Speaker 2021

Bio

Abraham Simpson is the Project Implementation Officer for the Sustainable Energy Industry Development Project for the Pacific Power Association. Abraham has extensive experience with Pacific Islands power utilities as a Chief Executive, Strategy Development and Execution, Project Management, Electrical Engineering and Capacity Building.

Bio

Aditad Vasinonta, Ph.D.

After completing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Aditad Vasinonta joined the Department of Industrial Promotion, Ministry of Industry, Thailand. At early stage of his career, he worked as an engineer to promote metal-working and machinery industries. After working for two years, he chose to further his engineering study at the Carnegie Mellon University, United States. Rejoining Ministry of Industry after his Ph.D. graduation in 2002 was very exciting. Throughout 25 years at the Industry Ministry, he has been working on several new initiatives such as industrial cluster development and business service development. During 2018 – 2020, he was the deputy director-general at the Office of Industrial Economics. His responsibility included proposing industrial policies, negotiating with international industrial organizations and agencies as well as providing industrial information and guidance of industrial economics. Currently, he is the deputy director-general at the Department of Primary Industries and Mines and is responsible for suggesting policy formulation, strategies, action plans and measures for mining, primary and downstream industries' management. He is also serving as the Chairman of the Project Steering Committee of “Green Scrap Metal Thailand Project” which is the joint project with UNIDO funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Aside from his official work, Aditad had served as the Secretary General of the Asian Packaging Federation, an international organization comprising of 14 Asian member countries, for 4 years during 2007 – 2010. In addition, he has taught several courses in mechanical engineering at Thammasat University and King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, Thailand.

Bio

Ahmed joined ADB in 2019 and has significant prior leadership experience in both government and the private sector. He is currently responsible for overseeing ADB’s operations in East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Between 2004 and 2008, Mr. Saeed served in senior roles at the US Treasury. He was an advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury (2004-05) and the later Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for the Middle East and Africa, with responsibility for US economic diplomacy and financial engagement across 68 countries (2005-08). Ahmed has worked closely with two Secretaries of the Treasury (John Snow and Hank Paulson). He was deeply involved in a number of significant debt relief exercises (for Liberia, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq) and laid the basis for what became the Santiago Principles for sovereign wealth funds.

Prior to joining ADB, Ahmed spent close to eight years as Managing Director and head of JPMorgan’s coverage for finance ministries, central banks and sovereign wealth funds across the Middle East and North Africa. He has raised over $100 bn in financing for governments, including the debut sovereign bond issuances for several sovereigns and the largest ever sovereign bond offerings in emerging markets (twice). Mr. Saeed began his career as a lawyer at White & Case. In the late 1990’s he led technology related businesses in the UK, US and Japan, raising over $150 m for companies in which he was a key principal. Mr. Saeed holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Chicago Law School and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, as well as a BA (Economics and Political Science) from McGill University. He is a former White House Fellow and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Bio

Akihisa Kuriyama joined the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in 2011. He had engaged in supporting the CO2 mitigation projects in the energy sector of Southeast Asian countries and conducted quantitative analysis on the international mechanisms such as the Kyoto mechanism. For the domestic issues in Japan, he worked for analysis to develop scenarios towards a decarbonized society, to assess long and medium-term goals. He also engaged in projects to promote renewable energies such as Japan’s power system analysis and just transition issues.

Bio

Alan Kneisz is Global Business Development Director at Cummins Corporation, the worlds largest engine supplier and a global leader in advanced hydrogen fuel cell, storage and electrolysis solutions.

In his role, Alan has been at the forefront of Hydrogen technology deployments by developing Hydrogen Transport solutions, Megawatt fuel cell power systems, Renewable Energy applications, Energy Storage, Hydrogen fueling and other applications. This includes the worlds largest Fuel Cell bus fleets in China, MW power systems, Marine and Rail systems as well as assisting to better understand the planning for the Hydrogen Economy with Government, OEM’s, NGO’s and other Private institutions globally.

Alan has extensive experience implementing green technologies into practical applications throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and Australia with Private and Government institutions and has become a thought leader in promoting the Hydrogen Economy, speaking at approx 10 conference per year explain the advantages of the Hydrogen economy to a broader audience.

Bio



Bio

Alok Sharma was appointed full-time President for COP 26, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, on 8 January 2021. He was previously Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and President for COP 26 between 13 February 2020 and 8 January 2021. 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.

