Speakers Bios

Prof.  Armin G. Aberle
Deputy CEO, SERIS

Professor Armin Aberle was born and educated in Germany. He is a semiconductor scientist who has devoted his entire career to photovoltaic devices. He has performed leading-edge research across the entire portfolio of crystalline silicon solar cells. He has worked in three countries (Germany, Australia, Singapore), both at universities and in industry. He has published extensively (250 papers) in leading journals/conferences and his work has a high impact on the field (> 1400 citations).

From 1998 to 2008 he was a professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney where he headed the Thin-Film Solar Cell Group and contributed to the establishment of the world’s first undergraduate engineering degree in Photovoltaics and Solar Energy. Since May 2008 he is with the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), as Deputy CEO and Director of its Silicon photovoltaics programme. He is also a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NUS.

Tim Adams graduated in Civil Engineering from Imperial College, London in 1987 and joined Foster Wheeler where for ten years he undertook a range of senior construction management roles on petrochemical and power projects in the UK and the Far East. During this time he also gained an MBA from Henley Management College after which he was responsible for Corporate planning and strategic business development for the UK group. After leaving Foster Wheeler he became Managing Director of a specialist marine subsea contractor engaged in diving and heavy marine construction works in Europe. This lead through an interest in the emerging offshore wind industry, to him co-founding the SeaWind group in 2001 which since that time has been active in the development of on and offshore wind power projects across the globe. Latterly Seawind has also become active in developing wind based energy projects for  large industrial processes, particularly the mining sector and has also designed a number of new bespoke wind turbines to suit particular environmental applications including a new 2MW  unit to be built in China next year.  In addition to being a Chartered Civil Engineer, Tim is an Associate of various other professional and industry bodies including the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the City & Guilds Institute and he is a Fellow of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board.

Dinesh has over 16 years experience in the field of Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change and has specialized in biomass-related technologies and applications.  He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of The Carbon Rating Agency (CRA) of the IDEAcarbon group and based in Singapore.

Reporting to the Board of the Carbon Rating Agency, a wholly owned subsidiary of IDEAcarbon, Dinesh leads the company's strategy of positioning ratings as a key tool for strengthening and expanding global carbon markets by increasing transparency and enhancing the efficiency of decision-making.

Mr Ricky Beltran
CEO, Clean Tech Energy Systems, Inc.

Developed pioneering Mini Hydropower and Waste to Energy projects in the Philippines; namely, in run of river hydro power (7MW Bubunawan Mini Hydro Power Project, 1996), in commercial piggeries (Rocky Farms, 1998), sugar alcohol distilleries (Central Azucarera de Tarlac, 2000), landfill gas (Payatas, 2002), sewerage treatment (Magallanes Sewerage Treatment Plant, 2004), communal digesters (Soro – Soro Ibaba, 2005), municipal waste (Cebu City Waste Disposal Facility, 2006) and district cooling (City Hall Vapor Absorption, 2007).

CDM expert and biogas development consultant presently to Asian Development Bank and formerly to the Gold Standard Foundation, the Belgian Tender, Klima Climate Change Center, Philippine Environmental Management Bureau, the Local Government of Cebu City, the Development Academy of the Philippines, the Sugar Millers Association of the Philippines, League of Cities of the Philippines and Pollution Control Association of the Philippines.
 

Ram Bhaskar is currently Head of the National Environment Agency's Energy Efficiency Programme Office. He develops national energy efficiency programmes for the industrial, commercial and residential sectors.

He is a member of the Clean Energy Programme Office's Project Evaluation Panel.

He is also a member of International Standards Organisation's Strategic Advisory Group for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Suzanne Chew is a Senior Emissions Broker in the award-winning carbon team at TFS Green, and recently relocated from London to launch the carbon desk in Singapore. Suzanne has successfully structured carbon commercialization strategies for leading companies in Asia across renewable energy, industrial and energy efficiency sectors, for a wide variety of clients in the financial and energy field. Suzanne travels widely across Asia with a focus on Southeast Asia, and has strong commercial expertise in CDM and Voluntary carbon markets. Prior to joining TFS Green, Suzanne was a management consultant focused on business development across Asia.

TFS Green has a presence in Singapore, Manila, Australia, Beijing, Chile, London, and New York, with strong support from TFS offices in the energy and finance sectors in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Dubai, and South Africa.
 

Mr. Choi is a director at Middle East & Asia Capital Partners (MEACP), a Singapore-based private equity fund manager. He is currently involved in establishing MEACP's $400M Clean Energy Fund, the largest of its kind in Asia, focusing on clean and renewable energy investments across the developing economies of Asia. Prior to joining MEACP, Mr. Choi was with Vestas Asia Pacific Wind Technology responsible for developing strategy and implementing new business initiatives across Asia-Pacific region including China, India, and South-East Asia countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. His roles at Vestas also included financial engineering support to regional customers to ensure adequate financing for clients’ projects. Prior to Vestas, Mr. Choi spent 12 years in the semiconductor industry holding various key positions at Lam Research South East Asia, a silicon valley based leading global semiconductor equipment manufacturer. Mr. Choi started his career as a quality & reliability engineer in Hewlett-Packard Singapore Components Operations. He holds a Masters Degree in Engineering from the University of Toronto and a bachelor's at York University, Canada.

