Future of Energy

Jessica is a project and structured finance lawyer based in London. She focuses on advising parties on the financing of energy and infrastructure projects in emerging markets. Jessica advises commercial lenders, development finance institutions, sponsors and governments on the various forms of lending, including advising on complex multisourced financings. She has extensive experience in the battery energy storage sector and has recently advised on award-winning deals across Africa. Norton Rose Fulbright has significant experience advising on battery energy storage systems (BESS) across emerging markets, supporting projects at all stages of the lifecycle – from early‑stage development and regulatory structuring through to financing, construction and operation. Drawing on its global experience, the firm advises sponsors, lenders, developers and governments on standalone and co‑located storage projects, including those paired with renewables to enhance grid stability and energy security. Recently, the team advised on Egypt’s first utility-scale solar and battery storage project, Project Obelisk. The team also advised FMO and other lenders on the financing in connection with the construction and development of a solar power project and battery energy storage system in Egypt, Abydos II. This project was awarded African Deal of the Year by Project Finance International 2026.

Sarah is a Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), specialising in climate and energy finance, with over 20 years of experience in international cooperation, including more than a decade in blended finance. She designs and oversees financial instruments and investment approaches aimed at mobilising private capital for climate and energy infrastructure investments across partner countries, in support of EU policy objectives.

Dori Peristeri is an investment officer working in the energy Africa teams at FMO. She has 21 years of experience across consulting (Deloitte) and development banking (EBRD and FMO), working across various technologies (T&D, pump-storage, floating solar, PV, hydro) and geographies (Western Balkans and Africa).

Monika Beck has been a member of the Management Board of DEG - Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, since July 2018. A graduate economist, she was at the helm of KfW’s Compliance department since 2015. From 2004 to 2015, she held various management positions at KfW Development Bank. Monika Beck joined KfW in 2001. Having studied economics in Stirling and Cologne, she initially worked for three years as a product manager at L’Oréal and, between 1992 and 2001, was a project manager at the ProCredit Group in Latin America, which specialises in SME financing.

Sean Kidney, FRSA, is CEO of the Climate Bonds Initiative, an international NGO working to mobilize global capital for climate action. He oversees green bond development programs on six continents, now with an estimate US$3tn outstanding. Projects include market definition (taxonomies; data provision to green bond indices and investors; green bond certification); and public institution support projects. Sean is a member of the EU’s Platform on Sustainable Finance, the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Sustainable Finance Advisory Panel, sovereign green bond advisory committees in France and the UK, the Finance Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency, the FAO’s Finance Advisory Committee and Japan’s GX Accelerator Advisory Committee.

Jasandra Nyker is a distinguished investment executive with over two decades of experience in private equity, venture capital, energy transition, and climate technology. She has managed and deployed over $1 billion in capital across clean energy projects in the US, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. As the Managing Partner of Saja Climate Partners, Jasandra focuses on scaling climate solutions through innovative financing and investment strategies through an investment and advisory lens. She previously served as CEO of Nala Renewables, where she took the company from start up to scale up and led investments in OECD markets, and as Managing Director at Denham Capital, overseeing energy and infrastructure investments in the Global South. She was also the CEO of BioTherm Energy, a leading African renewable energy developer. Beyond her executive roles, Jasandra is a Non-Executive Director at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and actively advises the World Economic Forum on responsible renewable infrastructure. She was recognized as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2012. Jasandra is passionate about the intersection of finance, technology, and sustainability, with a particular focus on accelerating the deployment of climate-positive solutions. She is also involved in philanthropy, supporting community-driven clean energy initiatives, such as a water pump deployment project in Nepal benefiting marginalised communities.

Assaad W. Razzouk is a Lebanese-British clean energy entrepreneur, author, podcaster, and commentator. He is the CEO of Gurīn Energy, a pan-Asia renewable energy company headquartered in Singapore. Assaad is host of The Angry Clean Energy Guy podcast and the author of “Saving Climate Change Without the Bullsh*t”, published by Atlantic Books. He currently serves as a board member of ClientEarth, the NGO that uses the power of the law to bring about systemic change and protect the planet for the people and wildlife that inhabit it; an advisory board member of media group Eco-Business; and a board member of EB Impact, a Singaporean non-profit focused on sustainability training and programmes for underserved communities in the Asia Pacific. He is also a member of the International Council of the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. With hands-on experience in clean energy and high-profile thought leadership, Assaad is a well-known influencer on climate change and renewable energy, with several hundred thousand followers across X, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Assaad is a graduate of Syracuse University (summa cum laude), holds an MBA from Columbia University in New York, and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Honoris Causa in Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and International Cooperation by TERI University in India.

Shashank Sharma is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO, of Sunsure Energy, one of India’s leading independent power companies supplying Round-The-Clock (RTC) renewable energy (RE) to corporations and utilities across the country. An IIT-Delhi graduate and self-made entrepreneur, Sharma envisioned a clean energy revolution at a time when India's power sector was dominated by fossil fuels. Driven by his exemplary foresight and commitment to providing cleaner, more reliable energy, he overcame industry barriers to build Sunsure into a preferred energy transition partner for 80+ A-rated industrial customers across 16 Indian states, scaling the company from a bootstrapped venture to securing one of the largest private equity investments ($400M) in India's RE sector. The company, under his leadership, has commissioned 700 MW of renewable energy capacity in record time, with a target of installing 10 GW of RE capacity by 2030. Underscoring it all is Sharma’s deep commitment to India’s evolving energy sector and contributing to its growth. In the past decade, he has worked tirelessly, staying ahead of the curve by embracing and providing innovative, state-of-the-art RE solutions to Sunsure’s commercial and industrial customers. His leadership has brought out the best in his colleagues, enabling him to build the youngest team in renewable energy—challenging the status quo of an infrastructure space otherwise dominated by industry veterans. ‘Making India’s Power Move’, a tagline handpicked by Sharma, clearly positions the organization as a leading force in helping India and its industry make their move from traditional sources to green power.

Sabine Cornieti is a Senior Energy Specialist at the World Bank – where she started working 10 years ago. As lead of the Renewable Energy team in ESMAP-World Bank and the Sustainable Renewables Risk Mitigation Initiative (SRMI), she provides strategic advice to over 40 countries on private sector mobilization. In particular, she manages global solar, battery storage and wind deployment operations in countries such as Tunisia, Liberia, Indonesia, and Guinea Bissau. Additionally, she leads the structuring of multiple innovative risk mitigation instrument (such as in DRC and Ethiopia) and their associated fundraising efforts. Sabine's prior experience includes working with TOTAL-EREN in Jakarta as renewable energy business developer focusing on the South East Asia region, GIZ Indonesia, and UNDP in NY. She holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Nottingham, UK, and an MSc in Economics from Sorbonne Paris 1, France. She has also specialized in Renewable Energy Policies and Finance during a Masters of International Affairs of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), USA.

Cecilie is a research analyst for the Global Energy Storage team at Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, focusing on European, Middle Eastern and African storage markets. Before joining the storage team, she contributed to Wood Mackenzie’s Middle East and Africa solar and onshore wind analysis, monitoring project development updates, asset transactions and policy updates. Prior to joining Wood Mackenzie, she worked as an ESG and social impact analyst for a financial services firm. In that capacity, she focused on EU regulation and international frameworks and advised on sustainability-related investments. Cecilie holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from IE University in Madrid, Spain.

Christel Bourbon-Séclet joined the Agence Française de Développement Group after ten years spent in law firms and in senior legal management positions within major industrial groups. Since 2008, she has contributed to the financing of a large number of infrastructure projects across the energy, digital, transport, water and sanitation, and waste sectors in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. She heads Proparco’s Energy, Digital and Infrastructure Division, which manages a €2.5 billion portfolio and provides financial support for approximately €700 million in new sustainable infrastructure projects each year.

