💫🌍 ESP Alumni: Reflections and Advice
As our ESP2026 programme is reaching its most important stage, we would like to remind everyone that this is just the beginning of your project journey! ✨
When Kelvin joined the ESP2024 cohort, he came in with an open mind, ready to learn, ask questions, engage and a genuine drive to grow!
🌐 Somewhere along the way, that curiosity turned into clarity. Kelvin started connecting ideas to real-world challenges, and pushing solutions until they could work beyond the classroom.
This year, Kelvin returned as a Project Mentor for ESP2026, guiding the next cohort the same way he started, through curiosity, honest thinking, and a focus on solutions that can truly last. He is now a part of a generation building Africa’s energy future one real solution at a time! 👏
It’s not about knowing everything. It’s about being willing to learn, apply, and keep going! 🚀
We are wishing all the teams fruitful preparations for today’s presentations, stay tuned! ✅
As our ESP2026 programme is reaching its most important stage, we would like to remind everyone that this is just the beginning of your project journey! ✨
When Kelvin joined the ESP2024 cohort, he came in with an open mind, ready to learn, ask questions, engage and a genuine drive to grow!
🌐 Somewhere along the way, that curiosity turned into clarity. Kelvin started connecting ideas to real-world challenges, and pushing solutions until they could work beyond the classroom.
This year, Kelvin returned as a Project Mentor for ESP2026, guiding the next cohort the same way he started, through curiosity, honest thinking, and a focus on solutions that can truly last. He is now a part of a generation building Africa’s energy future one real solution at a time! 👏
It’s not about knowing everything. It’s about being willing to learn, apply, and keep going! 🚀
We are wishing all the teams fruitful preparations for today’s presentations, stay tuned! ✅
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⚖️✨ Meet the Jury - ESP2026 Final Pitching ✨⚖️
We’re honoured to introduce our Jury Committee🌟
🌎 Rob Veersma
Leading global expert in Learning, Training, and Development with decades of profound experience in the industry. Former Global Director at GazProm International and Global Learning & Development Manager at Shell International, currently Adviser at the Global Energy Community.
⚡️ Artem Khalturin
Project manager, business analyst, and product owner with extensive experience in energy and digital innovation. Over five years of work at Rosatom, PhD in Electroenergetics, experience in nuclear energy systems, analytics, and startup development. Now Artem leads IT product development at Gazpromneft.
💫 Diaa Behary
Energy researcher and Assistant Professor at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, spexializes in sustainable energy systems, hydrogen technologies, and energy transition. Co-founder and Chairman of ESP and the Global Energy Community.
We’re honoured to introduce our Jury Committee🌟
🌎 Rob Veersma
Leading global expert in Learning, Training, and Development with decades of profound experience in the industry. Former Global Director at GazProm International and Global Learning & Development Manager at Shell International, currently Adviser at the Global Energy Community.
⚡️ Artem Khalturin
Project manager, business analyst, and product owner with extensive experience in energy and digital innovation. Over five years of work at Rosatom, PhD in Electroenergetics, experience in nuclear energy systems, analytics, and startup development. Now Artem leads IT product development at Gazpromneft.
💫 Diaa Behary
Energy researcher and Assistant Professor at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, spexializes in sustainable energy systems, hydrogen technologies, and energy transition. Co-founder and Chairman of ESP and the Global Energy Community.
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A powerful closing message from Rob Veersma, advisor and lecturer at the ESP Cohort 2026, on what truly defines leadership in a complex world. Worth reflecting on.
Across the sessions I presented over the last weeks, we spoke about leadership, about working in a diverse world, and about communication. Three different topics, on the surface. But in reality, they all point to one thing.
• It is not about what you know.
• It is about how you connect, and what you change.
You are entering a world that is more complex, more international, and more unpredictable than ever before. You will work with people who think differently, speak differently, behave differently, and interpret reality differently. That is not a barrier. That is the reality of leadership today.
And in that reality, technical knowledge is not enough. Intelligence is not enough. Even good intentions are not enough. What matters is your ability to navigate difference.
• To understand that your perspective is not the only one.
• To recognize that communication is not neutral but filtered.
• To see that influence is not about power, but about connection.
Because in the end, leadership is not about having the right answer. It is about creating alignment among people who do not naturally agree.
