Speakers

Bio

Seungduck Kim currently works on the energy projects in the Central and West Asia Department, ADB. He brings more than 20 years of energy sector experience in a wide range of energy sector operations from renewable energy, conventional generation, hydropower, energy efficiency to power transmission and distribution across Asia and Middle East regions. His recent professional interest of focus is on the sector reforms in the Central Asian countries with a view to attracting private sector investments across the energy value chain. Currently, Seungduck is leading ADB’s energy operations in Pakistan and shifting ADB’s operations to innovative and cutting-edge interventions in project design and financing. Prior to joining ADB, he worked with a power utility in Korea and for independent power projects across the globe. He holds a master’s degree in engineering from Stanford University, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Korea University.

Bio

Seungduck Kim currently works with the Asian Development Bank's Central and West Asia energy division. He has over 20 years of experience in the energy sector, with expertise in renewable energy, conventional generation, hydropower, energy efficiency, and power transmission and distribution across Asia and the Middle East. His most recent professional focus has been on energy sector reforms in Central Asian countries, with the goal of attracting private sector investments across the energy value chain and regional linkages. Seungduck is currently in charge of ADB's energy sector operations in Pakistan and Uzbekistan, where he is transforming the Bank's operations from traditional to innovative and cutting-edge project design and finance interventions. Prior to joining ADB, he worked with a public sector power electricity in Korea and for independent power projects across the globe. He holds a master’s degree in engineering from Stanford University, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Korea University.

Bio

Shah Zulfiqar Haider is a Registered Professional Engineer (PEng) and Certified Energy Auditor from USA and Life Fellow of Bangladesh Computer Society. He has 40 years of experience in Infrastructure, Sustainable Energy, Climate Change & Military Engineering Services. He is an International expert in Sustainable Energy, Smart Grid, Infrastructure planning, Total Quality Management (TQM), Management of Electric Utilities etc. He has attended International Conferences as Keynote Speaker/Executive Dialogue Speaker/ Presenter/Facilitator on Smart Grid, Energy Efficiency, Climate Change, Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Tariff, Rural Electrification, Future Energy etc. in USA, Belgium, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Pakistan, Morocco, Nepal, Philippines etc. He has many International publications on Energy, TQM, Sustainable Energy etc. He received National award as “Best Officer in Energy sector” by Government of Bangladesh. He was Director of Sustainable & Renewable Energy Development Authority, Bangladesh. At present, he is Technical Adviser of Mitsubishi Research Institute and gives Technical support to Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority, Bangladesh. He is Member of many International Energy, IT and TQM related organizations.

Bio

Shakti Bahadur Basnet, born on May 11, 1969, in Kalegaun, Jajarkot, Nepal, is a senior politician from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre). He holds a Master's degree in Political Science and is pursuing a Ph.D. Mr. Basnet has held several key ministerial positions, including Minister of Forest and Environment (2018-2020), Minister of Home Affairs (2015-2016), and Minister of Health and Population (2011). He is currently the Minister of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation (since March 31, 2023). He is a life member of the Nepal Red Cross Society and has interests in environmental protection, energy security, and internal security and defense. He is married to Satya Pahadi, a Member of the Interim Legislative Constituent Assembly, House of Representative and former Minister of Peace and Reconstruction and blessed with one daughter. He resides in Harihar Bhawan, Pulchowk, Lalitpur, and has traveled to various countries, including Austria, Bahrain, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Qatar, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the U.K., the U.S.A., and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Bio

Shankar Earni is a Program Manager in Building Technologies and Urban Systems Division, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, supporting US Department of Energy to develop, implement, and evaluate energy projects, including developing processes, tools and resources to enhance the adoption of alternate financing mechanism for energy projects. Prior to LBNL, he worked as a Senior Performance Assurance Specialist at Johnson Controls Inc., where he was involved with auditing, project development and implementation of energy projects in commercial buildings. Dr. Earni also led and participated in several energy audits for industrial and commercial sectors to identify energy and productivity savings. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Management and an M.S and B.S in Mechanical Engineering. He serves as a member of IPMVP committee, which is responsible for improving state of M&V practices.

Bio

Shannon Cowlin is a Principal Energy Specialist in the East Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank where she leads clean energy projects in Mongolia. She has previously worked in ADB’s South Asia and Southeast Asia departments and has led initiatives spanning renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric mobility, regional integration, and carbon capture and storage. Prior to joining ADB, she led bilateral and multilateral cooperation projects on clean energy at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Her previous work focused the intersection of energy use, emissions, human health implications, and mitigation approaches. She has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering Science and a Master of Science in Environmental Health Sciences, both from the University of California at Berkeley.

Bio

Bio

I focus on economic and social infrastructure projects helping our clients - governments, developers, institutional investors - across the project life cycle from conceptualization to asset optimization. My key goal as infrastructure professional is to be at the cutting edge of financing innovation and technological disruption to help clients create sustainable infrastructure projects. Passion: Financing innovation, infra-tech and digital disruptions, PPPs, sector reforms & regulations."

Bio

Sharan Burrow is the General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, representing 200 million workers in 163 countries and territories with 332 national affiliates. The ITUC’s primary mission is the promotion and defense of workers’ rights and interests, through international cooperation between trade unions, global campaigning, and advocacy within the major global institutions. Previously President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) from 2000 – 2010, Sharan is a passionate advocate and campaigner for social justice, women’s rights, the environment, and labour law reforms, and has led union negotiations on major economic reforms and labour rights campaigns in her home country of Australia and globally. She has also served as a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation and is represented on a number of international commissions concerning climate action, industrial transition, and economic reform.

Bio

Sheharyar is a Marketa Development Advisory Specialist at ADB with more than 16 years of experience in infrastructure project finance and project development across Asia Pacific.

Bio

Dr. Shengnian Xu is a Research Associate of the WRI Sustainable Investment Program. He focuses on the potential analysis of renewable energy resources, policy development, and bridging renewable energy investment to green BRI countries.

Bio

Ambassador Shin was appointed as Executive Director of Climate Action in Korea Energy Agency in January 2024. He was Vice President of the United Nations Association of the Republic of Korea and was teaching at Handong Global University in Pohang as an invitee professor. He was elected as Director to Council to Global Green Growth Institute in 2020. Before retiring from Government of the Republic of Korea in June 2018, he was Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Bulgaria and to the State of Kuwait between March 2014 and May 2018. Ambassador Shin was appointed as Ambassador of Climate Change from March 2013, responsible for leading international negotiation on climate change for the Republic of Korea. Since October 2011 he was Ambassador for Green Growth and negotiated the Agreement on the Establishment of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the inter-governmental treaty to convert the GGGI into an international organization. The treaty was adopted in May 2012 and signed by 16 countries in June of the same year on occasion of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro. Thereafter, in October 2012, Ambassador Shin coordinated the successful hosting of the Inaugural Meetings of the Assembly and the Council of the GGGI held in Seoul and attended by the 18 founding members of the GGGI including Australia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Mexico, Norway, United Kingdom and Vietnam. Headquartered in Korea, the GGGI is dedicated to supporting and diffusing green growth to address climate change and achieve the sustainable development of the international community based on partnerships between developed and developing countries, and the public and private sectors. Between 2008 and 2011, he was posted as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in New York. Ambassador Shin gained his expertise in environment and sustainable development as Vice Chair of the Environmental Policy Committee of the OECD (2007), Director-General for International Cooperation in the Ministry of Environment (2006), Senior Coordinator for Environment and Science at the International Economic Affairs Bureau of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2005), and Vice Chair of the 13th Session of the Commission of Sustainable Development of the Economic and Social Council at the United Nations (2004-05).