CCS & CCU CONGRESS

Krzysztof Bolesta is a designated official of the European Commission, where he worked from 2004 to 2012, and from 2020 to 2024. From 2000 to 2004, he supported Poland’s accession negotiations and adaptation to EU requirements in the areas of energy and research and development.

From 2012 to 2015, he was a member of the political cabinet of two Polish Ministers of the Environment and a member of the supervisory board of the Voivodeship Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Lublin. He was a negotiator for the second European energy and climate package. He also served as an advisor to the President of COP19 (United Nations Climate Change Conference).

From 2016 to 2018, he was the Research Director at the Polityka Insight analytical center. Co-founder of the non-governmental organization – the Electric Vehicle Promotion Foundation, where he served as vice president from 2018 to 2020.

Participant in two Euro-Atlantic exchange programs, the US Department of State’s international leadership program, and the German-American Marshall Fund program.

In 2014, he was awarded the Silver Cross by the President of the Republic of Poland for his contributions to strengthening and developing European integration.

Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Chief National Geologist. A graduate of the Faculty of Geology, Geophysics, and Environmental Protection at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, he holds a postdoctoral degree in Earth Sciences in the discipline of geology and has been a professor of exact and natural sciences since 2020. From 2017 to 2024, he served as director of the Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He has over thirty years of experience in economic, deposit, and mining geology, mineral resources management, mining economics, raw materials policy, and energy policy. He is the author and co-author of over 270 scientific publications and over 100 expert opinions for the Ministry of the Environment, other ministries, and economic entities in the fields of geology and mining.

Maciej Sypek became President of the Management Board of Holcim Poland in February 2024. He has been with Holcim Poland since his professional career began in 2007. Since 2019, he has served as Vice President of the Management Board and General Director – Cement Sales and Logistics, responsible for, among other things, the launch of ECOPlanet low-emission cements. From 2015 to 2019, he implemented a strategy for the development of research and development teams and established a national technical support department.

He graduated with a degree in chemical technology from the Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. He earned a diploma in management from the Polish-American Business School at the Cracow University of Technology and from the Warsaw University of Technology as part of the Holcim Discovery Programme. In 2023, he defended his doctorate from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, in the field of engineering and technical sciences, specializing in chemical engineering.

He has been associated with the United Nations since 2002. From 2002 to 2009, he was responsible for international and multilateral cooperation and program development in Europe and Asia at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He has worked in numerous countries implementing development programs and projects based on knowledge transfer from Poland, particularly in Iraq, India, Thailand, and Romania. He also worked at the UNDP headquarters in New York and the UNDP headquarters for Europe and the CIS in Bratislava. From 2009 to 2014, he served as Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office in Poland. From 2004 to 2021, he was the Country Representative and President of the Council of the UN Global Compact Network Poland – UN GCNP (a UN network coordinating cooperation with businesses, cities, universities, public administration, and non-governmental organizations on behalf of the United Nations Global Compact; more: ungc.org.pl). Since 2021, he has served as Country Representative and Executive Director of the UN GCNP. Since 2021, Vice-Chair of the Council of the United Nations Association Poland. Since 2022, Co-Chair of the Sustainable Finance Platform at the Ministry of Finance. Since 2023, Representative of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Poland.

He has lectured at universities such as the Central European University, the Catholic University of Lviv, the Warsaw School of Economics, the Kozminski University, Collegium Civitas, the SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Cracow University of Economics, the Ignacy Paderewski Institute of Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the University of Warsaw. He is the Rector’s Plenipotentiary for Cooperation with the United Nations.

From 2003 to 2006, he was a member of the Strategic Group to the UN Deputy Secretary-General and the UNDP Regional Director for Europe and the CIS. From 2009 to 2012, he was a member of the Team of Strategic Advisors to the Prime Minister of Poland. On behalf of the Team of Advisors to the Prime Minister, he collaborated on the development of the Long-Term National Development Strategy to 2030 and coordinated the Human Capital Development Strategy to 2020. In 2014, he served on the Expert Council of the National Centre for Research and Development for Economic and Social Innovation. In 2016, he was a member of the Innovation Team at the Ministry of Development. In 2019, he served as an advisor to the Minister of Investment and Development. From 2019 to 2023, he served as an expert of the Senate of the Republic of Poland on international affairs, development aid, and climate policy. From 2019 to 2022, he served as an advisor to the Minister of Funds and Regional Policy.

