Beyond Transition: Building Secure, Resilient, Inclusive, and Intelligent Energy Systems
8-11 June 2026 | ADB Headquarters, Manila
ACEF 2026 Speakers
ALL SPEAKERS
Azhar Othman
Enercon Asia Pte Ltd
Azhar Othman
Enercon Asia Pte Ltd
Bio
With over two decades at the forefront of the power generation and energy sectors, Mr. Azhar Othman has built a career defined by exceptional leadership, technical mastery, and an enduring commitment to excellence. His strategic vision and ability to drive results across complex, cross-border operations have positioned him as a distinguished figure in the global energy arena. Mr. Azhar holds a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Salford, United Kingdom. He further complemented his engineering foundation with an Executive Master of Business Administration from SP Jain School of Global Management, Singapore, equipping him with the strategic business acumen to lead at the highest levels of industry. As Executive Chairman of Enercon Asia Group since 2002, Mr. Azhar has grown the organization to span offices across seven countries, delivering customized engineered solutions for more than 3,000 projects in 20 countries worldwide. The Group specializes in Customized Power System Integration, Renewable Energy, Energy Conservation Measures, and Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), supporting clients in their pursuit of net zero targets. The Group has also developed GAED, a next-generation energy assessment platform leveraging blockchain and artificial intelligence. Beyond his corporate responsibilities, Mr. Azhar serves as a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) in Singapore, representing the interests of the business community in Parliament. He also serves as Deputy President of the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI) and as Chairman of the SME Centre of SMCCI. In these capacities, he has championed the interests of local businesses and driven internationalisation initiatives on behalf of the Chamber's members. He further serves as a Council Member of the East Asia Business Council, the Saudi Arabia/Singapore Business Council, and the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS). He is also a Member of ACCORD (Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence), a council established by Singapore's Ministry of Defence to strengthen public support for National Service and Total Defence. Mr. Azhar Othman's career reflects an unwavering belief that business leadership and environmental responsibility go hand in hand. As the energy transition accelerates, his work, spanning corporate strategy, clean energy solutions, and community development, continues to contribute meaningfully to a more sustainable and prosperous future for businesses and societies across Asia and beyond.
Baltugan Tazhmakina
Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Baltugan Tazhmakina
Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Bio
Renewable energy and sustainability expert with over a decade of experience advancing Kazakhstan’s energy transition and green economy. She has been actively involved in renewable energy policy implementation, project development, and sustainable energy solutions since 2012. Baltugan contributed to the establishment and coordination of Aarhus Centres in Kazakhstan and has overseen the monitoring of renewable energy targets under the national Green Economy Concept. Her expertise covers renewable energy, energy storage, ESG, sustainable development, and stakeholder engagement across government, international organizations, and the private sector.
Bayani Agabin
Department of Finance, Philippines
Bayani Agabin
Department of Finance, Philippines
Bio
Bayani Agabin is currently an Undersecretary in the Department of Finance. He headed the Legal Services and Local Government Finance Group from 2016 to 2026. He is currently in charge of the Extractive Industries and Bangsamoro Affairs Group. He is the Chairman and Focal Person of the Philippines Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) and is a member of the board of EITI International. He represents the Department of Finance in the Mining Inter-Agency Coordinating Council (MICC), the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) and in the boards of the Philippine Mine Development Corporation (PMDC) and National Resource Development Corporation (NRDC) - government owned and controlled corporations engaged in resource development. He also served as alternate to the Secretary of Finance as Chairman of the National Power Corporation, the National Transmission Corporation and the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Economics degree and Bachelor of Laws degree in the University of the Philippines and his Masters in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines.
Beatrice Yulo Gomez
Asian Development Bank
Beatrice Yulo Gomez
Asian Development Bank
Bio
Beatrice Yulo Gomez is the Director for Pacific and Inter-regional Non-Sovereign Operations in ADB’s Office of Safeguards. She provides policy oversight and supports effective implementation of ADB's safeguard requirements, ensuring that financed projects align with good international practice. She provides leadership and guidance on knowledge management, staff skills development, integration of sovereign and non-sovereign safeguards expertise, and capacity building for ADB’s developing member countries and private sector clients. Her responsibilities include overseeing portfolio monitoring and reporting for Pacific and inter-regional non-sovereign operations. Prior to her current position, Beatrice led the assessment and oversight of safeguard implementation for private sector projects across a wide range of sectors, including energy, transport, water, agriculture, urban development, and finance throughout Asia and the Pacific. Before joining ADB, Beatrice worked as an environmental scientist, specializing in contaminated site assessment and remediation. She holds a Master’s degree in Sustainability from the University of Sydney.
