ARE elects Maud Watelet as President and welcomes seven new Board Members at its General Meeting
20 June 2025, Brussels – The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) recently held its General Meeting, where Ms Maud Watelet (EDFI MC – ElectriFI) was elected as the new President of ARE. In addition, seven new Board Members were elected: Ms Camille André-Bataille (ANKA Madagascar), Mr Chris Pye (ComAp), Ms Lynne Wesonga (Decla Capital), Ms Hélène Demaegdt (Gaia Impact), Mr Pierre Bucaille (GDS International), Ms Sandra Liz Hon (H2 Energy), and Mr Iain Munro (Ryse Energy).
ARE extends its sincere gratitude to the outgoing President, Mr Alexis Rehbinder for his exceptional contributions as Board Member and as President, truly helping the Alliance reach new heights. ARE also extends its gratitude to outgoing Board Member and Vice President Mr Christophe Poline, and outgoing Board Members Ms Ieva Indriunaite and Mr Nicolas Rohrer for their valuable contributions to the organisation.
The newly elected President, Ms Maud Watelet, serves as Senior Investment Officer at EDFI MC – ElectriFI, where she originates, structures and manages investments in the Energy Access sector, principally in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia. Prior to this, she worked as an investment advisor for family offices and was Executive Director of Korys Capital, an alternative fund investing equity in renewable energy and cleantech companies. She also acts as board member for DRE companies and VC funds.
On her election, Ms Maud Watelet commented: “I would like to thank ARE Members for placing their trust in me to be the next President of the Alliance. Guided by the vision outlined in our Manifesto 2025, the new ARE Board will actively listen to Members and take meaningful action to expand the distributed renewable energy (DRE) sector worldwide. I hereby invite all companies to join the Alliance and work together to scale up our collective impact.”
The Board Members Ms Ayu Abdullah (COMET) and Mr Gillian-Alexandre Huart (ENGIE Energy Access) will continue their mandate at the ARE Board.
The year 2024 was marked by significant progress for ARE. The Alliance seized opportunities to strengthen global collaboration and scale up DRE projects across diverse regions, including Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Throughout the year, the Alliance mobilised 4,500 key stakeholders in renewable electrification through its events, facilitating over 10,000 connections and achieving a whopping 81% Member satisfaction and 93% event satisfaction.
Advocacy also remained a key priority in establishing the frameworks required to achieve universal energy access and accelerate the energy transition. In 2024, ARE joined the European Union’s Global Gateway Business Advisory Group, further turbocharging its efforts to promote DRE solutions on a global scale. Together with its partners, ARE also launched new initiatives such as the Renewables for Impact Campaign, technical and investment capacity building trainings around the world and ProBaMet, addressing the entire value chain of the industry, from manufacturing to the recycling of end-of-life products. All these efforts of the Alliance were recognised when it was awarded in the category of International Association of the Year at the Association Excellence Awards 2024.
On the occasion of the election of new ARE Board, Mr David Lecoque, CEO of ARE, said: “I’m proud that our Board of Directors, directly elected by ARE’s growing and diverse membership, truly represents the breadth of the DRE sector, uniting investors, developers, technology innovators, and implementation experts from across the globe. With Ms Maud Watelet at the helm of this exceptional Board, I am confident that ARE will continue to build on its remarkable track record and amplify its impact in the years to come.”
