EIT InnoEnergy's Daniel Dobbeni is tech company Hepta Airborne’s newest Supervisory Board member

Headquartered in Estonia, Hepta is a technology firm dedicated to solving the most complex challenges in infrastructure inspection with Artificial Intelligence and Data Science solutions. Dobbeni brings with him a broad range of leadership experience in the European energy sector, as well as a thorough track record as a board member in innovative companies.

Prior to becoming a supervisory board member of EIT InnoEnergy, Dobbeni was the President of 50Hertz Transmission GmbH for nearly six years, and was the CEO of Elia SA for nine. Elia is a Belgian transmission system operator for high-voltage electricity, located in Brussels, Belgium. Dobbeni was also the founding president of ENTSO-E (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity), representing 42 electricity TSOs from 35 countries across Europe.

“Daniel Dobbeni has been an inspirational leader and expert in the EU grid sector. He has influenced multiple energy-sector organizations, and we are fortunate to benefit from his vision and expertise. After thorough negotiations to join Hepta Airborne’s Supervisory Board, I am confident in the positive impact he will have on our growth as a whole,” said Henri Klemmer, founder, and CEO of Hepta Airborne.

“His values and depth of experience will help Hepta Airborne continue to make strategic decisions, and grow and innovate the utility inspection industry by using drones and AI-based uBird software to maintain electricity infrastructures across Europe,” Klemmer added.

According to Daniel Dobbeni, it is important to apply a broader range of vision to the inspection of power lines assets, because it contributes to improving the quality of data, both in terms of asset management and environmental aspects.

“There are many facets where drone-based or assisted visual inspections are an important part of the toolbox of DSOs and TSOs. Right now there is poor industry-dedicated knowledge in terms of the added value of drones and I believe there is a need to change the negative perception of drones to the positive results that AI-assisted drone inspection delivers. For example, it increases both the efficiency and the reliability for DSOs and TSOs with the timely detection of defects to prevent power cuts,” explained Dobbeni.

Dobbeni commented on his central role in the Supervisory Board of Hepta Airborne, “In my career, I have had the luck of going from a very small business to becoming the CEO of a large company. More senior members that were challenging me, raised questions, some of which I perceived to be useful and some not. But after a few years, I discovered that all those questions were positive for me. The objective was to encourage me to think out of the box and identify new ways to develop the business, and I really benefited from this experience. I hope that a little bit of my experience can be useful to young entrepreneurs.”

Hepta Airborne has become one of the leading players in the EU’s infrastructure inspection market in a short time. Hepta automates power line analysis by utilizing drones, helicopters, satellites, and big data analysis. Long-term plans for the company include creating digital twins for various infrastructures, including power lines and gas pipelines and telecommunications, and other sectors focused on safety and sustainable development.