Speaker 2021

Bio

Mark is a sustainability and energy consultant based in Sydney with experience providing advisory and assurance services to industry, government and financial institutions across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and North America. Mark has over a decade of experience providing consulting, audit and assurance services for Sustainable Finance deals to the public and private sector and development banks globally.

Bio

Mr. Marlon Joseph Apañada is Strategic Advisor to Allotrope Partners, a California-based boutique advisory firm and concurrently the Southeast Asia Engagement Lead at the World Resources Institute (WRI), one of the world's biggest think tanks.

Mr. Apañada brings 16 years' in-depth experience in the clean energy & sustainability spaces, which includes leading business development of successfully commissioned renewable energy projects, advising Global Fortune 500 companies in their renewables procurement roadmaps, successfully developing the first bank-financed solar projects in the Philippines, and pioneering climate finance practice locally and regionally.

A certified Green Finance Specialist, Marlon is pursuing his MBA with Beuth University of Applied Sciences in Berlin, his MBM on Climate Finance with the Berlin School of Economics and Law, and finished a certificate course on Sustainable Finance at the University of Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and Environment in the United Kingdom.

Bio

Masatsugu Asakawa is the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Chairperson of ADB’s Board of Directors. He was elected President by ADB’s Board of Governors and assumed office on 17 January 2020.

Prior to joining ADB, he served as Special Advisor to Japan’s Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and has a close-to-four decades’ career at the Ministry of Finance with diverse professional experiences that cut across both domestic and international fronts.

In the immediate aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis, Mr. Asakawa, in his capacity as Executive Assistant to Prime Minister Taro Aso, took part in the first G20 Leaders’ Summit Meeting in November 2008. He was instrumental in orchestrating a globally coordinated financial package to abate the financial crisis, including a $100 billion loan from Japan to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Then in 2016, in his capacity as Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, he took on a leading role for the G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Sendai under the Japanese presidency, where a sustainable and inclusive development agenda was extensively discussed.

Most recently, he served as Finance Deputy for the G20 meetings under the Japanese presidency, playing a pivotal role for the success of the G20 Osaka Summit as well as the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Fukuoka. Some of his outstanding achievements in Osaka include endorsement by the G20 Leaders of the “G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment” and the “G20 Shared Understanding on the Importance of UHC Financing in Developing Countries”. Before these, he had occupied various prominent positions within the Ministry of Finance, including director positions in charge of development policy issues, foreign exchange markets and international tax policy. Mr. Asakawa’s professional experience extends beyond the realms of the Japanese government. Most notably, he served as Chief Advisor to ADB President Kimimasa Tarumizu between 1989 and 1992, during which time he spearheaded the creation of a new office that focuses on strategic planning. Also, he had frequent engagement with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in such positions as Chair for Committee on Fiscal Affairs (2011-2016). Furthermore, he was a senior staff at the Fiscal Affairs Department of the IMF (1996-2000). In the meantime, he gave lectures as Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Economic Science, Saitama University (2006-2009), and at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo (2012-2015).

Mr. Asakawa obtained his BA from University of Tokyo (Economics Faculty) in 1981, and MPA from Princeton University, USA, in 1985.

Bio

Matt Jordan has more than 15 years of diverse and high-impact experience in clean energy program development and leadership, campaign management and stakeholder activation, research and analysis, and strategic communications.

Matt has developed and implemented cutting-edge work on a variety of issues in climate action and sustainable development, including off-grid market development and innovation, green labeling, building sector decarbonization, novel finance, greenhouse gas and energy efficiency credit markets, and economic development through strategic renewable energy deployment. Matt is a Principal at Propel Clean Energy Partners.

Bio

Matthew Wittenstein is Chief of Section for Energy Connectivity at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP). In his role, Matthew supports efforts by countries across the region seeking to improve the sustainability and security of their energy systems through increased cross-border power system integration. Recent work includes capacity building for energy regulators in ASEAN, an assessment of the potential to develop a “green power corridor” in North-East Asia, and supporting increased cooperation on sustainable energy among the countries of the Pacific. Prior to joining the UN, Matthew was a Senior Electricity Analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA), where he focused on the economics of generation, the challenges of encouraging investment in clean energy technologies, and electricity market design. He also led the IEA’s work on cross-border electricity security, including the publications “Establishing Multilateral Power Trade in ASEAN” and “Integrating Power Systems Across Borders”. From 2011 to 2014, Matthew was a Fellow in the US Department of Energy’s International Climate Change Office, where he supported the Clean Energy Ministerial secretariat. Mr. Wittenstein holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, with a concentration in international economic policy.

