The Members of the Board of Directors are elected by the General Assembly for a term of four years and may be re-elected. The President together with two Vice-Presidents preside the Board.

The responsibilities of the Board of Directors include, but are not limited to, the following matters:

1. The definition of the Association's general strategy;
2. The definition and development of an annual plan of activities;
3. The liaison with the European Union, national, regional and local institutions, as well as international and intergovernmental organisations;
4. The appointment and revocation of the Secretary General
5. The supervision and implementation of the budget;
6. The preparation of an annual balance sheet, of an annual report, and of annual budget to be submitted to the General Assembly.

For more information on the Board’s responsibilities and working areas, please consult the ARE Statutes (Chapter IV, Article 16 & 17) or the ARE Secretariat .

ARE Board of Directors

President

Ernesto Macías was the Founder of ARE in 2006, with the important support of Michel Viaud, at that time Secretary General of the European Photovoltaic Industrial Association in which Macías was President and also the General Manager of Isofoton, a Spanish PV cells and modules manufacturer with a long experience in Rural Electrification.

At that time most of the renewable energy sector was focused in the FiT markets, but they understood that they had to take advantage of this good moment to invest in developing countries, where the energy needs were bigger, and the resources still very limited.

The founders of ARE were EPIA, ESHA, EWEA, EUBIA and GWEC, all based in Brussels. A few months later they decided to allow private companies to join, together with other private and public entities. Working with the common goal of extending rural electrification with RE sources. Ernesto Macías won two previous elections and will end his mandate with the AGM in spring 2018, after about 12 years working for the Alliance, which is today recognised as the global leader of the off-grid industry.

Vice-Presidents

Caroline Nijland  Director for Business Development FRES		Guilherme Collares Pereira Director EDP

Board Members

Pablo Astorga Global Sales Manager Microgrids ABB	Anthony O. Ighodaro Managing Director KXN Nigeria Ltd.	Dr. Karl Kolmsee CEO Smart Hydro Power
Aaron Leopold Global Energy Representative Practical Action	Katarina Uherova Hasbani Business Development Revelle Group	Vivian Vendeirinho Founder & Managing Director RVE.SOL
Michael Wollny Managing Director Wollny Consulting