“All participants can join the Conference Platform with their registered email ID”
Dan Joergensen was appointed Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities on June 27th 2019 Dan Jannik Jørgensen, born June 12th 1975 in Odense. Member period Member of the Folketing for The Social Democratic Party in Funen greater constituency from June 18th 2015. Candidate for The Social Democratic Party in Middelfart nomination district from 2011. Parliamentary career Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities from June 27th 2019. Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries December 12th 2013 - June 28th 2015. Vice-chairman of the parliamentary group of the Social Democratic Party. Member of the European Parliament July 20th 2004 - December 11th 2013, president of the Animal Welfare Intergroup. Vice-Chairman of European Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Head of the Danish delegation of Social Democrats in the European Parliament. Education MSc (political science), Aarhus University, 2004. EmploymentExternal lecurer, Seattle University, 2012-2013. External lecurer, Sciences Po, Paris, 2012-2013. External lecurer, Danish Institute for Study Abroad, Copenhagen, 2011-2013. Adjunct Professor, Aalborg University, 2016. External lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, 2013. External lecturer, Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, 2010. Affiliations Member of the board of AWE Center Nairobi, Center for Education and Humanity 2007-2010. Member of the advisory board of World Watch Institute Europe 2011-2013. Publications Author of »Eurovisioner - Essays on the Europe of the future«, Informations Forlag, 2006, »Green Globalization - environmental policy in change«, Hovedland, 2007, »Politicians with both legs on the ground do not hang on the trees«, Informations Forlag, 2009, »Mellem Mars and Venus - The EU's role in the world order of the future «, Sohn Publishing, 2009, and» Green Hope - Climate Policy 2.0 «, Sohn Publishing, 2010. Co-author of» Beyond deniers and believers: towards a map of the politics of climate change « in Global Environmental Change, 2015.
Alok Sharma was appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 13 February 2020. He was also appointed President of COP 26, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, on the same date. He was previously Secretary of State for International Development from 24 July 2019 to 13 February 2020, and Minister of State for Employment at the Department of Work and Pensions from 9 January 2018 until 24 July 2019. He was Minister of State for Housing and Planning, for the Department for Communities and Local Government from 13 June 2017 to 9 January 2018. Parliamentary career Alok was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 17 July 2016 to 13 June 2017. He has served as a member of the Commons Treasury select committee, a member of the Commons Science and Technology select committee, a Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Treasury and from 2012 to 2015 as a Conservative Party Vice Chairman. Alok was appointed in 2016 as the Prime Minister’s Infrastructure Envoy to India. He also served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Oliver Letwin MP, the former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who had overall responsibility for the Cabinet Office. He was elected as the Conservative MP for Reading West in May 2010. Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy which brings together responsibilities for business, industrial strategy, science, innovation and energy. This includes: ? developing and delivering a comprehensive industrial strategy and leading the government’s relationship with business ? ensuring that the country has secure energy supplies that are reliable, affordable and clean ? ensuring the UK remains at the leading edge of science, research and innovation ? tackling climate change Previous roles in government ? Secretary of State for International Development o 2019 to 2020 ? Minister of State for Employment o 2018 to 2019 ? Minister of State for Housing and Planning o 2017 to 2018 ? Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Asia and the Pacific) o 2016 to 2017
Ms Droupadi Murmu assumed charge of the governor of Jharkhand on 18 May 2015. Born on 20th june 1958, in a tribal hamlet named Uparbeda located inside the deep forest of Simlipal forest national bioreserve in the Mayurbhanj District of Odisha. She graduated from R D Women's College Bhubaneshwar and earlier joined as a clerk in state secretariat and resigned after a brief stint there to look after the ailing parents -in- law in native place at Rairangpur and started working as a freelance teacher in Aurobindo Integral Primary School during the period before becoming vice chairperson of Rairangpur Nac. She became MLA for first time in the year 2000 from Rairangpur Assembly Constituency and became Minister of Commerce & Transport (ind. Charge) & later became Minister of Fisheries & Animal Husbandry during BJP-BJD coalition govt. She became MLA for second term 2004-2009 and was selected as best MLA and receiver of Neelkanth Award in 2009.
Shri Vijay Rupani is the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat. Born in Rangoon to RamniklalRupani on August 2nd 1956, he grew up in Rajkot. After completing his Graduation in Arts, he pursued LLB. He rose through the ranks, from being an ABVP activist to a Rajya Sabha Member, MLA, Cabinet Minister and then CM.
Known for his amiable personality and empathic attitude, CM Shri Vijay Rupani is a beloved leader of both, party and people. A longtimekaryakarta and a humble leader, his patience and perseverance makes him an exceptional leader. An ardent follower of the Indian democracy, CM Shri Vijay Rupani even endured imprisonment during the 1975 emergency.
He served as Chairman of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited and spearheaded the memorable Tourism Campaign ‘Khushboo Gujarat Ki’ that established Gujarat as a prominent tourist destination. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha between 2006-2012 and played an active role in parliamentary committees on Water Resources, Food, Public Distribution and Public Utility. He served as the Chairman of Gujarat Municipal Finance Board in 2013. He won with a huge margin in assembly bye-election held in October, 2014. In the former Cabinet headed by CM Smt. Anandiben Patel, Shri Vijay Rupani served as Minister for Water Supply, Transport, Labour and Employment. On February 19, 2016, Shri Vijay Rupani replaced Shri R C Faldu as Gujarat State Party President.
Shri Vijay Rupani replaced Smt. Anandiben Patel as the CM in August 2016.
‘Will stay true to the pledge of SaunoSath, SaunoVikas’: CM Shri Vijay Rupani.
CM Shri Vijay Rupani follows the mantra of development for all and he has affirmed ‘The seat holds little priority. My pledge entails fulfilling the aspirations of people of Gujarat & serving them as a karyakarta in the truest sense’.
Keeping his promise of development for all; he took major initiatives during the first month of his Chief Ministership. CM Vijay Rupani has set four pillars of good governance, transparent, sensitive, decisive and progressive Government for balanced growth of Agriculture, Industries and Services that will ensure growth for all and fulfill aspirations of each class.
Born on 6 January, 1965 in Tandi village of Murahag panchayat of Seraj assembly constituency in Mandi district. His father's name was Jethu Ram and mother's name is Briku Devi. Thakur did his primary education from Kurani School and studied in High School Bagsyad near Thunag.
He completed his graduation from Vallabh Government College Mandi and did his MA from Punjab University. He is the youngest of three brothers. He has two sisters. During his college and University day he was the member of ABVP and in the year 1993 he fought his first election from Chachiot assembly constituency when he was 26 years of age.
In 1998 he won his election from Chachiot assembly constituency and has been MLA from Chachiot (which after delimitation is known as Seraj assembly constituency) since then. He is MLA for five consecutive terms. He remained State BJP President and was Cabinet Minister in previous BJP government. He has also remained as Vice Chairman, State Civil Supplies Corporation. He also remained as President of BharatiyaJantaYuvaMorcha.
He is married to Dr.Sadhna Singh from Jaipur and has two daughters.
Born on March 5, 1959 in a farmers’ family at village Jait in Sehore district, Shri Shivraj Singh holds a Master’s in Philosophy (gold medallist of Barkatulla University). His father’s name is Shri Prem Singh Chouhan and mother's name is Smt. Sundar Bai Chouhan. He was married to Smt. Sadhana Singh in 1992. They have two sons.
Steeped in patriotism and Indian values Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan is a compassionate person right from early childhood. Shri Chouhan was President of Model Higher Secondary School Students’ Union in 1975. He participated in underground movement against Emergency and imprisoned in Bhopal Jail in1976-77 and on several other occasions for political agitations for solution of problems of people.
Shri Chouhan is a volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (R.S.S.) since 1977. He was appointed Organizing Secretary, Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (A.B.V.P.) in 1977-78 and was Joint Secretary of the A.B.V.P. in 1978-80. He was General Secretary of the A.B.V.P. from 1980 to 1983, Member of National Executive of A.B.V.P. from 1982 to 1983, Joint Secretary of Bharatiya Janata YuvaMorcha from 1984 to 1985, General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata YuvaMorcha, Madhya Pradesh from 1985 to 1988 and President of Bharatiya Janata YuvaMorcha, Madhya Pradesh from 1988 to 1991.
Shri Chouhan was elected to the Sate Assembly from Budni Constituency in 1990. Shri Chouhan was first elected Member of Parliament in 10th Lok Sabha from Vidisha constituency. He was convener of Akhil BharatiyaKeshariya Vahini in 1991-92, General Secretary of All India Bharatiya Janata YuvaMorcha from 1992 onwards, General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party, Madhya Pradesh from 1992 to 1994, Member of Consultative Committee, Ministry of Human Resources Development from 1992 to 1996, Member of Committee on Labour and Welfare from 1993 to 1996 and of Hindi Salahkar Samiti from 1994 to 1996.
Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan was re-elected to the 11th Lok Sabha (second term) in 1996. He was Member of Committee on Urban and Rural Development and Member of Consultative Committee, Ministry of Human Resources Development and Member of Committee on Urban and Rural Development from 1996 to 1997 and Member of Committee on Urban and Rural Development, General Secretary of B.J.P., Madhya Pradesh in 1997-98.
Shri Chouhan was re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (third term) in 1998. He was Member, Committee on Urban and Rural Development and its Sub-Committee on Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment in 1998-99.
Shri Chouhan was re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (4th term) in 1999. He was Member of Committee on Agriculture in 1999-2000, Member of Committee on Public Undertakings from 1999 to 2001 and National President of Bharatiya Janata YuvaMorcha from 2000 to 2003. He was also the Chairman of House Committee (Lok Sabha) and National Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party.
Shri Singh was Member of Consultative Committee, Ministry of Communications from 2000 to 2004. He was re-elected to 14th Lok Sabha (5th term) in 2004. He was Member of Committee on Agriculture, member of Joint Committee on Offices of Profit, National General Secretary of BJP, Secretary of Parliamentary Board, Secretary Central Election Committee. He also headed Housing Committee of Lok Sabha. BJP and member of Committee on Ethics.
Shri Chouhan was appointed President of BJP, Madhya Pradesh in 2005.
Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been organizing religious and cultural activities and seminars. He has been arranging marriages for the poor and orphan girls. He has also been engaged in activities for uplift of scheduled castes, struggle against injustice and development of slums and promoting social harmony.
A farmer by profession, Shri Chouhan is deeply interested in music, spiritual literature, debates and discussions with friends. Sight seeing, listening to songs and watching movies are his favourite pastime. In sports, he likes Kabaddi, cricket and volleyball and is associate with various sports institutions in rural areas.
Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn in as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on November 29 , 2005.
Shri Chouhan essayed the role of star campaigner for Bharatiya Janata Party in the elections to the 13th Vidhan Sabha and ensured victory for the party. On December 10, 2008, he was unanimously elected leader of the 143-member of Bharatiya Janata Party legislature party. On December 12, 2008 Shri Chouhan took the oath of the office of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and secrecy at Jamboree ground in Bhopal. In election the 14th Vidhan Sabha election also, the BharatiyaJanta Party led by Shri Chouhan secured absolute majority. Shri Chouhan was unanimously elected as leader of 165-member BJP Legislature Party on 13 December 2013. Shri Chouhan took oath as Chief Minister for consecutive third time at Jamboree Maidan, Bhopal on December 14, 2014.Shri Chouhan was the Chief Minister of the state till December 16, 2018.
Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan was elected as a member of Legistative Assembly from the BudhniAsembly Constituency in December 2018. He took oath as the 19th Chief Minister of the state on march 23, 2020.
Shri Ashok Gehlot, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Rajasthan assumed the role as the Chief Minister of the state in December 2018. Shri Ashok Gehlot has also been elected as the chief Minister of Rajasthan from year 1998- 2003 & 2008- 2013.
ShriGehlot is a very senior leader of Indian National Congress and worked in various capacities which includes Minister in Central Government in year 1982, 1983-1984, 1985, 1991, 1993. Mr. Gehlot was also the Minister for Home & PHED in Government of Rajasthan from June 1989 to Nov 1989. He has been president of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee from September 1985 to June 1989, 1stDec 1994 to June 1997, June 1997 to 14th April 1999. Mr. Ashok Gehlot is the Member of Parliament from Jodhpur from 1982-84, 1984-89, 1991-96, 1996-98 & 1998-99.
Mr. Gehlot had also been the member of various committees in LokSabha such Public Accounts Committee, Standing Committee on Railways, Consultative Committee on Communication & External Affairs. Shri Gehlot had also been the General Secretary of AICC from 2004-2009.
Shri Biplab Kumar Deb (born 25 November 1971) is the Chief Minister of the state of Tripura.
Born in Rajdharnagar village in Udaipur situated in the Gomati District. Since childhood, Shri Deb took active interest in various social welfare activities which took place in his village and adjoining areas while serving in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a ‘Bal Swayamsevak’.
Shri Biplab Kumar Deb graduated from Tripura University in 1999.
Shri Deb shifted to New Delhi in the coming years where he served the society and nation in various capacities while first working at the RSS Karyalaya at Jhandewalan, New Delhi followed by serving at the Office of the Minister of State, Coal, Mines and Steel, Government of India and then at the Office of the Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Other Backward Classes (OBC).
During these years, Shri Deb was closely involved in numerous social causes and activities in his home state Tripura and took proactive interest in various initiatives for the development of the state.
In May 2015, Shri Deb was entrusted the responsibility of being the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Central JansamparkPrabhari for Tripura Pradesh.
In January 2016, Shri Biplab Kumar Deb was appointed as the BJP State President for Tripura Pradesh, a position which he continues to hold till date. During his tenure as the State President of the party, the BJP achieved an unprecedented victory in the Assembly Elections in Tripura held in February 2018, the first-ever for the party in the state.
In March 2018, Shri Biplab Kumar Deb took oath of office as the Chief Minister of the state of Tripura. As the Chief Minister of the state, Shri Deb has enunciated his vision of transforming Tripura into a Model State and his Government is committed towards achieving the same for building a Shreshtha Tripura for a Shreshtha Bharat.
Yogi Adityanath is an Indian politician serving as the 22nd and current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh since 19 March 2017.
He was appointed as the Chief Minister on 26 March 2017 after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the 2017 State Assembly elections, in which he was a prominent campaigner. Adityanath was the youngest member of the 12th Lok Sabha at 26.He has been the Member of Parliament from the Gorakhpur constituency, Uttar Pradesh, for five consecutive terms since 1998.
Adityanath is also the Mahant or head priest of the Gorakhnath Math, a temple in Gorakhpur, a position he has held since September 2014. He is also the founder of Hindu Yuva Vahini, a Nationalist organisation.
He is accredited with the historic decision to waive off loans of nearly 87 lakh small and marginal farmers of Uttar Pradesh, amounting to ?363.59 billion (US$5.1 billion) on taking charge as the Chief Minister of the country’s most populous state.
In August 2020, India Today-KarvyInsights's "Mood of the nation" survey showed Yogi as best performing Chief Minister in India.
Mr Radha Krishna Mathur (born 25 November 1953) is a retired 1977 batch IAS officer of Tripura cadre is the first Lieutenant Governor of the union territory of Ladakh. He retired as the Chief Information Commissioner of India (CIC) in November 2018.Mr Mathur had retired as the India's Defence Secretary, two years after being appointed to the post on 25 May 2013.He was also the Defence Production Secretary of India, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Secretary of India and the Chief Secretary of Tripura.
Shri Raj Kumar Singh assumed the charge as the Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Government of India on 3rd September, 2017. Shri Singh joined Indian Administrative Service in 1975 and held various important assignments, such as the District Magistrate of East Champaran and of Patna, Director and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, Commissioner of Patna Division and Home Secretary of Bihar, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Principal Secretary of the Road Construction Department of the Government of Bihar. He also held the post of Secretary, Department of Defence Production, Government of India and the Union Home Secretary, Govt. of India. He was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha in 2014. He served on various Parliamentary Committees including mainly, the Privilege Committee, the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence and the Standing Committee of Ministry of Health &Family Welfare. He was also a Member of the Standing Committee for Peace and Security of International Parliamentary Union. As Minister of State with Independent Charge of the Ministries of Power and New & Renewable Energy, he had the privilege of launching and accomplishing the task of the world’s biggest power access programme, under which all villages and hamlets in the country were provided access to electricity. Thereafter, he implemented the “Saubhagya Scheme”, which saw electricity connections being provided to more than 26 million households who were earlier deprived within a span of 18 months (October 2017 – March 2019). The International Energy Agency acknowledged this achievement as the most significant initiative in the energy sector worldwide. His term as the Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister was also marked by connecting the whole country into one grid under the initiative ‘One Country, One Grid, One Frequency’. This has ensured access to the better quality of power, stability to the grid and also the efficient use of energy in line of Sustainable Development Goals. In the Renewable Energy Sector, Shri Singh has effectively catalyzed India’s vast RE potential with renewable energy capacity already reaching around 90 GW as on date with around 50 GW under installation. India is now well poised under his leadership to achieve the target of 175 GW by December 2022.