Radosław Gnutek is a seasoned energy leader with 25 years of experience in CO₂ capture, hydrogen, and renewable energy technologies. Since March 2025, he has served as CO₂ Capture and Storage Project Director at Holcim Polska S.A., where he leads a key project in the area of ​​industrial decarbonization. He has led large-scale industrial projects, secured financing, and implemented strategic innovations in the field of sustainable energy. As a former Hydrogen Project Director at Polenergia, he also held key positions at Bilfinger Tebodin, TAURON, and Vattenfall, contributing to the industry’s transformation toward low-emission solutions.

Regulatory analyst and legal counsel. PhD candidate at the Doctoral School of Social Sciences, University of Warsaw. Visiting researcher at Keiō University (Tokyo, Japan). Appointed Coordinator of the “Stable Regulatory Environment” Working Group at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, aimed at supporting the implementation of the goals of the Polish Hydrogen Strategy. Author of international and national publications on climate law and energy regulations. He teaches at the Department of Law and Administrative Procedure, University of Warsaw. Member of the Polish Electricity Committee.

An experienced manager with over 30 years of experience in the cement industry, specializing in operations management, process optimization, and innovation implementation. From 2023 to 2025, he served as Plant Manager at Richmond Cement Plant in Canada. Previously, he managed the Kujawy Cement Plant, the largest cement plant in Europe.

He has international experience, including as Managing Director of Geocycle Poland. He holds an engineering degree and an MBA, and holds numerous certifications in management and cement technology.

Marcin Jan Leszczyński (49) has been serving as Chairman of the Lime Industry Association since May 2022. He combines this position with the position of Operations Director at Lhoist Central Europe, a company with which he has been associated since the beginning of his professional career. He earned a Master’s degree in Chemical Technology from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, and also completed European MBA management studies at the Krakow University of Economics and a postgraduate program in environmental protection at the Silesian University of Technology. He possesses extensive knowledge of the lime industry, possesses high managerial skills, and is also extremely inquisitive and patient in seeking answers and solutions. He is currently engaged in projects and challenges related to CCUS. This extremely important topic largely occupies the time he devotes to his activities within the Association.

He graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. He also completed postgraduate studies at the Warsaw School of Economics and the Warsaw University of Technology, where he earned an MBA as part of the Holcim Discovery Programme.

He has been with Holcim since 2003. Until 2015, he worked in the Aggregates product line, where he managed sales, production, import, and cooperation with Eastern Europe, serving as Director of Aggregates Eastern Region.

Assuming the position of Director of Production and Sales Planning in 2015, he reorganized processes as part of a transformation project. During this time, he coordinated operational production and sales planning processes for the cement, aggregates, and concrete product lines, as well as the performance optimization of group companies. From 2019 to 2024, as B2B Sales Director for the Southern Region, he managed the sales of bulk cement, aggregates, and mineral additives in the region.

Since March 1, 2024, he has served as Commercial Director for Bulk Cement, responsible for cement sales and logistics, along with supporting processes, at Holcim Polska. He is currently the Commercial and Supply Chain Director at Holcim Polska.

Currently, he is the Head of the Electricity and Heat Regulation Department in the Regulatory and Compliance Area at ORLEN S.A. He is a lawyer with over 20 years of professional experience gained in central government administration bodies, an international law firm, and a leading energy company with State Treasury shareholding. At ORLEN, he has been involved for over eight years in processes ensuring the company’s and the Capital Group’s compliance with key regulations defining the principles of conducting business in the liquid fuels, electricity, heat, and hydrocarbon and other mineral extraction markets. He is actively involved in building an optimal legal environment supporting the implementation of technologies for energy transformation and the decarbonization of the domestic industry, particularly CCUS technologies. He is the Chairman of the CCUS Regulation and Finance Working Group at the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Chairman of the CCUS Legislative Section for National and European Law, operating within the CCUS Poland Association.

He is a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw, and completed postgraduate studies in Energy Market Operations at the Warsaw School of Economics, as well as postgraduate studies in European Union Law at the University of Warsaw. He is a civil servant. After completing his legal training and passing the professional examination, he was entered on the list of legal advisors maintained by the District Chamber of Legal Advisors in Warsaw.