Alina Sviderska, working on Ukrainian energy market for more than 10 years. Law graduate from the University of Cambridge and Kyiv-Mohyla academy. Board Member of the European Ukrainian Energy Agency.

Dara Owoyemi is a Senior Adviser at Shell Foundation where she leads the Transporters portfolio, directing catalytic capital to innovators, corporates and financiers to enable Transporters across Africa and South Asia increase incomes while lowering emissions. Previously as Chief Impact Officer, she steered the Foundation’s impact and research functions to generate strategic insights and thought leadership necessary to mobilise capital for a just transition. Dara’s leadership journey includes serving as CEO, Board Member, COO and CFO of the African Private Capital Association (AVCA), where she oversaw the organisations transformation and solidified its reputation as a leading voice for private capital investment in Africa. Beyond these roles, she has provided advisory support at ministerial level in Nigeria and consulted on market-shaping investment initiatives. Dara began her career in corporate finance at Lehman Brothers and Renaissance Capital, executing transactions across the energy, consumer, and financial sectors. She holds an Executive MBA from London Business School and a MEng in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London.

The Maclean brothers - Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan - are three Scottish brothers raised on adventure and the values of hard work, resilience and community. They first made global headlines in 2019 as the fastest trio to row across the Atlantic, completing the 3,000-mile World’s Toughest Row from La Gomera to Antigua in 35 days - the youngest trio and first team of brothers ever to do so. After the Atlantic, they founded The Maclean Foundation to turn extreme challenges into lasting impact. In 2025, they rowed 9,750 miles from Lima, Peru to Cairns, Australia, spending 139 days at sea and becoming the first team to row non-stop and unsupported from South America to Australia. The expedition raised over £1 million for clean water projects in Madagascar, bringing safe drinking water to more than 40,000 people. Their mission continues. Whether on the water or on stage, the Maclean brothers aim to redefine limits, raise vital funds and awareness, and prove that anything is possible with teamwork, shared belief, hard work and a positive mindset.

The Maclean brothers - Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan - are three Scottish brothers raised on adventure and the values of hard work, resilience and community. They first made global headlines in 2019 as the fastest trio to row across the Atlantic, completing the 3,000-mile World’s Toughest Row from La Gomera to Antigua in 35 days - the youngest trio and first team of brothers ever to do so. After the Atlantic, they founded The Maclean Foundation to turn extreme challenges into lasting impact. In 2025, they rowed 9,750 miles from Lima, Peru to Cairns, Australia, spending 139 days at sea and becoming the first team to row non-stop and unsupported from South America to Australia. The expedition raised over £1 million for clean water projects in Madagascar, bringing safe drinking water to more than 40,000 people. Their mission continues. Whether on the water or on stage, the Maclean brothers aim to redefine limits, raise vital funds and awareness, and prove that anything is possible with teamwork, shared belief, hard work and a positive mindset.

The Maclean brothers - Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan - are three Scottish brothers raised on adventure and the values of hard work, resilience and community. They first made global headlines in 2019 as the fastest trio to row across the Atlantic, completing the 3,000-mile World’s Toughest Row from La Gomera to Antigua in 35 days - the youngest trio and first team of brothers ever to do so. After the Atlantic, they founded The Maclean Foundation to turn extreme challenges into lasting impact. In 2025, they rowed 9,750 miles from Lima, Peru to Cairns, Australia, spending 139 days at sea and becoming the first team to row non-stop and unsupported from South America to Australia. The expedition raised over £1 million for clean water projects in Madagascar, bringing safe drinking water to more than 40,000 people. Their mission continues. Whether on the water or on stage, the Maclean brothers aim to redefine limits, raise vital funds and awareness, and prove that anything is possible with teamwork, shared belief, hard work and a positive mindset.

Safiya Aliyu is a Renewable Energy and Climate Development Specialist with over 15 years of experience designing and delivering high-impact, donor-funded clean energy and resilience programs across Nigeria. Her work focuses on expanding energy access, strengthening climate adaptation, advancing productive-use energy solutions, and integrating gender-responsive approaches into sustainable development initiatives. She joined Sosai since inception and is presently the General Manager at the core of Sosai’s transformation journey with a lot of dedication and hard work. She has led and managed large-scale renewable energy and clean cooking programs in partnership with international donors and institutions including the United States African Development Foundation (USADF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mitsubishi Corporation, and Christian Aid. Her programs have delivered measurable impact to over 1,000,000 people through solar mini-grids, solar dryers, clean cookstoves, solar agro processing machines and water purification systems. As General Manager at SOSAI Renewable Energies and Country Director at MASI, she has worked with her team to operationalize 9 offgrid solar minigrids across the country, distributed over 150,000 units of improved cookstoves and 30,000 units of solar lighting solutions. Distributed 100 productive use of energy technologies and recruited 300 women on the MASI program that are constantly being supported on running their renewable Energy business sustainably. She has strong expertise in results-based management frameworks, gender integration, stakeholder coordination, and community-centered implementation models. Safiya is recognized for advancing women’s leadership in energy and was selected as a Fellow of TechWomen (USA, 2018), where she strengthened her global climate leadership network and innovation capacity. She brings a combination of strategic leadership, field implementation experience, and donor accountability, positioning her and her organization as a trusted partner for investors seeking to invest in scalable, inclusive, and climate-smart energy solutions in Nigeria and West Africa.

Memory is an investment professional with extensive energy and infrastructure experience across sub-Saharan Africa. Having worked in the audit and financing sector at KPMG and Old Mutual in Zimbabwe and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Public Investment Corporation of South Africa (PIC) in South Africa. At PIC she headed investment of over fourteen renewable energy projects with a total capacity of over 1GW in South Africa and Sub-Sahara Africa with total investment of over R15 billion. In the recent past Memory has co-founded renewable energy companies, Great Zimbabwe Hydro, that have developed a 5MW hydro power project, currently in operation at Lake Mutirikwi, Masvingo and Tatanga Energy that is focused on developing energy projects in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Memory is a qualified Chartered Accountant (registered in both Zimbabwe and South Africa).

Matt holds a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and an MBA from Stanford University where he studied as a Fulbright Scholar. He is originally from Australia and holds Bachelors of Laws and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne. Prior to co-founding The CrossBoundary Group, Matt led the design of financing facilities in Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, helped set up an innovation unit for the UN Secretary-General, was a policy advisor to an Australian indigenous leader and a strategy consultant at The Boston Consulting Group. Matt is an Aspen Ideas Scholar, a UBS Global Visionary and was honoured by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. Matt has written for the Financial Times, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Forbes, Inc Magazine, NextBillion, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, GreenTechMedia and Quartz.

Ainslie Chinembiri is the Founder and CEO of Chitendai Limited (UK) and Star Green Energy Zambia, leading innovation in clean energy, advanced materials, and technology commercialisation. With over 15 years of financial and regulatory expertise, he has built cross-continental energy ventures and driven major R&D collaborations with Heriot-Watt University, the University of Strathclyde, the University of York, and the University of Huddersfield. His work has produced multiple patented technologies and has earned support through Innovate UK. Ainslie is currently advancing renewable-energy and sustainable-technology projects in Zambia and developing a growing clean‑energy pipeline in Jamaica, positioning his organisations as emerging leaders in next‑generation climate‑resilient solutions.