Dr. Rajiv Kumar is Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, in the rank and status of a Cabinet Minister. He also serves as the Chancellor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune. His earlier stint in Government was initially with the Ministry of Industry and subsequently in the Ministry of Finance, as Economic Advisor during the reform years of 1991-1994. He also served as an independent director on the Central Boards of the Reserve Bank of India and the State Bank India. He has wide experience of having worked in government, academia, industry associations, as well as in international financial institutions. Dr. Kumar has a Ph.D. in Economics from Lucknow University, India and a D. Phil. From Oxford University, UK
Shri Saurabhbhai Patel (Dalal) Cabinet Minister Energy Office : 1st Floor, Swarnim Sankul – 1, New Sachivalaya Complex, Gandhinagar, Gujarat -382010. Ph No:079 23238152, 23250211 fax: 079-23250215 ,Email: min-ener@gujarat.gov.in Birth Date: 28th August 1958. Birth Place: Ahmedabad. Educational Qualification: B.Com., M.B.A.(USA). Occupation: Business (Plastic & Chemicals) Family Details :Wife: Smt. Ilaben Saurabhbhai Patel (Dalal) Son: Abhay Saurabhbhai Patel (Dalal) Permanent Address: “Nandan Bungalow”, Behind Bank of India, Panchvati, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad - 380 006. Present Address: Bunglow No 5, Ministers’ Residence, Sector – 20, Gandhinagar. Phone No. 23259660-64. Field of Interest: Contribution in Political, Social, Commercial and Administrative Institutes. Foreign Tour : America, Europe, Africa, Hongkong, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka.Has also visited U.S.A. Dubai,Oman- Muscat and Qatar as part of delegation for “ Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit” Name of Constituency: 107- Botad (Dist. Botad) Parliamentary Carrier. : Member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly since 1998 to till date. Worked as Minister in charge of Energy & Petrochemicals, Mines & Minerals, Cottage Industries, Salt Industries, Printing and Stationary, Planning, Tourism, Civil Aviation, Labour and Employment. During his tenures these ministries have shown a splendid performance. The stories of achievements in these departments are as under. ENERGY AND PETROCHEMICALS DEPARTMENT: 1. JYOTI GRAM YOJANA: A scheme of the Government of Gujarat, which provides 24 hours continuous three phase quality power to all 18065 villages and 9702 petaparas of Gujarat. 2. Erstwhile GEB successfully restructured into seven companies resulting in earning surplus of Rs. 202 Crores in the year 2005-06, against the loss of Rs. 2543 Crores in the year 2000-01. 3. Gujarat will be emerging as the "Energy Hub" of the nation on completion of power projects, which are on the implementation stage. Installed capacity will be 38357 MW. 4. Gujarat has now become a "petro capital of India" having highest growth and utmost development in this sector. 5. Solar Policy: The Govt. of Gujarat has taken a lead into the field of Green Energy by declaring a Solar Policy, wherein Projects for 2622MW Solar Capacity has already been installed. 6. SKY (Surya Shakti Kisan Yojna)- “First time in India by Govt of Gujarat”: An initiative to double farmers income by selling on grid surplus solar energy after irrigating their land. INDUSTRIES AND MINES DEPARTMENT: a. Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor's summit-2013 organized successfully where in a total of 2,100 delegates from 121 countries attending 127 seminars on different topics, forging 2,670 strategic partnership intentions is a rare achievement. b. Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor's summit-2009 organized successfully where in 3346 MOUs where signed covering an investments of Rs. 12.34 lakh Cr. and with 25 lakh employment potential. c. Industrial policy 2009 declared by the Govt., proving a greater scope for inclusive growth by accelerated Industrial Development. d. Special Investment Region Act-2009 enacted to provide integrated industrial development in certain areas. e. Policy for Industrial land acquired by GIDC finalizes to preserve the interests of land losers. FINANCE DEPARTMENT (Up to 06/08/2016) 1. Successful implementation of VAT act. 2. States gross domestic product has increased gradually. In the year 2000-01 gross domestic products was Rs. 1,11,139 Crores which has increased up to Rs. 3,37,217 Crores in 2008-09. 3. State’s non-development oriented expenditure is restricted and as compare to past year reduction is noticed. Such expenditure during 2002-03 was 26,479.88 Crores, which has decreased up to Rs. 15,799 Crores in 2008-09, Rs. 19,276 Crores in 2009-10, Rs. 227.08 Crores in 2010-11. 4. The State Government has already enacted the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which lays down various fiscal targets to be achieved in the next four years. The state Government is committed to achieve these targets. 5. State development expenditure is constantly increasing. During 2002-03 development expenditure was Rs.15,607 Crores, which has increased to Rs. 45859 Crores in 2010-11.
Dr. Bulaki Das Kalla is an Indian politician from Bikaner Rajasthan and currently holding position of Cabinet Minister in Rajasthan Government. Dr. B.D. Kalla is Minister of Energy Dept., Public Health & Engineering Dept., Ground Water Dept., Art, Literature, Culture & Archeology Dept. Sh. B.D. Kalla had done B.Sc., M.A. (Economics), L.L.B and Ph.D. Dr. B. D. Kalla has been elected member of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly upon winning assembly elections for 6 times i.e. in 1980, 1985, 1990, 1998, 2003 and 2018. Dr. B.D. Kalla has a great experience in most of the Departments of State Government serving as Minister throughout his political career. Dr. B.D. Kalla has also worked for social activities and has dedicated his life to public service and is known for his political wisdom. He actively guided for investor friendly policies for the RE sector with a vision of higher investment opportunities for Rajasthan.
Hardeep Singh Dang is a member of the legislative assembly (MLA) from Suwasra, Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, India. He is the cabinet minister of New and Renewable Energy & Environment, Government of Madhya Pradesh.
Shri Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi (IAS) has assumed the charge as Secretary in the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India. Prior to this appointment, he was serving as Additional Chief Secretary and Additional Secretary (Climate Change Department) at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Jharkhand. Shri Chaturvedi is a 1987 batch IAS officer and belongs to the Jharkhand cadre. Shri Chaturvedi is B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT- Kanpur and holds a P.G. in International Development from Harvard University (USA). He has also worked as Joint Secretary or equivalent in PMO, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry Of Finance. He has extensive experience of working in other departments like the erstwhile Planning Commission (now NITI Aayog), Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions. Shri Chaturvedi has also undergone training in Financial Management, Community Mobilisation & Participatory Management Techniques.
Ugo Astuto entered the Italian Diplomatic Service in 1991. His career in the Italian Foreign Service spans experience in the Embassies in Nairobi and London (including as alternate Director for Italy in the EBRD-European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), in the Permanent Representation in Brussels and in the Embassy in Delhi, where he served as Deputy Head of Mission. From February 2013 until July 2016 he was seconded to the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels, first as Director for South and South East Asia and then as Deputy Managing Director/Director for Asia and the Pacific.From July 2016 to September 2019 he was the Principal Director for Asia in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome. He is the Ambassador of the European Union to India since October 2019.
Amitabh Kant is presently CEO of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog). He is a member of the Indian Administrative Service, IAS (Kerala Cadre: 1980 batch). He is the author of Branding India-An Incredible Story and has edited “The Path Ahead- Transformative Ideas for India”. Kant has been a key driver of the “Make in India”, Startup India, “Incredible India” and God’s Own Country” initiatives that positioned India and Kerala State as leading manufacturing and tourism destinations. These campaigns have won several international awards and embraced a host of activities – infrastructure development, product enhancement, private-public partnership and positioning and branding based on extensive market research. Amitabh Kant has been the Chairman & CEO of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC). The Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) is being developed by the Government of India as a global manufacturing and investment destination supported by world class infrastructure and enabling policy framework. The DMIC project is aimed at the development of futuristic, smart industrial cities in India which will converge and integrate next generation technologies across sectors. The DMIC cities will address not merely the urbanization requirements of India, but with manufacturing as the main economic base, will also contribute significantly to the economic growth of India. In his capacity as Secretary (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) Govt. of India, he vigorously drove the Ease of Doing Business initiative and ranking of States on outcome parameters. These initiatives have led to India making a quantum jump in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Index and enabled Indian States to compete in the spirit of competitive federalism. He is the Chairman of the Committee to implement Digital Payment in India. Mr. Kant has been the recipient of Economic Times Policy Change Agent of the Year Award, the Bloomberg TV Personality of the year Award, the NDTV Administrator of the year Award and the Distinguished Fellowship of the Institute of Directors. He is the recipient of One Globe Award-2016 for leadership in Transforming Governance for the 21st Century. He is also the recipient of Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship awarded by the Prime Minister of New Zealand. He is a Member of the Steering Board of “Shaping the Future of Production Systems” of World Economic Forum. He is also the recipient of Golden Peacock Award for Leadership in Economic Transformation-2017. Amitabh Kant has worked as CEO, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Corporation, CMD – ITDC, Joint Secretary – Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Secretary – Tourism, Government of Kerala, Managing Director, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, District Collector, Kozikhode and Managing Director, Matsyafed. During his tenure in Kerala he structured the Calicut Airport as a private sector project based on User’s Free and developed the BSES Power Project and Mattanchery Bridge under Private Public Partnership. He was also responsible for introducing new technology (fiberglass crafts and outboard motor) in the fisheries sector and launching beach level auctions which substantially enhanced returns to traditional fishermen. Amitabh Kant did his schooling from Modern School, Delhi, graduation in Economics (Hons) from St. Stephens, Delhi University and M.A from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is a Chevening Scholar. He has also undertaken a mid-term course with John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmadabad.
.
Dr Abhishek KUMAR is the Head of the Solar Systems Technology Group at SERIS – Singapore’s national institute for applied solar energy research. His focus includes high-performance PV system design, emerging Floating PV technology, real-time PV data monitoring and analysis. In past 11 years of his career, Dr Kumar has gained widespread experience in the whole value chain of PV - starting from high-volume advanced manufacturing processes in microelectronics, development of high-efficiency industrial Si wafer solar cells, techno-economic cost model of cell and module factory, and now downstream PV systems technology. He holds a Masters in Engineering from National University of Singapore (NUS), and PhD in Physics of photovoltaics from the University of Cambridge, UK.
Abhishek Bansal is a Director with Actis where he is responsible for originating and managing energy investments in Asia. He has close to 15 years of investing experience in energy and infrastructure sectors in growth markets. Abhishek was instrumental in setting up Ostro Energy which Actis’ first renewable platform in the Indian market and was responsible for managing the investment until exit. He is currently managing Actis’ Sprng investment in India and serves as its board member. Prior to joining Actis, Abhishek worked with the International Finance Corporation in India where he focused on equity, project finance and corporate debt transactions in diverse sectors with a focus on power sector.
An innovative approach for harnessing energy from forest waste/ pine needles in Uttarakhand
Ajay Mathur is the Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi, and a member of the Indian Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change. He earlier headed the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and was responsible for mainstreaming energy efficiency through initiatives such as the Star Labeling programme for appliances, the Energy Conservation Building Code, and the Perform, Achieve & Trade programme for energy-intensive industries. He was a leading climate change negotiator, and was the Indian spokesperson at the Paris climate negotiations. He served as the interim Director of the Green Climate Fund during its foundational period. At TERI, he has spearheaded the move to accelerate action towards a low-carbon and cleaner economy through the adoption of renewable energy in the Indian electricity sector, enhancing efficiency in buildings and industry, and promoting environmental quality through recycling of material wastes and biotechnology-based solutions. He co-chairs the global Energy Transitions Commission; and is also co-chair of one of the climate initiatives of the One Planet Summit. Dr Mathur received a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the (then) University of Roorkee, and Masters and PhD degrees from the University of Illinois. He has also received the Distinguished Alumnus Awards from both his alma maters. He was appointed a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Merite by the President of France in recognition of his outstanding commitment to the preservation of the environment and coping with energy-related challenges.
Ajay Rao is an experienced impact investor in emerging and frontier markets specializing in healthcare, agribusiness, and financial institutions. He also has experience in port infrastructure and small- and mid-sized enterprise-focused debt funds. Prior to his current position as the Regional Managing Director for South Asia at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Ajay served as a Director on the DFC’s Social Enterprise Finance Team, originating and underwriting investments worldwide including Georgia, Kenya, Mongolia, Nigeria, India and Pakistan. In India, Ajay has led the accounting for seven projects totaling over $100 million in DFC loans that catalyzed over $150 million of private sector investment for Indian small businesses. Prior to DFC/OPIC Ajay was a small business banker at Citibank, N.A. Ajay is a CFA charterholder, holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College. Ajay is also an alumnus of the Caux Scholars Program which provides training to young professionals in conflict resolution and peace building.
Mr. Ajwad Musthafa was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Energy on 19th January 2014. He holds an MSc in Energy Economics from University of Surrey, UK. Prior to his appointment, he was the Director General and a member of the Governing Board of Maldives Energy Authority. Mr. Musthafa currently oversees all activities at an executive level within the Ministry and act as a financial executive of the institution, as well as the head of civil service of the Ministry who coordinates with Ministers and other political appointees. The scope of his diverse management experience spans all sectors within the mandate of the Ministry including environment protection and conservation, utilities services (energy, water, sewerage) and related infrastructure projects. He also has extensive experience of in the regulatory aspects of the said sectors through managerial oversight of regulatory institutions, Maldives Energy Authority and Environment Protection Agency, both of which operates in a semi-independent manner under the Ministry. Paired with his academic qualification and extensive managerial experience especially in the energy sector, he had spearheaded sector planning aspects, and had been instrumental in facilitating transformational changes within the energy sector over the past several years.
Akilur Rahman, CTO - Hitachi ABB Power Grids India, has more than 31 years of experience in research, R&D, technology management, engineering, business and product development in power and automation technologies for utilities and industries. With a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur, Akilur has held various international and global roles in India, Germany and Switzerland. Was responsible for building up ABB’s global automation software product development in India. Led global engineering and cyber security in process automation, ABB corporate research center and country technology in India. In the CTO role, Akilur has been leading technologies in power, automation, robotics, analytics, AI-ML, Industry 4.0, Industrial IoT and digitalization. Applying them in utilities, industries and infrastructure with the concepts of smart electric grid, energy internet, smart factories, smart cities, sustainable electric mobility and digital enterprise. Akilur has been a speaker and panelist at various international and national conferences.
Alan is a main board member and EVP of Global Sales at Smarter Grid Solutions. He is educated as an electrical engineer and blends his technical background with twenty plus years of experience in consulting, advisory, business management and corporate development. Prior to Smarter Grid Solutions, Alan enjoyed a career with PwC, Qinetiq and as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Strathclyde. Smarter Grid Solutions develops and delivers DER management and control software to deliver a net zero energy system. Our products deliver solutions to a range of customers and applications including: DER owners and operators seeking to enable flexibility and monetise DER assets; Distribution Utilities seeking to reliably adopt DER flexibility into their operations; and Communities seeking to implement microgrids and resiliency solutions using DER.
Alex joined the IHA as Head of Research & Policy in August 2020. Alex has extensive experience in low carbon and international energy policy. Prior to joining IHA he was Head of Contracts for Difference (CfD) Policy, the UK Government's flagship renewable electricity deployment scheme, at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. His policy responsibilities included designing the most appropriate rules to deliver competitive auctions and assessing how best to mitigate the impact of intermittent renewables on the electricity system. He also led the setting of parameters for the 2019 CfD auction, which secured nearly 6GW of new renewable generation capacity at record low prices. His previous experience included leading the UK's engagement with multi-national civil nuclear bodies at the UN, OECD and G7, designing a major component of the regulatory framework for smart meters in Britain and developing policy to support the rollout of onshore wind whilst at RenewableUK. He holds an MSc in Climate Change and an MA in International Political Economy.
Amar Variawa is a thought leader in Renewable Energy, specially wind energy domain. He was instrumental in making comeback for Vestas in India through a series of intervention including connecting Vestas’ leadership with the Hon’ble Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi in Nov 2015 and in Oct 2020. He initiated many milestone programs like Vestas Wind Forum in India to regain trust of Indian customers and other stake holders, Launch of V155-3.3 MW, Global launch of V120 WTG in India to remain competitive, representing Vestas in federal/state Govt, RE-INVEST, WINDERGY, etc. His major success include accomplishment of the “Make In India” Project – state-of-the-art Vestas Blade factory in Gujarat within 15 months of commitment to Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Make in India project for Nacelle/Hub Assembly factory in Tamil Nadu, Auction Design, Policy intervention for wind-solar hybrid system, etc. He has also been very active in skill development for wind sector in India where over 08 Qualification Packs and National Occupational Standards have been developed followed by 250 jobs offering to certified candidates.Amar has more than 22 years of versatile experience in national / Multi-National Leading operations in fortune 500 companies – John Deere, Cummins, TCS. Areas of expertise varies from Public Affairs, Marketing & Communication, Innovation & Business Strategy, Digital Manufacturing, Value Engineering, Product Design, Project Management and Application engineering in Renewable energy, Agriculture Mechanization, Consultancy, Diesel engine domain. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Surat – Gujarat; Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune – Maharashtra. He completed “Leading with Finance” certification from Harvard Business School. He is an executive council board member of Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturing Association (IWTMA). He is also a Governing Council Board member for Skill Council for Green Jobs. He is a Vice-Chairman for Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) India – Gujarat Division. In 2019, Vestas India has won the award for “Outstanding Contribution to the Nation as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) covering the entire value chain of wind energy projects” by Central Board of Irrigation & Power (CBIP), through his representation.
Ambuj Sagar is the Vipula and Mahesh Chaturvedi Professor of Policy Studies and the founding Head of the School of Public Policy at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Ambuj’s interests broadly lie at the intersection of technology and development. His recent work has focused on innovation policy for meeting sustainability and inclusivity challenges, energy innovation policy and strategies (in areas such as biofuels, clean cookstoves, coal power, automobiles, and institutional mechanisms such as climate innovation centers), climate change policy and politics, capacity development, and higher education policy. Ambuj has been on numerous national and international expert groups and also has been consultant/advisor to various Indian Govt. agencies as well as many multilateral and bilateral agencies. Ambuj did his undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at IIT Delhi. He subsequently received an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and then an M.S. in Materials Science, a Ph.D. in Polymer Science, and an M.S. in Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr Amit Jain is a Fulbright Scholar at NREL, USA, Chevening Fellow at King’s College, London, and has Ph.D. in solar energy. He works with the World Bank and leads a $2 billion renewable portfolio in India, Bangladesh, and the Maldives. It includes REWA and Charanka solar park, inaugurated by Hon. PM Shri Narendra Modi. The REWA project has received the World Bank Group President Award for innovation and excellence and included in the Prime Minister's book 'A Book of Innovation: New Beginnings'. Amit’s previous assignments include the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Clinton Foundation. Amit has authored two books on climate change policy and waste to energy and has several international peer-reviewed journal publications. His hobbies include scuba diving and badminton.
