical activity was focused on Research of low cycle fatigue under high temperature with use for development of new fast reactors. From the year 1988 till 2010 worked as Division Director Integrity and Technical Engineering at UJV Rez, a.s. From the year 2010 till today is working as Vice-president for Business Development DITI UJV Rez,a.s.

From the technical point of view his work was targeted on calculation of temperature and stress fields, heat removal from the RPV wall, RPV integrity, primary piping components with assessment of static and fatigue strength. After the Fukushima accident he was leading the EC HORIZON 2020 IVMR ( In Vessel Melt Retention) together with the IRSN,France. At present he is actively leading International projects OECD/NEA CAPS Status Report on RPV Integrity and the IAEA CRP PIRT IVMR.

Jan ŽIŽKA
analyst and media expert

Consultant and publicist, focuses on energy and economic topics. It also deals with the communication of these topics in relation to the professional and general public.

He is the editor-in-chief and editor of the journal Modern Economic Diplomacy, published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, and the Export.cz website. He collaborates with the economic daily E15 and the energy magazine All for Power. As a Senior Consultant at HATcom, in addition to communication in the field of energy and exports, he also focuses on research and development. He was also a consultant to the government’s science, research and innovation section.

Since the 1990s, he has worked in a number of Czech media, dealing mainly with economics and foreign policy. In recent years, he has paid more attention to the energy sector – mainly economic, political and business contexts. He worked in foreign sections of the dailies Právo, Mladá fronta Dnes and Hospodářské noviny, for which, in the 1990s, he wrote, among other things, news from European Union summits. After temporarily leaving the media, he devoted himself to qualitative research as a project manager at AISA. He later became a reporter for the weekly Euro, where he subsequently also held the position of deputy editor-in-chief. He also held the same position after switching to the E15 daily and the Czech Position server. He was also the head of the economic section of Lidové noviny daily. He studied international relations in Moscow, and also studied foreign languages ​​and economics. He completed a Reuters course in London focused on writing international news.