Claudia is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Exagon Impact Capital, bringing over 25 years of private equity experience in Latin America. Throughout her career, she has led or participated in over 30 equity investments across a diverse range of sectors, including renewable energy, telecom, logistics, transportation, retail, agribusiness, media, and industrial services. As a seasoned private equity professional, Claudia has provided board leadership to several organizations, where she successfully guided companies to grow both domestically and internationally with strong margins, through her strategic leadership, M&A expertise, and hands-on approach. She currently serves on the boards of Organización Corona, Solar Assets Latin America, SunRoof and the &Green Fund. Previously, Claudia was a Managing Director and founding member of the Latin American Private Equity Fund at The Rohatyn Group (TRG). Before TRG, she was a Director at AIG Global Emerging Markets Private Equity Group, focusing on investments in Latin America. Claudia holds an M.Sc. in Finance from the University of Maryland and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia.

Lienda Kavindele is the Senior Associate Director of Impact and ESG at Lendable, where she oversees the firm’s strategy across its financial inclusion and sustainability funds. With over eight years of experience in emerging markets, Lienda leads the integration of ESG due diligence and impact underwriting throughout the investment lifecycle. Her expertise includes designing impact measurement frameworks and establishing ESG and client protection policies tailored to decarbonization and financial inclusion mandates. Additionally, she drives technical assistance initiatives for portfolio partners, including projects focused on climate measurement and capacity-building. Prior to Lendable, Lienda was an ESG Specialist at Capital Group, developing impact methodologies for global sustainability strategies. She also spent six years at LeapFrog Investments, bridging the gap between donor-funded project delivery and impact monitoring. Lienda holds an MSc in International Business and Emerging Markets from the University of Edinburgh and an Honours degree in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of Cape Town.

Rohan Singh is Managing Partner and covers the APAC market, a position he has held since establishing the Singapore office in 2017. He has more than a decade of experience in arranging complex equity and debt financing for renewable energy and infrastructure, such as large-scale wind, solar and storage, bioenergy, EV charging, and related energy transition technologies. Rohan brings experience in originating and executing transactions across multiple markets in APAC, including Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, and ASEAN countries. Rohan graduated from Université Paris Dauphine (Master 225, Corporate Finance & Financial Engineering) and Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Finance).

Wymen leads Gresham House’s Asia strategy within the firm’s Energy Transition division. He joined Gresham House in January 2026 following its acquisition of SUSI Partners, where he served as Head of Asia. Wymen had joined SUSI Partners in 2018 to develop and execute the firm’s Southeast Asia investment strategy across utility-scale renewables, distributed solar PV and energy-efficiency platforms, and other climate-aligned infrastructure solutions. In this role, he led the origination, structuring, and execution of multiple clean-energy platforms across Asia, spanning development, asset-management and exit execution. Before joining SUSI, Wymen held senior roles in Asian infrastructure-focused funds including at Armstrong Asset Management and Maybank MEACP and previously worked in mid-market buyouts in the US. He brings more than 20 years of investment experience across private-equity, real assets, and cross-border transactions.

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Robin is a biodiversity investment safeguards and nature-climate impact finance expert with over 25 years’ global experience. Robin has led the formulation of cutting-edge nature-related financing mechanisms, investment safeguards, corporate strategy, and disclosure or verification frameworks through advisory support to global leaders across the World Bank Group, IUCN, TNFD, and many WBCSD-member companies. While experienced in policy he is grounded in implementation having supported more than 100 major projects around the world to meet IFC Performance Standards, including all types of renewable energy and other sectors. With a Doctorate in restoration ecology, Robin has technical expertise in baselines, impact assessment, biodiversity metrics, offsets, and nature-based solutions; he enjoys learning to be effective in different cultural and organisational settings and solving ‘wicked’ problems.

Matteo Brambilla is Red Rocket’s Chief Executive Officer and the visionary leader behind its meteoric rise. Anchoring the Executive team, he is in charge of stewarding the company’s organisational culture, identity, and growth. With close to two decades of experience in the renewable energy industry, Matteo has strategically paved the way for exciting business opportunities in the fold, positioning Red Rocket as the leading Independent Power Producer in South Africa. Drawing from the coordinated synergy of a rugby squad as a former player, he is committed to developing each member of the organisation and motivating them to reach success. His leadership and passion for culture are further strengthened by his Postgraduate Degrees in Economics, Law, and Business Management, specialising in Organisational Behaviour.

Arash Aazami (1977) is an entrepreneur, system innovator and is considered to be one of the international thought leaders in the energy transition. In 2010 he founded the world’s first energy independence company -which earns more the less it delivers-. In 2015 he started the Internet of Energy Initiative. Now he leads Unify.energy, developing the underlying algorithms, architecture and supporting community for the Internet of Energy. Arash’ presentations are characterized by fluency, unexpected paradigms and a personal character. So stay with him: your view on energy could change overnight.

Christina Cairns is a climate finance and energy access specialist with more than 20 years of experience managing and mobilizing capital for clean energy and climate resilience initiatives. She previously served as an Investment Manager at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, where she structured and executed guarantees and debt financing to expand access to capital for businesses supporting low-carbon and climate-resilient development across emerging markets. Earlier, as a Foreign Service Officer with USAID, she led development partnerships under the Power Africa initiative that mobilized more than $23 billion in commitments for clean energy projects. She now works with Powertrust to mobilize corporate climate capital for distributed renewable energy projects in emerging markets. Christina holds an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and graduate degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Marie is a Founding Partner of Wavemaker Impact, the first VC backed climate tech venture builder in SouthEast Asia. Wavemaker Impact co-founds start ups with experienced entreprenuers with the aim of building a portfolio of scaleable companies that can abate 10% of the global carbon budget. Every company that Wavemaker Impact builds and invests in is a 100x100 company – a high growth startup with the potential to abate 100 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and reach $100 million in revenue. Wavemaker Impact has over 20 companies in its portfolio tackling the biggest drivers of emissions in agriculture, land use change, energy in the built environment, industrial processes and transportation. Marie has worked with over 40 entrepreneurs to help them build their businesses. In the last five years, Marie has focused exclusively on launching climate tech startups in Southeast Asia and is passionate about increasing the pipeline of women founders in the sector. Marie has a MBA from the National University of Singapore where she graduated as valedictorian and holder of the Panasonic Marketing Award.

Paul is responsible for new business initiatives, the development and structuring of AIIM’s managed funds and AIIM’s fundraising activities. He has significant experience in fund structuring, infrastructure investment management and client relations developed across Africa and Europe. Paul led the structuring and fundraising for USD1.7bn across AIIM’s flagship AIIF4, AIIF3 and IDEAS Funds - developed to provide international and domestic capital with access to Africa’s growth markets through a diversified portfolio of infrastructure assets across SubSaharan Africa. Paul was involved in the establishment of AIIM’s asset management function and AIIM’s entry into the renewable energy sector. He has held directorships on the boards of Cookhouse Wind Farm, REISA solar PV and Umoya Energy – among South Africa’s first utility scale renewables facilities. Prior to joining AIIM in 2011, Paul worked at Credit Suisse in London where he was responsible for the development, structuring and execution of alternative investment products for the pension and insurance industries. Paul holds a Bachelor of Business Science degree with honours from the University of Cape Town, is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accounts (SAICA) and a CFA Charterholder.

Fatou Gaye is a Senior Business Development Manager at The Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). She joined the organisation in 2014 and focuses on investments made through PIDG’s equity arm, InfraCo, supporting projects that require early-stage development and construction financing across Africa. Over her career, she has led complex energy, water and transport projects through structuring, negotiations and financial close, working closely with governments, DFIs and private investors to mobilise blended finance and deliver bankable infrastructure. She previously worked in project finance at Standard Bank and in structured commodity finance at Societe Generale. She holds a degree from Paris Dauphine University.

Sophie is the Head of Investor Relations at ILX and is responsible for leading the fundraising efforts and maintaining and building relationships with investors. She has over 25 years of experience in investor relations and a strong track record in private credit, private equity, and hedge funds. Sophie holds an LLM from Duke University and the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, as well as a Master’s in Business Administration from the Université Paris Dauphine. She is admitted to the New York and Paris bar.

