Confirmed speakers taking part in the Global Clean Energy Forum are listed below. Check back regularly for updates and new speakers.
Jeremy Rifkin, Founder and President, Foundation on Economic Trends
Jeremy Rifkin is president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and the author of seventeen bestselling books on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society, and the environment. His books have been translated into more than thirty languages and are used in thousands of universities, corporations and government agencies around the world.
He has been an advisor to the European Union for the past decade, on issues related to the economy, climate change, and energy security. He currently advises the European Commission, the European Parliament, and several EU heads of state, including Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of Spain.
Rajendra Pachauri, Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The name of Rajendra K. Pachauri, Director General of TERI and Chairman of the IPCC has become synonymous with climate change and the environment. Internationally recognised as a leading global thinker and leader of research, the more so since sharing the podium with Al Gore to receive the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the IPCC, Rajendra's passion lies in disseminating greater knowledge about man-made climate change and helping lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counter such change.
Philip Lowe, Director General, Energy DG, European Commission
Philip Lowe joined the European Commission in 1973, and held a range of senior posts as Chef de Cabinet and Director in the fields of regional development, agriculture, transport and administration, before becoming Director-General of the Development DG in 1997. From September 2002 he was Director-General of the Competition DG until he took up his current appointment as Director-General of the Energy DG in February 2010.
The Lord Browne of Madingley, Managing Director, Riverstone Holdings; former Group Chief Executive, BP
Lord Browne joined BP in September 1991 as a Managing Director. He was appointed Group Chief Executive in June 1995. Following the merger of BP and Amoco, he became Group Chief Executive of the combined group on 31 December 1998 until 1 May 2007.
Awards received include the Institute of Energy Melchett Medal (2001), the Society of Petroleum Engineers Public Service Award (2002), the World Petroleum Congress Dewhurst Award (2005), and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership Award from the Business Council for International Understanding.
José Manuel Entrecanales, Chairman and CEO, Acciona
José Manuel Entrecanales joined Acciona in 1991. He was Corporate Development Director, Finance Director and a Member of the Board until he was named Chairman in 2004. Between 1994 and 2000 he was also a Board Director of Vodafone Spain, and between 2000 and 2007 he was Chairman of Vodafone Spain and of the Vodafone Foundation in Spain.
In 2009, Mr. Entrecanales joined the executive committee of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. He also belongs to the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change, and is Chairman of the José Manuel Entrecanales Foundation for Innovation and Sustainability.
Tulsi Tanti, Chairman and Managing Director, Suzlon
Founded by Tulsi Tanti, Suzlon now ranks as the third leading wind energy group in the world with 9.8 per cent of the global market share. A global corporation with over 15,000 employees, Suzlon works in over 25 countries on five continents, and has built a reputation as a socially responsible enterprise with sustainable development at the core of the business.
Katrina Landis, CEO, BP Alternative Energy
Katrina leads the low carbon technology frontier of BP. The philosophy of BP Alternative Energy is to create material profitable new businesses in energy value chains which facilitate BP's transition to a low carbon future. BP Alternative Energy is made up of four core businesses: Biofuels, US Wind, Solar and Hydrogen Power & Carbon Capture and Storage.
Fatih Birol, Chief Economist, International Energy Agency
Fatih Birol has overall responsibility for the IEA's economic analysis of energy and climate change policy. He oversees the annual World Energy Outlook which is the flagship publication of the IEA and is recognized as one of the most authoritative sources for energy analysis and projections. He is also responsible for the IEA Energy Business Council, which provides policymakers with a business perspective on energy market issues.
KK Chan, Founder and CEO, Nature Elements Capital
KK is responsible for all investment activities in carbon emission credits under the Clean Development Mechanism and environmental projects in Greater China. Prior founding Nature Elements Capital, KK was Managing Director of CLP Renewables at China Light and Power, and was responsible for building and managing the clean energy and cleantech portfolio of CLP in Asia Pacific.
Stephan Singer, Director, Global Energy Policy, WWF International
Stephan has been Director of Global Energy Policy at the WWF since 2008. He looks after the global response by WWF on issues of coal and other fossil fuels, carbon markets, transport policies, renewable and energy efficiency policies.
