Alliance for Rural Electrification appoints Ayu Abdullah & Camille André-Bataille as Vice Presidents
The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) has strengthened its leadership with the appointment of Ayu Abdullah and Camille André-Bataille as Vice Presidents of the Board, working alongside President Maud Watelet.
With these appointments, ARE reinforces its global footprint across Europe, Africa and Asia. President Maud Watelet (EDFI MC – ElectriFI) being based in Belgium, Europe, Ayu Abdullah (COMET) in Malaysia, Asia, and Camille André-Bataille (ANKA Madagascar) in Madagascar, Africa, ARE ensures that the Alliance’s leadership reflects the full diversity and breadth of the distributed renewable energy (DRE) sector it represents.
Ayu Abdullah is Managing Director & co-founder of COMET, a participatory community-engagement software platform for mini-grid planning, developed from Energy Action Partners’ long-standing community energy work. With over 15 years across Southeast Asia, East Africa and the Pacific, she bridges community ownership with practical mini-grid planning and policy, and contributes to the public–civic Sabah RE2 initiative in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. She champions DRE as essential infrastructure for a thriving, reliable and climate-resilient energy ecosystem in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
On her appointment, Ayu Abdullah said: “It is a privilege to support ARE in this new role. DRE is essential to provide access to underserved communities. ARE is a powerful alliance to help drive this momentum uniting stakeholders from the entire DRE sector, and I look forward to helping strengthen its impact.”
Camille André-Bataille, CEO & co-founder of ANKA Madagascar and Board Member of ARE, brings a wealth of experience with over a decade dedicated to the financial, organisational, technical, and social management of low-carbon and renewable energy projects, including green mini-grids. Since 2016, Camille has spearheaded ANKA Madagascar’s pioneering efforts in renewable energy projects, focusing on the production and distribution of electricity to foster robust, sustainable, and resilient local economies.
“I am honoured by this appointment and eager to contribute to ARE’s next exciting chapter,” said Camille André-Bataille. “To achieve universal energy access and scale up DRE, we must constantly adapt and strengthen our collective capacity. Bolstering the Board’s leadership will help ARE better serve its members and accelerate progress across the sector.”
David Lecoque, CEO of ARE, also welcomed the appointments: “Ayu Abdullah and Camille André-Bataille bring complementary expertise, a strong regional footprint and an unwavering commitment to the mission of universal energy access. Their leadership will be invaluable in steering ARE closer to achieving its goals.”
Maud Watelet, President of ARE, added: “I am delighted to work with two outstanding leaders in the DRE sector. Their energy, expertise and dedication will reinforce ARE’s governance and enhance our support and services for members worldwide.”