Micheal Collins graduated with an MBA from top global business school INSEAD, specializing in Entrepreneurship, Business Development and Finance. Prior to setting up Collins Kumarasinghe Associates, Micheal worked in the UK, Ireland, Spain and the US as a senior consultant for various multi-nationals, including IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, iXL (Scient) and Corel Corp.

He also served as Executive Director of the Irish Business Association in Singapore and is currently on the board of EuroCham. Micheal holds a Master of Science in Physics from University College Cork, Ireland.
 

Graduated in Economics, Federal University, Rio, 1981.
Graduated Instituto Rio Branco (Brazilian Diplomatic Academy), Brasília, 1983.

Diplomat since 1983, held functions in Brasília in areas such as Trade Promotions, Protocol and Climate Change.

Held diplomatic functions at the Brazilian Embassies in Madrid (1986-1988), Prague (1988-1991), Washington DC (1996-1999), Buenos Aires (1999-2001), Brussels (Mission to the European Union, 2005-2008).
Executive Secretary Working Group, International Conference on Biofuels, São Paulo, 17 to 21 of November 2008.

Paul Curnow is one of the world's leading legal advisors on climate change and renewable energy markets. Since 2000 Paul has been advising government, multilateral and private sector clients on domestic and international climate, renewable and clean energy regulation and policy, cross-border project development and financing under the Kyoto Protocol and domestic and regional trading and renewable energy schemes, and structured financing deals in primary and secondary carbon markets. Between 2001 and 2004 Paul was an international climate change negotiator with the Australian Greenhouse Office. A Partner with Baker & McKenzie since 2007, Paul is a Visiting Fellow in Environmental Markets Law at the University of New South Wales.

Dr. Surya Darma
Director Operations, Pertamina Geothermal Energy
President, Indonesian Geothermal Association

Dr. Peter du Pont has more than 25 years experience developing sustainable energy and efficiency programs in the U.S. and Asia. His career has been focused on understanding how to design and implement effective policies, programs, and market-based initiatives.  Since 1989, he has worked extensively throughout the Asia region, in NGO, private-sector, and government-sector organizations to design and advise on the implementation of clean energy strategies and initiatives.  Dr. du Pont has experience working with U.S. agencies and programs such as USAID, the Department of State, and the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP).  He has guided numerous international collaborations, has managed multi-ethnic staff, and has working relationships with key energy policymakers in many Asian countries, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Dr. du Pont has developed national energy-saving plans for Thailand and Vietnam; has directed an international non-profit organization working on energy efficiency issues; and has served as Secretariat to APEC’s Expert Group on Energy Efficiency and Conservation.  He currently leads the major regional USAID program in Asia promoting clean energy options to mitigate greenhouse gases, the ECO-Asia Clean Development and Climate Program.

Tony leads a team of sales professionals in Ecospec overseeing the Group’s business development and sales activities. His responsibilities include identifying, developing and running the sales operations.  He has over 15 years’ regional exposures in manufacturing industry with principal role in system integrating, process solution and performance enhancement. One of his current key roles at Ecospec is creating good technological and industries awareness on Ecospec’s range of advanced environment technologies; including breakthrough CO₂ and other greenhouse gases abatement technology; CSNOx™.

Fiza Farhan, is the Director of Buksh Energy Pvt. Ltd., an innovative new entrant in the Energy Sector of Pakistan, promising to provide extensive energy solutions to industrial, commercial, domestic and rural clients. Buksh Energy functions as a part of a high end, dynamic, retail company in Pakistan; Buksh Group, with its inception in 1993, Buksh Group has repeatedly proven itself with sustained revenue and growth in changing markets. From fashion to sound and technology, jewelry and automation, the company has defined new directions which are both challenging and exciting. With sales in 35 outlets nationwide and an asset base of US$ 60 million, Buksh Group entails top brands from around the world within its umbrella. This includes 21 high fashion brands such as Armani, Gucci, Dior, Fendi and Boss; 3 prestigious and coveted luxury automobile brands Jaguar, Range Rover and Bentley and other names such as Swatch, Exist, Bang & Olfusen and Red Earth.

Mr. Warren Fernandez
Regional Director, Communications Strategy, Shell

Warren Fernandez, is Regional Director for Communications Strategy in Shell’s Asia Pacific Hub, based in Singapore. His role includes overseeing Shell’s network of media and communications teams in the Asia Pacific region. His area of interests includes environmental sustainability, energy scenario planning and political analysis, and he works with colleagues in the Hague to deliver programmes related to these issues in Asia.

Prior to joining Shell, he was Deputy Editor of The Straits Times. A veteran journalist, he had also served as the paper’s Foreign Editor, overseeing its network of correspondents throughout Asia and the world, as well as its News Editor and Political Editor. He also wrote a regular column in the paper called Thinking Aloud.
 

