Alliance for Rural Electrification appoints Camille Andre-Bataille & Christophe Poline as Vice Presidents
Brussels, 26 October 2023 – The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) is pleased to announce significant changes to its governance body with the appointment of Camille Andre-Bataille and Christophe Poline as Vice Presidents of the Board, serving under the leadership of President Alexis Rehbinder.
Camille Andre-Bataille, CEO & co-founder of ANKA Madagascar and Board Member of ARE, brings a wealth of experience with over a decade dedicated to the financial, organisational, technical, and social management of low-carbon and renewable energy projects, including green mini-grids. Since 2016, Ms. Andre-Bataille has spearheaded ANKA Madagascar’s pioneering efforts in renewable energy projects, focusing on the production and distribution of electricity to foster robust, sustainable, and resilient local economies.
Camille Andre-Bataille said: “I’m very honoured and excited by this appointment. We need to renew ourselves to meet the challenges we face and achieve SDG 7. The appointment of VPs is a strong move to further structure the ARE Board and give the association the means to deliver the best for its members and the overall sector.”
Christophe Poline has been Sustainable Investment Director in Schneider Electric’s Corporate Citizenship Department since 2010 and Board Member of ARE since 2022. After creating the solidarity based employee savings plan of Schneider Electric in France, he is now responsible for all impact investing activities. Through different investment vehicles, Schneider Electric invests in social businesses in France and Europe that contribute to the fight against energy poverty, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa around energy access and energy efficiency. Mr. Poline was previously an international financial controller at Schneider Electric. He graduated from ESSEC Business School and the University of Paris Sud.
Christophe Poline affirms: “I’m honoured to be able to contribute to the ARE activities in this new position. Electrification and energy efficiency are key to the path toward a just transition and ARE leads one of the most efficient coalition contributing to this move.”
David Lecoque, CEO of ARE, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “I am truly excited to welcome both Camille Andre-Bataille and Christophe Poline as Vice Presidents of ARE. Their complementary knowledge and invaluable dedication will undoubtedly further steer ARE toward achieving its mission on the road to SDG 7.”
“I am looking forward to working with two experienced leaders in the DRE sector who bring an unwavering amount of energy, expertise, and commitment to ARE in these very important assignments.” confirms President Alexis Rehbinder.