Amit leads the Clean Energy vertical within the Advisory line of service in PwC India. Amit is graduate in electrical engineering, holds an MBA degree and has more than 28 years of experience in executing clean energy projects. He has been assisting policy makers at central and state level in drafting of policy measures and program management for Renewable energy, Energy efficiency, Electric vehicles and battery storage. Amit has designed and managed line of credit from multilateral/bilateral funding agencies like JICA, KFW, World Bank and Asian Development Bank for RE in India. Amit has also prepared business plan for several public and private sector companies for their proposed investments in clean energy. Amit has worked on the Detailed Project Report for some of the largest solar parks and projects in India like Leh (5000 MW), Kargil (2500 MW), Pavagada (2000 MW), Bhadla (1000 MW), etc. He has also advised states on assessing needs for storage at transmission level for better grid management and effective injection of renewable energy within the grid. He is a professional of international repute and has experience of executing a number of assignments in different geographies of the world such as India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, UK, Tanzania, South Africa, Maldives, etc.
Amitabh Tandon, a business Graduate from Delhi University, has over 30 years’ experience in various project implementation from software development, telecom services, Biomass-renewable energy and biotechnology project. Having keen interest in agriculture and attracted to the clean energy initiatives in the country motivated him to diversify and set up Transtech Green Power P. ltd in the year 2008, he is promoter and Managing Director of this company, which is operating a 12 mw Biomass based power plant in Rajasthan. During the last 10 to 12 years, he has gained rich experience in Bioenergy Renewable power operations. He is the founder member and Secretary of Indian Biomass Power Association (IBPA) a non-profit organization of Biomass Power developers in the country. This organization was formed primarily because the Biomass sector was facing various barriers and challenges, which needed Policy, Regulatory and technical improvement. He was on Task force of MNRE and CERC set up on Bio- energy. He is on the governing council of Sardar Swaran Singh Institute of Bio-energy (SSNIBE), Kapurthala- an autonomous institute of Bio energy run by Government of India. Doing innovating and new things have always been an interest and this motivated to venture into biotechnology initiative of using Co2 from Biomass emission for Algae Biomass Production. The process has migrated from R&D, demonstration to around 4000 sq meters of raceway ponds producing Spirulina- richest source of Vegan protein in technical collaboration with TERI and Sabran Bio-entrii at Sanchore. He firmly believes that Bioenergy can provide a solution to energy access, and various spin off benefits and opportunity to the rural sector.
Mr. Anand Kumar is a career civil servant. He joined Indian Administrative Service in the year 1984 and was allotted to Kerala State. He holds M. Phil degree with distinction from University of Delhi and MBA degree with honours from University of Queensland, Australia. During his career he has held many important positions in Tourism, Infrastructure, Industry, Biotechnology, Finance, Revenue, Elections and Governance sectors under the State and Federal Governments. During initial stages of his career, he served as District Collector and Magistrate of Idukki and Calicut Districts in Kerala. He was assigned challenging duty of managing the relief camps on Iraq - Amman border and repatriation of Indians during Kuwait - Iraq war of 1990. While in Kerala Tourism, he was instrumental in setting up a new Institute in Tourism and Travel Management, District Tourism Promotion Councils and also giving a new direction to branding, promotion and marketing of Kerala Tourism. He was part of the team which launched ‘God’s Own Country’ Campaign and planned introduction of House Boats in Kerala. He served as Deputy Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India and conducted landmark Bihar Legislative Assembly elections in 2005. He was appointed as Chief Technical Adviser for Nigerian General Elections 2007 by UNDP. He served UNDP, Nigeria for the purpose from 2006 to 2008. He has since acted as a resource person for UNDP on Elections and Governance having done assignments in Cambodia, Lebanon and Belgium. He designed international campaign ‘Find What You Seek’ that received First Golden Gate Award in Berlin and domestic campaign ‘Go Beyond’ while working as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. In Infrastructure sector, Mr. Kumar scripted first Port Privatisation Policy for the country. He was Founding Managing Director of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL). He was, till recently, serving as Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India. He is presently Secretary, National Commission for Backward classes. In spare time, Mr. Kumar writes and paints.
Mr. Anand Kumar was appointed as the Chairperson of the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) in April 2016. Before this, he served as Chairperson of the Regulatory body of Meghalaya State for 5 years. Besides, he also holds the post of Vice Chairman of the Forum of Regulators and Forum of Indian Regulator and is the Member of the State Advisory Board of Apex body of Auditors. Mr. Kumar has a significant experience of over 37 years in Indian Power Sector, out of which he devoted almost 21 years in Reforms, Restructuring & Regulations. During his career, he has served four States Regulatory Commissions in India. Mr. Kumar holds a master’s degree in Business Management and graduated in Electrical Engineering from IIT-Roorkee. He is trained in Software Programming at Hitachi- Japan & Economic Regulations at National Regulatory Research Institute, Ohio University, USA.
A Mechanical Engineer and MBA by training, Anindya Chowdhury has been an energy sector professional for over thirty years. Anindya has been with Shell for twenty two years and has been involved in several energy developments in India – one of which Hazira LNG is now an operational business. Earlier in his career with Shell, Anindya was crossposted to the headquarters in London where he was involved in mega project developments and strategy in the Middle East and South Asia. On return to India, Anindya was tasked with governance and strategy related to Shell’s Gas & Power business in India and other new business developments. In previous roles, Anindya was responsible for business development for Shell Global Solutions’ commercial services focusing on Indian National Oil Companies and later on leading Gas and LNG business development in India for Shell. Since November, 2016 Anindya has been tasked with managing the Energy Transitions Programme for Shell in India.During the course of his career, Anindya has acquired rich learnings by experiencing firsthand, business development in the evolving economic environment of the energy sector in a growing economy. Anindya has previously worked with leading international consulting firms and energy companies in India.
Anita M. George is Executive Vice-President and Deputy Head of CDPQ Global. She fills a key role in developing CDPQ’s activities in its three priority international areas: the United States/Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. She actively participates in positioning CDPQ internationally, as well as developing and executing its globalization strategy. In addition to her role managing the international offices, Ms. George contributes to diversifying the portfolio by taking a holistic view in approaching the various markets. She sits on CDPQ’s Investment-Risk Committee. Ms. George joined CDPQ in April 2016 as Managing Director, South Asia. She was then appointed as Executive Vice-President, Growth Markets and prior to her current role was Executive Vice-President and Head of Strategic Partnerships, Growth Markets. She has extensive knowledge of several of these markets, in addition to possessing a strong ability to develop and strengthen enduring and quality partnerships. She has a strong track record in managing infrastructure investment portfolios on a global scale. Prior to joining CDPQ, she was Senior Director of the World Bank’s Energy and Extractive Industries Global Practice. She also held the positions of Director, Infrastructure and Natural Resources of the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, and Head of Siemens Financial Services in India. Her various roles have led her to work in several regions of the world, including Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Ms. George holds a BA in Economics and Spanish from Smith College, in Massachusetts, and a Masters in Economics and an MBA in Finance from Boston University.
Ann Josey is a Senior Research Associate with Prayas (Energy Group). Since 2011 her work at Prayas has focussed on techno-economic challenges before the electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) in the context of energy transitions, trends in open access and captive options as well as assessment of the associated policy and regulatory frameworks. She has been leading Prayas's work on understanding the role of electricity subsidies, financial viability issues of DISCOMs and understanding state level policy trends in the context of the transition. Of late, she has been working on potential innovations tariff design and power procurement required to manage demand uncertainty facing DISCOMs in India. Ann has been engaging with government agencies, regulators and consumer groups on many of these issues at the central and state level. She has a masters degree in Economics.
Dr Anoop Singh has about 20 years’ experience in academics and industry. Dr Singh founded the Centre for Energy Regulation (CER) at IIT Kanpur through a seed funding support from the Government of UK. He also founded the Energy Analytics Lab (EAL) which has been seed-funded by Indian Energy Exchange Ltd. through CSR funding. Dr. Singh regularly contributes regulatory and policy submissions to the relevant Ministries and the Electricity Regulatory Commissions (ERCs). He is currently a member of the State Advisory Committee for the Electricity Regulatory Commissions of Delhi (DERC) and Meghalaya (MSERC). His areas of interest include power sector reforms and regulation, power market development, energy/electricity pricing, renewable energy, smart grid, energy analytics, climate change, project financing and cross-border energy cooperation. He has several research papers and four books to his credit. He also worked earlier with Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Dr Anshu Bharadwaj is the Chief Executive Officer of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation. He was a member of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS, 1992 batch, Karnataka cadre). He worked in the state government in various capacities. In 2007, he joined as Executive Director of Centre of Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) and helped establish CSTEP as a leading technology policy Think Tank. He has expertise in technology and policy aspects of energy and environmental sectors.
Anshul is responsible for integration & alignment of Strategic initiatives and execution at Adani Green. Anshul spearheads overall strategic planning, new opportunity evaluation, supports organic and inorganic growth opportunities, key resource planning efforts for renewable generation, manufacturing and storage businesses. In past,he led the transformation of the sales and marketing function of Adani Solar. He has deep understanding of solar manufacturing space and has led many strategic partnership initiatives to promote Make in India in this segment.
Mr Anurag Mishra serves as the Energy Team Leader at USAID/India, leading programs to deliver on the Asia EDGE initiative of the Indo-Pacific vision of the Govt of United States. He has experience in implementing or managing projects/grant programs funded by several multilateral donors and bilateral agencies including GIZ, FCO/DFID, EU, World Bank and ADB
Dr. Arul in his current role is responsible for identifying and piloting new technologies in the broader power segment for Tata Power including manufacturing technologies in solar, Storage, BIPV, Energy Efficiency, Hydrogen Generation etc. Until July this year Dr. Arul was the Chief Operating Officer for Tata Power Solar. He has been involved in the EPC of more than 2 GWp of EPC projects and few hundred MWp of rooftop projects. He was also leading the cell and module manufacturing facility in Tata Power Solar. Dr.Arul established a unique module mounting structure business in Tata International and introduced new foundation concepts and materials in Indian market in the 2010 timeframe. Prior to that he was at Applied Materials in the United States focused on equipment and process development upto 32nm technology nodes. He has a B. Tech degree from IIT Madras and Masters and Ph. D from Cornell University. He has more than 40 patents and several publications.
Prof. Arun Kumar currently working as Professor of HRED, IIT Roorkee, held MNRE Chair Professor from 2013to 18 and headed department of Hydro and Renewable energy IIT Roorkee from 1998 to 2011 and served on Board of NHPC Ltd, Govt of India PSU for hydropower during 2015-2019 as independent director. His research areas are Hydropower Development, Environmental Management of Water Bodies, Energy Economics and Policy. Prof. Kumar has over 39 years of experience in the field of Hydropower and environmental management of river and lakes. He served CLA for Hydropower on SRREN for IPCC. Prof. Kumar had received various awards and recognitions from CBIP, Institution of Engineers and Hydro Power Association. Currently he in Vice President of Federation of Indian small hydropower. He is Bachelors in civil engineering and PhD in hydropower from IIT Roorkee, Masters in Civil Engineering from IISc Bengaluru and Hydropower Diploma studies from NTH, Trondheim.
Mr. Arun Sharma is an Engineering Graduate with Post Graduation in 'System Planning & Controls'. He has over 46 years of Projects in India & abroad and 20 years in Hydro Power experience at various senior Management positions and has widely travelled to over 60 countries. He is now the Chairman of Regency Power Group-managing four projects with portfolio of 20 MW. Mr. Arun Sharma is President of HIMALAYAS POWER PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION and President of Federation of Indian Small Hydropower. First ever Hilly Hydro Power Project to be connected to 33 KV Grid in Himachal Pradesh under UNDP program in Sept. 2001. He has also been awarded National Performance Excellence Award by IIIE & he is on various panels of Renewable Energy & skill development with the Central Government.
Dr Arunabha Ghosh is the founder-CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water since 2010, and has led CEEW to the top ranks as one of Asia's leading policy research institutions and among the world’s 20 best climate think-tanks. He has been involved in the design of the International Solar Alliance and is a founding board member of the Clean Energy Access Network. Co-author/editor of four books and with experience in 45 countries, he previously worked at Princeton, Oxford, UNDP (New York), and WTO (Geneva). In 2018, Dr Ghosh was nominated to the UN's Committee for Development Policy. In 2020, the Government of India appointed him Co-Chair of the energy, environment and climate change track for India’s forthcoming Science, Technology and Innovation Policy. He is co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Clean Air and is a member of the international high-level panel of the Environment of Peace initiative. His 2019 TED Talk on air quality (Mission 80-80-80) has crossed 225,000 views.
Arvind Lali, a chemical engineer by qualification, established India’s first national Centre for Energy Biosciences in 2009. The Centre was funded by the Department of Biotechnology with the objective to create a sustainable R&D platform for biofuels and biochemicals. Dr. Lali developed the central theme of converting wastes (gas, liquid, solid – domestic, agricultural and industrial) to Utilizable Carbon for further conversion to fuels, food, feed, materials, energy and chemicals. Dr. Lali has over the last decade collaborated with many international organizations and companies, major being University of Nottingham, Queensland University of Technology, University of Lund, GE Healthcare, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Separations Group), BioRad Laboratories, Ion Exchange (India), Atech Innovations, IKTS Fraunhofer Institute, Permionics India, and many others in providing solutions to Indian and international companies major being Pepsi, Coca cola, General Mills, Biocon, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and many more. Dr. Lali has been able to uniquely combine the strengths in bench scale basic and applied research with scale up process design capabilities from pilot scale to plant scale. He has authored more than 75 papers & 100 patents and has supervised more than 150 masters and 100 PhD research scholars. Dr. Lali today works with many industrial groups in a major way to develop viable and scalable technologies for conversion of unutilized agricultural/agri-industry/urban wastes to wealth, and is involved in turning a number of potentially impacting global technologies into demonstration and commercial scale plants.
Ashish Bhandari joined the Board of Thermax Limited on 7th April’2020 as Managing Director & CEO. Prior to joining Thermax, he was the Vice President - India and South Asia region at Baker Hughes (formerly a GE company). Ashish joined GE in 2005 in Houston, USA and relocated to Gurgaon in 2011. He is credited with building GE Oil & Gas into one of GE’s biggest businesses in India and for the successful integration of Baker Hughes and GE Oil & Gas during a time of significant transition. Over his 15 years GE career, Ashish has worked in a variety of industrial businesses including GE Enterprise Solutions, GE Energy, and GE Oil & Gas. His prior work experience includes Schlumberger, consulting with McKinsey & Co. and two start-ups overseas. Ashish completed his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. He received his master’s degree in Business Administration from Duke University.
Ashwani Kumar is the Chief Executive Officer of The Suzlon Group, India’s leading renewable energy company. With over three decades of experience across India’s leading Infrastructure and Power companies, he is a name to reckon with on the Indian business landscape.Ashwani, a Mechanical Engineer, and an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and The Harvard Business School has a stronghold in projects, business development and finance.
Having led construction of over 6,000 MW of power projects from bidding to commercial operations, Ashwani Kumar has proven expertise in closing and managing large, complex contracts, effectively leveraging corporate affairs, driving policy and leading transformations resulting in agile and responsive organizations. Ashwani has successfully led critical areas of financing, restructuring, divestments, portfolio management and key strategic initiatives, adding value for all stakeholders. He has well rounded experience across thermal, hydro and renewable power sectors giving him comprehensive insights into the complexities of the power sector in entirety.
An avid marathoner and a strong believer in the resilience of Indian companies, Ashwani has created benchmarks of excellence in the highly challenging Infrastructure and Power sector in the country.Ashwani remains passionate about the future of energy and sustainability in India and is committed to making renewables the new normal while crafting the energy roadmap for India and generations to come.
Avaneesh Shukla is an executive engineer in Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited and has successfully executed 250 MW Mandsaur Solar Project and 750 MW Rewa Solar Project. He has been playing an instrumental role in the planning and execution of upcoming 1500 MW solar parks and 600 MW Omkareshwar Floating Solar Project in Madhya Pradesh.
Basant Jain heads Mahindra Susten, the 'Cleantech' arm of Mahindra Group. He is B.Tech. (Electronics) from MITS, Gwalior and has a PG Diploma from ICFAI. He has over 22 years of experience at Aditya Birla Group, Raymond, Vedanta, GVK and Mahindra Group among others. Mr. Jain joined Mahindra in 2005 in Infrastructure Sector as DGM – Special Projects and later became VP – Business Development at Mahindra Lifespaces. Since 2012, Mr. Jain has been with Susten, a leading player in Indian Solar sector, with 2.6+GWp commissioned capacity and 1.7+GWp under execution. Susten's services include Turnkey EPC - Utility & Rooftop Solar, Solar Hybrid Solutions, Solar Water Pump and Asset Management & Analytics. Under his leadership, Susten has built a portfolio of 1.5 GWp of Solar Assets, with a target of 2.5GWp by 2022. Mr. Jain leads a team of 1100+, who are driven by and committed to providing state-of-the-art solutions in Solar.
Ben Backwell is a leading commentator and strategist in the renewable energy sector. Prior to joining GWEC, he was a Managing Director at FTI Consulting, one of the world’s largest advisory firms, advising companies in the clean energy sector on strategy, communications, and government affairs, including work on a number of major M&A transactions. Previously, Ben worked as a journalist and analyst for 20 years, covering energy policy and markets around the world. He helped design the SolutionWind campaign for the European Wind Energy Association (now WindEurope) ahead of COP21 in 2015, before joining FTI Consulting. He has taken part in the work of a number of industry organizations, including the board of GWEC, the IRENA Business and Investor Group, the IEA’s Renewable Energy Industry Advisory Board, Solar Power Europe, and others. Ben is the author of two books on the wind industry as well as a number of reports and white papers on power markets and policy frameworks. His book Wind Power, the struggle for control of a new global industry,” has been described as the “definitive” story of the global wind industry. He holds an MSc in Political Science from the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of London and speaks Spanish and Portuguese as well as his native English.