Mark Fogarty is Executive Director of CBD Energy, an ASX listed renewable energy company. CBD’s major shareholder is Solon AG, one of Europe’s largest solar companies. Mark is also Director of Windcorp Australia, CVC Sustainable Investment Fund and the Renewable Energy Generators Association of Australia (REGA). The CVC Group is a listed company with a market capitialisation of over $350m. It is a specialist investor in renewable energy in partnership with the Australian Government through the Renewable Energy Equity Fund.

In addition Mark serves as:

• Chairman of Southeast Asia & Pacific Advisory Committee for the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), and represented Australia at the REEEP Governing Board Meeting at the COP14 UNFCCC Meeting in Poland.
• Director of the Advisory Board of ReEx Capital Asia, based in Singapore, a funding facilitator for renewable energy projects in Asia.
• Member of the Steering Committee of the ADB-led Energy for All Partnership
• Member of the Advisory Board of University of Sydney Law School - Australian Centre for Environmental Law.   

Prior to 2000 Mark was National Director of Environment and Energy at the Australian Industry Group. More recently Mark was CEO of the NSW Sustainable Energy Authority (SEDA). SEDA, on behalf of the NSW Government, invested over $180m in nine years of operation in sustainable energy programs and renewable energy projects. In terms of Funds Management SEDA invested from its Sustainable Energy Fund over $54m in renewable energy projects.

Mark is a practicing lawyer with Masters Degrees in business studies and environmental law.

 

Dr. Sujit Ghosh has more than 15 years of working experience in civil engineering consulting, business development, technical supervisory, product development and general management roles in various multi-national companies. Before joining Holcim, he spent a period of time working with Lafarge Asia-Pacific as Regional Technical Director.

Dr. Sujit Ghosh is currently the CEO for the group company in Singapore, a position he had held since 2007. His personal interest in Sustainable Construction led him to be involved in Singapore Government’s Sustainable Construction Steering Committee. “Holcim Green” concrete was developed by using recycled materials and currently performs well in the industry.

Mr. Max Goeldi
Product Unit Manager
Industrial, HUBER+SUHNER AG

Max started his career with Huber+Suhner in the year 2000 as Product Manager. Since 2004, he has been responsible for the Product Unit Industrial. Products for the PV Solar industry are an important part of the Product Unit Industrial. During his career he was strongly involved in the development and marketing of the connectivity systems for the Solar industry.
 

Oliver’s career (Autodesk, Maag Holdings, Implenia) has been devoted to technological innovation for the real estate industry. His current work focuses on Facilities Management solutions – Energy Management, Building Optimization, bench marking, and reduction of carbon footprint. He has pioneered the integration of sensor networks with web, mobile and 3D solutions to create shared spaces for all aspects of facilities management services from Virtual Risk Mapping to online Building Automation Management.

Oliver worked closely with IBM and SAP (see Eolus One) developing the integration of sensors into mirror worlds, creating virtual operation centers for command and control of real facilities, and dynamic 3D visualization tools that support global collaboration and rapid prototyping.
 
He is a leader in employing sensor networks and instrumented environments in the service of sustainability to improve our daily lives, and help create a better environment for everyone, addressing C02 reduction, energy management, health, and education. He is an advocate for using Open Source development approaches for distributed sustainability.

Mr. Sunil Gupta
Head of CleanTech / Technology, Morgan Stanley, Research

Sunil Gupta is a Managing Director and head of Clean Tech at Morgan Stanley. He has been involved in the development of CleanTech industry since its early stages and has been advising companies and investors in this industry for last five years. He has been covering high technology sector for a decade, with particular focus on semiconductors and electronics.

Dr. Ing. Karlheinz Haag studied aero-space engineering at the Technical University Aachen from 1975 to 1981. As junior scientist he then worked at the Institute for Mechanics at the Technical University Aachen where he made his doctoral degree too. Between 1988 and 2002 he held several management functions at German Aerospace Center (DLR e. V.). As Program-Director Aeronautics he was responsible for the management of DLR´s aeronautics research programs between 1998 and 2002. Since 2002 he is Head of the Department “Environmental Issues” at Lufthansa German Airlines.

Dr. Haag is representative of Lufthansa in the Environmental Committee of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and member of several IATA working groups and he is chairman of the Environmental Standing Committee of the Association of European Airlines (AEA). By personal appointment he is also member of the National Noise Advisory Board in Germany.

Current major activities:

• Support of Climate research
• Mitigation of gaseous emissions (marked based measures)
  • Voluntary compensation
  • Emission trading
  • Alternative fuels
• Noise mitigation at aircrafts
   

David Hathaway is a Principal at US-based ICF International, a leading global energy, climate change and environmental policy consultancy, and is Managing Director of ICF International China (Beijing).  He is an energy policy, energy efficiency, climate change, and corporate environmental sustainability specialist.  He has been working with energy efficiency in Asia, and particularly China, for the past 15 years, and brings a broad perspective on issues surrounding energy use and buildings.  In addition to managing ICF’s China operations, he serves as Chief of Party for the “US-China Sustainable Buildings Partnership”, a three-year initiative that works with Chinese government and leading private sector partners to introduce large-scale approaches to designing and operating buildings efficiently in China.  David and his broader team of experts in the US, China, and India support programs such as ENERGY STAR and LEED in the US, in addition to international and domestic energy-efficient buildings initiatives in the Asia region.  David has worked in more than 10 countries in Asia, Africa, and South America over the past 15 years with ICF, including 7 in the Asia region.  He holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy from London School of Economics and Political Science.  He also received a diploma from the Johns Hopkins Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies (Class of 1992), and attended Beijing University in 1990.  David is currently based in Beijing, China and is fluent in Chinese.

