Who We Are

Patrick Clerens – Managing Director

In 1996, Patrick started working as a consultant for a private company specialising in European Affairs in Brussels. Since 2003, he became the managing director of CLERENS and in his capacity as Brussels Representative of different European associations, he has been involved in the climate and energy field ever since. In addition to his position as Managing Director in CLERENS, Patrick is also working as Secretary General of 2 Brussels-based associations in the energy sector.

He has extensive knowledge in advising European industry federations and other multinational clients in their strategy regarding energy and electrical transmissions, environment and climate change, in participation in European funded projects (e.g. poverty alleviation) inclusive finding of partners and writing of proposals and in participation in public procurements including follow-up and intervention if the call did not follow EU requirements as well as representing clients in complete event organisations for lobbying or communications purposes.

Patrick studied German Law in Universität des Saarlandes and in Gutenberg Universität Mainz. Patrick can speak German, French, Dutch and English.

Wouter IJzermans – Executive Manager

Wouter joined CLERENS in 2021 as a Senior Consultant and he is leading the development of the Battery European Partnership Association (BEPA), the representing association for the battery industry in the Batt4EU Horizon Europe Partnership dedicated to creating a competitive European industrial battery value chain for stationary applications and e-mobility. He combines a background in international relations with nearly ten years of working experience in the energy sector, with a focus on energy storage and (smart) grid development.

Wouter holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Internal Organisation from the University of Groningen. He is Dutch and speaks English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Norwegian.

Martin Roach – Senior Consultant

Martin joined CLERENS in 2023 to carry out economic analysis that supports the consultancy’s strategic advocacy and policy efforts related to energy storage. In his last role as an academic researcher, he studied the role of renewable gases in the context of increased energy system integration and EU policy objectives. He also has past experience as a business analyst at energy platform technology and services companies.

Martin holds a B.A. in French and B.S. in international economics from the University of St. Thomas, obtained two master’s degrees from the Erasmus Mundus programme on the Economics and Management of Network Industries, and completed a doctoral programme in Business Economics at KU Leuven.. He is from the United States and speaks French.

Margareta Rončević – Consultant

Margareta recently joined CLERENS as Junior Consultant, supporting the consultancy’s advocacy efforts in the energy storage field. She has a strong interest in the clean energy transition, just energy transition and bringing the newest technological solutions to local and regional levels.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Democracy and Human Rights in South East Europe from Universities of Sarajevo and Bologna, specialising in European integration and enlargement process of South East Europe. Previously she worked at a regional development agency in Croatia as a policy analyst and project developer. She is Croatian and she speaks fluent English, but can also converse in French.

Antoine Hattemer – Junior Consultant

Antoine joined CLERENS’ policy team in 2023 after starting his professional career on EU environmental legislation at Ernst & Young. He is particularly interested in the challenges brought by the ongoing industrial energy and mobility transitions.

Antoine holds a Master’s Degree in European Public Policy, Institutions, and Governance from Maastricht University. He is French and speaks English, Spanish, and Dutch.

Aurélien Ballagny – Executive Manager

Aurélien joined CLERENS in 2019 as a Senior Consultant for EU topics related to Waste-to-Energy technology, supporting the consultancy’s advocacy efforts on projects such as the new Circular Economy Plan. Prior to joining CLERENS, Aurélien worked as a Policy Officer for a European federation of public service operators active in a wide range of sectors, including waste management and energy efficiency services. There, in addition to his academic background in European University Centre in EU law, he gained experience in issues regarding green public procurement and State aids, business data protection, public/private competition and utilities. Aurélien is French and speaks fluent English.

 Elise Ekström – Consultant

Elise joined Clerens at the end of 2023 as a policy officer for EARPA. With a background in law and a passion for sustainability, she looks forward to contribute to advancing sustainable mobility, foster strategic partnerships, and raising awareness about the important role of R&D providers in the automotive sector. Prior to joining Clerens, Elise gained experience working for Swedish and European Chambers of Commerce in Asia, supporting EU ARISE+ projects and other development initiatives.

Elise holds an LLM Master’s degree in International and European Law from the University of Amsterdam, and a BA in Business Law from the University of Stirling. She speaks Swedish, English and Spanish.

Jesse Terry – Consultant

Jesse is a Consultant, supporting the development of the Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA), working towards creating a competitive European industrial battery value chain for stationary applications and e-mobility. He joined CLERENS in 2021 as a policy assistant, supporting advocacy efforts for energy storage technologies and applications. He has a background in international relations with a focus on energy and environmental topics, with a strong interest in advancing the clean energy transition.

Jesse holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Wyoming, and a master’s degree in political science: European and international governance from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is half American and half Polish and speaks German.