Bekzhan Mukatov
Asian Development Bank
Bekzhan Mukatov
Asian Development Bank
Bio
Bekzhan Mukatov holds a Ph.D. in Technical Sciences, specializing in power system control and reliability. Before joining ADB in 2022 he served as Managing Director for National Electric Grid Development and System Services at the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC). He was responsible for strategic planning of grid development, international coordination on electricity exports/imports, provision of system services, and transit operations. Since joining ADB, he has been engaged in energy sector projects, focusing on renewable energy projects and flexibility solutions such as battery energy storage systems.
Ben Kerwin
Green Grids Initiative
Ben Kerwin
Green Grids Initiative
Bio
Ben Kerwin is a Policy Analyst at the Green Grids Initiative. After completing an MSc in Climate Change Science and Management at Loughborough University, specialising in energy modelling using OSeMOSYS, he joined GGI and supports its work to accelerate global grid expansion, with a particular focus on Asia-Pacific supply chains.
Beni Suryadi
ASEAN Centre for Energy
Beni Suryadi
ASEAN Centre for Energy
Bio
He currently serves as Senior Manager for APAEC and Strategic Partnership at the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), where he leads ASEAN-wide coordination of energy cooperation and transition initiatives. In this role, he oversees the coordination, implementation, and monitoring of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026–2030—ASEAN’s flagship regional energy blueprint themed “Advancing Regional Cooperation in Ensuring Energy Security and Accelerating Decarbonisation for a Just and Inclusive Energy Transition.” He supports the ASEAN Ministers on Energy in translating regional commitments into concrete, outcome-oriented programmes. In parallel, he oversees ACE’s strategic partnerships with international organisations, governments, and development partners to mobilise technical cooperation, policy dialogue, and financing aligned with ASEAN priorities and global energy and climate goals. He is the Co-Head of the APG Secretariat, which jointly manages the work of the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) as the secretariat of the ASEAN Power Grid (APG).
Bernice Gretchel P. Garcia-Rama
Digital Edge Philippines
Bernice Gretchel P. Garcia-Rama
Digital Edge Philippines
Bio
Bernice Gretchel P. Garcia-Rama is the Chief Executive Officer of Digital Edge Philippines, where she leads the company’s strategy, growth, and operations in one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing digital infrastructure markets. She is responsible for advancing Digital Edge’s hyperscale, cloud, AI-ready, and enterprise data center platform in the Philippines, supporting the country’s role as a key destination for digital investment and innovation. With nearly two decades of leadership experience across the energy, infrastructure, and technology sectors, Bernice is recognized for her work in enabling large-scale digital infrastructure development and fostering collaboration between industry, government, utilities, and investors. Prior to joining Digital Edge, she served as Assistant Vice President and Head of Enterprise Commercial and Conglomerates at Meralco, where she led strategic engagements with hyperscalers, multinational corporations, major conglomerates, and public sector institutions. Bernice is the lead author of Meralco’s white paper, Positioning the Philippines for Hyperscale Data Center Growth, a landmark study that helped shape discussions on the country's digital infrastructure readiness, energy requirements, and competitiveness as a regional data center hub. A strong advocate for sustainable infrastructure development, she frequently speaks on the intersection of energy, digital transformation, foreign direct investment, data centers, renewable energy, and the policies required to support the next generation of AI and cloud infrastructure. Her work focuses on enabling resilient, sustainable, and future-ready infrastructure that supports economic growth and digital inclusion across the Philippines and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
Bertrand Furno
Asian Development Bank
Bertrand Furno
Asian Development Bank
Bio
Bertrand Furno is an Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) representing Belgium, France, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. He was appointed effective 1 October 2023. Mr. Furno is a national of France. He received his Master in Political Science in 1984, completed by a Master in Public Law in 1986. He then joined the French National School of Administration (ENA) from 1988 to 1990. Prior to joining ADB, Mr. Furno was the Head of the Regional Economic Department for Southern Africa, covering 10 countries and based in Pretoria. He has also held a variety of positions at the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Treasury Board) and worked as Economic Counsellor in several French Embassies (Greece, Sweden, Tunisia). He was also Financial Counsellor at the Permanent mission of France to the UN (New York) and Consul General of France in Guangzhou, PRC.
Beverly Maeta
Solomon Power
Beverly Maeta
Solomon Power
Bio
Beverly Maeta is a Project Manager at the Solomon Power (utility) looking after a Solar Hybrid system consist of Solar, Generator and Battery Storage System (BESS). This project funded by ADB, CIF and Solomon Island Government.
Biena Magbitang
Climate Tracker
Biena Magbitang
Climate Tracker
Bio
Biena Magbitang is an award-winning multimedia journalist from the Philippines, with extensive experience in reporting on climate change, energy policies, and foreign relations in Southeast Asia.
Brenda Valerio
New Energy Nexus
Brenda Valerio
New Energy Nexus
Bio
Brenda Valerio is the Philippines Country Director of New Energy Nexus, where she leads efforts to strengthen the clean energy and climate innovation ecosystem. With over 10 years of experience in innovation and sustainable energy, she has supported more than 500 entrepreneurs across leading accelerator programs.