Dr. Christian Holter co-founded S.O.L.I.D. GmbH in Graz, Austria in 1992. He is recognized as a world leader in the area of design, installation and operation of Large Solar Thermal plants.

He has been involved with over 100 Solar Thermal installations in his career. He is frequently invited to speak at technical conferences and has served as a presenter in the US, Italy, China, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, France and Austria. He has the distinction of being the only foreigner asked to serve on the solar advisory board to the German government.

As a co-Managing Director of S.O.L.I.D. GmbH, he has had direct responsibility for the seventeen years of successful operation.
 

Dr. Herman D. Ibrahim

With his current position as member of NEC, his experience at the power company, and his activity in renewable energy society, Herman is now one of key person in Energy Sector in Indonesia.

Søren is a mechanical engineer and has worked in the wind industry since 1999. He started with Vestas in Denmark as a wind and site engineer till 2004 and later moved into product management and in 2008 moved to Singapore as Deputy Manager - Market Support. Søren is also a part of a working group developing a new wind turbine power performance standard under the IEC.

Ms. Jensen, with the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) since 1994, is Senior Manager of Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development Finance.  During her tenure at OPIC she has structured and closed project finance transactions in numerous sectors and countries with loan amounts ranging up to hundreds of millions of dollars.  She is responsible for financing clean energy and clean tech projects and those involving socially-responsible investment in emerging markets worldwide.  The majority of her projects are with investors that are either investment funds or small and medium enterprises entering, or expanding operations in, developing economies.

Prior to OPIC, Ms. Jensen worked with the US Government as an economic analyst focusing on Asia, as a Consultant assessing development and investment opportunities in the Czech Republic, and as an Economist Assistant at the International Monetary Fund.

Ms. Jensen holds a BA in Political Science from Franklin and Marshall College, a certificate in French studies from Wesleyan University & Institut d’etudes Politiques in Paris, France and MBA in International Finance from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
 

Mr. Petri Jokinen is the Managing Director of Neste Oil Singapore Pte Ltd. He is responsible for the investments of Neste Oil and operations of the facility in Singapore. He has over twenty years experience in various aspects of oil refining industry and has held various managerial positions within Neste Oil Corporation during that time period. He has Dr. Tech.(Eng) and MBA degrees and has worked most recently as Managing Director of Neste Jacobs before arriving to Singapore.

Amit Kansal is the Global Business Director, Power as well as Marketing Director, Asia-Pacific for Honeywell Process Solutions. Based in Singapore, he leads a group of power domain experts and a marketing team with the responsibility to develop the power market for Honeywell globally and grow overall business in Asia-Pacific.

As a Honeywell veteran for 16 years, Amit has held several sales and marketing positions. He holds a Bachelor of Science in electronic and communications engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology in India and a postgraduate degree in Management from University of Southern Queensland, Australia.
 

Michael Kelly joined the World LP Gas Association in October 2006 as the Director of Market Development. With extensive international experience in environmental policy, public affairs and communications, US born Michael has focused on the interface between business, governments and civil society. He was previously policy manager for Environment & Energy policy portfolio at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris where he coordinated business delegations at UN negotiations on environment, energy, climate change and sustainable development.

An international Affairs Masters graduate from the George Washington University in Washington DC, he is fluent in four languages and has worked professionally in the US, Japan, Taiwan, Italy, the UK and France.
 

Mumtaz Khan is the founder and CEO of Middle East & Asia Capital Partners Pte Ltd (MEACP).  Mr. Khan was, until December 2007, the Chairman and CEO of EMP Bahrain B.S.C. (c), the general partner and manager of the US$730 million IDB Fund, and has been based in Bahrain since 1999.

In 2001, he was a key figure in establishing the IDB Fund which was the first private equity infrastructure fund focused on Muslim countries in the Middle East and Asia.  Mr. Khan was previously a Managing Director at EMP Global in Washington D.C.  For three years, he was based in Hong Kong as Resident Partner and Manager of Asian operations of the US$1 billion AIG Asian Infrastructure Fund.

Prior to that, Mr. Khan was for 13 years with IFC, where he was a Manager in the Asia Department based in Washington D.C. and Resident Representative based in Jakarta, responsible for investment in Indonesia and Malaysia.  Mr. Khan initiated IFC’s investment program in China.

Mr. Khan is a founder shareholder of the Islamic Bank of Asia in Singapore.
 