Carolina Lopez-Rocha is an international lawyer with over 15 years of experience in reforming policies and regulations to boost investments in the energy sector. Ms. Lopez-Rocha joined the World Bank in 2016 and has developed instruments to finance clean hydrogen, energy efficiency, and renewable power. Ms. Lopez-Rocha has also collaborated with the OECD and the Inter-American Bank to attract private investors in the energy sector to Eastern European and Latin American & Caribbean countries. Before joining the World Bank, she was a Legal Officer at the Mexican–Chinese Chamber of Commerce, where she led negotiations between the Mexican Government and transnational enterprises to advance trade and investment. She also developed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects for infrastructure. She previously collaborated with the UN Office of Human Rights in Mexico, where she implemented human rights programs to protect vulnerable groups. She received her LLM in International Legal Studies from NYU Law School.

Mr. Pai is a Founder/Managing partner of GEF Capital Partners, where he co-leads its South Asia investment program. GEF, with presence in US, Latin America and South Asia, is an early pioneer in global sustainability and environmental investing globally. GEF manages well over $1.2 billion capital focusing on middle-market opportunities in the climate/sustainability investment spectrum. Mr. Pai has over 25 years of professional experience spanning entrepreneurial, operational and investing activities in diverse sectors including telecom (data centers included), transportation, energy, digital and water infrastructure. He also serves on the investment committees of GEF’s South Asia, US and Latin America investment programs. In addition to general oversight, Raj also represents in the firm’s ESG & Impact committee and has been instrumental in steering GEF’s South Asia program towards being 100% Paris Climate aligned, TCFD linked and to being an SFDR Article 9 aligned platform. Prior to GEF, Mr. Pai was a Managing Director at CID Capital, a US based mid-market venture firm, and previously, Mr. Pai worked in consulting and in operational capacities for several global Fortune 500 technology companies, including AT&T and British Telecommunications in US and in India. Mr. Pai currently serves (and has served previously) on the boards of several of GEF’s portfolio companies in diverse sectors and was instrumental in several successful growth stories and exits among them. Mr. Pai holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago, a Master of Computer Science from Arizona State University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Bombay. He remains an active member and participant in various global forums including the Global Impact Investment Network (GIIN), the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UNPRI), the 2X Challenge (Gender lens investing), Task Force for Climate Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the Global Private Capital Association (GPCA).

Tom Cairnes has been working and investing in West Africa since 2006, when he founded ManoCap to invest in small and medium-sized enterprises across the region. Over the past 19 years, he has led extensive investments in West African businesses spanning the finance, agriculture, fisheries, manufacturing, and services sectors. In 2017, Tom co-founded ManoCap Energy, which finances the energy transition for commercial and industrial customers in West Africa. Based in Ghana, the company has designed, built, and financed solar energy solutions for businesses across the region. Tom holds a BA in Human Sciences from the University of Oxford and an MA in Development Economics from the University of Cambridge. He is also the founder of the Welbodi Partnership, a charity focused on improving maternal and child health in Sierra Leone, and the Freetown Music Festival, an annual event celebrating live music and cultural creativity in Sierra Leone.

Ernest is the current Managing Director for Eswatini Electricity Company, he also sits at the Motraco General Meeting as a Shareholder representative for EEC and represents the EEC at EXCO the highest governance body of the Southern African Power Pool, Non-Executitive Director Standard Bank Eswatini. Ernest graduated from UNESWA in 1989 with a Science degree. This led him to his Engineering Career which blossomed upon graduating with an Electrical Engineering Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in 1994. He worked Royal Swaziland Sugar Corporation as an Electrical Engineer until 2004. While working for RSSC Ernest graduated with a Masters in Engineering, Engineering Management Degree from the University of Pretoria. In 2004 Ernest joined his current employer Eswatini Electricity Company then Swaziland Electricity Board as a Distribution Manager. Ernest’s Career flourished at EEC where he headed various departments within the Operations Division including System Operations and Control and later became Head of Projects Department. It was in this department where he began to gain experience on the regional energy issues. Upon attaining his MBA from the University of Stellenbosch (USB) in 2014 Ernest was promoted to become General Manager Operations. In 2018 Ernest was appointed General Manager R&D responsible for planning and development of new generation capacity and transmission infrastructure expansion. In 2019 Ernest attended the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at the INSEAD in Fountainbleu, France to sharpen his leadership skills. Between 2009 and to date Ernest has also served in regional bodies within the electricity industry where he serves as Chairman of the Board for Motraco (Mozambique Transmission Company) Chairman of Management Committee for the Southern African Power Pool, member of EXCO for Southern African Power Pool and Shareholder representative for EEC at Motraco. He is also the Chairman of Sifundzani Schools Governing Board.

Juliette Bulté is an Investment Officer at EDFI Management Company (EDFI MC), where she works on ElectriFI, an EU-funded blended finance facility supporting private-sector investments that expand access to sustainable and affordable energy in Africa and other emerging markets. Prior to joining EDFI MC, Juliette was a Senior Investment Officer at NEoT Capital, where she worked on off-grid electrification and energy transition projects. She previously gained experience in project finance at Natixis CIB and at Agence Française de Développement (AFD). Juliette holds an MSc in Infrastructure Project Finance from École des Ponts ParisTech, where her thesis focused on rural electrification in Africa, and a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance from Sciences Po Strasbourg.

Chris Würdemann, Head of Emerging Markets Energy Transition at Mirova, has over 25 years of experience working in banking and finance in various legal and financial roles. She started as a banking and finance lawyer at Clifford Chance and spent 12 years in commercial and risk and restructuring roles at Dutch Bank ING. Prior to heading Mirova’s Emerging Markets Energy Transition unit, she worked in the clean energy and energy access space in emerging markets for 6 years. She is overseeing the investment and asset management team of the Mirova EMET funds and is responsible for the development for the creation of follow-on funds.

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Daniel Wiedmer is a finance professional with more than 20 years of experience in infrastructure finance in emerging markets in Asia and Africa. As Director of the Private Sector Infrastructure Division, he leads ADB's infrastructure finance team responsible for Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific Islands. He has structured and closed various innovative projects, including renewables and battery energy storage, recycling, data center, water, electric mobility, transport and complex cross-border project finance transactions. He has led his teams to win more than 30 Deal of the Year Awards.

Marcin Bejm, a Polish-qualified advocate, is a partner and Head of the Energy and Infrastructure Practice at CMS Poland, leading a team of 40 lawyers. Marcin has over 25 years of experience in advising on transactions and projects regarding various types of energy and infrastructure assets carried out in Poland and across the CEE region. He provides legal advice to entities involved in greenfield and brownfield energy and infrastructure investments and gained experience in advising on transactions and projects carried out in all key sectors, including nuclear, SMRs, WtE, airports, seaports, motorways, mass transportation, renewable energy, waste management, urban regeneration, water and sewage, data centers and oil and gas. Marcin has extensive experience in advising on the acquisition, development and revamp of infrastructure assets, project finance transactions, PPPs and concessions including negotiation of PPP contracts, concession agreements, construction contracts, O&M Contracts, supply contracts, off-take agreements, tolling agreements, interface agreements and investment agreements. He also provides legal advice on public law, public procurement and state aid. His clients include industry sponsors, contractors, institutional investors, infrastructure funds, international financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds, developments banks, project finance banks, local governments and utility companies. Marcin is ranked Band 1 for Projects & Infrastructure in Chambers Europe. The Legal 500 EMEA recognises him as a Leading Partner in Public Procurement and recommends him for Energy and Natural Resources. IFLR1000 lists him as a Market Leader in Project Development and Project Finance in Poland. He is a co-founder of Centrum PPP and has authored numerous publications on PPP and concessions.

