By Rene Garello, President, IEEE France Section
Bruno Meyer has been honored with the IEEE Richard M. Emberson Award, “For exemplary leadership of IEEE Technical Activities and structuring IEEE to make contributions in response to climate change.”
Drawing upon his extensive skill set, Bruno Meyer has played a crucial role in advancing IEEE’s efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Through his candidacy for Technical Activities Board (TAB) VP-elect in 2020, his year as TAB VP-elect in 2021, and his service as TAB VP in 2022, Meyer succeeded in establishing and formalizing the Technical Activities Program in Climate Change.
Bruno Meyer was for many years with EDF (Electricité de France), where he held several senior management positions. Amongst others, VP for R&D Transmission & Distribution after being Director of R&D on Power Systems and Electrical Equipment. Then he was CEO of ARTERIA, a telecommunications company, and worked as a Senior Executive at the French Transmission Operator, RTE. Since 2021, he has been the Secretary General of GO15, the organisation of on of very large power grid operators. GO15 members combined serve over half of the world’s total electricity.
Bruno Meyer has a long history with IEEE of which he was elevated Fellow in 2008 and particularly with PES.
When IEEE began to form activities around climate change technologies and sustainable practices in 2019, Bruno Meyer was clearly a leader working to coordinate many activities that were spontaneously being created across the institute. Coming from the power industry, Bruno had a good understanding of scale, and perhaps by virtue of his roles in IEEE he also had a good idea of how to build enduring capacity within TAB.
Part of the 2019 effort was to develop an IEEE infrastructure to convene and curate climate change relevant technology solutions and practices across the IEEE technical field of interest. Bruno Meyer also identified an opportunity to be more relevant to younger members and especially future younger members, who are seeking community in areas of passion that can have societal implications. He recognized climate change as one of the topics that most strongly connects the passion to technical areas to provide future participants of all levels of experience an opportunity to participate in changing the world for the better.
As VP TAB elect, in 2020, Bruno Meyer was one of the co-leads of the Sustainable Development Ad Hoc (SDAH) Committee created between TAB, SA and MGA with Major IEEE OUs participating. in order for IEEE to structure its activities on Climate Change mitigation and to encourage synergies between on-going activities within TAB, and to favor new initiatives on Climate Change, he launched the TAB Climate-Change Program in 2022.
Through his candidacy for TAB VP- elect in 2020, through his year as TAB VP-elect in 2021, and as TAB VP in 2022, Bruno Meyer succeeded in having the Technical Activities Program in Climate Change formalized. In 2020, he participated at a workshop held at the World Climate Change Conference-COP26- in Glasgow and presented a keynote on “What role could electricity play in addressing sustainable development?”
In 2023, Climate Change became the centerpiece of President Saifur Rahman’s presidency.
The many climate change activities that had been created throughout IEEE, meant that a decision on organizational structure was needed. With several competing and potentially conflicting concepts in play, and the resulting potential to confuse volunteers, staff, members and the general public, a smaller number of more visible and strategically coordinated activities were created.
Bruno Meyer was appointed in 2023 by the Ad Hoc Committee to Coordinate IEEE’s Response to Climate Change (CCIRCC), chaired by Tariq Durrani, to lead a steering committee to determine the best path for Technical Activities to continue to play a key role in IEEE Climate Change activities. He significantly aligned the TAB Agenda on Climate Change, and delivered a structure to the work that was appreciated by TAB societies and which in turn undertook programs to support the IEEE Agenda on Climate Change. The role of Bruno Meyer has been to consider the organization structure options and to advise TAB on the optimal path regarding the TA Climate Change program. The aim is still to create a Technical Community in the area which might eventually become a self-sustained entity or eventually become a council. Bruno Meyer’s leadership was crucial to enable, launch, structure, and share the strategic importance for IEEE to get involved in Climate Change activities. Bruno Meyer has been asked to lead the Program in 2024.