Mr. Edwin T.F. Khew is the CEO/Managing Director of IUT Global Pte Ltd, a global environmental waste technology and management company with its headquarters in Singapore. He is a former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) and also currently the Chairman of the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS), the Honorary President of the Singapore Manufacturers’ Federation (SMa), a Council Member of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), and Chairman of the Singapore Standards Council. Mr Khew has an Executive MBA from the National University of Singapore, a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Queensland, Australia, a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers, Singapore, a Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers (UK), and a professional engineer of the Professional Engineers Board, Singapore.

Krishna Kumar graduated as an Electrical Engineer from the University of Kerala, India in 1983, specializing in ‘Power Systems’. He worked with Electrical engineering multinationals ABB & PPC Insulators in India, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific for over 20 years and has extensive experience in the areas of Medium & High Voltage (33KV – 800KV) Transmission and Distribution systems and products. During his assignment with ABB he also spearheaded the launching of the low and medium voltage ‘Reactive Power Compensation’ business in the Middle East and involved with several World Bank assisted Power projects in developing countries.

He was in the Business development, Marketing & Sales of products for the sub-station and transmission lines and was closely associated with the electrical utilities in the Asia Pacific & Middle East Regions supporting them with the design and specification of products. He has also worked with fire retardant and ‘Explosion proof’ certified products associated with the Oil, Gas and Petro-chemical industries and specialized in the application and design of lighting for Airports, Shipping & Commercial establishments.

He is currently working at ‘UL International Singapore’ as the Commercial Director (Asia Pacific) in the ‘Renewable Energy’ Business that includes Photo Voltaic or Solar panels and associated system components, Wind Turbines and Electrical vehicles. His assignment supports clients in the Asia Pacific region to gain market access to the US, Europe and Latin American markets through the testing & certification as per UL & IEC standards at UL’s labs. He is also involved with the local regulatory bodies of countries in Asia to develop safety marks applicable for the domestic markets.

Mr. LaCroix has had extensive international business experience in Europe, Asia and the US. He is the founder and CEO of The PowerSource Group LLC, a group of companies providing leading edge energy solutions in Asia for off-grid rural electrification and development and clean-energy cogenerated power plants for large industrial and commercial customers.

He was previously an executive with Enron International, overseeing the development, construction, start-up, transition and operation of large IPP facilities in the Asia-Pacific region. In this capacity he oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars of projects, including combined cycle, combined heat and power and multi-fuel energy conversion agreements. These projects included some of the top performers in Enron’s asset portfolio.

Klaus Landhaeusser was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, on June 10, 1969. After graduating from high school in 1986 and completing his military service, he started an apprenticeship as an automotive electronic specialist with the VAG group. In 1997 he completed his automotive master craftman’s diploma and worked with the Audi AG as a test driver. After that he worked in an automotive institute where he carried out abrasion research projects till 2000. He is married, and has no children.

Mr Lee is the Founding President of the Singapore Green Building Council which was set up in May 2009. He has been the Chairman of the BCA Green Mark Advisory Committee since its inception in 2005.

He is currently a Board Member of the Building and Construction Authority as well as the Professional Engineers Board. He has served several terms on these statutory bodies which regulate and develop the construction industry and the engineering profession in Singapore.

Mr Lee is Chairman of Beca Asia, a leading engineering consultancy based in Singapore with offices in the region, and a Board Member of the Beca Group, New Zealand.

He has lived and worked in New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. In the 1990s, Mr Lee led the expansion of the Beca Asia business into Indonesia, Myanmar and Malaysia, and in the 2000s, into China. His international work experience also includes projects in Vietnam, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea.
 

Michael Liebreich is Chairman and Chief Executive of New Energy Finance, the leading independent provider of information and research to investors in clean energy and the carbon markets. New Energy Finance has over 130 staff working out of 11 offices around the world, providing a range of newsletters, data, economic, policy and technology analysis and carbon price forecasting to senior decision makers. 

Michael serves as a Member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Alternative Energies, Advisory Board Member for the Energy and Climate Change working group for the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and Steering Group Member for a number of IEA RETD projects. He is on the Selection Committees for the 2009 Zayed Future Energy Prize and for the annual Euromoney and Ernst & Young Global Renewable Energy Awards. Michael is a member of the Energy Leadership Forum of E+Co, an NGO which finances clean energy in the developing world, and an Advisory Board Member of the Wilderhill New Energy Global Innovation Index (ticker symbol NEX).
 

Mr. Limaye is President and CEO of SRC Global Inc. and is internationally recognized as a pioneer and an entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience in energy efficiency and alternative energy. He is a consultant to the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, UNDP, USAID and other donor agencies on financing and implementation of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate change mitigation strategies. He has extensive project experience in India, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Laos.

He is a Board Member of A-Power Energy Generation Systems, the largest alternative energy company in Asia and serves as Board Chairman of Synergic Solar, a solar PV company in India, as well as Online Energy Manager, an international energy efficiency company. He graduated from IIT-Bombay and was awarded the President of India Gold Medal. He has completed graduate studies in business and in alternative energy at Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and Drexel University. He has also completed the Executive Program on Global Climate Change and Economic Development at Harvard University.

He has published seven books and has presented over 40 technical papers at international conferences.