Ulrich Schoppmeyer brings 27 years of leadership experience across the KfW Group. He currently serves as Director Infrastructure & Energy Debt Africa & Latam at DEG, a role he assumed in January. Prior to this, he was Director Renewables Global at KfW IPEX‑Bank, where he oversaw the bank’s worldwide renewable energy portfolio. Earlier in his career, he served as Director Latin America at KfW Development Bank, managing the institution’s public‑sector financing operations across the region.

Amol is the Co-Head of Business Development at Gridworks Development Partners, responsible for originating investments, developing projects and executing M&A and growth capital investments. Gridworks is a development and investment platform principally targeting equity investments in transmission, distribution and off-grid electricity in Africa. Backed by British International Investment (formerly CDC Group), Gridworks develops and invests in critical power infrastructure, both on and off-grid. Gridworks is a developer, long-term investor and partner to governments, utilities and companies in the power sector.

Carlos Palazón holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the Universidad Católica Argentina, a Master's degree in Finance from the Universidad del CEMA, and is also certified as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Over the past years, he has worked as an advisor at the investment fund PointState Argentum, while additionally held a position on Genneia’s Board of Directors. Throughout his career, he has also served as a Portfolio Manager at Consultatio Asset Management investment group, and as a founding partner of the investment fund CIMA Investments. In June 2021, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Genneia, the leading renewable energy company in Argentina, a position he currently holds.

Menno is head of business development at Octobre Investment Management. He is responsible for supporting institutional and private investors with liquidity solutions for their private capital investments in emerging markets. Prior to Octobre, Menno was head of private equity at Sarona, an emerging markets asset manager. Before that, he served as senior investment manager and investment committee member at PGGM, a Dutch asset manager for pension funds. Menno also worked at FMO, a Dutch development bank, and ABN AMRO Asset Management, Menno holds a MA in Business Engineering from the University of Twente.

Michael Jongeneel is the CEO of FMO. FMO is the Dutch development bank with a total portfolio of ~$15B in ~85 emerging markets. FMO focuses on 3 sectors: financial institutions, renewable energy and food/agri, including forestry. Michael has held several non-executive board positions in among others a few social enterprises and NGOs, e.g. Oxfam International. Prior to FMO Michael worked at McKinsey, Triodos Bank and Bain. For the latter Michael founded, as partner in the Amsterdam office, Bain’s sustainable finance practice and led this worldwide practice for several years. Michael has over 15 years’ experience in sustainable finance. Michael is ensuring his family currently lives CO2 neutral, and aims to be cumulative net zero before 2030. Michael also authored a book on future leadership.

Phil grew up in the UK during the 1970s, a decade shaped by high inflation, labour disputes, power shortages, strict exchange controls, and an IMF stabilisation programme, and has spent his career working in countries with similarly complex challenges. His 35-year career has encompassed leadership roles in major global investment banks and entrepreneurial ventures alike. Since 1998, Phil has lived and worked across the emerging markets of Asia and CEEMEA (Central/Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa). For the past 12 years, he has been a Partner and Managing Director of Chapel Hill Denham, sub-Saharan Africa’s largest investment banking firm. Chapel Hill Denham has pioneered listed alternatives in Nigeria and the wider region, launching innovative infrastructure and real estate closed-end funds. Based in Lagos, Chapel Hill Denham completed transactions in ten African countries last year. Phil chairs the Investment Committee and sits on the Board of Trustfund Pensions, a Nigerian pension fund manager, and is a Non-Executive Director of AMEA Power, accelerating renewable energy projects across Africa and emerging Asia.

Nithya Menon is the Head of Product and Technology at Okra, a technology company pioneering a solution to make it profitable and scalable to energize off-grid communities worldwide, with current focus on Nigeria. She is an electronics engineer who has spent her career developing technology targeted towards bringing opportunities into marginalized and remote communities in SE Asia and Africa. Her core mission is to achieve universal energy access.

Bala is an Energy Officer at Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), a hosted entity of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). As a part of the UN-Energy team, he provides strategic and analytical support on various initiatives in support of SDG7. He leads engagement on the UN 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact, an ambitious global effort towards decarbonizing grids with over 180 signatories. His core areas of expertise include energy policy and governance, transition planning, carbon accounting and climate finance. Previously he was a Policy Advisor at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) based out of New Delhi, India. Bala holds a Master’s degree in sustainable energy from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden) and a Bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from BITS Pilani (India).

Karlijn L’Ortye is entrepreneur by heart and co-founder of People Power People (PPP), a steward-owned platform accelerating collaboration between corporates, institutions and citizen-led initiatives in the energy transition. With a background in strategy facilitation, governance and impact-driven entrepreneurship, Karlijn specializes in translating complex societal challenges into structured, actionable collaboration formats, from boardroom strategy sessions to large-scale hackathons and Energy Boosters. She works at the intersection of energy, finance and community ownership, helping organizations move from ambition to implementation. Alongside PPP, she runs Positive Impact Ventures and serves in supervisory board roles within the Dutch education sector, where she focuses on quality, governance and long-term value creation.

Francisco Gonzalez Palomo is Global Head of Structured Finance at Zelestra, a global, multi-technology independent power producer owned by EQT, where he leads renewable energy investment and financing strategies. His work focuses on structuring complex transactions across solar, storage, and hybrid assets, with a particular emphasis on the evolving role of battery energy storage in power markets. With over 15 years of experience across both emerging and mature energy markets, he brings deep expertise in project and portfolio-level financing, bridging technical and financial perspectives in the energy transition.

Andrew Herscowitz is the CEO of the M300 Accelerator, a unit established by RF Catalytic Capital, a charitable off-shoot of The Rockefeller Foundation, to help coordinate and support the efforts of many partners working together to advance the World Bank’s and African Development Bank’s ambitious commitment to help 300 million Africans secure electricity access by 2030. Herscowitz is a globally recognized leader and organization builder. He previously served as the inaugural Executive Director for ODI Washington, one of the world’s leading global affairs think tanks. He spent more than 20 years as one of the U.S. Government’s most senior development diplomats, including as the first Chief Development Officer of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and as the first Coordinator for the U.S. Government’s Power Africa initiative. He has lived and worked on four continent and brings extensive expertise in international finance and energy. He has an exceptional track record in devising imaginative solutions to global challenges, including building and leading Power Africa, which grew to become the largest public-private partnership for development in the world and that helped more than 200 million people in Africa gain access to electricity. At DFC, he devised and oversaw a $75 billion development strategy and served on the Investment Committee. Early in his career, he served as part of the U.S. government legal team that helped develop the original framework for the Global Fund. He has received two Lifetime Achievement Awards for his work in advancing the African power sector. In 2018, Herscowitz was awarded the “Serve to Americas” medal, given to the U.S. Government officials who have provided the greatest benefit to the American people. In 2005, the Federal Bar Association recognized Herscowitz as one of the five most outstanding lawyers under the age of 35 in the U.S. government. He also was been named as an MIT/Rockefeller “Global Commissioner for Ending Energy Poverty” and served on three different World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Future Councils (GFC), including the GFC on the energy transition. He also serves as part of the high- level WEF Network for “Unlocking barriers and solutions to scale capital for energy transition in the Global South.” Herscowitz has authored more than 45 articles and opinion pieces, most of which have focused on how to improve the development finance architecture to advance investments in frontier markets and in challenging sectors. Herscowitz is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and the Georgetown University Law Center. He is based at the Rockefeller Foundation offices in Washington, DC.