Szczepan Polak pracuje jako Business Developer w firmie Equinor. Posiada tytuł mgr inż. w dziedzinie inżynierii naftowej z Akademii Górniczo-Hutniczej w Krakowie oraz tytuł doktora w dziedzinie podziemnego magazynowania dwutlenku węgla z Norweskiego Uniwersytetu Nauki i Technologii w Trondheim (NTNU). Od 2003 do 2013 pracował naukowo w instytucie badawczym SINTEF koncentrując się na badaniach laboratoryjnych i modelowaniu związanym z magazynowaniem CO₂. W 2013 dołączył do Statoil (obecnie Equinor) jako inżynier złożowy w dziale zajmującym się zwiększaniem wydobycia węglowodorów ze złóż na Norweskim Szelfie Kontynentalnym. W 2018 zaangażował się w projekt Northern Lights, gdzie koordynował działania zespołu inżynierii złożowej, a następnie, w Northern Lights JV, zajmował się rozwojem biznesu CCS. Obecnie pracuje w dziale rozwiązań niskoemisyjnych firmy Equinor, zajmując się promowaniem i rozwijaniem biznesu CCS, licencjami do podziemnego magazynowania CO₂, regulacjami oraz funduszami Unii Europejskiej.

A graduate of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering at the Warsaw University of Technology, she also completed postgraduate studies in Project Management at the Warsaw University of Technology and “Hydrogen and Biomethane – Extraction, Transport, and Utilization. Energy Transformation” organized by the AGH University of Science and Technology.

From the beginning of her professional career, she has been associated with GAZ-SYSTEM, where she was responsible for, among other things, identifying opportunities for increasing gas offtake from the transmission network, co-developing solutions for network development, and ensuring the security of gas supply to the transmission system.

She participated in negotiating agreements with key GAZ-SYSTEM clients, including the largest companies in the energy and industrial sectors, as well as transmission system operators in the European market.

She currently works at GAZ-SYSTEM as Deputy Director in the Energy Transformation Division. He is responsible for the implementation of projects related to obtaining energy from renewable sources for GAZ-SYSTEM and for implementing biomethane solutions, including the Gas Fuel Transhipment Facility. He participates in working groups at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, whose goal is to develop the CCUS Strategy and propose legislative changes in this area. He also participates in initiatives aimed at enabling the admixture of hydrogen to natural gas and the decarbonization of GAZ-SYSTEM’s operations. He actively engages in GAZ-SYSTEM’s relations with gas network operators across Europe to facilitate the implementation of key biomethane and CCUS projects.

Michał Wendołowski, as Head of Net Zero Industry, coordinates the projects of the non-governmental organization Bellona Europa in the area of ​​zero-emission industry. He has been associated with the organization since 2021. Previously, he worked at the European association of fertilizer producers Fertilizers Europe and at ANWIL S.A. He graduated in international relations from the University of Lodz and completed postgraduate studies in Climate Change Management at the University of Edinburgh.

Sacha Backes is a Senior Investment Officer at IFC. Sacha has been working at IFC for 18 years, including 12 years in natural resources and infrastructure, structuring debt and equity financings mainly across Africa. Thereafter Sacha joined the Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services team based in Vienna, structuring financings and early-stage company engagements across the broader Eastern Europe region. Prior to joining IFC, Sacha worked for the Luxembourg Government’s Development Agency in Laos for 7 years where he launched and managed rural infrastructure development projects. Sacha has a PhD in Physics from Cambridge University and an MBA from INSEAD.

Wojciech Chudzik, Integration Manager

He graduated in geology from the Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection and in mining from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. He completed postgraduate studies at the Warsaw University of Technology as part of the Holcim Discovery Programme.

He has been with Holcim since 2003. He currently serves as Integration Manager and has over 20 years of experience in the mining industry.

He specializes in deposit geology, mining design, and issues related to environmental protection and cooperation with local communities. He has experience in assessing geological and mining conditions for mining operations. For two years, he has been involved in a CCS project, where he is responsible for the geological aspects of potential CO₂ storage structures.

An experienced manager and promoter of sustainable and responsible mining.