With over 15 years of management experience in the Aeronautical and Semiconductor industries, Marc’s previous engagements include acting Vice President and General Manager of Qimonda Manufacturing Singapore Pte Ltd, where he planned the construction and start-up of a DRAM (Dynamic
Random Access Memory) production facility. He also successfully established manufacturing co-operations and joint ventures in Shanghai, Beijing and Taiwan.

As Managing Director, Asia Pacific and Middle East, Marc is based in Singapore, managing Conergy subsidiaries in Australia, India, South Korea and Singapore.

In the role of Head of Sustainability and Responsible Investment, Amanda focuses on developing and delivering Colonial First State Global Asset Management’s strategy on sustainability and climate change issues. Amanda works closely with the investment teams across all asset classes to build in a consideration of ESG issues and identify new investment opportunities. Amanda also engages the investment community more broadly to increase the awareness of the risks and opportunities for long term investors.

Amanda is the founding Deputy Chair of the Investor Group on Climate Change a non-executive director of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and a non-executive director of the Climate Change and Business Centre

In recognition of her leadership on climate change issues in particular, Amanda was named one of Sydney’s most influential people in 2009.
 

Alexander C. Melchers, born in Germany and residing in Singapore since 1997. He did his vocational training in international trade and then worked in Venezuela for one year before studying business at the University of St.Gallen in Switzerland. After his graduation, he started to work in brand management with Procter & Gamble, with a focus on business in Asia. He then joined the C.Melchers Group of Companies in Singapore.

C.Melchers is a diversified trading, development and services company established in 1806. Amongst its many activities, C.Melchers has been pioneering the deployment of CNG technologies in Singapore and South East Asia. The group operates conversion workshops, builds Natural Gas Stations and supplies mobile storage modules for CNG made from composites.

Mr Melchers was the initiator of the CNG Committee, which is the first representation group of all companies involved in the CNG industry in Singapore. Mr Melchers is the Vice President of SEAS as well as the Secretary of the Singaporean‐German Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Mr. Mu-Shin Kim is an investment officer of Asian Development Bank (ADB) where his primary role is private equity funds operation such as leading new funds investment across Asia, and monitoring the funds portfolio of ADB. Mr. Kim serves as a board member and an investment committee member in a number of private equity funds. He has been leading multiple clean energy funds investment through competitive process in 2008. Recently, working with Islamic Development Bank, he has set up the Islamic Infrastructure Fund. He is now working on several frontier sector and region focused funds.


Mr. Kim began his career in early 1990's at Hanwha Conglomerate for its energy business development overseas such as Kazakhstan and Georgia Republic. He was Director to manage Hanwha Georgia Petroleum Joint Stock Company in Georgia for two years since 1997.  In 1999, he succeeded an M&A transaction of the largest independent power producer in Korea, and led the post merger management with El Paso Corporation out of the US.  After joining El Paso in Singapore since 2001, he managed a number of M&A deals in the power and gas industries primarily in Korea and Japan.  

Mr. Kim holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Sogang University in Korea and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in the USA.
 

Mr. Clay Nesler is the Vice President, Global Energy and Sustainability for the Building Efficiency business of Johnson Controls. In this role, he is responsible for guiding energy and sustainability strategy, policy, communications and innovation on a global basis.  He also serves as a member of the senior leadership team responsible for setting corporate-wide sustainability strategy and policy.  Since joining Johnson Controls in 1983, Clay has held a variety of leadership positions in research, product development, marketing, consulting and strategy in both the United States and Europe.

Dr Selena Ng is currently responsible for developing AREVA’s nuclear activities in the Asia-Pacific region.  Prior to returning to Australia in 2007, she spent a number of years at AREVA’s headquarters in Paris, dealing with the recycling of used nuclear fuel and waste management, and issues such as nuclear non-proliferation, a topic about which she has coauthored and presented papers at various international forums.  She holds a first class honours degree in science from Monash University, a PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Cambridge, and an MBA from the Collège des Ingénieurs.

Ms Ng’s responsibility spans the entire marketing field, including strategic planning, research and intelligence, marketing and business development strategies, communications programs, demand generation (business and market development), solutions marketing and media and analyst relations across Asia Pacific. Ms Ng is a key member of IPS’ senior management team in Asia Pacific, as well as a member of IPS’ Global Senior Leadership Team. She will also represent IPS as a spokesperson with media, trade associations, customers and analyst, as well as in trade forums.

Ms Ng brings along vast marketing experience demonstrated through previous leadership and regional marketing roles in various multinational companies such as Singtel, Comversem CSG Systems and Lucent. She has an impressive track record of successful global brand transformation and growing regional businesses across various technology verticals.

Sophie Punte is the Executive Director of the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) Center in Manila, which aims to facilitate improving the air quality of Asian cities by better integrating air quality management in government strategies, policies and program. A large number of CAI-Asia Center’s activities focus on sustainable transport, with increasing focus on low carbon transport and the co-benefits of reducing air pollutants at the same time.