Olivier BA, MS, has joined ATOME from being the Chief Investment Officer of Global Energy at the IFC, part of the World Bank Group. After starting his career as a field engineer in the power sector, he is vastly experienced in funding and managing energy infrastructure assets for Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables. He has lead over $500M of equity investments in early stage companies and over $30bn of corporate and structured debt finance transactions.

Regina is a Manager at Convergence, the global network for blended finance. She is responsible for fostering partnerships with Europe-based members and partners, as well as designing and delivering trainings and networking events for members and stakeholders in blended finance. Prior to Convergence, Regina was a policy advisor at GIZ, the German agency for technical development cooperation, where she advised the German government on innovative finance for water and sanitation, and on pro-poor subsidy reforms. Prior to GIZ, Regina was a consultant at the World Bank Group in Washington, DC. She holds a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC, and a Bachelor’s in Chinese Studies from the University of Wuerzburg in Germany.

Dhanpal Jhaveri, is an Indian private equity investor and climate change advocate, connecting good opportunities with the right resources for them to thrive. With over three decades of experience in M&A, corporate strategy and investment banking, Dhanpal has challenged ‘business as usual’ to drive innovative and pioneering development. He is the Vice Chairman of Everstone Group, a premier investment group focused on India and South-east Asia, with assets in excess of $8 Bn across private equity, real estate, credit, climate investments and venture capital. Dhanpal is also the Co-Founder and CEO of Eversource Capital, a leading climate investment manager with investment focus in India and now South-east Asia. Being India's largest climate investment fund, Eversource Capital has an AUM of $865 Mn pioneering climate-responsive investments in industrial decarbonisation, energy transition, and urban sustainability. Passionate about the environment and investing, Dhanpal has spearheaded the deployment of growth stage capital and operational know-how in a blended capital equity strategy in India, spanning renewable energy, resources and the environment, e-mobility, and the financing ecosystem. He actively contributes to discussions on private equity, venture capital, and renewable energy policies as a member of the CII’s Renewable Energy Council and as a member of the managing committee of the Indian Merchant’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, member of the Mumbai chapter of Entrepreneurs Organisation and past President & current Board Member of TiE Mumbai, a global organisation of India-US entrepreneurs. Dhanpal is also a member of the UN Women Business Sector Advisory Council and advocates woman empowerment in clean energy and innovative finance sectors. He is a Board Member of Avasara Leadership Institute; an educational institution focused on accelerating academic and leadership outcomes for India’s brightest girls.

Bruce is the Director of Corporate Finance and Treasury at Masdar, overseeing the company’s structured financing activities globally and leading its corporate finance function, including the establishment of its green MTN program in 2023. Bruce joined Masdar in August 2020 after spending six years as a member of Mubadala’s Structured Finance and Capital Markets team. He has over 20 years’ experience advising on and structuring the financing of infrastructure projects, primarily in the renewables sector. His accomplishments at Masdar include raising its first green RCF, obtaining long term credit ratings from Fitch, Moody’s and S&P, publication of Masdar’s Green Finance Framework in 2023, green bond issuances of US$ 2.75 billion to date, and overseeing multiple award-winning project financings totaling over USD$ 20 billion. Bruce holds an MA in Business and Management from the University of Glasgow (2004) and both a Graduate Diploma in Law and an LLM from the University of Law (2022).

Clarisa is a Senior Advisor to Allied Climate Partners, a catalytic investment organisation looking to accelerate the energy transition by increasing the flow of capital to develop projects and businesses across emerging markets by providing junior capital to GPs with the aim of mobilising other investors into the space. Through 3x Impact, she also advises impact focused LPs and GPs across emerging markets. She is an independent IC member, sits on the board of a GP and is an Advisory Board member of DEG Impact. Previously, she spent 16 years at British International Investment, leading the Private Equity Funds team with a US$2.5bn portfolio across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, sat on numerous LP advisory committees and member of BII’s Funds IC covering PE, VC, infrastructure and private credit. She was co-chair of the AVCA LP Advisory Council and GPCA's DFI Council. . Earlier, she worked in operational and investment roles at Grupo Financiero Uno in Central America and made direct investments for CDC/BII in Latin America from London and Costa Rica. Clarisa holds a BA (Hons) in Mathematics and Economics from Marquette University and an MBA from INCAE Business School.

Robert Skjodt is Chief Executive Officer of Raxio Group, a pan-African data centre platform developing and operating hyperscale-ready, carrier-neutral facilities in six countries across the African continent. With more than 30 years of experience across energy, renewables, and infrastructure, Robert brings an end-to-end perspective on the intersection between power, digital infrastructure, and emerging markets. Prior to Raxio, he was the CEO of BTE Renewables, a pan-African independent power producer headquartered in South Africa, which was ultimately acquired by ENGIE and Meridiam. He previously held senior roles at ABB, delivering large-scale energy and infrastructure projects. His work today focuses on enabling resilient, low-carbon digital growth in high-demand African markets.

Eduardo Ospina is an energy and technology entrepreneur driven by a passion for sustainability. He is the CEO and co-founder of Unergy, and co-founder of Solenium, two pioneering solar energy startups. He holds a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from the National University of Colombia and has been recognized as an Innovation Leader by the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK) and as one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35.

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Rodrigo Madrazo is the CEO of EDFI Management Company, the European multilaterally owned asset manager focused on providing financial services for sustainable development and impact investment. Previously, he was the Director General of COFIDES, the Spanish Development Finance Institution. He has been member of various Boards, including listed companies and banks, and also Investment Committee member to several funds. Rodrigo has an academic and civil service background. He holds a Ph.D in economics and had a 17-year career in the Spanish Ministry of Economy, where he held different positions including Director General for Economic Policy.

Hack Stiernblad grew up on a farm in southern Sweden and holds a degree in farm management. He developed a strong interest in renewable energy while studying electronic engineering at Lund Technical University in Sweden. Hack’s passion for agriculture and renewable energy led him to join SunCulture in 2014, where he initially focused on developing and scaling the distributed engineering team, operations, and business development (BD) projects as Director of Engineering. In 2018, Hack transitioned to the role of Director of Business Development, guiding SunCulture’s expansion into new markets. By 2024, the BD team evolved into the Growth team, with Hack taking on the role of Chief Growth Officer. In this capacity, he oversees direct, joint venture, and distributor expansion, as well as subsidy and donor funding, policy and advocacy, and continued business development within SunCulture’s direct markets.

Alyanna is the Membership & Community Lead at 2X Global, a global network of more than 150 capital providers committed to making finance more fair, inclusive, and gender‑smart. Since joining in 2021, she has played a central role in shaping the organisation’s membership strategy and delivering the knowledge, partnerships, and tools that strengthen investor practice. She contributed to the update of the 2X Criteria, the global standard for gender finance, and has supported the development of key initiatives including 2X Certification and 2X Ignite. With a background in industrial design, entrepreneurship, and social innovation, Alyanna previously worked with the Design Center of the Philippines to develop circular agricultural systems, and with the United Nations Development Programme to co‑design inclusive national policies advancing sustainability and equity. She is passionate about bridging design and finance to build better systems, and finds grounding in observing nature through quiet walks and moments of reflection.

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Rhiannon Turner is a Senior Manager at the Carbon Trust, and Programme Lead for Powering Renewable Energy Opportunities (PREO). Prior to joining the Carbon Trust in 2022, Rhiannon spent 20 years as a patent attorney specialising in life sciences and biotechnology, ultimately being recognised as one of the most capable practitioners in the UK. She served a wide range of clients, including large multinational companies, start-up and scale-up companies, and sole inventors. The breadth of her experience enabled Rhiannon to develop deep expertise with innovators at all stages of the commercialisation journey, supporting them to navigate the challenges faced by all businesses. She brings this perspective into her role overseeing the PREO programme. PREO is a demand-led, productive use of renewable energy (PURE) initiative that stimulates partnerships, innovation and learning to address the needs and improve the livelihoods of communities in sub-Saharan Africa and Pacific Island Countries. PREO’s mission is to enable businesses to harness clean energy to improve incomes, build climate resilience and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The programme is co-funded by the IKEA Foundation and UK aid from the UK Government, through the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform.