Bio

Alvin Jose is a Principal Energy Specialist with Sustainable Energy for All. Alvin has almost 14 years of experience in International Energy & Environment sector, specifically on Low Carbon Energy Technologies, Energy Efficiency and Multilateral Environment Agreements. He has previously worked with UNEP, UNDP, TERI and Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India. He has experience on wide range of technical assistance programs in Asia Pacific region in Clean Energy transition - covering Energy Efficiency standards, ESCO development, Low carbon cooling technologies and energy access for productive use. Currently, he is supporting SEforALL’ s global work on Clean Energy Transition, energy efficiency in products, sustainable cooling, and ESCOs. Alvin holds a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and a master’s degree in Energy Engineering.

Bio

Amanda Lonsdale is a Transaction Advisor to Tonga Power Limited under their ADB-funded Tonga Renewable Energy Project (TREP). In this capacity, she is working to help them meet their NDC commitment of a 70% renewable grid by 2030. She is an expert in climate finance, structuring, investing, and renewable energy project development, with 20 years’ experience in emerging markets. In addition to her work with the Government of Tonga, she has recently structured solar securitizations and climate bond mechanisms for Africa, and co-authored a paper on the financial and social transition from coal power through Rocky Mountain Institute. She developed projects for a renewable energy private equity fund in the US, Latin America, and Europe and has worked on several renewable energy-focused donor projects in East Africa. Amanda has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in Finance and Entrepreneurship and an MA from the Johns Hopkins University School of International Studies (SAIS) in Southeast Asia Studies.

Bio

Amanda J. Van den Dool serves as the Energy and Infrastructure Team Lead for USAID's Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA), based in Bangkok, Thailand. In this role, Ms. Van den Dool manages a diverse portfolio of regional energy and environmental safeguards programs and leads USAID's engagement with development partners. Ms. Van den Dool joined RDMA from the Power Africa Coordinator’s office, based in South Africa. During her tenure with Power Africa, Ms. Van den Dool managed cross-border trade and transmission efforts and led Power Africa’s coordination with bilateral and multilateral development partners. Ms. Van den Dool has also served in USAID's policy bureau, democracy and governance office and education office. In 2010, she was selected to represent the U.S. Government as a Mansfield Fellow, working and living in Japan after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Ms. Van den Dool holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Bio

Anindya is having more than eighteen years of research and consulting experience in the field of energy planning and policy across the world. He has worked with more than dozens of national governments in Asia while developing national and regional energy plans and policies. Anindya is extensively working in the area of climate mitigation using optimal energy systems analysis modelling tools like MESSAGEix. He is also specialized in the macroeconomic impact assessment of energy and environmental policies using general equilibrium modeling tools like CGE. Anindya is currently leading the energy and climate change division of a research organization The Celestial Earth, in India. He is now actively involved with the National Institute of Transformational India (NITI Aayog) of Govt. of India developing national energy model and also with State governments developing State level energy model and planning tool. Anindya is also the Team Leader of the on-going ADB TA on developing low carbon technology road map for SDG and NDC target achievement and beyond. Anindya obtained his PhD in Energy Science from Kyoto University, Japan and MS in Resource Economics from West Virginia University, USA.

Anindya’s current research interest are:

• Sub-national energy systems model for India
• Deep decarbonization and net zero emissions
• Water-energy-land-use nexus and spatial analysis
• Sustainable urban energy system
• Macroeconomic impact assessment of climate mitigation and adaptation policies

Bio

Mr. Anouj Mehta is Unit Head, Green and Innovative Finance and the ACGF, Southeast Asia Department, ADB.

Anouj focuses on Innovative and Green Finance across Southeast Asia. Through SERD innovative finance hub, he manages the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance facility, including the Green Climate Fund approved ""Green Recovery Program,"" one of the first such in Asia. He also led other initiatives and partnerships aimed at developing sustainable and leveraged finance projects. His focus on green finance since 2015 led to the development of ADB's first Catalyzing Green Finance publication and related ADB projects in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Southeast Asia as well as the launch of the recent "Green Recovery Strategies Post COVID-19" knowledge product. Previously Anouj led a pioneering PPP and sub-sovereign initiative in India from both the ADB and the World Bank. Anouj was an investment banker at JP Morgan Chase prior to joining ADB and has expertise in mergers and acquisitions, project and corporate finance, capital markets, sovereign and non-sovereign infrastructure financing.