For four years she worked at the United Nations in Bangkok to lead a UNEP energy efficiency and climate change project for Asian industry in cooperation with partner organizations in nine countries. Prior to joining the UN, Sophie was senior manager with audit and advisory firm KPMG in Australia and The Netherlands, where she advised clients in the public and private sector on environmental and sustainability management, with a key focus on corporate social responsibility issues. She also worked as a policy analyst with the New Zealand environment ministry and as environmental scientist with an engineering firm. She holds a Master of Science (Biology) and a Master of Environmental Management from the Netherlands.
 

Naren Raju is the founder and visionary behind Bioenergy Plantations. He incorporated BEP in 2005 with a strong desire to meet global environmental demands by developing a Jatropha Curcas L. pilot plantation in his home town in India.

This is a growing industry now and is very environment-friendly as it does not compromise on the availability of food for the production of fuel. Also, this is produced on land where edible crops cannot be grown.

Mr Naren Raju is a successful entrepreneur who is leading production of bio-fuels from non-edible sources. At the young age of 10 he was extracting oil in his family-owned oil rotary mills business in India. Today, he is following his childhood dream. As well, he has a broad range of international experience in IT, business development, and marketing gained in India, Australia, and Singapore.

He is also a well-known and respected international figure who is regularly invited to international forums to speak on environmental issues relevant to the biofuel industry.
 

Mr. Javier de Rocafort
Chairman, The Quimera Project

Mr. Rocafort is currently the Chairman of Quimera Project and based in Barcelone. Quimera Project mission is is to establish the first Vertically Integrated Sustainable Strategical Program for Urban Mobility around the globe. Its main objectives are: to create an investigation and development world reference point, to implant new technology applications, supply implementation and develop affordable strategies towards final users. Quimera Project is the first international cluster of companies working in sustainable mobility that provides vertical integration to all urban sustainability oriented demands, ranging from R+D to latest steps of recycling.

Mr. Rocafort is also Member of the Strategic Board at Banque Privée Edmond de Rothschild and CEO of two multi-family offices, Balmoral Capital Partners and Corporalia Investments. He is also Member of the Board of differents companies and four family offices more. He has broad experience in the private wealth industry being Former Senior Vice President of Private Banking at Banco Santander, Former General Manager of Corporate Advisory at BNP-Paribas and Former A&G Corporate CEO (Banque Cantonale de Vaud) working in several countries (US, Switzerland, Spain, Andorra and UK).

He is Member of Ronald Reagan Foundation and The 1001: A Nature Trust and was Eisenhower Foundation Year 2000 Programme Spanish Candidate.

Mr. Patric Remus

Senior Telecommunications Advisor, Bridge Connect Ltd.

Tobias Rothacher is Manager for Renewable Energy & Resources at Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) with a special focus on Photovoltaics and Bioenergy. GTAI is a consultancy wholly owned by the German government and has supported the creation of the largest renewable energy production cluster in the world. Headquartered in Berlin, he and his colleagues advice all investors interested in the field of Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Environmental Technologies. Prior his position at GTAI he was International Project Development Manager for Epuron (part of the Conergy group). There he was mainly responsible for the acquisition, development and coordination of bioenergy projects in Germany, India, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. Tobias also worked as Business Development Manager for Suntechnics (part of the Conergy group) in the Asia Pacific region. Before he started his professional career, he studied Business Administration and Engineering in Furtwangen (Germany), Montréal (Canada) and Singapore.

Vijay Prakash Saha, Chairman, Energy Saving Commission, World Foundry Organization, Birmingham (UK) and the Chairman, South Asia Forum for Energy Efficiency constituted jointly by World Energy Council- Indian Member Committee and Energy Saving Commission, World Foundry Organization, is a Technocrat par excellence of many parts; Innovator, visualizer, entrepreneur and energy advisor. The person who not only conceptualized the ever best South Asia Energy Conservation Conclave in Feb 2006 at Ranchi in India, but also worked for concretizing that it is conducted and completed smoothly and successfully. Conservation of energy and more particularly electricity is national imperative and the mission that he is pursuing with dedication and conviction.

Saha has always led the front and with vigor and enthusiasm he as an outstanding engineer with vide experience both in public sector like SAIL Bokaro and private sector like M N Dastur & Co. for TATA Steel’s modernization. The founder of Akshaya Group of Industries which has Steel Melt shop and Re-Rolling Mills and Chairman of Akshaya Electrometallurgy Ltd. engaged in strategy and advisory services.

Saha has been Advisor, MECON ltd. (A Govt. of India Enterprise) a leading premier consulting, design and engineering in metallurgical sector and also played significant role as Advisor, UNDP/GEF Project (Steel), Ministry of Steel, Govt. of India to promote energy efficiency in Indian Steel Re-Rolling sector.
 
Saha is Member Steering Committee, UNDP/GEF Project, Ministry of Steel, Govt. of India and also Senator, National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra (An Institute of National Importance) under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India.

Saha is an eloquent international technical speaker and has been the front line expert during Energy Efficiency session at World Energy Congress organized by World Energy Council at Rome in 2007.