Dr. Bernhard Ernst is deputy head of the department Energy Storage at Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE). In parallel he works as consultant in the field of grid integration of renewable energy and energy markets. Prior to this he was the director of the department Grid Integration at SMA Solar Technology AG, one of the world's largest manufacturers of PV power converters. Before joining SMA he was manager of the Front Office System Planning at the German TSO Amprion GmbH. He holds a degree of electrical engineering and a Ph.D. on the topic of wind power forecasting from the University of Kassel, Germany. Dr. Ernst is chairman of the IEC SC 8A "Grid Integrationof Large-capacity Renewable Energy (RE) Generation" and has published several papers about grid integration of renewable energy source and forecasting.
A well-rounded development professional, with a strong track record in mobilizing private investment for infrastructure and creating new markets by working across policy makers, industry leaders, stakeholders, academia and media in South Asia, East Asia and Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. An IIT and IIM alum, Mr. Mehrotra is a recipient of World Bank Group President’s Award for Excellence for helping India reach grid parity for renewable power through the landmark Rewa project and helping India be in the forefront of the emerging disruptive trends such as corporate procurement of renewable energy. In his previous role he worked in the Secretariat for the Committee on Infrastructure, headed by the Prime Minister in the erstwhile Planning Commission, where he contributed to national level policy, investment frameworks and institutional capacity building to commercialize and modernize infrastructure. He contributed to shaping of marquee transactions such as Delhi and Mumbai airport privatizations and the National Highway Development Program.
• Educational Qualification: -B. Tech (Civil Engineering) from IIT Delhi [1985-89] -M. Tech. (Behavioral and Social Sciences) from IIT Delhi. [1989-90] -Executive MBA from ISB, Hyderabad [2010-11] • Professional Certification: Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) from the Institute of Internal Auditors [2014] • Present Assignment: Working as Joint Secretary (Wind, Small Hydro Power & IT) in Ministry of New & Renewable Energy • Earlier experience within IA&AD: Audit of Central Autonomous Bodies and Policy & Coordination for Local Bodies audit at C&AG office. Handled Performance Audits on MGNREGS, ICCR, CSIR, BIS, IREDA, EPFO, ESIC, etc.; audit of local bodies, social audit (all at C&AG Office). Earlier experience includes audit of local bodies in state of Rajasthan, state and central government departments/ ministries; environmental auditing, tax audits in Gujarat, audit of Indian Embassies and PSUs abroad (Kuwait, Turkey and Lebanon). External audit of Indian Air Force and allied organizations (relevant DRDO labs and MES); in present charge since July 2015. Gained strengths in areas relating to risk assessment, internal control issues, good knowledge of government rules and regulations, GFRs, etc. Also, wide experience of administration, budget preparation and expenditure control, HR issues in AG offices (i.e. CAG field offices) as Head of Office. • Audit of UN Agency: conducted external audit of IAEA three times (during 2013-14). • Deputation: with REC (Rural Electrification Corporation, a Ministry of Power company dealing with power financing) as GM/ED (2006-2011, five years). In REC handled IT (implemented ERP), was CEO of RECPDCL (one of the subsidiaries of REC in Power distribution and consultancy business), dealt with Public Relations including IPO and FPO and road shows, Internal Audit, Law, Admin, HR, etc. • Misc.: physically active and regular in sports with strong sense of ethics, values and discipline in public service, Vice President of IA&AS Officer Association.
Mr Bhaskar Sarkar is the Chief Executive Officer at Tata Power Trading Company Ltd. He joined Tata Power in 2011 and held leadership roles in Business Excellence, Commerical, Strategy, Regulation. He also held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Maithon Power Limited. He has vast and varied experience in different organizations including Tata Teleservices, World Bank, Price Water House Coopers, CESC and NDPL (now Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited).
Shri Biswal has 26 years of experience in the power sector viz Renewable Energy, Transmission & Distribution etc. in the areas of Project development, Regulatory affairs, Business Operation, Sectoral Reforms & Change management. He was instrumental in development of 1000 MW Bhadla III Solar park in Rajasthan from concept to commissioning.
Dr B K Panigrahi is presently working as a professor in the Electrical Engineering Department and also serving as head of Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART), IIT Delhi, India. Prior to joining IIT Delhi in 2005, he has served as a faculty in Electrical Engineering Department, UCE Burla, Sambalpur, Odisha, India from 1992 to 2005. His research interest includes application of AI and ML tools and techniques to power system planning, operation, control, protection and management. He also works in the area of Cyber security for Smart Grid and other critical infrastructure. Professor Panigrahi is presently also looking into the issues of EV charging infrastructures and the impact of fast charging infrastructure on the grid. He is serving as the editorial board member / associate editor/ special issue guest editor / editorial board member of different international journals published by IEEE, IET, Elsevier, Springer etc. He is also associated with various international conferences in various capacity and delivered keynote in more than 50 conferences. Dr Panigrahi has published more than 500 research papers in various international and national journals. He is a fellow of INAE and Senior member of IEEE. Presently he is also serving as the IEEE CIS Chapter Chair of Delhi Section.
Brad is a Partner in KPMG Australia's Infrastructure & Projects Group. He has over 13 years international experience investing in commodities, clean energy and energy efficiency projects and companies. He has worked for Macquarie Bank in the UK as an investor and adviser to a range of clients in the UK, Ireland, China, Chile and South Africa. This work has included the development and construction of greenfield energy assets, debt and equity financing of existing assets, and the financing of energy efficiency programs within the public sector. He has been an active contributor to policy across the energy sector in the UK and Australia and has also been an adviser to Queensland’s Renewable Energy Expert Panel and to various energy companies in Australia. Brad has undertaken a Master of Science focused on energy policy design at the London School of Economics.
Bredo Erichsen is educated Hydrologist from the University of Oslo, Norway. He has been working in the power sector since he graduated and been working abroad since 2007. First in Albania then Turkey and now since 2015 in India
Brenda VanHorn is a career member of the U.S. Department of Commerce Commercial Counselor currently serving in Mumbai India. In this role, she directs the Commercial Service teams in Mumbai and Ahmedabad in assisting American businesses with market access, information and advocacy. Previous to her India tour she served in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Poland and in the United States. Her efforts contributed to the successful completion of many energy projects worldwide in both the traditional and alternative energy fields. Prior to joining the Commercial Service, Ms. VanHorn enjoyed a career in the private sector where she worked as an International trade manager. Throughout her public and private career, she has focused on opening doors for American businesses in the global marketplace.
Managing Director, Head of Power and Renewables Bruce is responsible for our Power & Renewables investments, and was previously Managing Director, Head of Americas for Infrastructure. Prior to joining CPP Investments in 2007, Bruce led the private markets infrastructure team at OPTrust. Before that, he spent several years with Macquarie Bank in London and Toronto in corporate finance. He has also worked in investment banking at RBC Dominion Securities. Bruce holds a BComm from the University of Alberta and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto.
Cecile Martin-Phipps is currently Director Strategy and Communication in the International Solar Alliance. She was previously working in the French solar street lighting company, Sunna Design, as Project manager International funding institutions. From 2007 to 2016 she was Project manager International projects and partnerships with international funding institutions at the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME). Previously she was a deputy advisor (parliamentary issues, international affairs) to Ministers Serge Lepeltier and Nelly Ollin (in charge of ecology and sustainable development). She graduated in Public Administration and International Studies from the Paris Institute of Political Sciences ( Sciences-Po ) in 2003. She got a certificate on Financing and Deploying Clean Energy from Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and Yale School of Management in 2020.
Mr Challa Sreenivasulu Setty has taken charge as Managing Director of State Bank of India, with effect from 20th January 2020 and from 1st April 2020, he is looking after Retail & Digital Banking. Currently, he is also holding additional charge of Stressed Assets vertical.
A Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and also, a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers, he started his career with State Bank of India in 1988 as a Probationary Officer. Across a career spanning over three decades, he has gained rich experience in Corporate Credit, Retail banking, and banking in developed markets.
Prior to taking over charge as MD, Mr Setty was heading the Stressed Asset Resolution Group of the Bank, in his capacity as Deputy Managing Director, where he was responsible for resolving the stressed assets portfolio of the Bank, across the country, in different sectors such as Power, Infra, Auto, Telecom, etc.
Mr Setty has held key assignments in State Bank of India including Chief General Manager and General Manager in Corporate Accounts Group, Deputy General Manager in Commercial Branch, Indore, and VP & Head (syndications) in SBI, New York Branch.
Chandrajit Banerjee (CB) is the Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). CII is India’s apex industry organisation, proactively enhancing the competitiveness of Indian Industry. CB has been with the CII for over 33 years and has served as its Director General since 2008. In this post, he is responsible for the overall operations of CII. CB is a Member of a number of important Government Advisory Bodies at the National and State levels. As DG of CII, he is responsible for leading and contributing to many policy level dialogues and discussions to enhance the competitiveness of India Inc and towards the development of India. He holds / has held Trusteeship and Board Member posts in many institutions which includes Institute of Economic Growth (IEG); Global Innovation and Technology Alliance (GITA); Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST); Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM); World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Agenda Council of India; Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC); Indian Institute of Management (IIM), etc. He is also a Member of the Managing Committee of SPORTSCOM and Governing Council Member of Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC). CII Foundation and India@75 Foundation, which are promoted and supported by CII, are also two institutions where CB is a Board level member. CB is also a Director of Singapore India Partnership Foundation (SIPF). He is a Director on the Board at the “Invest India” which is set up by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. He is also Secretary for many bilateral CEOs Forums constituted by the Government of India like Australia, France, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Sweden, South Africa, etc. Prior to his appointment as Director General, CB held several leadership positions in key areas including sectoral verticals of Manufacturing, Services, Agriculture and Life Sciences as well as the SME sector. He has also led CII’s policy work relating to macroeconomic policy, financial services and corporate governance. He was the first Executive Director of the National Foundation of Corporate Governance (NFCG), an organization set up by the Government of India and continues to be Member of its Board of Trustees and Governing Council. CB has been honoured with the China-India Friendship Award by the Chinese Premier for his contributions towards the development of bilateral ties between India and China. CB was conferred with the decoration of “Knight Commander” by His Majesty the King of Spain in recognition of his meritorious achievements and exceptional contributions towards promoting relations between India and Spain. Chandrajit Banerjee is a Post-Graduate (MS) in Economics with specialisation in Economics of Planning and Econometrics from the University of Calcutta. Earlier, he did his Graduation from St. Xavier's College (Calcutta) in Economics (Hons). He has also been honoured with Honorary Doctorate (D. Phil Honoris Causa). As an apex Industry body, CII works closely with the Government of India and Industry to create and sustain an environment conducive to the development of India. CII is a non-government, not-for-profit industry-led and industry-managed organisation serving directly and indirectly 300,000 enterprises, both private and public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs. More than 250 National and Regional Sectoral and Industry bodies are members of CII. CII has over 100 sectoral and subject-based Committees to further policy issues for the country and focus on competitiveness of Indian Industry. With 68 offices, including 10 Centres of Excellence, in India, and 9 overseas offices as well as institutional partnerships with 390 counterpart organizations in more than 130 countries, CII serves as a reference point for Indian Industry and the international business community.
Chandra Govindarajalu has over 20 years of experience working at the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) on energy efficiency, energy access and renewable energy across 15 countries in South Asia, East Asia as well as Middle East and North Africa. He leads the energy climate finance team which is responsible for mobilizing climate finance for the Energy and Extractives Practice at the World Bank. He also leads the global energy storage program and the coal transition program at the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) Chandra holds a PhD in Energy and Environmental Policy from the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware.
Charlie Donovan is Executive Director of the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment at Imperial College Business School and Academic Director of the MSc Climate Change, Management and Finance. He is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Finance. In his corporate career, Charlie was most recently Head of Structuring and Valuation for Global Power at BP plc. He was part of the strategy team that launched BP Alternative Energy with an $8 billion funding commitment. Charlie began his career as an Energy Policy Analyst with the US Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton Administration. Professor Donovan holds a bachelor degree in Psychology from the University of Washington, graduated from the MBA program at Vanderbilt University, and completed a Doctorate in Management at IE Business School. He is the editor and co-author of Renewable Energy Finance: Powering the Future, now in its 2nd edition.
Prof. Solanki has been referred to as “Solar Man of India” by Times of India, The Hindu and India Today. Some people also call him “Solar Gandhi”. Prof. Solanki was born in a small village called Nemit in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh. His primary school had just one classroom and a teacher at that time. Having studied in the light of the kerosene lamp himself, Prof. Solanki is now committed to providing clean light to all. He received his Ph.D. from IMEC (Ketholik University) Leuven, Belgium, a leading R&D and innovation hub in micro and nano-electronics. Known for his remarkable work in the field of Solar, Prof. Solanki is an educator, innovator, researcher, entrepreneur, and author. He had led major solar projects at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay including the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) and the Solar Urja through Localization for Sustainability (SoULS) Initiative. He has established best labs in the country. Prof. Solanki has reached to 7.5 million families with the solar lamp. Following Gandhian ideals, he has coined the word ‘Energy Swaraj’. His Energy Swaraj Movement is a stepping stone towards energy access, energy sustainability, and climate change mitigation. In order to establish Energy Swaraj across the globe, he has founded the Energy Swaraj Foundation, which is a not-for-profit organization. Prof. Solanki has published over 100 research papers in reputed international journals. He has 4 US patents to his credit with several more under review. He was recently awarded Jury Choice Award in the “Outstanding Green Activist” category and many other awards to their credit. He has recently founded the Energy Swaraj Foundation to establish Energy Swaraj across the globe, wherein energy is generated and consumed by locals. He has recently authored Energy Swaraj: My Experiments with Solar Truth, based on his life events.
Mr Chintan Shah was born on 4th July, 1974 in the state of Gujarat. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from The MS University of Vadodara. Mr. Chintan Shah is currently working as Director (Technical) with M/s Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) and handling different portfolios since 5th March, 2018 at IREDA. IREDA is primarily a Non-Banking Financial Company and the only dedicated financial institution for financing and promoting Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Projects in the country. As Director (Technical) he is responsible for achieving MOU Targets set with regard to Loan Sanctions, Disbursement, Gross Margin, Gross Sales, NPAs, Recovery from NPAs, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainable Development, Research and Development etc. Also responsible for project appraisal, financing, policy formulation, planning and monitoring of Renewable Energy Projects of Wind, Small Hydro, Medium and Large Hydro, Biomass, Cogeneration, Solar Energy, Biogas, Waste to Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects etc. Prior to joining IREDA, he was serving as President with SUZLON Group of Companies. He started his career from TERI as Research Associate in the year 1996 and left TERI in 2001 He joined SUZLON as General Manager in the year 2001. He worked as President with SUZLON till February, 2018 before joining IREDA as Director (Technical). He is working in the renewable energy field for the last 26 years covering various activities including manufacturing of RE Systems/Products, project execution, project consultancy, project financing, policy planning etc. at different capacities in reputed Industries/Institutions.
Christian Breyer is Professor for Solar Economy at LUT University, Finland. His major expertise is the integrated research of technological and economic characteristics of renewable energy systems specialising in energy system modeling for 100% renewable energy, on a local but also global scale. His team published the most studies on 100% renewable energy for countries or major regions globally. Energy system transition studies are carried out in full hourly and high geo-spatial resolution. Publications cover integrated sector analyses with power, heat, transport, desalination, industry and negative CO2 emission options. Carbon capture and utilisation as part of comprehensive Power-to-X investigations is a core research field for his team. He published more than 300 scientific papers, thereof more than 100 in scientific journals. He worked previously for Reiner Lemoine Institut, Berlin, and Q-Cells (now: Hanwha Q Cells). He is member of ETIP PV, IEA-PVPS, scientific committee of the EU PVSEC and IRES, scientific advisory board of CO2 Value Europe, academic council of Global Alliance Powerfuels, chairman for renewable energy at the Energy Watch Group, reviewer for the IPCC and a co-founder of the Desertec Foundation. His academic background is general business, physics and energy systems engineering and a PhD in electrical engineering. He communicates in Twitter @ChristianOnRE.
Lt Col Monish Ahuja (Retd) is the Managing Director of Punjab Renewable Energy Systems Private Limited (PRESPL). He is an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune (Dec 1991 – Dec 1994) Education Proficiency: - Post Graduate (M.Tech) in Nuclear Technology from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (2006). - Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Mechanical Engineering from JNU (2002) - Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) from JNU (1994). In a short span with the understanding of the Biomass IPPs and Biomass Supply Chain Management, he set up the first of its kind in India, biomass fuel aggregation and supply company Punjab Renewable Energy Systems Private Limited (PRESPL). The company has grown from a start up to INR 360 Million Turnover Company in 7 x Years’ time and having closed its Series A PE investment from Zurich based Impact PE- responsAbility in 2013. This has big force multiplier to support biomass IPPs, process industry boilers, cogeneration plants, bio-refinery industry using agri-residues feedstock and other industry using biomass as a feedstock. Series B funded by Neev Fund & Shell Ventures B. V. in Year 2019 Lt Col Monish Ahuja (Retd) is known in the Biomass fraternity as a dedicated and knowledgeable leader. He has been advocating the barriers faced by Biomass based Project Developers at various seminars and forums and has been instrumental in impressing MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Sources, India) towards the cause of biomass-based industry in India. Lt Col Monish Ahuja (Retd) has been recognized with several eminent awards. Few of them are as follows: a) 2013- Recognized with the “Biomass Energy Man of the Year Award” by Renewable World, part of Fortune Media Group. b) 2014- “Udyog Ratan Award” by Institute of Economic Studies, New Delhi for work in the rural parts of the country, which is a direct impact on the rural economy and is making a sizeable impact in many parts of the country. c) 2015- - PRESPL has been awarded as “Most Innovative Company in Renewable Sector” by Power Today Magazine and the selection has been done by PricewaterHouseCoopers. - “Best Paper Award” at International Conference on Innovations & IPR organized by Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) at New Delhi. - “Best Poster Award” in Brussels Sustainability Development Summit in Brussels, Belgium. d) 2016- Leading RE Manufacturers – Held by UBM Group, Biomass Category under Renewable Energy India Awards 2016 selection by Ernst & Young. e) 2017- “50 Most Impactful Green Leaders (Global Listing)” by World Sustainability Congress a Not-For-Profit Organization advocating Sustainable Leadership received on 18 Feb 2017. f) 2018 – Excellence in Bio Energy - Renewable Energy India Awards 2018 at UBM Event. g) 2019 – Awarded with the Global award – The National Mission Innovation Champions – India announced in Vancouver, Canada. Lt Col Monish Ahuja (Retd) is member of following committees: a. Chair-person of the FICCI Bio-Energy Committee for the year 2018-19. b. Member of Bio-Energy Sub-Committee constituted by Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Govt. of India under the Chairmanship of Secretary, MNRE. c. Member of CII Committee of Bio-Energy d. On invitation from United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), he has been the ‘MENTOR’ for the National Training Workshop GCIP-India 2016. e. Member of the working group on rice straw utilization at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), HQ at Philippines and working on a programme funded by DFID UK for looking at ways of rice straw utilization globally. He is spearheading the biomass movement in India with his ongoing efforts of harnessing the agro residue potential in India.
