Speakers

Bio

Durga Nanda Bariyait, Director, Grid Development Department of Nepal Electricity Authority was born on 30th November, 1971 in Sarshwar Village of Saptari district in Nepal. He completed his B.E. (Electrical Engineering) in 1998 and M.Sc. (Power System Engineering) in 2004 from Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Nepal and EMBA from Ace Institute of Management, Nepal in 2015. He joined Nepal Electricity Authority in December 2003 as an Electrical Engineer and started his carrier in planning, power purchase and trade. He has previously worked as the Project Manager in 400 and 132 kV transmission line projects and as the Director in Corporate Planning and Monitoring Department. Presently, he is working as Director in Grid Development Department. His major responsibility as the Director of Grid Development Department is to construct new 132 transmission lines and substations and conductor upgrading works of 66 kV and 132 kV voltage level across the country to enhance the supply reliability, meet electricity demand and power evacuation of generating stations. He is responsible for monitoring and supervising more than thirty five undergoing transmission projects in the country. He has visited China, Philippines, Thailand, India, Pakistan and USA during executing his responsibilities. He is a Member of the Nepal Engineers’ Association and Society of Electrical Engineers’ Nepal.

Bio

Mr. Bui has been with ADB since 2005. He is responsible for developing and implementing programs for energy sector development in ADB member countries in Southeast Asia with operational experiences in Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Bio

Dynah is a wife and mother of 2 sons. She met husband while studying her MBA at University of Texas at Dallas. Her first son was born when she was a first year PhD student at the University of Texas at Arlington and her second son when she was a faculty member at the University of Auckland Business School. Indeed, Dynah enjoys living and traveling to different countries with her family. Apart from spending time with her family, Dynah is a full-time teacher and scholar for the past 20 years. Currently, she is a full-time professor at the Asian Institute of Management and the Executive Director of the Ramon V. Del Rosario Sr. Center for Corporate Responsibility. Her research, published and cited over 1100 times (according to Google Scholar), covers strategic human capital or HR management on international labor standards, gender, downsizing, governance, and the effect of board characteristics on firm performance.

Bio

Ms. Eden Uchel is an experienced professional with a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Environmental Health from the University of New South Wales. She also holds a Graduate Diploma in Public Health and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Biology. Ms. Uchel has held various positions and is currently the Director of the Palau Energy & Water Administration (PEWA) within Palau’s Ministry of Finance. She was a Manager of Projects & Quality Improvement at Surangel & Sons Company, which is the biggest Project Development business in Palau, and she also held the role as an Acting Chief and Senior Environmental Health Officer at the Division of Environmental Health within the Ministry of Health in the Republic of Palau. She has extensive experience in governing the board of public utilities in Palau for nearly ten years and has an environmental compliance background that adds to her skills in public administration and health management roles.

Bio

Ms. Eden Uchel is an experienced professional with a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in Environmental Health from the University of New South Wales. She also holds a Graduate Diploma in Public Health and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Biology. Ms. Uchel is currently the Director of the Palau Energy & Water Administration (PEWA) within Palau’s Ministry of Finance. She was a Manager of Projects & Quality Improvement at Surangel & Sons Company, which is the biggest Project Development business in Palau, and she also held the role as an Acting Chief and Senior Environmental Health Officer at the Division of Environmental Health within the Ministry of Health in the Republic of Palau. She has extensive experience in governing the board of public utilities in Palau for nearly ten years, and has an environmental compliance background that adds to her skills in public administration and health management roles.

Bio

Elena Rose is the Executive Director of Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I), an Australian Government initiative to foster inclusive growth through sustainable infrastructure in Southeast Asia.

Elena is also Counsellor, Infrastructure at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. She has over 10 years’ experience in the public sector focusing on strategic policy, Australia’s engagement in the ASEAN region and development. In the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Elena has worked primarily on ASEAN, Australia’s Indo-Pacific agenda, geo-economics and at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. While with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, she worked on Northeast Asia, and on regional and economic architecture including ASEAN and the G20.

Prior to joining the Australian Public Service, Elena worked with the World Bank, the United Nations and non-government organisations.

Elena holds a dual Master of Laws from New York University and the National University of Singapore.

Bio

Elias Towe is founder and CTO of Orenko LTD, a solar energy company. He has previously worked as Program Manager for photonics at the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and has been a consultant to governments, industry, and other organizations, including the World Bank. He is the author or coauthor of over 170 technical journal papers and a book chapter. He was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he received the S.B., S.M., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Towe is a Fellow of several professional societies.

Bio

Ellen Bomasang is a global development professional whose focus has been clean energy, climate, and inclusive growth across Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East for 25+ years. She has led global teams in the delivery of professional services and is a recognized thought leader in renewable energy and gender equality and social inclusion (GESI). She has led GESI interventions around the themes of women’s and girls’ leadership, male allyship, women’s economic empowerment, gender-based violence prevention and response in energy projects and building diverse and respectful workplaces. At Abt Associates, she helps center equity principles and practices within Abt's operations and across its international and domestic portfolios. She provides GESI advisory support to the ongoing USAID Mongolia Energy Governance Activity and USAID Power Africa Health Electrification and Telecommunication Alliance. Prior to joining Abt, she served as GESI Advisor on multiple USAID energy programs in Africa and Asia.

Bio

Ellen is the Programme Manager for the UK government's £70m International Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage Programme and the policy lead on CCUS in developing countries. The programme uses Official Development Assistance to increase the technical and institutional knowledge of CCUS within developing countries by supporting pilot projects, capacity building, and the development of policy and regulatory frameworks. She is also the UK’s policy lead on industrial decarbonisation in developing countries, including managing the £15m industrial decarbonisation innovation fund under the UK’s £50m Clean Energy Innovation Facility Programme, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies in developing countries. Ellen previously managed the UK’s international climate finance investments for offshore wind, coal transitions and air pollution abatement through the World Bank. She holds a bachelor's degree in international development from the University of East Anglia.

Bio

Elmar Asgarzade is a dedicated chemical engineer with a Bachelor's and Master's degree in the field and a passion for developing cleantech products to address global environmental challenges. With over 5 years of experience, Elmar has played a pivotal role in assisting startups to transform their ideas into reality at the Center for Innovation and Research. As the co-director at Climasel and Extra Mile Technologies LLC , Elmar leveraged his expertise to develop high-efficiency, environmentally friendly solutions . His strong commitment to innovation and sustainability sets him apart as a leader in the realm of cleantech solutions. Elmar is also Presidential Youth Award holder in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan

Bio

Emanuele Bianco is a Programme Officer at the IRENA. He is the lead author of IRENA’s Green Hydrogen Policy Guides, which present in an organic way the main policies to support the green hydrogen transition from niche to mainstream. Emanuele’s contribution also includes analyses of the renewable energy market in Southeast Europe, auction design, heating and cooling policies and power market structures. He has a combined 13 years of experience in renewable energy policy analysis, also gained in the IEA and the Italian state-owned agency GSE. He has received an M.Eng. in Nuclear and Energy Engineering from the Polytechnic School of Turin.

Bio

Emily Klos is a communications project coordinator at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory supporting international activities and USAID. She has seven years of experience in communications, with four years devoted to national laboratories and nearly three years to international nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Southeastern University and a minor in Community Development and Poverty Alleviation.