Tony Kim Yeat – Junior Consultant

Tony is a Junior Consultant supporting the policy and advocacy efforts of the European Association for Storage of Energy. His interest in sustainability and the just transition is behind his engagement with energy.

He has a background in social sciences and aviation, holding a political science Bachelor from Sciences Po Paris, airline transport pilot certificates, and a Master in Global Energy and Transition Governance from CIFE-European Institute. Tony is French-Cambodian, and he lived in Germany, the Philippines, Spain and Vietnam before settling in Brussels. You can reach him in French and English.

Jacopo Tosoni – Executive Manager

Jacopo is a Consultant at CLERENS since 2019. He is currently supporting the consultancy’s advocacy efforts in the energy field, looking in particular at energy storage technologies and applications. He is looking into, among others, battery and Power-to-Gas solutions. He also worked on EU funded projects, such as TSO 2020 and Battery 2030+, supporting communication efforts and elaborating project analyses.

Jacopo has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Trento, a Master’s degree in International Public Management and Policy from the Erasmus University Rotterdam, and an Advanced Master’s degree in European Affairs from KU Leuven. He is Italian and speaks English and German.

Bozorg Khanbaei – Consultant

Passionate about innovation policies and their fundamental impact on citizens’ well-being, Bozorg joined CLERENS in August 2022 as a consultant.

He started his career in battery research in the electrochemistry laboratories of the University of Bologna and Aarhus University, working on lithium-air and redox flow batteries. Later he joined IMEC and Hasselt University to pursue his PhD in electrochemical engineering, focusing on the techno-economic modelling of lithium-ion batteries for smart grids.

As the policy officer of the European Batteries Partnership Association (BEPA), he supports the collective effort of battery research and innovation stakeholders in Europe toward a sustainable future of electrified mobility and storage.

Bozorg is Iranian and speaks fluent English and conversational Italian.

Beata Virsumirska – Consultant

Beata is a consultant in the Policy Affairs team. She joined CLERENS in 2022 working on associations’ management and EU funding opportunities monitoring. Since 2023, she is the Policy Officer of Flow Batteries Europe: she is eager to influence the EU strategy on energy storage, making sure all relevant technologies are represented. She is interested in the circular economy and in the sustainability of batteries.

Beata holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in International Relations from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, and a second Master’s degree in European Public Affairs from the Maastricht University. She is Lithuanian and also speaks fluent Polish, English, and Russian, and has an elementary proficiency in German.

Paola Macculi – Junior Consultant

Paola is a Master graduate in Political Science at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). She has always been passionate about waste management and environment. As an activist, Paola founded an organisation dedicated to environmental awareness.

Complementing her academic background, she holds certifications in Waste Management from the World Bank Group, EU Law and Governance in the EU from KU Leuven, Sustainable Energy from Delft University of Technology, and Macroeconomics of Climate Change from the International Monetary Fund.

She is Italian and she also speaks English, French and Spanish.

Charoula Melliou- Executive Manager

Charoula joined CLERENS as a Consultant for EU topics relating to waste management and energy in the field of the circular economy. She holds an LL.M. in Environmental Law and Policy (UCLA, USA), an MSc in Sustainable Development (IHU, GR), and a Bachelor of Laws (AUTh, GR). Prior to joining CLERENS, Charoula worked for the European Waste Management Association, and she has worked as an attorney in Greece, with various NGOs and private entities in Greece and the U.S., and she interned for the European Commission. Charoula is Greek and speaks Greek, English, and French.

Timothé Perruchoud – Consultant

Timothé is part of CLERENS’ Business Development team. He supports companies in achieving their goals by advising them on EU funding opportunities, policy approaches and communication services. He joined CLERENS in 2020 as a Policy Assistant where he worked on lobbying strategies for the Waste-to-Energy sector. Timothé has previous experience working in a consultancy, focusing on finding solutions for the energy and environmental sectors.

Timothé holds a Bachelor’s degree in French and Anglosaxon Law from Université Toulouse I Capitole and a Master’s degree in European law and affairs, Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. He is French and speaks English and German.

Elena Bonvecchio – Junior Consultant

Elena is a Junior Consultant, supporting the development of the Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA), dedicated to creating a competitive European industrial battery value chain for stationary applications and e-mobility. Prior to joining CLERENS in 2023 as a Business Development assistant, Elena gained experience working for the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on transport, energy and infrastructure.

Elena holds a Master’s Double degree in International Relations and Political Sciences with a focus on environmental policies and energy from SciencesPo Bordeaux and the University of Turin. She is Italian and also speaks English and French, has a basic proficiency in German and is learning Arabic.