Before founding CDP India in 2012, Daman has spent over three decades writing and researching on environment and development issues in India. He worked as an independent researcher and journalist primarily on environment and climate change issues, executing projects for ERM UK, Worldwatch Institute, The Climate Group, Bureau of Energy Efficiency among others. Prior to his consultancy assignments, he headed the Research and Mission Programme Division of the National Geographic Channel in India for five years. He started his career as a journalist and has worked with major national dailies like The Times of India, The Pioneer, Business Standard, and The Indian Express.
Prof. S Dasappa is a Chair of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research and faculty at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies Indian Institute of Science. He had his education at the Indian Institute of Science and obtained Masters and Ph. D degree from the faculty of engineering. His area of research has been solid, liquid, and gaseous fuel combustion science and technology. The work has resulted in the understanding of various processes occurring during gasification and answered several myths in the area of gasification. He has over 150 publications in various international and national journals, conferences and edited books, and 20 patents. Prof. Dasappa has been involved in technology transfer for bioenergy devices in India and abroad. He has been involved in several national and international projects. He has won several awards in Biomass energy – national and international and identified in the top 2 % of the Energy scientist in the world
Representative of SNA
DEBENDRA DALAI, Indian Forest Service, AGMUT 1999 Posted as Chief Conservator of Forests and Special Secretary (Forests) UT Chandigarh thereby heading the Department of Forest and Wildlife, Chandigarh Administration. In addition, also heading the Department of Environment as well as Department of Science, Technology and Renewable Energy of Chandigarh Administration. As Chief Executive Officer of CREST ( Chandigarh Renewable Energy Science and Technology Promotion Society) , the Roof Top Solar ( RTS) is being promoted in a big way thereby taking forward the steps to make Chandigarh towards 100% Renewable Energy Powered. All the potential rooftops, both Government as well as private are being tapped to harness solar energy.
Managing director of MP Urja Vikas Nigam and Chief Executive Officer of Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited.
Dhananjay KUMAR has over 30 years of experience in power sector. He is a mechanical engineer and have done a leadership program in executive management from Darden business school, university of Virginia. He has diverse experience in business development and project management in South Asia, South East Asia and Africa. He has worked in past with NTPC, AES and many other leading power companies. Currently he is head of business development and regulatory affairs with ENGIE India.
Pl see uploaded file below
Shri. Dinesh Dayanand Jagdale Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Shri. Dinesh Jagdale is currently serving as the Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Shri. Jagdale is Graduate in Electronics Engineering with Master’s in Business Administration with specialization in Marketing and has Twenty-Nine years of rich experience in electrical and renewable industry. An innovative thinker, Self-motivated, visionary professional has spent 19 years of his career working in Renewable Industry in various capacities. Prior to joining the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy Shri. Jagdale spent initial 10 years of his Career as a Renewable Energy professional in the Wind Industry wherein he contributed to the Growth of Wind Sector across multi states in India. He has been known for thorough knowledge on the processes related to Regulatory, Permitting and Licensing across all the renewable states. For the last Nine Years, Shri. Jagdale established and led the growth of a Renewable IPP to grow the Wind & Solar Energy Sector in India. He has been actively involved as consulting personnel in formulation of state government policies for Wind & Solar Energy generation, striking a balance between developers of the project and sustainability of the transmission and distribution companies. During his Renewable Energy Career, he has bagged prestigious Awards & Recognition from various forums across Wind & Solar Industry. He was appointed as Joint Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, in September 2019.
Sh. Dinesh Kumar belongs IAS Rajasthan Cadre and is currently working as Principle Secretary, Energy, Govt. of Rajasthan and Chairman Distribution Companies and Chairman & MD, Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam Limited and Chairman and Managing Director, Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Limited. Sh. Dinesh Kumar completed B. Tech in CIVIL Engineering from IIT Kanpur in Year 1993. He further Joined IAS in year 1996. Mr Kumar has obtained Post Graduate Degree in Public Administration from Syracuse University- Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Administration in year 2011. He has also worked as Secretary, Mines & Petroleum Department, Secretary Public Health Engineering Department and Secretary Local self Government Department, Rajasthan and Project Director, RUIDP, Government of Rajasthan. Sh. Dinesh Kumar has also held Joint Secretary, Department Of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Government Of India, New Delhi Sh. Dinesh Kumar has good experience in Govt. of Rajasthan and Govt. of India in Programme execution, evaluation and Strategic Planning in the infrastructure and financial sectors.
Divya Sharma is the Executive Director at Climate Group’s India office. A thought leader, researcher, academician she comes with experience spanning nearly two decade operating throughout India and internationally within sustainable urban development and climate resilience space. Divya comes with a Doctorate in urban climate resilience and a Master’s in urban development planning. She has extensively worked with national, state and municipal governments in India and abroad; regional, national and international development agencies and foundations and international research community and academia. She has been on some prestigious advisory positions on international and national networks for sustainable development and climate change internationally and at national level.
Professor Eicke R. Weber is Chair of the European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC). In 2017/18 he has been Director/CEO of the Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore (BEARS). Before this he was Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and Professor for Physics at the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Germany. Prof. Weber studied Physics at the University of Cologne, Germany, where he obtained his doctorate in 1976. From 1983 until 2006 he served on the faculty of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of the University of California, Berkeley. In 1994 he received an Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award. Since 2003 he serves as founding president of the German Scholars Organization (GSO). In 2006 he received the Award of Merit from former German President Horst Kohler. In 2015 he was elected president of the Association of European Renewable Energy Research Centers EUREC. He served as founding president of the German Energy Storage Association BVES (2012-16). He is a member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech).
Mr. Erik Mohr is a wind resource and supply chain specialist with 10 years of experience within the wind energy industry. As a consultant at COWI, he has acted as senior project manager for the development and construction of several large onshore wind farm projects worldwide and recently focused as advisor on offshore wind roadmaps and supply chain assessments He is the lead author for the recent Supply Chain Study for Offshore Wind in India, describing Challenges and Opportunities for EU and Indian business. To date he has been involved in development activities in Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, India, Kenya, Ethiopia and the Philippines. Erik holds a Bachelor and a Master's in Environmental Sciences, as well as a post-graduate in wind energy technology.
Ewa Malicka, Msc, graduated in 1997 from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland. She is a President of the Polish Association for Small Hydropower Development (TRMEW) - the organization which groups together small hydropower plants owners and investors as well as equipment and service providers. She represents Polish SHP sector in course of consulting procedures, develops positions, recommendations to decision makers and comments to acts of law. She also represents TRMEW on the international arena - formerly in the European Small Hydropower Association (ESHA) and subsequently in the European Renewable Energies Federation (EREF). She is an author of chapters on Poland n the World Small Hydropower Development Reports (2016 and 2019) and numerous publications in professional media. She is also professionally active in a family company running SHP plants.
Mr. Wigand is an Associate Director at the global energy consultancy Guidehouse (formerly Navigant/Ecofys). He is an expert on energy procurement and power sector reform, coordinating the energy procurement activities of GH’s offices in Europe and the Middle East. He has advised development institutions (USAID, EBRD, GIZ, Energy Community), the EU, governments and investors on renewable energy auctions in more than 20 countries. Previously, Mr. Wigand was a Senior Analyst Regulation & Markets for the investor group Desertec Industrial Initiative. He holds an MSc in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics. As auctions experts of the USAID Scaling-Up Renewable Energy program and the Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Deployment 2.0, he has worked with the MNRE and authored the report “System-friendly Competitive Renewable Energy Procurement in India”.
FARIS HADAD-ZERVOS is the World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka based out of Kathmandu. He leads the overall program and policy dialogue with the clients, providing guidance to the management teams in the countries. Prior to this, he served as the World Bank Country Manager for Nepal, Country Manager for Malaysia and the Head of the Global Knowledge and Research Hub in Kuala Lumpur. Mr. Hadad-Zervos, a US national, joined the World Bank in 1996 with the Private Sector Development Department. He served as Manager of the Technical Cooperation Program with the Gulf Cooperation Countries (2000-2003), Head of Mission for Iraq (2003-2005), Operations Manager for the West Bank and Gaza (2005-2008), Acting Director for Fragile States in the Operations Department (2010-2011) and Country Manager for Bolivia (2012-2015). In 2008, Hadad-Zervos took a leave of absence from the World Bank to serve as the Deputy Head of the Quartet Office for the Middle East Peace Process, based in Jerusalem. Mr. Hadad-Zervos holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from George Mason University, and a Master's Degree in Finance from The George Washington University.
Since 2008 Executive Director of State of Green. Before then business editor of Berlingske Tidende (2002-2008), news editor of Borsen (1995-2002), economic and political specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen (1985-1995). Holds a master’s degree in Modern Languages. Attended executive leadership programs at Columbia University and Wharton Business School as well as media management programs in the U.S. (Kellogg, North Western University) and Sweden (Bonnier). Born Feb 22, 1955. Co-author of bestselling biography of Danish shipping magnate, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller of A.P. Moller – Maersk, in 2008 together with Thomas Larsen. The book has since appeared in both English and Chinese translations.
Working As Director - India for Global Wind Energy Council ( GWEC ) Non Profit Trade Association with 1500 Members in the Wind Sector in 80 plus countries , In India will be supporting the Wind Energy Industry ,sharing the global best practices and market insights for IPP/OEM and Supply Chain .
Denmark Ambassador
Gailius J. Draugelis is a Lead Energy Specialist with the World Bank’s South Asia Infrastructure Energy. In his 24-year career at the World Bank, Gailius has had the privilege of advising clients, managing investment and policy lending projects and overseeing portfolios that mobilized World Bank and external financing of over US$5 billion in clean energy, energy efficiency, urban infrastructure, air quality and post conflict reconstruction, across the Baltic states, Bangladesh, Central Asia, China, Mongolia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Southeast Europe and other South Asian countries. Prior to his current position, he was responsible for strategy and oversight of energy sector lending, technical assistance, policy dialogue and client relationships for the World Bank in China, Mongolia and Indonesia – based in Beijing and Jakarta for nine years. Toward the end of his seven-year residence in Beijing, he was appointed Program Leader for the Bank’s Energy, Climate Change, Environment and Agriculture businesses in China and Mongolia. He is a co-author of the following publications: Urban China: Toward Efficient, Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanization (2014); Survey of International Experience in Advanced Metering Infrastructure and its Implementation (2019); and Data Analytics for Advanced Metering Infrastructure: A Guidance Note for South Asian Power Utilities (2019).
Mr. Ganesh Srinivasan is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited. The company is a Public Private Partnership (Joint Venture) between Tata Power and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, supplying electricity to a populace of over 7 million in North Delhi. He brings with him two decades of experience in areas like power utility, infrastructure (cement, steel), automotive, product development & manufacturing. He spearheaded strategy, operations, transformation & organizational development in his preceding roles. In his previous stint, Mr. Srinivasan was the Chief - Transmission & Distribution, Tata Power, Mumbai and has also served there as the Head Strategy & Corporate Planning Division. He has been with Tata Power since September 2012. Mr. Srinivasan started his career with Cummins Inc. and has also worked with McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. He is a regular speaker at the industry forums and seminars where he champions the cause of developing ‘Utilities of the Future’ with sustainability and strategic planning at the core. He is a B Tech from IIT Madras, an MBA from The Indian School of Business and holds a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, USA.
Gauri Singh is a career bureaucrat with an experience of over thirty years in policy formulation, implementation and policy advocacy in the field of renewable energy, sustainable development and livelihoods. She has worked at the federal level in the Government of India and in Madhya Pradesh. At the federal level, particularly in the field of new and renewable energy, she has vast experience of policy formulation, coordination, and international cooperation. Policy initiatives led by her include, the policy framework of National Solar Mission of India 2010, to build solar power capacities in India. More recently, she steered the rural development sector, in Madhya Pradesh. In this role she provided strategic guidance for planning and implementing large impact community led initiatives, for poverty reduction and sustainable development. She spearheaded the policy formulation, with a strong focus on climate resilience and adaptation, to support livelihoods of the existing self-help groups of 2 million poor women.
Gavin McGillivray is Development Director of the UK Government Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office in India and has lived in New Delhi since May 2017. Gavin was head of the UK Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) office in Myanmar 2013 - 17. From 2003 to 2013, Gavin held multiple positions in DFID’s London office, including being responsible for DFID’s oversight of CDC Group plc and PIDG (Private Infrastructure Development Group). He established and led DFID’s new Private Sector Department (2011 - 13). He headed the Global Funds and Development Finance Institutions Department, responsible for DFID’s policy and funding for global funds and international private infrastructure programmes (2006 - 10). He was Head of International Financial Institutions Department responsible for DFID's shareholder role and policies in the World Bank Group and Regional Development Banks (2004 - 06). He was the UK Director on the Boards of GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) (2007-09) and UNITAID (2007-10). From 1986 – 88, Gavin was a Corporate Finance Executive with the UK merchant bank, Noble Grossart. From 1988 to 93, Gavin was a founder executive and from 1992, an Executive Director of Campbell Lutyens, an independent corporate finance house involved in developing and implementing financing proposals for international companies and negotiating funding with equity investors and bank Gavin has also managed long-term agricultural development programmes in Bolivia (81-83), Honduras (83-86), Colombia (93 -98) and the Caribbean (98 – 2000).
Dr Geoffrey Clements is Chairman of Commonwealth Infrastructure Partners. He is a specialist in renewable energy, with a focus on solar energy technologies. He has a PhD in Materials Science and Applied Physics from the University of Sussex. During his PhD research, he was mentored by Nobel Laureate and Cavendish Professor of Physics at Cambridge University, Prof Sir Nevill Mott, who conducted early ground-breaking research on the physics of photovoltaic solar in semiconductors. Geoffrey led the development of the Master Plan for Solar City Gandhinagar, Gujarat. He is a pioneer in organisational capacity building for infrastructure sectors, with a focus on India, and has conducted programmes for government and private sector organisations. He is Visiting Professor at leading business school SIBM Hyderabad and was a Visiting Professor at IMT Ghaziabad and IMT Hyderabad, and is a frequent speaker at conferences on topics including renewable energy, sustainable development and smart cities.
Gilan is based in India and leads the South Asia & ASEAN regions for GE Onshore Wind since 2018.
Prior to this role, Gilan was the Business Development (M&A) leader globally for GE Renewable Energy. There he helped dene the inorganic growth strategy for the business and successfully negotiated a number of transactions including the acquisition of LM Wind Power for €1.5B in April 2017 from DH Private Equity.
Gilan started his career in energy and infrastructure consultancy London Economics International in Boston and during that time he helped setup Ampersand Energy Partners, a private-equity rm focused on renewables. He then joined Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in their energy & utilities practice in Paris advising IPPs & global utilities. In April 2012, he joined Alstom as Strategy & M&A Director for the Renewable Power division and played an integral part in the integration team on the GE-Alstom merger.
Gilan holds a bachelor’s degree from North eastern University, Boston and an MBA from HEC, Paris.
Griff ThompsonDirector, Office of Renewable Energy and Energy EfficiencyGriff Thompson is responsible for establishing and managing the strategic direction and programmatic implementation of the office’s mission in promoting U.S. foreign policy and national security goals through electricity system reforms, development of functioning power markets, and revised policy and regulatory frameworks necessary for investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The office is focused on national and regional electricity system reform and market development; and the promotion of innovative policy, regulatory and finance renewable energy and energy efficiency models that drive economic growth and expand domestic and regional security. Before joining the Bureau of Energy Resources, Dr. Thompson was Senior Climate Change Program Manager within the Department’s Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, and Lead Negotiator on Technology for the U.S. Government at the UNFCCC. Previously Mr. Thompson has served as Director of the Office of Energy at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), President of the International Institute for Energy Conservation, and Senior Policy Analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Dr. Thompson has a B.A. in English from Gonzaga University and a Ph.D. in Political Philosophy from Georgetown University.Dr. Thompsonis also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University where he teaches graduate classes on “The Geopolitics of Energy,” “Renewable Energy and Sustainability,” and “Ethical Issues in International Development.
Guangzhe CHEN Regional Director, South Asia Infrastructure World Bank Guangzhe Chen, a Chinese national, is the Regional Director for Infrastructure in the South Asia Region at the World Bank. He provides leadership and oversees the formulation and implementation of the Transport and Energy financing and knowledge programs in the region covering Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The regional department has a portfolio of about 67 projects amounting to approximately $18 billion. Prior to his current position, Mr. Chen was the World Bank’s Global Director of the Transport Global Practice from November 2018 to June 2020. He was also the Senior Director for the World Bank’s Water Global Practice from October 2016 to October 2018. Before that he served as World Bank Country Director for Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa, and subsequently for Southern Africa, covering Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe, based in Pretoria. He started at the World Bank as a task team leader and then sector manager in the transport sector, followed by serving as a sector manager in the urban, water and disaster risk management. An economist by training, Mr. Chen has over 25 years of international experience in the field of sustainable development, infrastructure finance and management with the World Bank Group and the Asian Development Bank. Mr. Chen holds a graduate degree in Economics from Harvard University, USA, and B.A. in Economics from Zhongshan (Sun Yat-Sen) University, Guangzhou, China.