Rim Azirar heads investments for Energy Transition in Emerging Markets at Mirova. She leads investment strategy, transaction execution, and portfolio oversight across multiple regions. She joined the firm in 2018 (formerly SunFunder) and has led energy access and renewable energy investments across Africa, including off‑grid, mini-grids, and commercial and industrial solar. She was appointed Head of Investments in 2023. Previously, she worked at responsAbility Investments completing investments in sustainable agriculture across Africa and Asia and began her career at BNP Paribas in structured finance. Rim was born in Morocco, speaks 5 languages and holds degrees from Sciences Po Paris. She’s based in France.

As of 2020 Marieke is Manager of the Private Equity Ventures team at FMO, the dedicated Venture Capital team that is responsible for the implementation, deployment and overall management of the FMO Ventures Program and other early-stage investments with a focus on technology and innovation. Previously she worked as Principal Investment Officer at the Private Equity department focusing on investments in renewable (off grid) energy. Prior to this she spent 2.5 years as Fund Manager at FMO Investment Management, where she was responsible for the fundraising efforts of an Africa focused Fund of Funds initiative. Before joining FMO Investment Management in 2013, Marieke worked as Senior Investment Officer at FMO’s Private Equity department for nearly nine years. She is a seasoned private equity professional with ample transaction experience in fund investments as well as direct investments and served on the Advisory Board of several investment funds. Prior to joining FMO in 2004, Marieke worked as Analyst at the Corporate Development department of ABN AMRO Bank. She holds a Master of Science in Business Administration from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

Eren Ergin is the CEO of BECIS. He has 25+ years of experience in the energy industry creating innovative sustainable solutions to improve operational performance and efficiency, developing, and implementing digitization strategies and leading business operations. Prior to joining BECIS, he served as Vice President & General Manager of Honeywell’s Renewable Energy business, Founder & Managing Director at Calterra Energy and General Manager at TAS Energy EMEA region. Eren started his career at GE Energy and served in various roles in engineering, project management, business development and sales for GE Energy’s gas turbine products and services businesses. Eren holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University.

Hassen Bali is a seasoned professional in the renewable energy and energy storage sectors, with extensive experience in project finance and development. He is the co-founder of ion Ventures, an international energy transition specialist focused on clean energy and flexibility technology solutions aimed at supporting the integration of renewables into the grid. Since 2018, Hassen has led ion Ventures in advancing renewable generation and electrification schemes across the UK, Europe and South and Southeast Asia. Prior to co-founding ion Ventures, Hassen held key positions within the renewable and clean technology space. This included Lightsource Renewable Energy, where he managed the acquisition and development of energy storage and solar assets, and Cadence RB Limited, where he supported the firm in accessing investment and commercial opportunities within the clean technology and resource efficiency sectors across various international markets. His energy related career began with roles at Ventura Climate Capital and Markit, focusing on environmental markets and carbon finance. Hassen is a Fellow of the Energy Institute, the Global Solar Council and a quoted contributor to World Energy Council Innovation Insights briefs. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng), Mining Engineering from the University of Nottingham.

Olivier is the co-founder and partner of Echosys Capital, a leading investment bank specialized in energy and decarbonization in frontier and emerging markets. Echosys launched the Afrigreen fund in 2023, a €100 million senior debt fund dedicated to renewable energy projects in Africa and managed by Echosys Invest with Alexandre Gilles. Laetitia Dubois runs the advisory practice of Echosys, leading M&A transactions across Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.

Yuliia Uhorska is a Manager for Corporate Development and Investor Relations at Camco. She works across fundraising, strategic partnerships, and fund structuring for blended-finance funds focused on emerging markets, with a primary focus on infrastructure and private credit. Before joining Camco, Yuliia built her career in Ukraine’s energy sector, holding roles at UDP Renewables, where she oversaw fundraising and investor relations for a portfolio of clean‑energy projects, and at Naftogaz of Ukraine as a legal specialist. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Kyiv‑Mohyla Academy.

Louis is the Investment Director of Africa REN, a leading developer and investor in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructures in Sub Saharan Africa. Before joining Africa REN, Louis worked for Green Giraffe, a specialist advisory boutique focused on the renewable energy sector, and EY as part of the Business Modeling team. Louis holds master’s degrees in engineering from Supélec and UCL and in Project Finance from Sciences Po Paris.

Mark Roesink is a Senior Investment Officer at the Financieringsmaatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO) Energy Department and the focal point for Battery Energy Storage transactions. He combines 25 years of project finance experience with boots on the ground community development experience in Mozambique. Mark brought numerous transactions to financial close, including water, biomass, on-shore and off-shore wind, solar and off-grid energy projects in Western Europa and emerging markets. With a roll up your sleeves mentality he started with rooftop portfolio finance in the Netherlands when the concept was hardly known yet and with off-grid solar securitisation projects in emerging markets at the moment even emerged markets were still testing the water. This innovative mentality helped to bring FMO’s first BESS transactions to closing and expand the portfolio to several BESS projects across FMO’s markets. Mark holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics & Law.

Wayne Keast is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Inspired Evolution, where he has played a central role since inception in shaping the firm’s strategic vision, investment strategy, and long-standing relationships with investors and key stakeholders. A qualified chartered accountant, Wayne brings over 30 years of finance and business-building experience, including more than 25 years in international private equity. He provides strategic, financial, and governance oversight across the firm’s investment platforms, with a strong track record spanning renewable energy infrastructure, energy access and technology-enabled growth equity investments. Wayne serves as an active board member on multiple portfolio companies and has lead responsibility for the Group’s financial management, reporting, and regulatory compliance. Prior to Inspired Evolution, Wayne established and managed a c. USD 500 million global clean energy and sustainability investment platform for a London-based family office and was a founding partner of the USD 250 million Masdar Cleantech Fund. Earlier, he was CFO of the USD 1.2 billion ePartners and eVentures private equity group.

Artem Gurevich is Chief Financial Officer of SolarX, where he leads financial strategy and capital raising for solar energy projects across Francophone West Africa. A finance executive with extensive experience across the continent, he has worked with companies developing solar power, sustainable urban infrastructure, real estate and technology platforms. Artem previously served as Chief Financial Officer of Rendeavour, the largest new-city developer in Sub-Saharan Africa, where he led financing and strategic initiatives, including the development of large-scale utility and infrastructure assets. He has also worked with venture capital and private equity-backed businesses to structure investments, raise capital and scale energy and infrastructure platforms.

Juan Ospina Lopez is an experienced E&S professional specializing in assessments and due diligence for renewable energy projects across diverse regions. With a strong focus on compliance with IFC Performance Standards, Juan has led and supported due diligence and E&S assessments for wind, solar, and other energy developments, ensuring alignment with international best practices and lender requirements. Juan’s work includes conducting gap analyses, designing action plans, and overseeing implementation of measures such as bird and bat monitoring, critical habitat assessments, stakeholder engagement, among others. He has collaborated with multidisciplinary teams and financial institutions to deliver sustainable solutions that balance development goals with environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

Ms. Habgood, CFO of Wright Energy Storage Technologies (WEST), is a long-time emerging markets financial advisor, board member, elected official, banker and credit auditor with more than 35 years of strategic financial expertise in global private and public markets. After earning her MBA from Wharton, she spent 22 years leading a top emerging markets financial advisory firm that raised ~$15 billion in debt and equity for more than 1000+ infrastructure and investments opportunities in Africa, LatAm and Asia, and has served on the boards of Aimia, Inc, a Canadian public company listed on the TSX, JCM Power, an emerging markets power developer with an operating and development portfolio of > 1200 MWs of wind and solar assets in Africa and South Asia, Grain Pro, an innovative agribusiness solutions provider, and the Town of Westfield NJ where she served as Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Finance Committee for 8 years. She cares passionately about preserving the climate and joined WEST in 2024 to help scale its novel and disruptive climate technology in order to enable global energy transition.