That requires something deeper.
• It requires awareness of yourself. How you show up, how you communicate, how you influence.
• It requires awareness of others. Their context, their culture, their interpretation.
• And it requires the flexibility to move between those worlds without losing yourself.
This is where many people struggle. They hold on to one style, one way of thinking, one way of communicating. And in a diverse environment, that rigidity becomes their limitation.
The ones who succeed are not the smartest in the room. They are the ones who can adapt without becoming artificial, who can influence without forcing, who can connect without losing clarity.
• They understand that communication is not about speaking. It is about being understood.
• They understand that diversity is not something to manage, but something to work with.
• And they understand that influence is not about control, but about movement.
So, if there is one message to take with you, it is this.
Your impact will not be defined by what you know. It will be defined by what you are able to unlock in others.
Because that is where leadership begins.
Across the sessions I presented over the last weeks, we spoke about leadership, about working in a diverse world, and about communication. Three different topics, on the surface. But in reality, they all point to one thing.
• It is not about what you know.
• It is about how you connect, and what you change.
You are entering a world that is more complex, more international, and more unpredictable than ever before. You will work with people who think differently, speak differently, behave differently, and interpret reality differently. That is not a barrier. That is the reality of leadership today.
And in that reality, technical knowledge is not enough. Intelligence is not enough. Even good intentions are not enough. What matters is your ability to navigate difference.
• To understand that your perspective is not the only one.
• To recognize that communication is not neutral but filtered.
• To see that influence is not about power, but about connection.
Because in the end, leadership is not about having the right answer. It is about creating alignment among people who do not naturally agree.
That requires something deeper.
• It requires awareness of yourself. How you show up, how you communicate, how you influence.
• It requires awareness of others. Their context, their culture, their interpretation.
• And it requires the flexibility to move between those worlds without losing yourself.
This is where many people struggle. They hold on to one style, one way of thinking, one way of communicating. And in a diverse environment, that rigidity becomes their limitation.
The ones who succeed are not the smartest in the room. They are the ones who can adapt without becoming artificial, who can influence without forcing, who can connect without losing clarity.
• They understand that communication is not about speaking. It is about being understood.
• They understand that diversity is not something to manage, but something to work with.
• And they understand that influence is not about control, but about movement.
So, if there is one message to take with you, it is this.
Your impact will not be defined by what you know. It will be defined by what you are able to unlock in others.
Because that is where leadership begins.
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✨ ESP2026 Final Pitching & Closing Ceremony: Recap ✨
ESP2026 has officially come to a close, and what a powerful closing ceremony it was! 👏
🌍 We extend our sincere gratitude to our Jury Members: Rob Veersma, Diaa Behary, and Artem Khalturin for their time, expertise, thoughtful questions, and invaluable feedback throughout the session! 💚 Their insights challenged participants to think more critically, strengthen their roadmaps, refine their financial models, and move closer to implementation 💪
And of course, congratulations to our winning teams:
🥉 3rd place - Team Five
🥈 2nd place - Team Twelve
🥇 1st place - Team Three
🌟 At the same time, we want to celebrate every ESP team. The level of dedication, collaboration, and hard work shown throughout the programme has been truly inspiring! Each team brought forward ideas with purpose, creativity, and courage, and that is something to be proud of 🚀
❗️Certificates are currently being arranged, and more information will be shared later this week, stay tuned!
ESP2026 has officially come to a close, and what a powerful closing ceremony it was! 👏
🌍 We extend our sincere gratitude to our Jury Members: Rob Veersma, Diaa Behary, and Artem Khalturin for their time, expertise, thoughtful questions, and invaluable feedback throughout the session! 💚 Their insights challenged participants to think more critically, strengthen their roadmaps, refine their financial models, and move closer to implementation 💪
And of course, congratulations to our winning teams:
🥉 3rd place - Team Five
🥈 2nd place - Team Twelve
🥇 1st place - Team Three
🌟 At the same time, we want to celebrate every ESP team. The level of dedication, collaboration, and hard work shown throughout the programme has been truly inspiring! Each team brought forward ideas with purpose, creativity, and courage, and that is something to be proud of 🚀
❗️Certificates are currently being arranged, and more information will be shared later this week, stay tuned!
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