Changhua Wu, Director, Greater China, The Climate Group
Based in Beijing, Changhua Wu leads The Climate Group's operations and strategic development across the region. Prior to joining The Climate Group, she was the Executive Director of China Operations of ENSR where she worked closely with multi-national corporations to support their business development in China and also their compliance with Chinese regulations.
Simon Giles, Partner and Global Lead - Smart Cities, Accenture
Simon is Accenture's global lead for Smart Technology Strategy and is currently advising the World Economic Forum. He has been working with government and utility leaders to demonstrate how 'smart' utility infrastructure, distributed renewables and low carbon transport technologies are converging to offer possibilities for a more sustainable set of municipal services.
Peter Gutman, Global Head, Renewable Energy & Environmental Finance, Standard Chartered Bank
Peter Gutman is responsible for developing Standard Chartered's business globally, across the areas of financing, equity, advisory and principal investment. He sits on the World Economic Forum's Expert Committee for Green Investing, and the Steering Committee for the IFC/McKinsey global water project. He is also leading Standard Chartered's Clinton Global Initiative commitment, under which the bank plans to mobilize U.S.$8 billion - U.S.$10 billion in financing for the renewable energy and clean technology sectors over the next few years.
Fritz Vahrenholt, CEO, RWE Innogy
Fritz Vahrenholt is one of Germany's best-known renewable energy experts, having been an advisor to Chancellors Schröder and Merkel from 2001-2007. A former board member of Deutsche Shell, and chairman of REpower, Fritz now oversees the renewable energy investments and activities of RWE, one of the world's largest utility companies.
Christian Kjær, CEO, European Wind Energy Association
Christian has been CEO of EWEA since 2006, helping the voice of the wind industry actively promote the utilisation of wind power in Europe and worldwide.
Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director, European Environment Agency
Jacqueline McGlade became Executive Director of the European Environment Agency in 2003. Prior to this she was Natural Environment Research Council Professorial Fellow in Environmental Informatics in the Mathematics Department of University College London. She has published more than 100 research papers, written popular articles, presented and appeared in many radio and television programmes, including her own BBC series.
Kavita Maharaj, Chair, Global Clean Energy Forum
Kavita is a global business player with more than fifteen years experience in the international media industry. A former well-known and respected financial broadcast journalist, Kavita has worked as a producer, reporter and anchorwoman for NBC, CNBC, Bloomberg TV and ITV. She is part of the select group of Ambassadors for The Prince’s Trust and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Tetsuro Nagata, President and CEO, Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation
Mr. Nagata became President and CEO of Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation in 2003, following a multifaceted career at Tokyo Electric Power Company (a utility with more than 60,000MW of generation capacity). He is a long-standing professional in the energy industry and possesses a unique and comprehensive knowledge of renewable energy and its role in the power generation business. In May 2010, he was elected President of the Japan Wind Power Association and is now also responsible for promoting the wind power industry within Japan.
Abyd Karmali, Global Head of Carbon Markets, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Abyd is the company’s point person for carbon business opportunities and serves on Bank of America’s Environmental Council. Karmali has provided strategic advice on the commercial risks and opportunities posed by carbon emissions constraints to scores of European, US, and Asian companies. Karmali has worked for two decades on climate change and the carbon markets and is serving as elected President of the Carbon Markets and Investors Association. In 1996-97 he was Climate Change Officer at the United Nations Environment Programme's Industry office in Paris and participated in the Kyoto Protocol negotiations.
Antonio Mexia, Chief Executive Officer, Energias de Portugal
In 2004, Antonio Mexia was appointed Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communication for Portugal’s 16th Constitutional Government. He also served as Chairman of the Portuguese Energy Association (APE) from 1999 to 2002. He was also a government representative to the EU working group for trans-European network development.
Eriks Atvars, Director - Power and Environment, UniCredit Corporate & Investment Banking
Eriks has been with Unicredit (previously HVB) since 1995 and joined the Power and Environment team in Munich in 2001. He has worked on assignments for the Group in Hamburg, Riga, London and New York. Today, his focus is on renewable energy projects. Eriks has been involved as originator and project manager of renewable and thermal energy projects in the UAE, Germany, Italy, Portugal, UK, USA, Poland, Bulgaria and Turkey. As a member of core transaction teams he has been responsible for lead mandates with a total underwriting volume of more than €2.4 billion since 2004.
