I am Dr.-Ing. Michael Walter – founder and owner of WHySE Walter Hydrogen Strategy & Sustainability Advisory.

With over 25 years of experience in the hydrogen economy, I combine deep technical expertise, strategic advisory skills and modern leadership. My career has taken me through defining stages of the European hydrogen landscape.

After completing my doctorate on hydrogen purification using Pressure Swing Adsorption at the University of Duisburg-Essen, I spent nearly eleven years as Technical Project Leader at HyGear B.V. in Arnhem, the Netherlands – one of Europe’s most innovative hydrogen companies. During this time, I managed over 23 international R&D projects with budgets of up to €5 million per project, covering hydrogen production, storage, distribution and application.

From 2016 to 2025, I actively shaped German and European hydrogen research at DVGW e.V. in Bonn – first as Technical Manager Energy Research/Hydrogen, and later as Manager R&D of the Innovation Programme Hydrogen (IPH2). In this role, I was responsible for a budget of €9.3 million and coordinated over 30 research and development projects along the entire hydrogen value chain. As DVGW representative at Hydrogen Europe Research and the EU Commission’s Clean Hydrogen Partnership, I co-designed European hydrogen strategies from 2016 onwards.

Areas of expertise

• Hydrogen strategy, projects and technology
• EU funding landscape and project logic – in particular the Clean Hydrogen Partnership (since 2008, formerly the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking)
• Sustainability management, decarbonisation and environmental management (TÜV-certified: ISO 14001, EMAS III, ESG, CSRD, VSME)
• Consortium leadership, interim project management and PMO
• Stakeholder management at political and industrial level

In 2026, I founded WHySE – Walter Hydrogen Strategy & Sustainability Advisory – to put my knowledge and experience to work for SMEs, municipalities and research institutions seeking to enter the hydrogen economy or expand their hydrogen activities.

WHySE (pronounced wy-zuh, for German word “weise”) stands for “wise” – and that is precisely my aspiration: to advise with substance, independence and foresight. Based in Bonn with a strong European network, WHySE is your reliable partner for H₂ strategy, project governance and sustainability.

And who am I beyond the projects?

I’m passionate about cooking – but not the kind of quick meals you make from a packet or on a baking tray. I’m fascinated by slow food and soul food: dishes that take time to prepare, were cooked by our grandmothers, tell stories and bring people together. That’s exactly how I travel: not with a travel brochure in hand, but with my eyes wide open and a genuine interest in people, cultures and places off the beaten track.

And then there’s Ikigai – the Japanese philosophy of the ‘reason for getting up in the morning’, the meaning of life. For me, this isn’t a trend or some sort of Venn diagram-style optimization, but rather an inner attitude: the question of what I’m really good at, where I draw my inner strength from, what the world needs, what fulfils me – and how it all comes together. I bring this depth to my work as well.

Dr.-Ing. Michael Walter

Founder & Owner WHySE