Saha is set out on crusade to combat climate change and promote energy efficiency and conservation. Saha, an innovator, an organizer, a visionary and an eminent energy engineer is a trail blazer. He firmly believes in creating new paths and leaving trails. He also goes by a saying “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
 

Dr Sandhoevel is the Chairman of the Climate Change Group of UNEP FI. Co-operation between finance sector and the United Nations. Official advisor of
the UN climate office. He also serves as a member of the Management Board of the Financial Initiative Association, Geneva (CH), a member of the Advisory Board of the Renewable Energy Finance
Forum in London, a member of the working group “Emissions Trading“ of the German government and as an advisor climate investment funds, expert for GTZ, EU, UN.

His specialities are in consulting and risk analysis of climate-related financing and investment projects. Brokerage of respective Allianz-internal financing, co-operations and insurance.

Dr. Markus Schwegler
Country Manager, CDM Service Unit China
German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

Since Sept. 2008, Dr. Schwegler has been working as the Country Manager for the CDM Service Unit China, an Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Goals of the German CDM Service Unit in China are: 

• Supporting German businesses in the fulfilment of their Kyoto obligations
• Strengthening the role of German businesses in the global CDM market 
• Supporting German economical co-operation
• Supporting technology transfers

Dr. Rob Steeman
Technology Manager, REC Solar AS

Dr. Steeman holds a PhD in experimental physics from the University of Leyden in The Netherlands. After his studies, he joined the Netherlands Energy Research Foundation ECN, where he was one of the pioneers who built up the now world-renowned R&D group for Silicon Photovoltaics. In 1996 he left ECN to join Shell Solar. He was one of the key members in the project team that developed the fist fully in-line production line for multi-crystalline silicon solar cells for Shell Solar in Germany. From mid 2003 to mid 2006 he headed the pilot line for thin-film modules for Shell Solar in Camarillo, California. This pilot line produced the first IEC certified modules based on CIGS.

Brad joined Standard Chartered Bank in September 2006 as a member of the Renewable Energy & Environmental Finance (REEF) team that forms a specialist industry resource to provide Standard Chartered’s clients with advisory, financial structuring, M&A, principal finance and debt funding services globally. Prior to Standard Chartered, Brad gained six and a half years of Project and Structured Finance experience at ANZ Investment Bank in Australia and Singapore. Prior to joining ANZ, Brad gained three and a half years of Project and Structured Finance and other banking experience in South Africa.

Brad’s experience includes transactions in the Power (renewable and non-renewable), Mining, Oil & Gas, Telecommunications and Infrastructure sectors. While in Australia, Brad spearheaded ANZ’s renewable energy focus in the project finance market and was responsible for financing the first Australian wind farm to be constructed under a non-recourse structure. Since joining Standard Chartered, Brad has been responsible for Standard Chartered’s REEF business in Asia and has executed, and is currently executing, a number of advisory and arranging assignments in the wind, solar, biomass to energy and biofuel sectors.

Mr. Sean Sutton
Asia Pacific President, Vestas Asia Pacific Wind Technology Pte. Ltd.
 

In the first part of his professional life, Mr. Sean Sutton has worked in various positions related to energy management and efficiency for Honeywell and Otis in Australia before joining Siemens (Australia) as the National Manager, Energy Performance Contracting in 1999. In 2003, he became President and CEO of Siemens Building Technologies (Korea). In 2006, he was promoted to oversee Siemens Building Technologies in Hong Kong and Macau. He was then promoted to Senior Vice President in Siemens (Switzerland) in 2008 responsible for the global business segment for Building Automation Solution business.

Sean is currently the President of Vestas Asia Pacific Wind Technology Systems and his responsibility includes the provision of clean wind energy solutions for Japan, Korea, Taiwan, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, India and Africa.
 

Carol is Head of Project Finance for EPURON ASIA and is tasked with overseeing its project finance and equity raising activities in the Asian market. She is also responsible for evaluating investment opportunities on behalf of RETA of which EPURON acts as the Sponsor and Manager. Carol looks back on over 13 years of regional management experience spanning diverse disciplines such as business development, strategic planning, M&A and operational management. Her career accolades include key roles in fund raising, acquisitions and structuring of greenfield developments in the renewable energy sector as well as the conventional power industry.

Mr. Stewart Taggart
Director, Acquasol Infrastructure Ltd.

Stewart is the Head of Research for DESERTEC-Australia, which promotes "Clean Energy From Deserts," or large-scale development of solar, geothermal, wind and wave energy in the nation's arid Outback and carriage of that energy to Australia's cities over High Voltage, Direct Current power lines. His responsobilities include the research for a clean energy plan for Asia that could significantly reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions.

Pradeep Tharakan has nearly 15 years of experience in the fields of clean energy, climate change mitigation and natural resources management. Dr. Tharakan currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Party for USAID/ECO-Asia Clean Development and Climate Program based in Thailand. In this position, he provides both management oversight and technical expertise for the program which is focused on promoting clean energy policies, practices and investments in six South and Southeast Asian countries (China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam).

His prior experience includes conducting due-diligence for renewable energy projects, developing CDM projects and marketing carbon credits and providing technical assistance on energy and development issues.