Bruce Huber, Managing Director, Global Head of Clean Technology Investment Banking, Jeffries International
Bruce Huber works with clients across renewable energy and sustainable technologies. He also is Chairman of the firm's European Technology Investment Banking Group. With nearly 30 years of investment banking experience, including 20 years working with European clients, Mr. Huber has advised on over 100 capital markets and M&A transactions across Europe, North America and Asia.
Shai Weiss, Founding Partner, Virgin Green Fund
Shai serves on the Board of several portfolio companies, including Odersun, a thin film solar company based in Berlin; Metrolight, an energy efficient lighting solutions company based in Tennessee; Greenroad, a driver safety and fuel efficiency company based in California and Gevo, a next generation biofuels company based in Colorado. Shai also serves on the board of Virgin Unite, the not-for-profit foundation of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.
Lynn Tabernacki, Director, Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development Finance, Overseas private Investment Corporation
Lynn Tabernacki’s efforts are focused on financing clean energy and clean tech projects and those involving sustainable development. The majority of her projects are with investors that are either investment funds or small and medium enterprises entering the emerging markets. Prior to OPIC, Ms. Tabernacki worked with Price Waterhouse Poland, where she provided M&A advice to clients seeking to invest in Central Europe in the first transition years. Ms. Tabernacki previously worked with Citicorp and Arthur Andersen.
Gerhard Knies, Director, DESERTEC
In 2003 Gerhard founded the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation - TREC, a network of about 50 experts and professionals in renewable energies and sustainability from European and MENA countries. As coordinator of TREC he organized the development of the DESERTEC concept, which aims at bringing clean power from deserts into service of energy, water and climate security for a world with 10 billion people. In October 2008 he initiated the DESERTEC Industrial Initiative to organize the implementation of the DESERTEC Concept. He is also chairman of the DESERTEC Foundation's supervisory board.
Nelson Sam, Global Managing Director - Advisory Services, Point Carbon Thomson Reuters
Nelson’s wide experience includes successful tenures at McKinsey & Company, Ernst and Young and IRD, addressing energy and climate change issues globally. He has significant experience in providing advisory services in energy and climate change across sectors (energy efficiency, renewable and offsets). Nelson has also advised clients (both public and private sector) in the development of a low carbon strategy and in structuring of carbon finance/funds, low carbon portfolio investments.
Stefan Schurig, Director, Climate and Energy, World Future Council
Stefan has devoted most of his career to energy and climate change issues. Before he started working for the World Future Council (WFC) in 2007 he was the spokesperson for Greenpeace in Germany and headed the Climate and Energy department of Greenpeace for nine years. During this time he also co-founded Germany’s second largest green electricity supplier. As Director, Climate and Energy, at the World Future Council, Schurig initiated the international policy campaign on renewable energy and the worldwide promotion of ‘Feed in tariffs’ as one of the best policies for a massive uptake of renewable energy. In his position he works as direct advisor for policy makers and parliamentarians around the globe.
Dana R. Younger, Senior Renewable Energy Adviser, International Finance Corporation
The IFC financed more than $1 billion in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects during fiscal year 2009. Dana acts as lead business developer for large grid-connected renewable energy transaction with a special emphasis on wind energy as well as run-of-river hydro, geothermal, solar energy, and biomass power projects. He is presently involved in mobilizing financing for two wind projects in Mexico totalling >300 MW as well as some 1,500 MW of wind projects in other developing countries as well as other renewable energy projects.
Kunihiko Shimada, Principal International Policy Coordinator - Global Environment Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan
At the UNFCCC process, Kunihiko has been working as a lead negotiator of the Japanese delegation for future issues, technology, adaptation and compliance, as well as serving as a co-chair of the AWGLCA Contact Group on Development and Transfer of Technologies and Chair on Various Mechanisms for mitigation as well as a member of the Expert Group on Technology Transfer (EGTT) and Compliance Committee
Ola Alterå, State Secretary, Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, Sweden
Ola's background includes studies in Engineering Physics at Chalmers University of Technology. As Secretary General for the Centre Party, Mr Alterå initiated a reform process in terms of politics and organisation. In order to put into practice one of his core interests, renewable energy, he then moved on to a position as the Managing Director of the Swedish District Heating Association. As of 2006, he holds the position as State Secretary with responsibility for Energy, State Ownership Policy, Primary Industries and Sustainable Development.
