Empowering the future: Clean energy innovations, regional cooperation and integration, and financing solutions.
2 – 6 June 2025 | ADB Headquarters, Manila
ACEF 2025 Speakers
ALL SPEAKERS
Hanh Le
Empacte
Hanh Le
Empacte
Bio
20 years of experience in energy and climate policies, with a focus on innovative financing mechanisms to incentivize and accelerate green investments in APAC. Focus: energy transition, carbon finance, sustainable finance.
Harsha Wickramasinghe
Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority
Harsha Wickramasinghe
Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority
Bio
Harsha Wickramasinghe, a Chartered Mechanical Engineer by profession, graduated from University of Moratuwa with the specialization of Mechanical Engineering in 1992. Serving in plantation and industrial sectors, he gained exposure to many industries and processes with special focus on operational efficiency. He has also associated with renewable energy development, fuel substitution and rehabilitation of hydropower projects.Having obtained an MBA from the University of Colombo, he ventured into consulting in Enterprise Resource Planning and promoted the concept of ‘value perspective’ in enhancing productivity of industrial systems.He was instrumental in developing several renewable energy technologies and projects for rural energy applications and contributed to reduce project costs to bare minimum levels, opening up the off-grid services to large number of villages. With this exposure, he joined the Energy Conservation Fund, which he transformed to become an institution of national repute and was appointed as the CEO of this institution. He contributed towards developing the first ever comprehensive energy policy of Sri Lanka as the convener of the National Energy Policy Committee. He was among the key contributors to the design of cost-based technology specific tariff regime, the introduction of net-metering concept to Sri Lanka and the enhancement of same as a buy-back scheme. He was one of the key architects of the organisation Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority, which paves the way for energy efficiency improvement and renewable energy development in Sri Lanka. He leads this authority at present in his capacity as the Director General. One of his primary responsibilities is the preparation of the national energy account, which he has done consecutively from year 2003 to 2022, as an annual publication titled Sri Lanka Energy Balance.
Heehun Chae
Hyundai Engineering and Construction
Bio
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Heehun Chae
Hyundai engineering and construction
Bio
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Helmut Fischer
Asian Development Bank
Bio
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Henri Paillere
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Henri Paillere
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Bio
Dr. Henri PAILLERE has over 29 years of experience in the energy sector and is currently working as Head of the Planning and Economic Studies Section at the International Atomic Energy Agency which he joined in February 2020. In this position, he leads the Agency’s analytical work on the economics and financing of nuclear power, its contribution to sustainable development and climate change mitigation, as well as the IAEA capacity building support in energy planning.Before that, Henri worked at the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency in Paris between 2011 and 2019, as Senior Analyst and Deputy Head of the Division of Nuclear Technology Development and Economics. Prior to these positions, he worked at the Alstom Power Company and at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).
Hideaki Iwasaki
Asian Development Bank
Hideaki Iwasaki
Asian Development Bank
Bio
Hideaki Iwasaki joined the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2002 and since February 2025 is Director General for Sectors Department 1, which manages operations for the energy and transport sectors.Mr. Iwasaki has 35 years of professional work experience, including more than 22 years in ADB. Prior to assuming the current role, he served as Deputy Director General for the Pacific Department covering 14 developing member countries in the Pacific where he provided guidance and advice on country programs and projects and directly guided ADB’s operations in the North Pacific. He was formerly Country Director to Thailand and was Transport Sector Director in the Southeast Asia and Central and West Asia departments. Mr. Iwasaki started his career in ADB as a project engineer in the South Asia Department, primarily involved in transport sector work for Afghanistan, Bangladesh and India. He also had a short stint in Myanmar in 2012-13 to reestablish ADB operations. Before joining ADB, Mr. Iwasaki worked for the Government of Japan for 12 years, in the areas of policy development and program administration in transport infrastructure development and urban/regional programs.Mr. Iwasaki is a national of Japan and holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in urban planning from the University of Tokyo, Japan, and a master’s degree in transportation engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA.
Hiroshi Sagawa
JBIC
Hiroshi Sagawa
JBIC
Bio
SAGAWA Hiroshi is the current Chief Representative of Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Manila Office. He has a wide range of knowledge and experience in Southeast Asia, including assignments as Representative in Vietnam and as director covering various Southeast Asian countries, and especially the role as Chief Representative in the Philippines. He is also involved in financing a wide range in infrastructure sectors such as oil & gas, water & waste management, railways, and power. Prior to his assignment as Chief Representative of JBIC Manila Office. He was the Director overseeing green loans and export finance for eight countries in Asia including the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Mr. Sagawa has also been responsible for building strategic partnership, particularly in the area of green finance, with the aforementioned countries. In addition, he has been actively engaging in advancing the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) in the Philippines— a decarbonization framework for Southeast Asia led by Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
Ho Yan Yulanda Chung
RELP
Ho Yan Yulanda Chung
RELP
Bio
Yulanda Chung is the head of Southeast Asia for RELP, a not-for-profit organisation offering bespoke, pro bono advisory to emerging markets governments on renewable energy procurement solutions. She was the former head of sustainability for corporate banking at DBS in Singapore and group head of Sustainability for Standard Chartered in London. Before joining the banking sector, she was an equity analyst for the mining and metals sector at RobecoSAM in Zurich, incorporating environmental and social factors into equity valuations.
Hong Wei
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Hong Wei
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bio
In charge of business development, client relationship and dialogues with key clients and development partners, especially in relation to AIIB’s operations in East, Central and West Asia, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Latin America.Prior to this role, worked more than 20 years in the Asian Development Bank serving several managerial positions, including Deputy Director General of Central and West Regional Department, and Country Director of ADB in Uzbekistan.PhD in Economics, Georgetown University, USA, and Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Northeast University, China.
Hongpeng Liu
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Hongpeng Liu
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Bio
Mr. Hongpeng Liu is Director of Energy Division in the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). He is leading the energy team in ESCAP to promote regional energy cooperation with a focus on energy transition and the Sustainable Development Goal 7 - affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all including the initiatives on the development of the National SDG7 Road Map, energy connectivity for regional economic cooperation and enhancing the sustainability of minerals critical to energy transition. His work ranges from conducting policy studies to organising intergovernmental meetings and policy dialogues, as well as facilitating regional cooperation on capacity building in Asia and the Pacific.
Hyunjung Lee
Asian Development Bank
Hyunjung Lee
Asian Development Bank
Bio
Hyunjung Lee is the GMS/ASEAN Energy Program Lead at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) where she plays a key role in advancing regional energy cooperation and integration to support long-term regional energy security and sustainability in Southeast Asia. She leads the development of key operation strategies for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and ASEAN energy initiatives; provides policy advice, technical cooperation, and financing solutions in the areas of cross-border energy connectivity, renewable energy development, regional power trade; and builds partnerships with key stakeholders across governments, utilities, private sector, and development partners. With over 20 years of experience in energy economics, infrastructure development, and public policy, she has worked extensively with governments, utilities, and development partners to advance clean energy development and strengthen power sector governance. She holds a Ph.D. in economics and a bachelor’s degree in engineering in Korea and has received advanced training in the United States.