Shri Gurdeep Singh is the Chairman & Managing Director of NTPC Ltd. He also holds additional charge of Chairman, Damodar Valley Corporation. He is also currently the co-chair for the Stewardship Board for the platform of Energy and Materials, World Economic Forum (WEF). He graduated in mechanical engineering from NIT Kurukshetra and has undergone Management Education Program from IIM-Ahmedabad. He has an illustrious career spanning over three decades in the power sector. He has worked at CXO/Senior positions in Indian companies as well as in multi-national companies. Prior to joining NTPC, he was Managing Director of Gujarat State Electricity Company Limited(GSECL). His visionary leadership transformed GSECL and made the company highly cost-competitive and forward looking.
A business leader and a visionary, Mr. Gyanesh Chaudhary is the driving force behind Vikram Solar. Focused to serve the community and bring change, Mr. Chaudhary has successfully led Vikram Solar, a world-renowned PV module manufacturing and EPC solutions provider, to become a name synonymous with quality and performance. Mr. Chaudhary has completed OPM program- Business Transformation and Strategy from Harvard Business School; he is a Business graduate from the University of Wales, UK; holds a Diploma in Marketing and International Trade from the University of Boston; and International Business from Harvard Business School, USA.With a firm belief in the need for businesses working towards solving environmental and energy scarcity issues, Mr. Chaudhary has carefully built Vikram Solar to support national and global green energy revolution, while giving back to the community at the same time.
Hans van Steen is Acting Director on Renewables, Research, Innovation and Energy Efficiency in the Directorate General for Energy in the European Commission. Mr van Steen began his career in the Danish Ministry for Education and later moved to the Ministry for Energy as Head of Sector for European and Nordic energy co-operation. He joined the European Commission in 1989 as a Seconded National Expert, working mainly in the area of energy technology dissemination. Following several assignments in the fields of energy and transport, he became Deputy Head of Unit for Inter-institutional Affairs (2001 - 2006), Head of Unit for Renewable Energy (2006 - 2013), Head of Unit for and International Energy Relations and Enlargement (2013 - 2017) and Adviser on Renewables, Research and Innovation and Energy Efficiency (2017 - present). He became Acting Director on 1 October 2018. Mr van Steen holds a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Århus, Denmark.
Prof. Hari Upadhyaya is Head of the Advanced Materials Centre at the school of Engineering and co-director of newly formed London Centre for Energy Engineering. He. held Chair positions at Brunel University (2014-18), at Heriot-Watt University (2011-14) and was instrumental in establishing the world class PV laboratory at CREST, Loughborough University (2005-2011). With a first in BSc (Hons) and MSc in Physics (Electronics major) and a PhD from BHU, Varanasi (India), he is an expert in thin-film deposition using vacuum and non-vacuum based techniques towards photovoltaic device processing research and characterization. His research experience spans over 25 years in Renewable Energy involving activities on Transparent Conducting Oxides (TCOs), Dye-sensitized Solar Cell (DSC), Perovskite solar cells, CdTe and CIGS thin film solar cell technologies. Besides, his interest include Na- rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors and Diesel Particle Filter (US patent) links his efforts directly in C-emission reduction in the transport sector.
Hemkant Limaye is Sr. Director of Global Marketing for LM Wind Power, world's largest produced of rotor blades. He has over 20 years of commercial leadership experience in various sectors, most recent being renewable energy. Hemkant is working for LM for past 14 years where he has assumed increasing responsibilities in Sales, Business Development, Strategy & Marketing/Market Intelligence.
Himansu Sekhar Jena Vice President - Project Development Himansu is Vice President of Project Development at Azure Power and is responsible for the company’s land management, project development and site management. He has over three decades of diverse experience in development & management of hydro, thermal & solar power projects starting from inception to commissioning. He has worked in both the government and private sector including Odisha Power Generation Corporation, a Public Sector Undertaking, as well as Independent Power Producers (IPPs) such as AES Transpower, Indiabulls Power and Lanco Power. Prior to joining Azure Power, he worked as a Vice President at Lanco Power responsible for a 1,320 MW Thermal Power Plant. He has also been involved in development of captive railway system, captive coal mines, and fuel management for various power projects. Himansu holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Khallikote University and a degree in Civil Engineering from the College of Engineering and Technology, Chennai. He has also attended various professional trainings on Management Development Programme on ‘HRM for Line Managers’ at XLRI, Jamshedpur, and ‘Safety Training Observation Programme (STOP)’ from Du’ Pont, Germany.
Mr. Dang has more than 20 years of experience working in project and structured finance, infrastructure development, renewable energy, environmental issues, and private equity. He spent 10 years managing Olympus Capital's investments in green businesses in India.
Hitesh Doshi has over 30 years of experience in the engineering industry. He started his career in 1989 soon after his graduation by establishing a hardware process control instrument trading company and moved into the manufacturing of process control instruments, gas station equipment, and industrial valves. Under his leadership WAAREE has received various recognition awards and accolades, he formed WAAREE Energies Ltd. in 2007 initiating its foray in Renewable Energy, and has taken several initiatives to accelerate the company's top-line and bottom-line growth. His vision and strategic business leadership are instrumental in establishing WAAREE Energies in a leadership position in the solar industry. He looks after the overall business strategy of the Company and International Business Development coupled with expansion projects of the Company. He is the founder secretary of Instrumentation Expert Club and President of Jain Education and Empowerment Trust (JEET) and is a patron member of the Jain International Trade Organization (JITO) and an active philanthropist
Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan was appointed as the Minister of Environment on the 17th of November 2018, following the inauguration of the new administration of President H.E. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The new Minister is responsible for the conservation of the natural environment, water resources and energy sources in the Maldives.
Jakob Friis Sorensen has been appointed as the Managing Director of APM Terminals Pipavav with effect from 1st January 2020. Mr. Sorensen, a Danish national; has been a part of A.P. Moller Maersk Group since 1987 starting at the internal A. P. Moller Shipping School in Copenhagen, Denmark. Over the years he has held various positions within the Group in Maersk Line, Maersk Logistics and Damco in countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and India. His long history of delivering high performance in developing markets of Asia within shipping and logistic side of business; makes him an ideal choice to lead APM Terminals Pipavav on the next stage of its development journey. Jakob holds an MBA from Henley Management College, London and has attended several Executive Management courses at IMD, Lausanne, Penn State University in the US as well as internal leadership development programs in A.P. Moller- Maersk Group. During his free time, he enjoys sports and exploring history while travelling in various countries.
Shri Jatindra Nath Swain is the Additional Secretary in Government of India and currently holding the post of Managing Director of the Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI), which is a Government of India Enterprise set up in 2011 for implementation of National Solar Mission. Before joining SECI, Shri Swain worked as Joint Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) Government of India. Shri Swain joined SECI as the Managing Director in August, 2017 and since then he has been spearheading the schemes to develop renewable energy projects in India through various schemes of the Ministry. Under his leadership, SECI has been able to develop about 5 GW of solar and wind projects each and is currently in the process of auctioning 30 GW of solar & wind projects in next 2 years. Shri Swain is an IAS officer of 1988 Batch, Tamil Nadu Cadre and has held various key positions in the State of Tamil Nadu: these include Principal Secretary in Department of Food & Cooperation and Department of Public & General Administration, Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Commissioner of Land Administration, Commissioner of Revenue Administration & Disaster Management, Commissioner Technical Education, Commissioner Watershed & Soil Conservation and Collector in the districts of Perambalur and Paudukkottai. Shri Jatindra Nath Swain holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Delhi School of Economics, New Delhi and a Master’s degree in International Development Studies from Graduate Institute of Policy Studies, Tokyo, Japan.
Javier has been working for DEME Group for more than 7 years and since 2019 he is Business Unit Manager for Asia Pacific within DEME Offshore. After 4 years working in different marine engineering projects for Spanish company ACCIONA, Javier moved to Belgium in 2013 to join DEME. Since then he has been focusing on the offshore wind sector. During his career at DEME, Javier held various positions within DEME Offshore’s Tender Department, being involved in several offshore wind tenders and projects mainly in Europe, such as Borkum Riffgrund 2 Project in Germany and Galloper Project in UK. Javier has also being involved in large EPCI Contracts awarded to DEME such as Hohe See and Albatros Offshore Wind Farms. Since 2017 Javier has been coordinating DEME Offshore’s tendering activities in Taiwan, as well as participating in the set-up of DEME’s Taiwanese company CSBC-DEME Wind Engineering (CDWE), the local join venture that DEME Offshore established in Taiwan together with the Taiwanese shipbuilder CSBC. CDWE has signed in the meantime various agreements for different Taiwanese offshore wind projects such as Changfang and Xidao, Zhong Neng and Hai Long Projects. Javier holds a Master Degree in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Science from Alfonso X El Sabio University of Madrid.
Shri Jayant Parimal is an ExIAS Officer of 1989 batch. He has done his B.E in Electrical in 1988 from MNIT, Allahabad, CFA in 2002 from ICFAI, Hyderabad, Masters of International Law & Economics in 2004 from World Trade Institute, Bern and LL.B in 2007 from Gujarat University. During his long and illustrious career in Indian Administrative Service, Shri Parimal has worked in various capacities with Government of Gujarat and Government of India, till 2006. Shri Jayant Parimal joined Adani Group as Chief Executive Officer (Renewable energy) looking after Group’s entire Renewable Business and now he is Advisor to Chairman. Before joining Adani Group, he was with Reliance Industries Limited, as President.
Jeevan Kumar Jethani is Director/Scientist-E in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and also holding charge of Executive Director, AREAS. He has been associated with power/renewable energy sector for over 28 years. During his professional career he was involved with power generation, transmission and distribution in the State of Rajasthan. In the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) he was a part of the core team for formulation and implementing National Solar Mission and also renewable policy and regulatory framework in the country. He was associated with the formulation of Green Energy Corridors project and its implementation framework. While working in Wind Division of MNRE he was instrumental to preparation of Repowering Policy, National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy, Wind bidding scheme and its implementation guidelines, Onshore Wind Power Development Guidelines, etc. Presently he is heading Off-grid Solar Division of MNRE responsible for formulation of PM-KUSUM Scheme and its implementation framework, Atal Jyoti Yojana, 70 Lakh Solar Lamp Scheme for Students, Off-grid solar PV and Solar Thermal Scheme, etc.
Jennifer Fagan is First Secretary Trade and Investment at the British High Commission in New Delhi. She leads on the energy sector and engagement with business ahead of COP26.
Dr Jochen Dirksmeyer is heading the development department of wpd offshore. He joined the Independent Renewable Power Producer in 2008 and was since then in responsible functions of project development, work package management, tender management and business development. Dr Dirksmeyer is deepest connected within the international offshore wind industry. In 2016 he became part of the New Markets team, investigating opportunities of offshore wind with a global perspective. Since 2017 Dr Dirksmeyer is responsible for the Indian Market and in close contact with MNRE, NIWE and other relevant stakeholders.
Associate Director Europe
Dr John Murton was appointed as the UK’s COP26 Envoy in November 2019. Most recently, he served as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo and Central African Republic. John has considerable professional experience, notably in Africa and Asia. His previous appointments have included Deputy High Commissioner at the British High Commission in Nairobi, UK Permanent Representative to the UN in Kenya, UK High Commissioner to Mauritius and Ambassador to Madagascar. In London, he was Head of the Foreign Ministry department dealing with the UK’s relations with East and South East Asia and Australasia, and has also completed previous postings in Japan and at NATO Headquarters. Before joining the UK Government, John worked in Zimbabwe and researched his PhD in Kenya.
Mr. José Ignacio Sanz Saiz is a graduate in Industrial Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain. He has 27 years of experience in the energy industry and he has worked in different parts of the world. He started his career in the UK, working in R&D projects. He joined the TOTAL Group in Spain in 2000 and has held various positions in the Gas & Power and in the Exploration & Production branches. He has been Managing Director of the G&P affiliate TOTAL LNG USA in Houston and of the TOTAL E&P affiliates in Bolivia, United States and Australia. At present he is TOTAL’s Vice-president for Gas, Renewables and Power in India and Country Chair of TOTAL in this country
Joshua is the Managing director at TPI India with 30 years of work experience in Renewable ,Automotive, Electronics, Industrial and Consumer industry.
Ms. Julia Kennedy Acting Office Director and Deputy Indo-Pacific Coordinator Julia Kennedy is the Acting Office Director and Deputy Indo-Pacific Coordinator at USAID/India and was previously the Deputy Director of the Clean Energy and Environment Office. Ms. Kennedy has served in Haiti and Ecuador. Before joining USAID, she worked for the Department of State climate change negotiations team and reported on environment issues for the U.S. embassy in Chad. Ms. Kennedy also worked for a non-profit supporting community economic development and sustainable urban design in Chicago. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Ms. Kennedy holds a Master’s degree in Global Environmental Policy from American University and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Brown University. She is from Brooklyn, New York.
Juzer Vasi has been with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay since 1981, where he is currently an Emeritus Professor. He has worked in the areas of microelectronics and photovoltaics. He was the Founding Principal Investigator of the “National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education” (NCPRE), set up by MNRE at IIT Bombay. NCPRE has been involved in R&D in various aspects of solar photovoltaics since 2010. Juzer Vasi was an Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices during 1997-2003. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of IEEE. He received Lifetime Contributions Awards from IIT Bombay in 2013 and from INAE in 2018. He has a B.Tech. degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay, and a Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Jyoti Parikh is Executive Director of IRADe, New Delhi. She was a Member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change –India and is a recipient of Nobel Peace Prize awarded to IPCC authors in 2007. She has served as energy consultant to the World Bank, the U.S. Department of Energy, EEC, Brussels and UN agencies such as UNIDO, FAO, UNU, UNESCO and so on. She worked as an advisor to various ministries for the Gov. of India. She has held national and international appointments, which includes the Technical Advisory Committee for Energy Trust Funds Programmes of the World Bank; Scientific & Technical Advisory Panel to Global Environment Facility. She was on the Board of directors of IREDA. She obtained Ph.D. from University of Maryland, College Park (967). She has guided 12 Ph.D. theses and given lectures in more than 40 countries around the world. Her publications include many areas ranging energy access, renewable energy, women empowerment, gender and poverty alleviation, energy modelling, energy economics, local and global issues of energy and power systems, environment and climate change problems of the developing countries.
Mr K V S Baba is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Power System Operation Corporation Limited (POSOCO), having diversified experience of about 34 years in the power sector. He has experience of working in the areas of Power System Planning and Design of EHV Transmission system, Power System Analysis, Corporate Planning and Project Management in NTPC and POWERGRID, in addition to System Operation, Market operation aspects in POSOCO. He has been actively associated with large scale integration of Renewable Energy, bringing in Frequency controls, the introduction of Ancillaries, encourage flexibility, the introduction of various Electricity Market products to bring in dynamism such as Real-Time Market etc. He has been very active in collaborative efforts with State Load Despatch Centres through Forum of Load Dispatchers (FOLD) and knowledge dissemination across all the stakeholders. He has co-authored several technical papers on various topics in the electricity sector. He is the Chairman of the Indian National Study Committee of CIGRE SC C2
Kanika is a policy specialist, working at the intersection of India’s two revolutions: in renewable energy and in financial markets. She manages The Council’s work on renewable energy policy,markets, finance, and socio-economic benefits. Her current responsibilities include analysing financial risks affecting renewable energy investments in India, decoding market dynamics, managing The Council’s periodic surveys on renewable energy jobs, and convening a high-level working group on renewable energy finance (comprising investors, developers and manufacturers). She is actively engaged with private and public enterprises within and outside India to design and develop new financial de-risking instruments and new financial institutions, such as green banks. Her research has been used within government, by electricity regulators, and by international agencies and strategic philanthropies. She is actively engaged in the Council's initiative, Women in Sustainability. Prior to CEEW, Kanika worked at the REN21 Secretariat in Paris, and was one of the authors of the Global Status Report on Renewable Energy. She holds an M.Sc. in Economics and Development Economics.
Dr. Balaraman Kannan, Director General, National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) under Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India is an expert in RE integration. His vast experience of more than 3 decades is spread across the gamut of Renewable energy system and power system engineering right from planning to the real time operation. Dr. Balaraman is highly specialized in Renewable Integration, power system planning, and solving exceedingly intricate complex problems and providing solutions with right mix of tools, technologies and most of all, adept domain expertise. His international experience besides India includes England, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Fiji, Angola, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Maldives, Denmark, Spain, USA, Cuba and other countries. He has carried out Grid Integration of RE with the portfolio of more than 35,000 MW of wind generation and 10000 MW of solar generation. The projects spans across India, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Fiji and Indonesia. He was involved in preparation of Wind Energy Grid code in India and also updating Java-Matura-Bali Grid code with Renewables as part of ICED project. As part of US-AID SARI project, he was involved in Harmonization of Grid code for South Asian interconnection which has includes the Renewable Energy options. He is also active in Standards preparation and is chairing ETD 42 – Wind Turbines Sectional Committee under BIS and also part of IEC TC 88 He is recipient of “Outstanding Engineer Award” by the IEEE Power and Energy Society in 2016 and also received “British Overseas Scholarship” in 1997. He has published over 60 research papers in National and international journals & conferences. He has guided one Ph.D and two M.Sc (engg), besides over 500 projects of Master degree and Bachelor degree students.
Kapil Mohan IAS was recently appointed as the Principal Energy Secretary of the Energy Department of Karnataka. He was earlier serving as Principal Secretary to the State Government of Karnataka looking after the Infrastructure Development Department. He has handled various portfolios including Housing, Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Youth Services and Sports Department, and was also leading the Bangalore utility. He is a 1990 batch IAS officer of the Karnataka Cadre.
