The team

Serge Galant, CEO of TECHNOFI. Aeronautical Engineer from ENSMA (1971) and Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA (1975), he joined BERTIN (France) in 1976, where he was involved in the development of innovative technologies (energy, defense, telecommunication, transportation, aerospace, agro food, bio technology). From 1992 to 1998, he was Director for New Business Development of BERTIN. In 1998, he joined TECHNOFI as a Vice President for Business Development in the private sector. Since 2001, he is CEO and main shareholder of TECHNOFI.

Eric PEIRANO graduated in 1990 from ENSAM Paris in mechanical engineering and in 1991 from California State University in computer simulation. From 1991 to 1993, he occupied various R&D positions in the field of real-time simulation, in particular thermo-hydraulic applications. In 1992, he moved to Sweden where he obtained a Ph.D. in Energy Conversion at Chalmers University (1998). From 1997 to 1998, he was a consultant in several industrial fields (process, energy and transport). In 2000, he joined INRIA in Sophia-Antipolis as guest researcher where he developed probabilistic numerical methods for problems in industrial fluid mechanics. In 2002, he entered ADEME as an expert in charge of the development of R&D activities in the renewable energies sector as well as smart grids. In 2006, he became Deputy Head of the Renewable Energies Department at ADEME. After obtaining a Master's degree in finance (Risk and Asset Management) from Edhec Business School in 2009, he joined Technofi as executive Vice-President where he currently develops a commercial offer in the field of new materials and eco-manufacturing.

Athanase Vafeas, Senior Consultant, engineer graduated from Ecole Centrale Paris in 1989 and joined TECHNOFI in 1991. He has been in charge of management tool development and implementation in several projects (Eureka, FP3 to FP7, Defence programme).  He has developed innovative management methodologies and tools for multicultural organizations and projects: monitoring tool for the Innovation Relay Centres network, methodologies to widely develop the technological cooperation and the innovation management skills in the European SMEs, building of technology roadmaps and mid-to-long term scenarios.  More recently, in the energy sector, he led several studies on techno economic optimizations of energy systems. He has been involved in several actions funded by the European Commission such as fostering technology transfer in the Energy sector in Europe and in the Mediterranean countries, information packaging, training and dissemination (FP6 funded Integrated Project EUDEEP; Coordination action DISTRES ; Prorett) as well as in charge of the writing of a technology roadmap for transmission system operators in Europe (FP7 funded project REALISEGRID). Since 2007 he gives lectures on business modelling in energy in an International Advanced Master in Energy System Management (joint Ecole des Mines Paris - Tsinghua University Beijing). He is currently the coordinator of the OPTIMATE project (FP7, DG ENER) aiming at developing a simulation platform to model new electricity market designs integrating massive flexible generation in Europe.

Economist from the LUISS University (Rome, Italy) and the COLLEGE OF EUROPE (Bruges, Belgium), with an executive education from the INSEAD Business school (Fontainebleau, France) and the Institute of Innovation Research at the Manchester Business School (United Kingdom). Her main employment experience includes the Italian Trade Commission, the Council of the European Union (EU), the European Commission (EC), the IMG international organisation and TECHNOFI. Until 2000, she was involved in the economic reconstruction of Central and Eastern European transition countries, mainly in the Balkan region, under EC funding. In 2001, she joined TECHNOFI as senior consultant, where she is in charge of the design, management and implementation of several innovation projects funded by the ESA and the EC (DG Research, Innovation, DG Energy, DG Enterprise and Industry) in the different fields of TECHNOFI's expertise.

Attracted by international and intercultural issues, Clémentine COUJARD obtained a Master's degree in Foreign languages Applied to Business at the University of Nancy 2 in 2001. She carried out several work placements within the communication and banking sectors in London (UK) and Stuttgart (Germany), as well as a half-year academic studies in Newcastle upon Tyne (UK), with a stress on organization management. She then choose to reinforce such domain of knowledge with a European Master's degree in Management of International Projects obtained at the University of Marseille II in 2003. She joined TECHNOFI the same year. Clémentine has been working since then on various missions related to innovation: construction of R&D projects and programs in diverse technological sectors; dissemination of research results towards institutional, industrial or financial audiences; development of training contents; and support to researchers in the commercial exploitation of their research results.

Lara JOUMBLAT-MASON has a Master degree in Foreign Languages Applied to law and international trade (University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis) as well as of an MBA in Innovation, Strategy and Information technology (Ceram / Theseus Institute). In 2001, she joins COMPAQ in Sophia Antipolis as coordinator of events and specialist training. Further to the merger with HP and the restructuring of the group, she joins the marketing service of the start-up TACHYS TECHNOLOGIES (microelectronics) in 2002 where she handles the creation of the visual identity and the graphics standards, as well as the organization of events and the technology and marketing watch. In 2005, she joins TECHNOFI as a consultant where she participated in several European projects, among which EUDEEP (energy), IMP3rove (innovation management), KISPIMS, GREENCONSERVE and REMAKE (support in the innovation of services in SMEs).

Administrative Officer and Accountant
Quality Manager

Management Assistant