Michael Villa is Executive Director of smartEn - Smart Energy Europe, the European business association integrating the decentralized solutions of the clean energy transition. He joined smartEn in 2018 when he lead the advocacy efforts as Head of Policy. Before joining, he worked as Senior Consultant to provide specific advocacy support to clients both in the EU and Middle East in the energy sector. Among others, he led the Secretariat of a cross-sectorial business organisation, the European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE), and supported Knauf Insulation as Public Affairs Adviser in Italy. Michael worked also in the European Parliament for a Cypriot MEP and at the Embassy of Italy in Copenhagen during the UN Climate Change Conference COP15. Michael has a Master at the Institute for European Studies in Brussels and a bachelor degree from the Catholic University of Milan.