Karen Klimowski Acting Deputy Mission Director and Indo-Pacific Coordinator, South Asia USAID/India Karen Klimowski, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the U.S. Agency for International Development, has worked in international development for over 30 years in Asia, Pacific Islands, and Africa. She currently serves as the Acting Deputy Mission Director in New Delhi, India, assisting in overseeing programs in energy, environment, health, Tibet issues, education, and digital economy, among others. Prior to assuming her current duties, Ms. Klimowski served as the Indo-Pacific Coordinator for South Asia in India where she provided strategic direction to advance USAID’s Indo-Pacific programs and build strategic partnerships across the region to achieve the U.S. government’s goal of a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific. She also served in the Philippines, Uganda, Kenya, and Indonesia, overseeing a number of presidential initiatives and programs in health; education; and conflict affected areas, cutting across multiple development sectors including economic growth, democracy and governance, and environment. Ms. Klimowski began her U.S. government service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone and before joining USAID’s Foreign Service in 2005, Ms. Klimowski worked for the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Malawi; Zimbabwe; and Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to her U.S. government work, she worked for Orange County Health Care Agency in Santa Ana, California, and various non-governmental and academic institutions in California. A native of Santa Cruz, California, Karen received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physiology from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master’s in Public Health degree from San Diego State University.
Dr. Kenneth R. Vincent is the Director of the Office of Asian Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Previously, he served the Chief of Staff in DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, which is responsible for fossil energy research and development, export authorizations for liquefied natural gas, and management of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In his prior position as an Economist for the Office of Petroleum Reserves, he oversaw major planning and economic studies for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, conducted oil market and policy analysis, and executed the program’s international activities. Dr. Vincent began his career at DOE as oil market analyst with the U.S. Energy Information Administration. He holds a B.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, a Master of International Affairs from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in International Relations from George Washington University.
Kolluru Krishan is Graduate in Electrical Engineering from I.I.T. Kharagpur, Class of 1972. He has held top management positions in Energy & Infrastructure majors, as Founder Managing Director of Ansaldo Energia’s Indian JVC, Vice President of Dodsal & General Manager of Voltas. Thereafter, He Founded multiple Clean Tech companies, including Malavalli Power Plant (which commissioned the world’s 1st low density crop residues fired power plant & delivered the world’s 1st Gold Standard CER’s), CVC India Infrastructure & CVC Biorefineries. He is actively engaged in creating eco-system for Green Economy with focus on Sustainable Energy & Climate Change, in capacities of (a) Chairman Skills Council for Green Jobs (b) Chairman FICCI Committee on Climate Change (c) India Chair of BRICS Business Council Working Group on Energy & Green Economy (d) Member of B20 Task Force on Energy, Climate & Resource Efficiency. (e) Executive Committee Member of Karnataka State Bioenergy Development Board.
Director General of the Danish Energy Agency since 2018. Former Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities, and Climate.
Mr. Kuldeep Jain, Founder and Managing Director, CleanMax Mr. Kuldeep Jain is the Founder and Managing Director of CleanMax, pioneered the ‘Energy Sale’ model in India through the development of distributed generation capacity across some the country’s largest cities. Partnering with commercial and industrial (C&I) clients to build on-site and off-site solar generation projects, CleanMax enables businesses to access clean, cheaper-than-grid electricity by removing the need for significant upfront capital investment. He founded CleanMax in 2011-12 with vision to become the “sustainability partner of choice for corporates”. CleanMax pursued the corporate (private PPA) segment due to its belief that in the longer run, corporate sector has a larger role, in fighting climate change as many of them adopt ambitious renewables targets such as 100% renewables energy consumption. Over time, CleanMax have expanded their product range to include a network of grid connected open access renewable energy farms across India while also expanding internationally by offering its rooftop solar solutions in Middle East and South East Asia, with an aim to achieve 2 GW operational capacity by the year 2022. CleanMax has highly skilled and professional teams spread across 8 offices in India, UAE and Thailand with an employee strength of more than 200. Kuldeep started his career at McKinsey and Company where he worked across multiple offices including Singapore, Hong Kong, London and Zurich. He was elected as a Global Partner in 2008. Thereafter in 2010, he decided to pursue an entrepreneurial journey. At that time he was partner and head of Energy sector consulting and Corporate Finance/ strategy practice in India and had served clients across industry groups including power, renewables, cement, EPC. He is an alumnus of IIM – Ahmedabad (Class of PGP 1999). Kuldeep is a Chartered Accountant and also holds a Cost Accountant degree from ICWA. Some of the recent awards conferred to Kuldeep are • Star of the Industry Award for Best Green Entrepreneur of the Year by ET Now in 2018 • Young Alumni Achiever’s Award by IIM Ahmedabad for 2018
Kunal Upadhyay is the Co-Founder of Bharat Fund and CIIE.CO at IIM Ahmedabad which back startups across deep-tech and inclusive technologies. Prior to this, Kunal led Infuse Ventures which is India's first cleantech focussed incubation and venture fund - backed by MNRE, BP, IFC, among others. Kunal is also an advisor to Asian Development Bank to invest in climate tech innovations. He is an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and BTech from IIT Madras, and was recently awarded Forty under 40 by Economic Times.
The Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) is the voice of corporate Denmark. On the behalf of 10,000 member companies, we work to ensure synergy between society's goals concerning business competitiveness, a clean environment and energy security.
Lawrence L. Kazmerski is Emeritus Research-Staff Member of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado, having last served as Executive Director Science and Technology Partnerships at NREL 2009-2013. He is currently Fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI). Kazmerski’s 50-year professional career in solar energy includes serving as the founding Director of the National Center for Photovoltaics (NCPV) for the period 1999-2008. He received his BSEE (1967), MSEE (1968) and Ph.D. (1970) in electrical engineering, University of Notre Dame. He was on the electrical-engineering faculty at the University of Maine before coming to the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI-which became NREL, 1991) in 1977, with PV research reporting p the first thin-film copper-indium-diselenide (CIS) solar cell. He was SERI’s/NREL’s 1st staff member in photovoltaics, and he led PV measurements/characterization R&D for more than 20-years. Kazmerski has >340 publications and >200 invited talks. He has been recognized with several international awards, including the recent ISES-Farrington Daniels Award (2019) for his contributions to advancing solar-energy research. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, APS, AVS, and ASES. Kazmerski is Visiting-Professor (Energy) at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais (Brazil) and the Gandhi Distinguished Visiting-Professor of Electrical Engineering, IIT-Bombay, working with their PV efforts. Kazmerski is a Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS). Kazmerski is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He was elected as foreign member of the Indian Academy of Engineering (2018).
Mr M B Rajesh Gowda is the Managing Director of Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM). Karnataka leads the country in renewable energy production and Bengaluru has many successful solar installations, the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd (BESCOM). BESCOM has a target of generating 1200 MW electricity from rooftop solar panels by 2022. BESCOM has achieved only 140 MW from solar rooftop so far.
Sh. M.P. Singh is the Director of Punjab Energy Development Agency. He is a Mechanical Engineer and MBA from Panjab University. Since inception of PEDA in the year 1991, he is working with PEDA in the field of Renewable Energy. He has more than 25 years of experience in the field of Renewable Energy. He has done his fellowship programme in Waste to Energy- GHG Emissions abatement programme under GOI-UNDP programme in Germany and has been involved in setting up of various RE projects in the State & Country.
Dr. M. M. Tripathi is Professor with Delhi Technological University. He holds the position of Director Internal Quality Assurance Cell and Coordinator Intellectual Property Rights Cell at DTU. Dr. Tripathi has 26 years of experience with organizations of National/ International repute. He has worked as research scientist with Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar and Center for Electronics Design & Technology of India. As Joint Director of National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology HQ, Delhi he has worked on various projects such as Digitization and Biometric capture of usual residents of India (NPR), development of manpower in IECT Skills, ICT based Skill Testing and Certification framework and creation of IT Literacy framework in the Country. He has published more than 125 research papers and written 3 books. His Research interests are Artificial Intelligence and IOT applications in Smart Grid and forecasting of renewable energy.
Mahesh is President and CEO of GE South Asia, responsible for leading GE’s presence across India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He focuses on enabling GE to win, building stakeholder relationships, understanding market dynamics, supporting development and execution of business strategies, developing talent and managing enterprise risks. Before this, Mahesh led GE’s Onshore Wind Energy business for Greater Asia Pacific region and enabled record profitable growth in China, Japan and India. Since 2000, Mahesh has held increasingly responsible assignments within GE’s Healthcare, Power and Renewable Energy businesses in manufacturing, supply chain, quality, lean, six sigma, sales, projects, services and business management. During GE career, Mahesh has lived in India, USA and China. Before GE, Mahesh worked 12 years with Philips Electronics N.V. He is on Board of Directors GE Power India Ltd., US-India Business Council, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum and CII National Council.
Mahesh Kolli - President & Jt. MD Greenko Group Greenko is one of India’s leading renewable energy companies with over $8.5 billion in asset base operating 6.4 GW of energy assets across 15 states in the country. Mahesh Kolli, a young & dynamic first-generation serial entrepreneur. After graduating in Mechanical Engineering, he has successfully founded and developed multiple businesses in Information Technology, Environmental Technologies, Clean Energy and Urban Infrastructure sectors over the last decade. His entrepreneurial journey started with an environmental solutions company focused on technology transfer from developed markets to India. Mahesh believes in creating infrastructure that has a lasting social impact while contributing to the growing demands of India as a nation and has always strived to contribute to the growth of the country thorough establishing such businesses. Mahesh made his mark in the Indian Energy Sector by co-founding Greenko Group, a focused clean energy company along with Mr. Anil Chalamalasetty in 2006. Greenko is India’s leading Integrated Power Player & is replacing fossil fuel dependency with digitized, decentralized & decarbonized energy solutions. Mahesh is a keen participant and panelist in various investor forums and interacts with regulatory authorities and policy makers to ensure the development of the clean energy sector in India. In Feb 2019 the CEO club India awarded Mahesh with the “Unicorn Award ” for Greenko, for its exponential growth in ten years of operation to become the largest clean energy company operating in India . Outside of work, Mahesh stays in close touch with his roots and contributes towards the development of skilled individuals who can play a constructive role in India’s future.
I am a Indian Forest officer of 1990 batch worked in various fields like Management of territorial forest , wild life and expertise in eco development and sustainable natural resource management. The various field were i have, is Urban development, Tribal development, Education department, Drinking water supply management and now working as a managing Director of Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Limited - UGVCL (Power Distribution Company) since beginning of the year 2019. UGVCL is the one of the best Electrical Distribution Company of the Country ,bagged various national awards ,covers across 50,000 sq. km geographical area in northern region of Gujarat. Pioneer of Jyoti Gram Yojna and having total 37 lakhs of consumers. Also UGVCL has completed and commenced the first Smart Grid Project under Naroda Urban Area by installing @ 25000 Single/Three Phase Smart meters. UGVCL has also achieved remarkable targets under Renewable Energy projects of Govt. Of India as well as of Govt. of Gujarat.
Mahua Acharya leads the Asian operations of CPI, while also supporting high-level strategic planning and further build-up of the organization globally. She is part-time with CPI – she also teaches at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in an executive education program that she co-founded. Mahua has almost 20 years of international experience and knowledge of green finance, renewable energy, and carbon markets. For the last few years, Mahua was the Assistant Director-General of 29-country intergovernmental agency the Global Green Growth Institute, Seoul, where she established an investment division that worked across 16 countries and mobilized USD 500 million of financing commitments for 10 investment projects and funds. She was previously managing a $50 carbon credit investment fund investing in energy efficiency lighting to low income households – a scheme that later became the prototype for a large-scale replacement program in India. She has held roles in the World Bank, Washington DC and is one of the early pioneers of the carbon market. Mahua holds a Masters’ degree from Yale University. She often writes in international and Indian newspapers and is listed under 100 most mindful women in India.
Mani Khurana is a Senior Energy Specialist with the World Bank. Working for over thirteen years in World Bank and leading investment projects and analytical activities across energy sector value chain. She has been leading the Bank ‘s power sector engagement in various states in India. The engagements include financing of the critical power infrastructure and providing technical assistance to improve the operational efficiency and financial sustainability of the power sector utilities. She is also leading the solar rooftop project which provides access to finance at concessional rates to solar rooftop developers. She has co-authored many World Bank studies including a study on Financial performance of India ‘s power sector: Beyond Crisis. The book assessed the situation of India power sector 10 years after the landmark Electricity Act 2003. She has been recognized as one of Asia's Most Influential Women in Renewable Energy. She has a Master’s in Business Administration from Indian School of Business and holds a master’s degree in Economics from Delhi School of Economics.
D.V.Manjunatha is a dynamic business leader & the key driving force of Emmvee with over 30 years of management and entrepreneurial experience. Under his leadership, the company has established as an internationally acclaimed Solar water heater, Photovoltaic module manufacturer and a comprehensive EPC & Rooftop solutions provider. Under his leadership the company has received global recognition and various accolades. Emmvee was inaugurated as a manufacturing industry, inspired to find a solution to the power problems with an eco-friendly and greener approach. It also enabled his motive of making this world a better place to live. With his strong values inculcated in the Emmvee under his leadership, the company has developed and innovated various expertise in Renewable energy products and solutions worldwide. With over 900 employees and various suppliers placed in locations across the world, Emmvee can stand out through excellent customer service and commitment.
A 1991 batch Indian Administrative Service officer, Manu Srivastava holds B.Tech. and M.Tech. degrees in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi. Out of the 29 years of experience, Manu has worked for 14 years in energy sector and has lead path-breaking innovative projects in the field of Solar energy. His 750 MW Rewa Project has proved to be an inflection point in the history of Solar energy in India: it was the first project in the country to break grid parity; it is the only project in the country supplying power to an institutional customer - today Delhi Metro is running on this project. The project has been awarded World Bank Group’s President’s Award. The project has had the privilege of being recently inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India. Singapore Management University has developed a Case Study on Rewa Solar Project for their ‘Growing Infrastructure’ programme from the 2021 session. Solar Rooftop projects under the RESCO mode with the landmark tariff of below 2US cents/unit have established a new way of setting up solar rooftop projects in the country; this has enabled solar rooftops to be set up without any capital investment by the beneficiaries, they being colleges, health institutions, government buildings and lately MSMEs; the model is even being followed in Ghana & Guinea in West Africa. Prior to renewable energy, he steered the State of Madhya Pradesh in India to 24x7 power supply as Chairperson of all utilities of the State & MD of MP Power Management Company. He was primarily responsible for power procurement and maintaining energy supply. Before that, he worked in Government of India and looked after natural gas in Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas: distribution within the country, gas pipeline infrastructure, city gas programmes, international LNG contracts and transnational pipelines. Manu is passionate about theatre and international politics, apart from studying energy dynamics in the country.
Mathieu Soulas began his career, in Total’s Refining Division. After holding various positions, including at the Provence and Normandy refineries in France, and in Brussels, Belgium, he was appointed Technical Manager of the Antwerp complex, one of the largest platforms in Europe.
As head of refining and petrochemical operations in the Benelux countries from 2009, he was responsible for the business aspects and trading activities of three major industrial complexes.
He moved to corporate headquarters in France in January 2013 and was appointed Executive Vice President for the geographical zone of the Indian Ocean and Vice President Supply and Logistic covering the whole Africa and Middle-East perimeter.
In 2017, he became Vice President in charge of the Lubricants Business Unit worldwide.
On August 16th 2019, he was appointed Senior Vice President Strategy & Climate for the Group Total.
Mathieu Soulas, 49, is a graduate of France's Ecole Polytechnique and IFP (Oil&Gas) engineering schools.
Mathilde Bord-Laurans has 15 years’ experience in development financing in the energy sector. Today she heads AFD’s Energy Division, where a team of energy specialists are working in 80 countries to support projects to promote access to electricity for all, develop renewable energies and improve energy efficiency. Mathilde Bord-Laurans graduated as an engineer from both the École Centrale Paris and the École Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (ENGREF). She went on to join AFD in 2005, where for almost 10 years she managed electricity projects for public enterprises, especially in Africa. In 2015, she joined PROPARCO, AFD’s subsidiary dedicated to financing and supporting private sector players working in various branches of sustainable development. At Proparco, she developed the investment portfolio in the off-grid energy sector and worked on large-scale solar programs.
Matthew is the CEO and Co-founder of Ping Services, an intelligent listening company. He has a Bachelor of Engineering and Masters of Engineering Science qualifications with nearly 30 year’s experience in acoustics including research in environmental noise wind farms acoustics. In 2018 he founded Ping Services to help wind farms reduce blade maintenance costs by detecting damage using sound.
Matthieu Craye is International Relations Officer at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Energy where he contributes to strategy development for the EU's external energy policy and manages the EU's energy dialogue with India and Japan.
Maximilian Trommsdorff holds a Master of Science in Economics and Politics. Before graduating from the University of Freiburg he worked in the organic food retail sector as a sales and marketing manager. Since 2014 he contributes to the promotion and development of the agrivoltaics sector and served as an agrivoltaics project manager for Fraunhofer ISE from 2017 to 2019. Since 2019 he is the head of the Fraunhofer ISE agrivoltaics department, managing a project portfolio of over ten projects worldwide. In addition, he currently pursues his PhD in development economics, researching on agrivoltaic technology transfer. He is a passionate musician and loves to travel.
