IDC European Utilities Xchange
More than a theme—it’s a call to action.
The energy transition is no longer a distant goal; it’s a journey well underway. The train has left the station, and there’s no turning back. Why should there be? A cleaner, safer, and more sustainable world awaits future generations.
Yet, we live in a time of profound uncertainty. Geopolitical tensions, inflation, rising costs, cyber threats, and supply chain disruptions have intensified the challenge of ensuring a fair and affordable transition. The recent blackouts across the Iberian Peninsula in early 2025, however, underscored the urgency of accelerating grid modernization.
European utilities—many with global footprints, including in the U.S.—must rise above the noise. Disruptions to planning and investment cannot be allowed to derail progress. The path forward demands next-level collaboration among all stakeholders: utilities, regulators, policymakers, technology leaders, hyperscalers, and customers of every size. Now is the time for utilities to lead with purpose—by investing in equitable workforce development through trade schools, apprenticeships, and inclusive training programs.
Breakthroughs in technology over the past year, including in GenAI, have empowered leading utilities to leap ahead in their reinvention —enhancing resilience, efficiency, and stakeholder value. Together, we must harness this momentum to build an energy future that is inclusive, innovative, and unstoppable.
Why Attend
IDC European Utilities Xchange is an event that connects senior IT and business professionals from several industries and countries. We aim to create the best-in-class independent content based on insights from our analysts, external speakers, as well as industry, and thought leaders, who we invite to join our Advisory Board.
The event will provide you with industry trends, actionable recommendations, hands-on experience from external speakers and last but not least – a chance to connect and network with your peers from the biggest European companies.
Venue
Las Arenas Balneario Resort
C/ d’Eugènia Viñes, 22, 24, Poblados Marítimos, 46011 Valencia, Spain
Roberta Bigliani
Roberta is the leader of the European industry research team at IDC. Her responsibilities encompass overseeing research coverage across the full range of sectors, including Energy & Utilities, Resources, Financial Services, Healthcare and Life Science, Government, Infrastructure and Transportation, Manufacturing, and Retail.
She is also involved in IDC’s Future of Industry Ecosystems and Future of Operations practices as the executive sponsor for Europe.
Roberta’s core expertise lies in industry and business transformation, with a distinct emphasis on the energy and utilities sector. She possesses a strong understanding of applying digital technologies to innovate core business processes, enhance customer experiences, and seamlessly integrate IT and operational technology.
Moreover, drawing from her extensive background in industry research and strategic advisory, Roberta offers insights into industry-specific implications of topics such as artificial intelligence, the future of work, and sustainability.
These insights are provided to both technology suppliers and buyers seeking informed guidance.
Roberta’s contributions extend beyond research and advisory, as she frequently speaks at conferences and moderates discussions.
Roberta is based in the IDC Italy office in Milan.
Event Sessions
Monday, March 2 2026 1:10 pm | Location:
IDC Opening – Powering Progress Together
Gaia Gallotti
Ms Gallotti joined IDC Energy Insights in 2007, prior to which she collaborated with IDC Manufacturing Insights and IDC Retail Insights.
Ms. Gallotti supports the IDC Energy Insights team by researching, writing standardized reports based on annual surveys on Utility end users and their IT industry-specific solutions, enterprise solutions, budget spending and decision making strategies. She handles the IT spending forecast models for the IDC Energy Insights’ Utilities coverage and writing the appropriate reports. Ms. Gallotti also conducts qualitative research for the quarterly updates for both the Utilities and Clean Energy sectors, covering topics such as Smart Grids, Capture Carbon and Storage, Renewable energies, Distributed Generation and Energy Efficiency.
Ms. Gallotti is involved in IDC Energy Insights worldwide customs projects, as well as in the preparation and delivery ad hoc presentations for industry conferences given throughout EMEA concerning current events in the EMEA Utilities and Clean Energy sectors.
Ms. Gallotti regularly contributes to the IDC Energy Insights blog on the IDC Energy Insights Community (http://idc-insights-community.com/energy) and tweets (@gaiagallotti). Ms. Gallotti graduated in May 2006 from the University of Puget Sound (USA) with a B.A. in both International Business and International Affairs with China. As part of her studies she spent six months in a study abroad program to Taizhong (Taiwan) and Beijing (PRC) attending Mandarin courses, Chinese politics courses and Chinese economics courses. Ms. Gallotti is bilingual Italian-English, fluent in French and proficient in Mandarin Chinese.
Jean-Francois Segalotto
Jean-François Segalotto is the Associate Research Director for IDC Energy Insights in Europe. In his role, he is responsible for conducting region-focused research providing full coverage of the utilities industry value chain. Segalotto leads the “European Utility IT and Operational Technologies Strategies” advisory service, which provides full coverage of the utility industry value chain. In his role, Segalotto covers a wide range of industry-specific themes, including smart grids, mobility, Internet of Things, connectivity and networks, and business systems supporting smart customer operations and digital transformation.
Leading up to his role in IDC, Jean-François spent over nine years as a market analyst in the telecoms, broadcast and digital media sectors, working first at ThinkTel (Milan), and e-Media Research (Milan, London). He has also collaborated as a research fellow and co-author with the IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department on monetary institutional frameworks and monetary policy.
