The position of the Executive Director of the IENE is central to the operation and continuous development of the Institute. The Executive Director’s top responsibility is to ensure the smooth functioning of the Institute on a daily basis. This involves a variety of different tasks including financial and personnel management, coordination for the preparation of the information output which is addressed to the Institute’s members and to the public at large, supervision of all ongoing research and related work and also planning ahead.
At the same time the Executive Director must be in a position to act as spokesman for the Institute or identify a suitable person from the Institute’s partners, when such a need arises, as IENE is often asked to comment on current developments for various Media. At the same time the Executive Director is accountable to the Institute’s Executive Committee and to the Chairman of IENE whom must inform regularly on all matters. To this end the office of the Executive Director throughout the year prepares a number of review reports and tables proposals related to policy issues and new projects to be undertaken by the Institute. The Executive Director is also coordinating the Institute’s cooperation with other organizations in SE Europe but also further afield.
In addition to the above the Executive Director often participates in conferences, seminars and roundtable meetings in the region and beyond representing the Institute and when required presenting its work and activities to different audiences. As part of its outreach to the energy community of SE Europe IENE itself organizes on a regular basis various national, regional and international events the co-ordination and implementation of which is undertaken too by the office of the Executive Director.
The current Executive Director of IENE is Mr. Costis Stambolis who has a background in Physics and Architecture having studied at the University of London, at the North East London Polytechnic (NELP) and at the Architectural Association in London from where he holds a Graduate Diploma in Architecture and Energy Studies (AA Dip. Grad). He also holds a professional practice license from the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), and Graduate Diploma (Masters) from the Said Business School, University of Oxford, where he studied "Strategy and Innovation”.
Costis has carried out numerous studies and projects on Renewable Energy Sources in developing countries with emphasis on solar energy. He has consulted widely on solar building applications in Greece both for private and institutional clients. He has worked as a consultant on solar energy, natural gas, oil markets and energy security issues for governments, large multinational companies and international organizations. He has worked as consultant for a number of international companies, advising them on policy, energy infrastructure and licensing issues.
Costis has lectured widely on energy issues. He has organised several national, regional and international conferences, seminars and workshops. He has pursued a parallel career as a specialized technical writer as for many years he was Athens correspondent for the Financial Times Newsletters and the Athens Daily "Kathimerini”. He coordinated the introduction of the highly successful joint FTSE/ASE-20 index in the Athens Stock Exchange (1997/1998).He has edited several books, conference proceedings and has published many specialized papers and studies on energy policy, solar energy, RES and energy markets. "The Greek Energy Directory” (1984, 2016), "The Greek Energy Market” (2001) and the "S.E. Europe Energy Outlook 2011” and "SEE Energy Outlook 206/17”, all edited by Costis Stambolis, are considered basic references on energy policy in Greece and SE Europe.
Since 2001 he supervises and edits daily Greece’s foremost energy sitewww.energia.gr. He is a founding member of the Institute of Energy for South East Europe (IENE), where he was elected three times as its Chairman (2003, 2005, 2019). He is a member of the Institute of Energy (UK), the International Passive House Association (IPHA), The Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE) and the Chartered Institute of Journalists (UK).
Since 2018 he is a member of the Greek government's Energy & Climate Committee.