Official Opening The smarter E South America Conference

Markus Vlasits started as a consultant at McKinsey & Company in Germany and has been active in the solar PV industry for 17 years in several executive positions. In 2007-2009, he was Production Manager of crystallization and wafering at Q.Cells SE, Thalheim, Germany, where he reached a vice-presidential role in Sales Operations. Moving to Brazil in 2013, he started as CEO of Yingli Green Energy do Brasil. He teamed up with fellow executives to open Faro Energy, an investment company focusing on PV generation projects for commercial concerns, and was its Sales Director until 2018. In 2019, he was an independent consultant and helped start ABSOLAR's Energy Storage Workgroup. In 2020, founded NewCharge, an engineering company focused on energy storage projects for commercial clients in Brazil. He is also active as acts as a technical consultant and advisor for projects related to energy storage. In August 2023, he was elected president of board of directors of the Brazilian Association for Energy Storage Solutions (ABSAE). Markus also organizes energy storage events and conferences, and recently co-organized an energy storage conference panel for Intersolar South America 2021 in partnership with Solar Promotion.

Rafael Cunha is an Electrical Engineer from the Federal University of Santa Catarina and writes the 'Electric Vehicles' column for FotoVolt magazine. He has several years' experience in projects for industrial installations, as well as in projects to implement an electrical work safety regulatory standard (NR-10) and is also a member of the study commission currently developing the NBR 17019 standard. Rafael is a co-founder of and the director of operations at movE Eletromobilidade, which provides technological solutions for managing the charging controls of electric vehicles.

Dr. Florian Wessendorf is Managing Director of Solar Promotion GmbH and Solar Promotion International GmbH. He is responsible for the global conference program and exhibitions in North America, South America and India. He has deep expertise in the solar industry, and formerly served as Managing Director of Photovoltaic Equipment at VDMA, where he was responsible for strategic development, market research and technology scouting, advocacy and policy advice, events, PR and marketing.

Caio Infante is a leadership and employer branding expert, entrepreneur, and speaker with over 20 years of experience in business and people management. He specializes in leadership, organizational culture, and strategies to build stronger employer brands.

Bárbara Rubim is a lawyer specialized in energy sector regulation, holding an MBA in Finance from UFU. She leads Bright Strategies, a consultancy focused on structuring renewable energy businesses.Over the past five years, she has participated in the development of more than 780 MW of projects. She has also trained more than 8,300 professionals through her courses and masterclasses on Distributed Generation and the Free Energy Market.She is the Chairwoman of the ABSOLAR Council, a member of the LAC Council, and Director of Energy at FIESP.

Daniela Sallet is a Brazilian journalist, audiovisual producer, and event moderator with extensive experience in television, documentary production, and corporate communication. She has moderated numerous conferences and institutional events, bringing together her expertise in interviewing, storytelling, and engaging diverse audiences.

Co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) at the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (ABSOLAR - Associação Brasileira de Energia Solar Fotovoltaica), the national association representing companies and professionals from all segments of the solar PV value chain with operations in Brazil. Co-founder and member of the board of directors at the Global Solar Council (GSC), the global entity unifying and representing the solar power sector at the international level. Leading ABSOLAR′s team since its inception and foundation, Rodrigo Sauaia serves as the main representative and champion of the solar PV sector in Brazil, directly interfacing with high-level decision makers, government officials, politicians, legislators, regulators, financial institutions, the media, NGOs, companies, and the civil society. He is an active national and international event speaker, media spokesperson, and strategic advisor to ABSOLAR′s associate members, dedicating himself to promote the development of the solar PV sector and market in Brazil. His academic background includes a Ph.D. with honours in Engineering and Materials Technology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), with an international collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme (Fraunhofer ISE, Germany), a M.Sc. with honours in Renewable Energy with PV Specialisation from the EUREC Master Program, with an international collaboration with the ETH Zürich (Switzerland), and a B.Sc. with honours in Chemistry from the University of São Paulo (Brazil). In 2015, he was elected by Recharge News Thought Leaders Club as one of the most influential professionals in the global scenario of renewable energy and key promoter of solar power in Brazil. Also in 2015, the Legislative Assembly of the State of Minas Gerais bestowed him with the Medal of the Order of Legislative Merit, in recognition of his valued contribution to the promotion and development of photovoltaic solar energy in the State of Minas Gerais and in Brazil. In 2017, the Government of the State of Goiás officially commended him with the Grand Officer Medal of the Order of Anhanguera Merit, in recognition of his valued contribution to the development of photovoltaic solar energy in the State of Goiás. Also in 2017, the Legislative Assembly of the State of Goiás bestowed him with the honorary citizenship of the State of Goiás, in recognition of his valued contribution to the development and establishment of the Solar Program of the State of Goiás, as well as for his outstanding contribution to the State 'Permanent Forum on Subjects Related to the Energy Sector'.

He holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from UFU and a master's degree in Electronic Engineering from ITA.He founded Mi Omega in October 1993 and has been leading the company's technical solutions ever since. He has been a member of the ABNT committee responsible for revising the NBR 5410 standard-Low-Voltage Electrical Installations-since 1993; served as coordinator of the ABNT committee responsible for revising the NBR 14039 standard-Medium-Voltage Electrical Installations-since 2003; and has been a member of the NBR 16384 committee - Electrical Safety-in 2020, and a member of the NBR 16690 committee-Electrical Installations for Photovoltaic Systems-since its inception.Currently, in addition to leading Mi Omega, he also teaches courses at the Mi Omega Institute and has over 40 years of experience in the electrical sector.

Marília Braga is an electrical engineer and holds a PhD from UFSC, where she works as a researcher in the Fotovoltaica-UFSC group. She is a specialist in photovoltaic systems, with experience ranging from optimization to fault diagnosis, and also participates in projects related to batteries, electric vehicles, and green hydrogen. She is currently the president of ABENS - the Brazilian Solar Energy Association - actively contributing to the organization of national and international renewable energy events.