Segalotto is bilingual Italian-French and fluent in English.
He is based at the IDC Italy office in Milan.
Fabrizio Degni
Fabrizio Degni is a distinguished AI Ethics and Governance researcher, technology evangelist, and President of the Italy Chapter for the Global Council for Responsible AI. Guided by his philosophy “Ask not if it can be done, nor how, but only if it should be done,” he is deeply committed to exploring technological frontiers while ensuring AI serves humanity’s common benefit through ethical, transparent, and accountable innovation.
Recent Recognition & Leadership: Degni was honored with the “Premio per l’Impegno Etico nella Cultura Algoritmica” (Award for Ethical Commitment in Algorithmic Culture) at the inaugural AI Awards Italy 2025, hosted by ENTE NAZIONALE per l’INTELLIGENZA ARTIFICIALE – E.N.I.A.® in Milano. This prestigious recognition celebrates his commitment to education and critical reflection on algorithms, ethics, and AI governance. As President of the Italy Chapter for the Global Council for Responsible AI, he leads a growing community of 500+ members across 71 nations dedicated to shaping responsible AI through ethics, transparency, and accountability principles.
Professional Expertise: As Chief of Artificial Intelligence, Degni’s research focuses on sociotechnical risks introduced by emerging AI technologies, particularly AI agents and autonomous systems. His analysis of AI agent systems in IBM’s 2025 AI Ethics Report highlighted critical challenges of opacity, complexity, and non-reversibility in autonomous systems, contributing to frameworks for evolved governance models and ethical oversight.
Certifications & Credentials: Degni holds the AI CERTs™: AI+ Executive Certification (scored 90/100, May 2025) and specialized certifications from Stanford University (“AI Awakening: Economic and Society Implications”), edX (“AI Ethics for Professionals”), Copenhagen Business School, Microsoft, and Politecnico di Milano. His advanced credentials include ISO 42001:2023 AI System Management / ISO 9001 certifications and designation as a Certified AI Ethics & Governance Professional (CAEGP).
Thought Leadership: A frequent speaker and panel participant, Degni recently contributed to the “Alfabetizzazione e Innovazione” (Digital Literacy and Innovation) panel, discussing human and digital memory alongside leading experts. His work encompasses value alignment, bias mitigation, transparency, and actionable governance frameworks for AI implementation across multiple sectors.
Markus Riner
As Head of Digitalization & IT at the Swiss Electricity Industry Association (VSE/AES), Markus is a seasoned executive with a strong track record in leadership, management, and digital transformation. With extensive experience as a CIO and CDO in various industries, Markus brings a deep understanding of business strategy and IT strategy to the table.
Markus has a proven ability to develop and implement comprehensive digital business strategies and ecosystems. He is well-versed in agile methods and structures, strategic marketing, product management, and business development. Markus has led digital transformations and large-scale projects in international multicultural environments, developing data-driven business models to enhance competitiveness.
Markus’s expertise extends beyond digital transformation. He has led boards, steering groups, and task forces to orchestrate cultural change and develop winning digital experiences. He is also highly skilled in creating data strategies, governance models, and managing cyber security and risk & compliance (GRC).
Before joining VSE/AES, Markus served as an interim CIO/CDO and senior advisor for digital innovation and transformation in various organizations. Notably, he was the Global Head of IT and Digital Services for a global water system and e-mobility manufacturer, where he developed a digitalization strategy and roadmap, focusing on building a modern digital platform that includes e-commerce, IoT, connected vehicles, cloud services, big data analytics services, RPA, Industry 4.0 and ERP on SAP HANA for the shopfloor and corporate services.
Markus’s experience as the CIO at the Electricity Works of the Canton of Zurich (EKZ Group) has been instrumental in developing IT into a respected and valued business partner. He developed a customer-centric digital strategy that led to a high increase in EBIT contribution through annual operating cost reductions every year while improving business process efficiency and revenues through continuous digitalization and automation investments.
Markus holds an IT Degree, a degree in Business Engineering, and an Executive MBA in International Management from the University of Applied Sciences in Bern. He is knowledgeable in M&A due diligence and post-merger integration projects and holds a Strategic Marketing Certificate from the University of Cambridge. Markus has also completed the Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme at Said Business School, University of Oxford.
Kristofer Fröjd
As Senior Vice President Strategy & Business Development Kristofer is responsible for questions related to strategy, new business development, M&A, Business execution & operational excellence and the collaborative work with the start-up / innovation clusters in the energy & climate space.
With the changing energy landscape a pivotal part of Kristofer’s work is dedicated to tightly collaborate with Ellevio customers and stakeholders to develop new offerings and solutions that will help Ellevio’s customers to successfully drive their journey within the energy transition and decarbonize there climate footprint. Kristofer also serves as a Board Member of Triangelbolaget AB, a company working with offering dark fiber solutions to international and national customers
With a background from leading positions at several management consulting firms Kristofer joined Ellevio in 2016. He has an international career mainly focusing on energy, industrial equipment’s and international trade. He holds a MSc. in Industrial Engineering & Management from the Royal School of Technology and a MSc in Business Administration from Stockholm University.