Gregory Barker, Minister of State, Department of Energy & Climate Change, UK
Greg served on the House of Commons Environmental Audit select committee between 2001 and 2005. He was appointed to the Opposition Front Bench as a Conservative whip in 2003, and resigned on July 2005 to help run David Cameron’s successful leadership campaign. David Cameron appointed Greg as Shadow Environment Minister in December 2005. He accompanied David to the Arctic in March 2006, to highlight the dangers of global warming and has since been working closely on Climate Change and wider environmental policy. His policy paper “Power to the People”, advocating a radical increase in the use of decentralised energy, greatly informed the Conservative Party policy paper of the same name, published in November 2007. In 2008 he authored ‘Root to Branch, Education for a Greener Future’ published by the Education Commission.
Greg was closely involved on behalf of the Conservatives with the passage of the Climate Change Act, which passed through the House of Commons in 2008 and in October of the same year he was promoted to Shadow Climate Change Minister to shadow the newly created Department of Energy and Climate Change. Greg was a key contributor to the Conservative Party’s ‘Low Carbon Economy’ green paper, launched in January 2009, and ‘Rebuilding Energy Security’, launched in March 2010. After the General Election in May 2010, the Prime Minister David Cameron appointed Greg as Minister of State for Climate Change.
Greg is a GLOBE International Commissioner on Climate and Energy Security, Vice Chair of APPG Environment Group and member of the UK Green Fiscal Commission.
Martin McAdam, Chief Executive Officer, Aquamarine Power
Martin joined Aquamarine Power as Chief Executive Officer in August 2008, bringing with him nearly ten years experience in the renewables industry. Martin joined Aquamarine from major renewable energy developer Airtricity. Martin was the founder and CEO of Airtricity’s North American operations and managed the sale of the company to E.ON for £0.75bn in 2007. A highly experienced business leader, Martin previously held a number of technical and management roles in the utility sector.
Yvo de Boer, Global Adviser on Climate and Sustainability, KPMG; former Executive Secretary, United Framework Convention on Climate Change
Yvo de Boer was appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the new Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC on 10 August 2006 and took up his post on 4 September 2006. The appointment had been endorsed by the Bureau of the Convention. Mr. de Boer left the United Nations on 1 July 2010 to join international consulting group KPMG.
Before joining the UNFCCC, Mr. de Boer was Director for International Affairs of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment of the Netherlands, responsible for international policy, both in the context of the European Union, as well as broader international cooperation. He also served as Deputy Director-General for Environmental Protection in the same Ministry, as Head of the Climate Change Department and has worked in the fields of housing and public information. Early in his career, Mr. de Boer worked for the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT).
Mr. de Boer's involvement in climate change policies began in 1994. He helped to prepare the position of the European Union in the lead-up to the negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol, assisted in the design of the internal burden sharing of the European Union, and led delegations to the UNFCCC negotiations. He actively sought broad stakeholder involvement on the issue of climate change. To that end, he launched an international dialogue on the clean development mechanism and has partnered international discussions with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, aimed at increasing private sector involvement.
Michael Lewis, Managing Director, Europe, E.ON Climate & Renewables
Michael Lewis is Managing Director, Europe within E.ON Climate & Renewables. He has worked in the energy industry for over sixteen years.
He has a degree in Engineering and holds an MSc in Pollution and Environmental Control from the University of Manchester. He also has an MA in Environmental Law and a Diploma in Accounting and Finance.
Having joined Powergen in 1993, he originally worked in various technical and environmental roles, before moving into corporate strategy and development. Following E.ON's acquisition of Powergen, he moved to E.ON AG headquarters in Düsseldorf where he became Vice-President, Corporate Development. From 2006-2007 he led E.ON’s Group Carbon Strategy, and following completion of this project he was appointed as Managing Director for Europe on the Board of E.ON Climate & Renewables in July 2007.
