Our Team

Ms. Christiana Hageneder is a seasoned professional in the fields of energy, climate, and sustainable urban development, bringing more than twenty years of international experience in senior technical and managerial roles across Europe and the Middle East. Christiana has held several senior positions at GIZ, including serving as Energy Sector Coordinator in Ukraine, and most recently as Coordinator for Energy, Climate, and Water in Jordan. She managed European and Global programs like the Programme for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB) that is jointly implemented by AFD (Agence Française de Développement) and GIZ.

Christiana graduated as an engineer from Vienna University of Technology in Architecture and Urban Planning, holds a master’s degree in Facilities Management from Donau University Krems, and is certified by the Frankfurt School of Finance as Sustainable Finance Expert. Her academic profile also includes Architectural Studies at École d’Architecture de la Villette in Paris.

Joscha Albert joined the ‘Shifting Investment Flows Towards Green Transformation’ (SHIFT) project as Energy Sector Lead in September 2023. In this capacity, his focus is on shifting public and private investments towards a just energy transition in Vietnam.

Joscha has more than ten years of professional experience in the field of sustainable economic development, particularly in financial systems development.

Frank Renken currently heads the project “Promoting the Transition of the Energy Sector in Vietnam” (TEV). He has extensive experience in the fields of renewable energy, energy efficiency as well as green hydrogen. He joined GTZ, forerunner of GIZ, in 2008 as the coordinator for a regional project to standardise technical Arabic in collaboration with the Arab League’s educational, scientific and cultural organization (ALECSO). Later he headed for some years the office of the German-Algerian Energy Partnership in Algiers, working on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

Frank Renken holds a PhD in political science and combines this with a technical background as he started his career as a qualified aircraft engine mechanic at Lufthansa.

Henrik Personn is a seasoned project director with over 15 years of experience in project management and implementation. He has a proven track record of ensuring the efficient and effective utilization of funds with high local acceptance. He has led large-scale projects and programs in diverse environments across countries such as Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sierra Leone, focusing on sectors including rural development, energy access, climate change, and mobility. Henrik’s leadership extends to managing diverse teams, staff development programs, and innovative financing models.

Henrik’s educational foundation includes an MBA in Renewables from the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (BHT), where he was actively involved in student governance as a member of the Students Parliament, General Students’ Committee, and Academic Senate. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Renewable Energy from the same institution.

Further enhancing his expertise, Henrik is a certified Green Hydrogen Specialist from the Renewables Academy (RENAC). He is also a Certified Project Manager for Development and has Hostile Environment Awareness Training from Bundeswehr (German Federal Armed Forces). He is fluent in German, English, and Turkish.

Henri Wasnick serves as a Technical Advisor for the project Promoting the Transition of the Energy Sector in Viet Nam (TEV) and the project Energy Partnership. His work spans Renewable Energy, Energy Transition, Smart Grids and Energy Efficiency within GIZ ESP.

Henri Wasnick previously served as a Senior Advisor on Renewable Energy at the Institute of Energy, Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT). He also has nearly a decade of experience in the private sector, holding leadership and development roles with a wind turbine developer and manufacturer in Germany. Concurrently, he worked in a management position for a Swedish company specializing in renewable energy.

Le Thi Thoa currently works for SHIFT project. She was the Technical Team Leader for the CIRTS project and previously held the same position for the BEM project. With over 20 years of experience in the energy sector, she has a robust background in both international development and renewable energy.

Before joining GIZ ESP, Le Thi Thoa worked with several international development organizations, including USAID, ADB, UNEP, and SNV, as well as with state-management authorities in MOIT, focusing on renewable energy. She has extensive expertise in developing policies and mechanisms and providing technical support for renewable energy programs in Viet Nam.

She holds a Master’s degree in Energy Economics and a Ph.D. in Economic Management.

