Speakers

Bio

Mats de Ronde is a senior consultant, project manager and team lead with a broad overview of the energy system. He combines technical expertise across different energy value chains with an understanding of the market in which technologies operate, performing techno-economic analysis, roadmapping, feasibility studies and due diligence throughout Europe and Asia. His primary focus is on technologies that aid in both short and long term decarbonization such as renewables, hydrogen, storage & CCS but combined with a fundamental understanding of existing fossil fuel markets and dynamics.

Bio

Mats Marquardt is a development economist at the NewClimate Institute, primarily working on modelling transition risks associated with the decarbonization of international trade flows. Mats' current work focuses on the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and its potential economic impacts on emerging and developing countries.

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 S. Mendis is an internationally recognized clean energy, environment and finance expert with more than 40 years of experience having worked in over 45 developing countries around the world. Initially, Matthew spent 10 years of his career at the World Bank, where he rose to Program Manager and pioneered innovative financing mechanisms for small-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy (EE&RE) initiatives. Over the span of his career, he has worked in leadership roles on programs with the ADB, USAID, UNDP and other international organizations. He is currently the Managing Director, Energy at Chemonics International.

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

Maythiwan is a Manager for Utility Modernization, USAID Southeast Asia Smart Power Program (SPP). She has over 10 years experience in energy sector. Prior to joining SPP, she was working for USAID Clean Power Asia program. Her work included supporting the Laos government in designing the first competitive energy procurement, developing guidelines for conducting feasibility studies for RE projects and assessing the power sector vulnerabilities and the resilience action plan. She also worked with Thai government and U.S. experts on developing BESS technical standards and economic modelling of electric vehicle transition. In 2013-2018, Maythiwan was with Thailand’s Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO). She served as a Senior Policy and Plan Analyst and was involved in various tasks, e.g., conduct the ex-post evaluation of RE and EE projects sponsored by ENCON fund and participate in various electricity policy and plan making processes. Maythiwan holds a Master of International Public Affairs focusing on Energy and environmental policy from University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA and an M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Kasetsart University, Thailand

Bio

Mr. Md. Habibur Rahman joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1991 as an Assistant Commissioner. He served in several districts in different capacities before moving to the central secretariat. He had a long stint for nearly two decades in the Finance Division and played a significant role in steering the transition from traditional budget making to the Medium-Term Budget Framework. Md. Habibur Rahman took over as Senior Secretary to the Power Division on June 01, 2023. He was appointed to the post of Secretary, Power Division on 12 November, 2020. He is a recipient of the prestigious Public Administration Award. Mr. Rahman obtained BSc. and MSc. in Applied Physics and Electronics from the University of Dhaka and later perused another Master’s degree in Economic Development Policy and Research from the University of Birmingham, UK to go with plethora of trainings from several countries.

Bio

Meggie has assisted in delivering over USD 270bn Use of Proceeds debt instruments that are consistent with the goal of limiting global warming to at or below 1.5°C future. Working across a variety of sectors from Renewable Energy, Low Carbon Buildings, Low Carbon Transport and more recently, transition of the hard-to-abate sectors such as Steel, Cement, Hydrogen and Basic Chemicals.Meggie provides technical assistance to prospective green debt issuers through conducting portfolio reviews, entity readiness assessments, training and capacity building.

Bio

Mel Slade has spent more than thirty years in energy efficiency policy development and implementation in many parts of the world. She started out working in the UK Government on industrial and appliance energy efficiency and has worked with many other governments to establish efficiency programmes, perhaps most notably in China where she has been working since the early 1990s. In 2007 Mel became the Chair of Australia and New Zealand’s Equipment Energy Efficiency programme where she led the phase-out of inefficient lighting, a world first. Mel moved to the International Energy Agency in February 2014 to manage the Energy Efficiency in Emerging Economies Programme. Mel and her team work with policy makers in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and Thailand to develop more effective energy efficiency policy, track its progress and assess its potential.

Bio

Mel Slade has spent more than thirty years in energy efficiency policy development and implementation in many parts of the world. She started out working in the UK Government on industrial and appliance energy efficiency and has worked with many other governments to establish efficiency programmes, perhaps most notably in China where she has been working since the early 1990s. In 2007 Mel became the Chair of Australia and New Zealand’s Equipment Energy Efficiency programme where she led the phase-out of inefficient lighting, a world first. Mel moved to the International Energy Agency in February 2014 to manage the Energy Efficiency in Emerging Economies Programme. Mel and her team work with policy makers in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and Thailand to develop more effective energy efficiency policy, track its progress and assess its potential.

Bio

Melody brings extensive experience to her role as the technical leader of the Healthy Ocean Program of CCRE. With a career spanning over two decades, she has honed her expertise in environmental sustainability and social development within various contexts. As lead of the Healthy Oceans Program, she provides strategic and sustainable solutions to accelerate climate adaptation and build climate resilience in coastal areas, and facilitating or contributing to new or innovative approaches that support environmental sustainability in ADB operations.

Bio

Meutia Chaerani (Rani) Climate Change Specialist of the Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) Team in the Energy Sector Office, Asian Development Bank. She is leading ADB’s engagement with Indonesia ETM Country Platform under the Ministry of Finance. Prior to this assignment, Rani has previously worked in ADB as the Risk Management Specialist in the Office of Risk Management and Project Portfolio Analyst in the Indonesia Resident Mission where she received ADB Vice President Award. She graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Master’s degree in environmental management, and is a certified Sustainability and Climate Risk Professional. She is also an avid philanthropist in the field of arts and culture, which garnered awards from the Korean and Australian Government for her volunteer initiatives.