Speakers

Bio

Mark Radka heads the UN Environment Programme’s Energy and Climate Branch, where he manages the organization’s efforts to link the global energy and environment agendas. UN Environment’s focus is on helping countries reduce emission of greenhouse gases through broad cooperative efforts and supporting engagement by the financial industry in the sustainable energy sector. Mark has a special interest in the technology needs of developing countries and was a coordinating lead author of the IPCC’s Special Report on Methodological and Technological Issues in Technology Transfer. Before joining UNEP he worked on domestic and international environmental programmes with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Bank, and was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand.

Mark received a Master of Public Policy degree in Environmental Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, a M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, and a S.B. in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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

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

Martin Keller has served as director of NREL and president of the Alliance for Sustainable Energy—the company that operates NREL for the U.S. Department of Energy—since 2015. Under his leadership, the number of full-time employees at NREL has increased by more than 32%. Keller is a visionary leader who is committed to people, teams, and partnerships. He innovatively and pragmatically applies private sector best practices at NREL to achieve game-changing scientific outcomes.

Bio

Martin Sommerseth Jaer is a finance and economics professional with over 15 years of experience in energy and finance. Based in Manila, he leads energy project transactions in Central and West Asia for the Asian Development Bank (ADB), working on the Sovereign side. In addition to his project-focused role, he serves as the head of the CAREC Energy program, where he advocates for energy sector reform and energy collaboration across CAREC’s 11 countries. Martin holds a Master’s degree in economics from the University of Oslo and Fudan University in Shanghai.

Bio

"Martinius joined Fred. Olsen 1848 in November 2022, and are now leading the efforts to commercialize Fred. Olsen 1848's floating solar technology, Brizo. Before joining Fred. Olsen 1848, he held various positions in subsea oil and gas in Aker Solution. Martinius holds a Master´s degree in Finance from BI Norwegian Business School."

Bio

Ms. Warlick, a retired senior career diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Serbia, led the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources as the Acting Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs from January – September 2017 and served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from 2014 to 2017. In these roles, she advised the Secretary of State on energy diplomacy initiatives to promote global energy security, energy access and governance across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. During this time, she served for three years as a U.S. representative on the IEA Governing Board and as Chair of the Standing Group on Long-Term Cooperation. Since then, she has served as team leader for the IEA’s recent in-depth peer reviews of the energy policies in the Netherlands and Canada. During her diplomatic career, Ms. Warlick held a variety of other senior leadership positions in Washington and overseas at the Department of State, the National Security Council, and the Department of Defense. In particular, she has extensive foreign policy experience working on Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, including previous assignments as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, and Director of the State Department’s Office of Russian Affairs and the Office of Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus Affairs. She also served as Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and as U.S. Consul General in Melbourne, Australia, with earlier assignments in Germany, the Philippines, and Bangladesh. Ms. Warlick holds a B.A. in Political Science from Valparaiso University in Indiana, and an M.A in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. In addition to her prior service on the IEA Governing Board, she served previously on the board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. She is a recipient of The Secretary of State’s Career Achievement Award, The Secretary of State’s Award for Public Outreach, and The Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service.

Bio

Mary Burce Warlick is the Deputy Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA). A retired career diplomat and former U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Ms. Warlick has held a variety of senior leadership positions at the U.S. Department of State, National Security Council and Department of Defense, serving in Washington and abroad. From 2014-2017 she served as the State Department’s Principal Deputy and and Acting Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs and represented the U.S. on the IEA Governing Board Ms. Warlick holds a B.A. in Political Science and an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy.

Bio

Ms. Gabis has over eight years of experience in the electricity and renewable energy (RE) industry as part of the Philippine Department of Energy (DOE). She began her career at DOE’s Power Bureau, where she led the formulation of the Power Development Plan 2016, 2017, and 2020 editions. In 2022, she became a Senior Researcher at DOE’s Renewable Energy Bureau and led the crafting of the National Renewable Energy Program 2020-2040. Currently, she is an Executive Assistant at DOE, providing technical guidance on accelerating RE growth and energy sector decarbonization. Ms. Gabis graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of the Philippines, and earned her Masters in Energy, Resource, and Environmental Policy at Korea University under a full scholarship. She is also a United States Energy Association’s Female Leaders in Energy Program mentee who has worked on the gender aspects of the clean energy transition.

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

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.