Hoa graduated from Hanoi University of Science and Technology and accumulated more than 20 years of professional experience across a range of roles in power sector. His key experience includes serving as Head of Electrical Department in EPC coal fired power project management boards; Project Officer/ Technical engineer in charge of technical/ bidding works for several power substation projects; Project officer for several ODA development projects. His expertise focuses on project management, technical coordination, procurement and bidding, and stakeholder engagement, particularly in ODA and investment projects.

Hoa joined GIZ ESP since 2018, where he worked as a Technical Project Officer for the Smart Grids for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SGREEE) project, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (4E) project, Energy Partnership (EP) project. He is now managing the Accelerating Air Conditioning Transformation through Enhanced Energy Performance Standards project.

Nguyen Phuong Thao joined the GIZ Energy Support Programme (ESP) in September 2018. She currently serves as the Implementation Manager for the Balcony Solar Systems for Viet Nam (BSS4VN) project. Previously, she worked as a Project Officer for several initiatives, including the Commercial and Industrial Rooftop Solar (CIRTS) Project, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (4E) Project, and the EU–Vietnam Energy Facility (EVEF). She also contributed to the Vietnam Energy Partnership Group (VEPG) Secretariat.

Before joining GIZ, Thao specialized in ASEAN-related affairs. She spent nine years with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, holding various positions, including a placement at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, where she gained extensive experience in intergovernmental coordination and negotiation.

Thao holds a Master’s degree in International Business from the University of Sydney, Australia, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business English from the Foreign Trade University in Hanoi, Viet Nam. She speaks Vietnamese and English fluently, and basic Standard Mandarin.

Ta Quang Hung joined GIZ ESP in September 2020 as a Senior Energy Advisor for the project Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for South East Asia (CASE). He manages the project in Viet Nam and serves as the primary liaison, connecting regional partners in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as well as coordinating with the Regional Office in Thailand.

Ta Quang Hung has amassed significant experience as a wind and solar energy project developer at Truong Thanh Vietnam Group JSC, where he has served as Deputy Director of Renewable Energy. Prior to this role, he worked with Action on Poverty, CARE International, and the East Meets West Foundation.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Economics and a master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Melbourne.

Duong Manh Cuong is a Senior Energy Advisor for the “Promoting the Transition of the Energy Sector in Vietnam” (TEV) project, part of the GIZ Energy Support Programme (GIZ ESP) in Vietnam. He has been with GIZ for nearly six years. Prior to his current role, he worked on the “Smart Grids for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency” (SGREEE) project.

He specializes in advising on Legal & Regulatory frameworks and Technology cooperation to promote energy transition in Viet Nam. Prior to GIZ ESP, Duong Manh Cuong spent ten years working with various state-management authorities under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) in the Energy & Electricity sector. His roles included various positions at the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam (ERAV), the General Directorate of Energy (GDE), and the Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority (EREA). He has held several managerial positions, including Deputy Director of the Center for Training and Consultancy, Deputy Director of the Energy Planning Department, and Deputy Director of the Center for Consultancy, Training, and Information on Electricity and Renewable Energy.

Duong Manh Cuong holds a bachelor’s degree in Power System Engineering from Ha Noi University of Science and Technology (HUST) and a master’s degree in Sustainable Electrical power from Brunel University in West London, United Kingdom.

Vo Thanh Tung is an Energy Advisor for PtX Outreach and H2Growth project under the GIZ Energy Support Program (GIZ ESP), where he leverages his expertise in policy advisory, technology transfer, and capacity building for the green hydrogen industry.

Prior to promoting green hydrogen topics, Vo Thanh Tung contributed significantly to rural electrification and energy information system initiatives fot Viet Nam.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration.

Lan Anh is a Energy Advisor at GIZ ESP. With more than 13 years of experience in international cooperation, including nearly 05 years working in the energy sector with a specialisation in the green hydrogen field, she held various positions in many projects focusing on action areas such as capacity building, technical cooperation and energy policy. She is eager to contribute to promoting the green hydrogen market in Viet Nam.

Lan Anh holds an International Master’s Degree in Business Administration and has received special training in renewable energy, particularly in green hydrogen and PtX. She possesses extensive knowledge in this field from both global and local perspectives.