Meagan Fallone | CEO & Director of Barefoot College International Meagan Fallone is the 2018 Hillary Institute Laureate for her Global Leadership in the areas of Climate Change, Poverty Reduction, Social Justice and Economic Empowerment of Women. She is a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur and a 2020 winner of the Wise Award for innovation in Education. She is an entrepreneurial thinker who has successfully led for-profit and not-for profit organisations to scale with an approach grounded in design thinking. Meagan is the Founder of Step Up Advisers, a global south advisory firm working to architect bold systems partnerships towards scale and impact in the areas of Renewable Energy, Agriculture, Rural Technology and Women’s Financial Inclusion. Step up Advisers is dedicated to bringing together Communities, Government, Private Sector, Philanthropy, Multilaterals and world class Social Innovation organisations to co-create solutions that will be sustainable and replicable. For the last decade Meagan has been CEO and Director of India’s Barefoot College International, a Skoll Foundation Awardee organisation and now a committed Board member; she has led Barefoot College extensive portfolio of climate focused programs, including the 93 country Barefoot Women Solar Engineering Initiative, the building of 6 Barefoot Colleges in sub saharan Africa and the Pacific, the ENRICHE women’s agency program and a significant development of technology platform that cross the language and literacy barrier. Today, Barefoot College and its net zero community based renewable energy program led entirely by women has achieved a 62% self generated income and delivers 1.3 gigawatts of clean energy annually. Barefoot works deeply with a network of more than 136 partner civil society and fellow social entrepreneurial organisations, with philanthropy, private sector and Governments.
MEHNAZ ANSARI Sr. Regional Representative- South Asia Indo Pacific Region United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Ms. Mehnaz Ansari heads the United States Trade and Development Agency’s (USTDA) office for the South Asia Region. She is based at the US Embassy in New Delhi. She is responsible for managing USTDA’s South Asia office operations and leads USTDA activities in advancing host country development priorities, US industry trade interest and US government’s foreign policy objectives. India is USTDA’s largest portfolio worldwide. Besides USTDA’s core programs in Civil Aviation and Clean energy, Mehnaz has helped expand South Asia portfolio to include sectors such as Rail, Ports, Smart Cities, Oil and Gas, Healthcare, ICT, Executive Education, Standards and Finance. She has been working on USTDA’s Global Procurement Initiative and helped experiment it first time with fostering a partnership at a subnational level with the State of Maharashtra. She has been instrumental to partner with the World Bank on working together on Digital Infrastructure and Smart Cities across South Asia. She actively works with the governments in South Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, Afghanistan to develop new markets and promote US Business interests. Mehnaz represents USTDA on its two-signature public-private partnerships in India, the US–India Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP) and the US–India Energy Cooperation Program (ECP). She is a member of the Government of India’s Consultative Committee on Smart Cities for Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. She is also a member of the Global ICT Sector Team. Mehnaz is an avid speaker and published writer on International and Indian platforms on multiple sectors including aviation, smart cities, rail, energy, ports, and business management. A recipient of multiple U.S. Government Mission and Industry awards, Mehnaz is also a member of U.S. Mission’s Gender Empowerment Committee, USTDA’s Global Transportation Team and life member of Women in Aviation-India Chapter and The Rotary Wing Society of India.
Dr. Mohammad Rihan is presently as Professor since January 2018 in the Electrical Engineering Department of Aligarh Muslim University. He has done significant research work in the area of smart grid; an area of national importance, in last 10 years. Dr. Rihan as Convener, Green University has been leading the efforts towards large scale integration of renewable energy sources and conservation of electricity. The initiatives included integration of 6.5MWp grid connected solar PV plants with the campus distribution grid; the largest such installation in any academic institution in the country. His efforts led to about 25% reduction in the electricity consumption of the campus from conventional sources of electricity in just two years. For these accomplishments Dr. Rihan has been elected Fellow of the IET(UK) in October 2019. He is also working as Visiting Scientist at National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), MNRE since May 2019.He is a Senior Member of IEEE since 2014. Dr. Rihan has successfully implemented a project of Rs. 20 Cr. funded by UGC for solar farm, one project of UP Council for Science and Technology on monitoring of dynamic phenomena in the smart grid. He has also completed a project on Green Campus funded by MNRE. Under this project energy conservation target has been defined for making AMU a Green Campus. He is coordinating the establishment of a centre for Grid Integrated Green and Renewable Energy in the campus to address the research challenges presented by high penetration of renewable energy in the grid. He has also established a Centre for Training on Solar PV in collaboration with Skill Council, Green Jobs, Government of India. He has been serving as Technical Expert for vetting the proposals of Smart City for Bareilly and Aligarh. He is serving as an expert evaluator for IMRINT, the flagship research development program of government of India.
Mohinder Gulati has worked with the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All as Chief Operating Officer from its inception until 2015 and before that with the World Bank for twenty years, his latest assignment was as Adviser (Energy). As Sector Leader (Sustainable Development) for South East Europe, he managed policy dialogue, project development and implementation, and partnership with key development partners and external relations. As Program Leader in East Asia and Pacific, he managed large cross-border private sector hydro projects and creation of regional electricity market. In South Asia he led World Bank-funded power sector restructuring and reform program in several Indian states (Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa), enactment of new laws and regulation, creation of new regulatory institutions, and construction of power generation, transmission, and distribution projects. He is a graduate in Management (Harvard and Delhi University), Physics (Delhi University), and Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers.
Dr Moustapha Kamal Gueye is Coordinator, Green Jobs Programme, at the International Labour Organization (ILO), working to promote positive employment outcomes of policies on climate change, green economy and sustainable development. Previously, he served as Head, Green Economy Advisory Services at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and as a Senior Programme Manager at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development in Geneva. Earlier, he spent twelve years across Asia working at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Japan. He currently serves in the Steering Group of the Green Economy Coalition and the Advisory Committee of GEO for Business. Kamal holds a Ph.D. from Nagoya University, Japan; DEA and LL.M from Dakar University; and Executive Certificates from the World Bank Institute; Columbia University; Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development, Japan; and Integrated Research and Action for Development, India. He speaks Wolof, French, English, and Japanese.
Muddasir Nazir Mir has done Bachelors in Commerce from Delhi University Sri Venkateswara College and has completed his MBA from Fordham Graduate School Of Business with majors in Management, Finance and Media and Communication. Under the Leadership of Mr Nazir Ahmad Mir Muddasir has been the part of core team primarily handling finance, E&M, Transmission and trading functions of Magpie Hydel construction operations pvt. Ltd.over the last 15 years. Muddasir as Director of Magpie Hydel has commissioned Athwatoo SHP (first IPP private power project of J&K) 10 MWs, Tangmarg SHP 10 MWs, Poonch SHP 15 MWs and Baltikulan SHP 5 MWs (As CEO Mass-N-Ergy). Muddasir is also personally involved in Jammu and Kashmir Independent power producers Chamber and the Federation of Indian Small Hydro Power as Executive member which are the prime organizations for addressing issues related to Small Hydro Sector both at state and national level. With the recent transformation Jammu and Kashmir to a Union territory small hydro sector is all set to receive a boost not only in terms of favourable policy parameters but also a possible hub for national and international investment .
Munish is Trade and Investment Commissioner for the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) in South Asia. He leads the Australian government’s trade and investment promotion strategies and initiatives across the sectors of infrastructure, mining, resources and energy. Munish has held numerous positions with Austrade over the past 20 years, both in Australia and internationally. Prior to taking up his posting in India, he has served as the Manager of the Advisory Services and Consumer sector and National Manager for Infrastructure and ICT teams in Australia. Prior to Austrade, he has worked with the ‘Advertiser Newspaper’ in Adelaide and was responsible for the circulation sales of the publication. Munish holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from University of South Australia and Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management (UNSW). He is fluent in Hindi.
Dr N Rajalakshmi is Senior Scientist and Team Leader at Centre for Fuel Cell Technology Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials. Her current fields of research interest include PEM Fuel Cell, Hydrogen Storage and Batteries. She has handled several scientific projects in Storage Technology. She has several patents and publications in this domain.
Nawal SainiManaging Director, Investments, Renewable Power, Brookfield Nawal Saini is the Managing Director within BAM India Group responsible for Renewable Power investments in India. Nawal Saini joined Brookfield India in 2018 and has over 15 years of investing and financial services experience. Prior to joining Brookfield, Nawal worked briefly with CDPQ and with JP Morgan’s Asian Infrastructure Fund for over 6 years, overseeing investments and asset management in the infrastructure, and power space. Prior to JP Morgan, Nawal was part of Jacob Ballas, A New York Life sponsored sector agnostic private equity fund. Nawal started his career as a banker with SBI Capital Markets and ABN Amro Bank. He holds a BSc (H) Mathematics degree from University of Delhi, and completed his MBA from Management Development Institute, Gurgaon. Email ID: Nawal.Saini@brookfield.com
Neeraj is a Partner with over 16 years of experience and heads Trilegal’s Energy, Infrastructure and Natural Resources practice. His primary areas of practice are energy, infrastructure and resources projects including PPP projects. Neeraj has advised the Government of India on the policy regime for conventional power, renewable energy and natural resources. Neeraj has advised numerous financial and strategic investors, lenders, multilateral agencies and utilities on all aspects of investing, developing and financing conventional, solar, wind and hydro power projects as well as electricity transmission and distribution projects. He recently advised IFC and Government of Madhya Pradesh on the development of 750 MW of Rewa Ultra Mega Solar PV project on PPP basis. His key clients include Engie, Alfanar, Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, Global Infrastructure Partners, KKR, Macquarie Capital, Actis, Sprng Energy, Brookfield Asset Management, CLP India, EDF, Edelweiss Alternative Asset Advisors Limited, Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel, EGP India, IFC. Neeraj is recognised by Chambers, IFLR 1000, RSG, IBLJ and Vahura as a leading practitioner in Energy & Infrastructure sector in India. He has been ranked among the Super 50 lawyers in India by Asia Legal Business 2020.He has also been recognized among the Top 20 Emerging Legal Leaders in India by RSG 2019 report. Neeraj is an alumnus of Symbiosis Law School, Pune University and a member of Bar Council of Delhi, India and the Supreme Court Bar Association, India.
Dr. Mittal is an officer of the 1992 batch of IAS. An Electrical Engineer by training from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, MBA from Cranfield University in U.K. and Ph.D. in Economics/MIS from Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University, USA. He has several publications to his credit. He has extensive experience in policy formulation and execution in e-Governance, Transport, Industrial promotion, Petroleum & Natural gas, Commerce & Industry, and Telecommunications and IT. In his last assignment he worked for the World Bank at Washington DC. He is currently MD & CEO of Guidance, Tamil Nadu’s nodal agency for investment promotion and single window facilitation. His recent engagements include Project Arrow in Department of Post, e-Biz project in Department of Commerce, world’s largest Cash Transfer Program in LPG in India (PaHaL) and GiveItUp in the ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas which leverage technology to simplify processes, improve efficiency, conve nience, participation and transparency in Governance.
Neerav Nanavaty has over 20 years of experience in the energy sector across North America and India. He joined ENGIE in 2001 and is currently the CEO and Country manager for ENGIE India. In his current role, he leads all of Engie’s activities across India across the renewables and energy services verticals. Previously, he led Business Development, Construction and Operations for Engie’s renewables activities in India. Prior to moving to India in 2014, Neerav spent 14 years with ENGIE in the United States, helping build and manage their North American power and gas business. He has been in various commercial and operational roles in the wholesale and retail energy business across regulated and deregulated markets in the US, Canada and Mexico – including Operations, Strategy/M&A, Finance, Business Development, Trading, and Asset Management. Prior to joining ENGIE, Neerav spent 3 years with Enron in the US and Singapore in their Power and Gas Origination and Business Development functions. Neerav is an electronics engineer from NIT Surathkal (Karnataka) and has an MBA in Finance/Strategy from Duke University, USA.
Nick Dunlop established the New York-based network of legislators, Parliamentarians for Global Action. He organised the Six Nation Peace Initiative, which brought together the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Argentina, Greece, India, Mexico, Sweden, and Tanzania, with support from Pope John Paul II, to help end the Cold War. Nick launched the EarthAction Network in 1992, linking 2000 citizen groups in 160 countries, and through an EarthAction campaign persuaded the U.S. Senate to ratify the UN Convention on Desertification. After organising a campaign on climate change with actor Leonardo DiCaprio, he established the Climate Parliament, a global network of legislators which has mobilised more than $1 billion in public support for renewable energy. Nick Dunlop was a co-recipient of the first Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace and Development, awarded by the President of India. He is a citizen of New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland, and lives in the UK.
Nicolas Couderc joined the EDF Group in 2008, at the Corporate Strategy division; he then became Head of Portfolio Structuring for Europe within the Optimization and Trading division in 2010. In 2014, he first became advisor to the CEO of EDF Renewables, then Head of Strategy and M&A. In 2016, Nicolas Couderc is appointed as Executive VP, France. He is responsible for all EDF Renewables onshore activities in France (wind and PV plants) and is a member of EDF Renewables Executive Committee. Nicolas Couderc is also a Board member of the Syndicat des Energies Renouvelables, the leading renewable energy professional association in France and of WindEurope. Prior to EDF, Nicolas Couderc spent several years in the finance sector as a university teacher and researcher, then as a market economist. He has been an associate professor since 2008 of Finance at ESCP Europe and he keeps on teaching regularly. Former student at École Normale Supérieure de Fontenay-Saint-Cloud, Nicolas Couderc graduated from Sciences Po Paris and holds a Doctorate in Economics from Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris.
Niels van Berlaer joined DEME Offshore in 2004, as Business Unit Director he is responsible for growth opportunities in Offshore Wind in the Asia Pacific region. DEME offshore is the market leader in the offshore renewables industry with an unrivalled track record in the transport and installation of foundations, turbines, inter-array cables, export cables and substations. With its high-tech and versatile fleet of vessels DEME Offshore offers flexible solutions for the most complex offshore energy projects. In the past Niels was responsible for the construction of a large number of offshore windfarms in Europe such as the first Belgium offshore windfarm, Thornton Bank Phase 1. Niels was also involved on the Alpha Ventus project in Germany where prepiling was executed for the very first time in offshore wind. This technique was optimized in the UK on the Ormonde project and further developed to perfection on Phase 2 & 3 of the Thornthon Bank Project. His last executed offshore wind project was the EPCI Northwind Offshore Wind Farm in Belgium. Since 2014 Niels has taken up a commercial role and todays main focus is on Taiwan where DEME Offshore through its partnership with CSBS in CDWE is involved in both Hai Long, ChangFang & Xidao as well as the Zhong Neng project. With the investment of the Taiwan build DP3 Heavy Lift 4000T Vessel “Green Jade” CDWE shows its full commitment to help expand the Taiwanese Offshore Wind market. Activities are also rapidly expanding in Japan where DEME Offshore teamed up with marine contractor Penta-Ocean to secured projects in the upcoming auction round. Collaborations are also ongoing in Vietnam, India and South-Korea.
Prof. Dr. Oliver Lüdtke, who has a doctorate in engineering, has been COO Bioethanol/Biomethane at VERBIO AG since May 2011. His responsibilities include R&D, production and project development in the bioethanol and biomethane segment. He is also in charge of data protection, controlling and risk management.
Paolo Frankl is Head of the Renewable Energy Division at the International Energy Agency (IEA), which he joined in 2007. Dr. Frankl leads the IEA’s work on renewables, providing analysis and advice on policies, markets and technologies to 30 Member and eight Association countries. A physicist by training, Dr. Frankl holds a Ph.D in energy and environmental technologies from the University of Rome and has been post-doc Marie Curie research fellow at INSEAD business school in Fontainebleau, France. Dr. Frankl has 30 years of experience working on renewable energy systems and markets, life cycle assessment and eco-labeling.
Parag Sharma is the Founder and CEO of O2 Power, a renewable energy platform. Set up in November 2019, O2 Power has raised 500 million USD from global investors, EQT and Temasek to develop and execute utility-scale renewable energy projects in India, including large-scale wind and solar projects. Within a year, O2 Power has become one of the fastest-growing renewable companies in India having bagged three solar projects with a cumulative capacity of 980 MW. Before starting O2 Power, Parag was Chief Operating Officer at ReNew Power, India's leading renewable energy IPP, for 8 years. He was instrumental in setting up 5 GW of wind and solar capacity at ReNew. Parag has spent about 23 years in the power sector. Parag is an MBA from IIT Delhi, LLB from Delhi University, and Electrical Engineering from AMU. He is a passionate long-distance marathon runner.
Civil Engineering Graduate from NIT Allahabad and Post Graduation from NIT Kurukshetra (1987). Presently working as Senior Vice President in Greenko. Around 34 years of experience in Energy Sector wherein specialised 28 years in Hydro and 6 years in Hybrid Renewable Energy Sector including Pumped storage Projects. Have discrete distinction of equally working in Government & Private sector i.e. 17 Years each, which includes 16 Years at Senior Management positions. Hands on Concept to Commissioning experience of around 20 Hydro Projects & equal number of Solar & Wind Projects spread across 15 states i.e. varying from Challenging Himalayan to Deccan Plateau conditions and Constrained time lines. Presently working on two Worlds First and Largest Integrated Renewable Energy with Storage projects (IRESP) 5 GW each where Pumped Storage component is around 1.2 GW each.
Civil Engineering Graduate from NIT Allahabad with Post Graduation from NIT Kurukshetra (1987), Presently working as Senior Vice President in Greenko. Around 34 years of experience in Energy sector wherein specialised hydro power experience is 28 years and more than 6 years in Hybrid Renewable Energy sector including Pumped Storage projects. Have discrete distinction of working equally in Government and Private sector i.e. almost 17years each, which includes more than 16 years at Senior Management positions. Hands on experience of working on around 20 hydro projects on concept to commissioning & equal number of Solar and Wind projects spread across 15 states i.e. varying from challenging Himalayan conditions to deccan Plateau conditions and constrained time lines. Presently working on two Worlds First & Largest Integrated Renewable Energy with Storage Projects (IRESP) of 5GW each wherein Pumped Storage component is around 1.2GW each.
Patrick Phelan, PhD, is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, a Senior Sustainability Scientist for the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, and the Assistant Dean for Engineering Graduate Programs at Arizona State University. He has served as the Director of the NSF Thermal Transport Processes Program (2006 – 2008), and as the Manager of the Department of Energy Building Technologies Office, Emerging Technologies Program (2012 – 2016). He was previously an Associate Editor for the ASME Journal of Heat Transfer, and is presently the Energy and Buildings Section Editor-in-Chief for the journal Energies. His research and teaching interests are in heat transfer, energy ef