Bio

Michael is a long-time innovator and Family man with a passion for nature and living life to the fullest. His earlier works include the oversight of $50MM construction projects, specializing in OSHPD Highrise Building Hospital Construction, including clean rooms, and surgical rooms. He has been in the environmental business since 2001 working to help lessen the impact of petroleum by increasing efficiency and reducing emissions, as well as optimizing utilization of current oil field resources.

Mike has been an integral part of creating and developing technologies in the energy field and holds multiple patents in over 70 countries. His work includes establishing worldwide international distribution and supply chains as well as setting up local offices and training local operation and sales forces. As the energy industry has grown so has Mike’s interest and vigor for being a part of new, safe, clean energy.

Bio

Mona recently completed her term as Chairperson of the Philippine National Renewable Energy Board (NREB). She was appointed to office on 28 March 2019 and, during her two (2) years as NREB Chair, she steered the performance of the Board in fulfilling its mandate under the Renewable Energy Act in reviewing and updating the Philippines’ 20-year RE roadmap known as the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP), and firmed up the implementation of the other programs under the RE Act.

As of 1 April 2021, she has resumed working full-time as Senior Partner in PJS Law (www.pjslaw.com). She also continues her role as CEO/founder of UNAWA Asia (www.unawa.asia), an inclusive regtech startup formed as collaboration among PJS Law, Amihan Global Strategies and Talino Venture Labs SG.

Mona is also professor at the Ateneo de Manila Law School and an incoming member of the faculty at the Ateneo School of Government to teach courses under the Energy Transitions Programme.

Bio

Ms. Motoko Ogawa is Deputy Director of Environmental Economy Office, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environmental Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan

Motoko Ogawa dedicated years of experiences to energy, market and finance in regulatory sphere. Currently she is engaged in policy making of environmental finance in METI. In particular she is in charge of green finance and climate related disclosure issues including international relationship.

Bio

Petra has more than 20 years of experience in managing international technical cooperation programmes and networks for inclusive and sustainable industrial development. She has vast experience in resource efficiency, sustainable energy, eco-industrial parks and performance-based circular economy business models. She has worked with governments, private sector, NGOs and academia in more than 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe.

In her current position at UNIDO, she promotes the uptake of frontier energy technologies in developing and transition countries. She develops new business and cooperation models to impulse the transfer of low-carbon technologies for productive use and poverty alleviation. Recently, she designed and initiated UNIDO’s Global Partnership for Green Hydrogen Application in Industry.

She studied economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration and environmental management at the University of London.

Bio

Mr Mukesh Sharma is a Deputy General Manager with Indian Oil Corporation in India. Currently, he is handling refinery configuration studies for capacity expansion, developing new process / technologies, conducting Feasibility studies and working on technologies that can generate fuel / energy from waste with objecting of Reducing Carbon footprints in Energy Sector. Mr Sharma started his career as a Process Engineer in Panipat refinery about 21 years ago and then mover up the hierarchy of IOCL.

Mr Sharma is holds B Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT BHU and has a post-graduate degree in management. He is also a certified energy auditor from Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of India. Mr Sharma is actively involved and interested in energy transition initiatives and has been working in new technologies including Hydrogen, CCUS, Biofuels and waste to renewable energy.

Bio

Ms. Nhien Ngo holds an Engineer’s Degree in Electronics Informatics from Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Vietnam (1994-2000), a Master’s Degree in Energy System and Management from the University of Flensburg in Germany (2006-2007). She is a former fellowship of International Climate Protection Fellowship, Alexander von Humboldt (2012-2013). Former researcher of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Working as Independent Energy Consultant (funded by WB, ADB, EU, UN, etc.) with Ministry of Industry and Trade since 2008. Contribute to establishing the Vietnam Energy Partnership Group (MOIT, MOC, MOT & >60 Development Partners) (2016-2018). Her professional activities focus on energy economics, energy modeling, energy policy, and the assessment of low carbon energy projects.

Bio

Nicola McFarlane has over 18 years of experience working in engineering in the oil & gas industry both in Australia and the UK. Nicola’s current position is DNV Principal Low Carbon Lead in Australia supporting Energy Transition and Decarbonisation services and managing key hydrogen related projects in Australia. Nicola is a principal engineer and project manager working in risk management, technical assurance and advisory services. With expertise in safety and regulatory compliance within the Australian Regulatory Regime including Safety Case development and validation and the UK Regulatory Regime. Nicola has a First Class Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Western Australia.