Jury of experts

Laura Bishop is a chartered mechanical engineer with over 25 years’ experience across advanced manufacturing, energy systems and large-scale decarbonisation infrastructure. She is Co-founder and Director of Hillside Infinitas, a project development company delivering integrated low-carbon energy schemes incorporating heat pumps, heat networks, solar PV and battery storage.

Laura previously held senior engineering roles at E.ON and founded Infinitas Design, specialising in large-scale heat pump and heat network projects. She is Co-Chair and Director of the Heat Pump Association UK, where she works with government and industry to accelerate heat pump deployment. She is a also a CIBSE Fellow. Laura is widely recognised for her expertise in heat pump integration and the practical delivery of large-scale electrification of heat.

After graduating university in 2011 I have spent my whole career in energy with the last 11 years being in the heat pump sector. I have been fortunate to be involved in groundbreaking projects such as the large water source heat pumps at Queens Quay in Clydebank and Liverpool Waters.

Dr. Thomas Fleckl has been Head of the Competence Unit Sustainable Thermal Energy Systems at the Centre for Energy at AIT since 2015. He has extensive expertise in the field of heat pump technologies and is an experienced project manager with 25 years of in-depth experience in the management of research activities. He is also the author of numerous publications. From 2015 to 2026 he has been a member of the board of the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA), since 2018 he has been the Austrian delegate to the Technology Collaboration Programme for Heat Pumping Technologies at the International Energy Agency (IEA), since 2019 he has been on the advisory board of Chillventa, and since 2020 he has been lecturing in the fields of refrigeration technology, heat pumps, and air conditioning and ventilation technology at the Vienna University of Technology.

In 2026 he was the chair of the National Organising Committee of the 15th IEA Heat Pump Conference in Vienna. Thomas Fleckl studied technical physics at Graz University of Technology and wrote his dissertation on combustion diagnostics.

Jussi Hirvonen, living in Porvoo, Finland, M.Sc., Executive Director of the Finnish Heat Pump Association SULPU ry. He has worked during his over 30 years in Heat Pump business as HP entrepreneur, Country manager of a Swedish and German company, as President of national HP association SULPU, as member of Executive and many other Committees of EHPA since their founding.
He is the founder member of the Finnish Heat Pump Association SULPU, European Heat Pump Association EHPA and Estonian Heat Pump Association ESPL.

Today he is the member of many committees of EHPA like the National Association, Advocacy & Communication and Refrigerants Committees of EHPA as well as the delegate of Finland in IEA TCP HPT.
Jussi Hirvonen was awarded in year 2021 the Peter Ritter von Rittinger International Heat Pump Award (IEA TCP HPT) – the highest international award in the heat pump field. Before Heat Pump period he made a career as an energy market and power plant expert and have experience also in nuclear power and venture capital business.

Dr. Jan Brandt is a senior manager at E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions, specialising in decarbonisation of district heating systems and large-scale energy infrastructure projects.

His work focuses on the development and implementation of sustainable heating solutions, including heat pumps and integrated energy systems across Europe.

Dr. Brandt brings extensive experience in technical specification, procurement, and system integration of energy assets, supporting the transition to carbon-neutral heating.

He has been a member of the EHPA Heat Pump Award jury for several years.

Dr. ir. Glenn Reynders is Innovation Manager at KU Leuven, where he works at the intersection of energy markets, building flexibility, and thermal system optimization. He holds a PhD in Engineering Science and has extensive experience in European and national research projects on sustainable energy systems.

Through his work at KU Leuven, EnergyVille and VITO, he has contributed to the development and deployment of innovative energy solutions that support the energy transition and the wider adoption of heat pump technologies. Glenn is member of the steering committee of the Flemish Heat Pump Platform and national delegate for Belgium in the IEA Heat Pumping Technologies TCP.