Dr. Michael Losch (born 1968 in Graz, raised in Tyrol) is an experienced economist and senior government official specializing in energy, innovation, and European policy. He studied commercial sciences at WU Vienna and the French partner schools ESSCA and HEC, earning his doctorate with a dissertation on competition-driven regulation of the electricity industry.
From 1993 to 1995, he worked as an EU and energy expert at the Austrian Economic Chamber, followed by a position in international project finance at ING Bank (1996). From 1997 to 1999, he served in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy, overseeing implementation of the EU electricity internal market directives. From 1999 to 2004 he was a member of the cabinet of EU Commissioner Franz Fischler, managing economic policy and competition law portfolios.
Since April 2004, Michael Losch has held successive roles as Section Head at the Austrian Ministry of Science, Research and Economy, and later in the Ministry of Climate Action, overseeing economic policy, innovation, technology, and—since 2020—the energy and mining sector. In these roles, he has led initiatives such as the first climate stress test for Austrian banks, advised on the Green Industry Policy Task Force, and advocated for early-stage venture capital to strengthen Austria’s high-tech ecosystem.