Patricia has 23 years experience in E&S, Human Rights and Resettlement risk management in impact & infrastructure investing, in emerging markets (Africa, Asia, Latin America).

Nour El-Assal is the Co-founder and CEO of Tagaddod, a cleantech company revolutionizing the waste-to-energy landscape in the Middle East and Africa. An engineer by training, Nour founded Tagaddod in 2013 with a vision to decarbonize the energy sector by transforming waste into sustainable fuel feedstocks. Nour has guided Tagaddod from a university graduation project into a multi-national operation that leverages technology to digitize waste collection. The company recently raised over $26 million in Series A funding to fuel its expansion into new markets, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia. A recognized voice in the regional startup ecosystem, Nour is passionate about building scalable infrastructure that empowers communities and drives the global transition to renewable energy.

Pinaki Bhattacharyya is the Founder, MD and CEO of AMPIN Energy Transition, a leading renewable energy transition company headquartered in New Delhi, India with its offices in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Bangalore. He established the company 9 years ago and today, AMPIN Energy Transition is an industry leading IPP with a pan India presence providing a one stop shop for customers through its powerful and resilient combination of large utility scale and C&I renewable energy projects, helping its customers to transition to 100% RE. Pinaki Bhattacharyya has 23+ years of experience in India, US and Europe across PE, business incubation, leadership, operating and financing roles in the renewable energy sector. Prior to starting AMPIN, Pinaki was the CFO of Sterlite Power, India's leading transmission player. Additionally, he was the founding team member and CFO of one of the largest renewable IPPs in India (Sembcorp Green Infra) and the founding team member of the first renewable energy project equity fund in the US, New Energy Capital. He has managed the largest and most diversified renewable energy private equity portfolio of USD 300M for IDFC Private Equity. He has worked across the value chain in both renewable and thermal power generation at GE Vernova (erstwhile ALSTOM and ABB) and Intergen (a Shell-Bechtel venture with 16 GW power portfolio).

Pravesh is an international lawyer specialising in international development and infrastructure projects, with a particular focus on renewable energy, transport, mining and other large-scale programmes across the African continent. His work centres on advising commercial lenders, development banks, international financial institutions, sponsors and corporates on the structuring and financing of complex investments in emerging markets. He combines legal expertise with a strong understanding of the policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks that underpin successful project delivery in developing economies. Based in London, Pravesh has extensive international experience, having worked in South East Asia, Europe and Africa. His professional assignments include periods in Vietnam, Paris and South Africa, providing him with on-the-ground exposure to diverse legal systems, regulatory environments and cultural contexts. This experience enables him to work effectively with public authorities, multilateral institutions and private-sector stakeholders across jurisdictions. Pravesh holds first-class honours degrees in English and French law from the University of Warwick and the University of Bordeaux IV and an Executive Master in Public Administration at the London School of Economics, further strengthening his expertise at the intersection of law, public policy and international development. He is fluent in English and French and is a solicitor and non-practising barrister of England and Wales.

Joffrey Hoijer is a strategic advisor, keynote speaker and systems thinker dedicated to engineering impact through story, systems and trust. He works with leaders and organizations navigating change in a world where old playbooks no longer suffice, helping them translate complexity into clear strategic choices and compelling narratives that inspire collective action. With deep experience in strategy, innovation and transformation, Joffrey brings a multidisciplinary lens to the challenges of today’s social, technological and organisational transitions. He combines analytical rigour with creative storytelling, enabling teams to bridge data, culture and purpose in ways that drive meaningful outcomes. His work spans advisory roles, public speaking, and collaboration with diverse stakeholders to cultivate trust, resilience and forward-looking thinking. Joffrey’s approach centres on co-creation and human-centred systems design empowering people to shift mindsets, embrace uncertainty and build a future that works for all.

Paul Botha is a co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Metier, a pan African private equity fund manager. Paul has over 30 years of experience in private equity. He is an Attorney and Notary Public by profession. Previously he was a senior commercial law partner in the Johannesburg practice of Bell, Dewar & Hall, where he specialised in mergers and acquisitions and cross-border work across a number of industries. Paul is a committed and effective dealmaker and board member with a reputation for getting things done to the highest standards of professionalism. He represents Metier on numerous boards of portfolio companies most of which as the Chairperson.

Francisco Martin is Founder & CEO of SunRoof, a distributed solar and storage platform focused on commercial and industrial clients across Latin America. He is also Founder & Chairman of Inti Tech, a clean-tech company developing robotic solutions and digital tools to optimize solar asset performance. With a background in finance and entrepreneurship, Francisco has led the development, financing, and execution of long-term PPA-backed solar projects, working with multinational off-takers and institutional investors. His work focuses on scaling distributed energy through innovative capital structures, technology integration, and portfolio intelligence. He is currently based between Mexico and Chile, expanding SunRoof’s platform and advancing AI-driven asset management solutions for solar portfolios.

Mathilde Girard is an Investment Director in the Infrastructure & Climate department at BII, where she leads the institution’s catalytic investment strategy in the energy access and energy efficiency space. She focuses on scaling innovative business models that expand clean, reliable and affordable power across emerging markets. Mathilde is playing a pivotal role in pioneering BII’s approach to accelerating commercial and industrial (C&I) decentralised renewable energy solutions into high‑impact platforms. With deep experience across climate finance, blended capital structures and early‑stage market development, she works closely with entrepreneurs, developers and investors to unlock sustainable energy growth.

Robert Voskuilen is head of the Energy team for Eastern & Southern Africa at FMO. His specialism is renewable energy. He is a seasoned transaction leader in project finance and corporate finance in private sector infrastructure & (renewable) energy projects. Robert has been with FMO since 2007 and worked on projects in Latin America, Asia and Sub Sahara Africa. At FMO HE held various positions, amongst others as Principal Investment Officer Energy and as Manager Energy & Infrastructure funds. On behalf of FMO he is member of a several Advisory Boards of Energy Investment Funds. Prior to FMO he was Corporate Finance Manager at Royal VOPAK, an international tank storage and liquid bulk company. He started his professional career in the field of ship- finance at P&O Nedlloyd as a financial engineer. Robert holds a Masters’ degree in Business Administration with a specialisation in Corporate Finance from the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University.

Drew is the Director of Membership, Industry Performance & Investment at GOGLA. He has 20 years’ experience working with companies, governments, donors and NGOs to catalyse markets in the off-grid light and power sector. In his current role, Drew leads the team to strengthen GOGLA membership, provide industry performance insights, and improve access to finance in the sector. He believes that optimising value for customers, economies and the environment is the driver for increased investment and industry growth. He’s most proud to have led an industry initiative to establish the GOGLA Consumer Protection Code, and loves working with off-grid solar companies to help drive cutting-edge technological innovation in villages and homes across Africa. Drew holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Nottingham and has lived and worked in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. His love for the mountains has brought him to live in the Netherlands.

Elif Erkul is a finance professional with over six years of experience in emerging and frontier markets, currently serving as Assistant Vice President, Structuring & Sales at TCX Investment Management B.V. in Amsterdam. TCX is a development-focused fund that provides long-term currency hedging solutions in illiquid and high-risk market, and within her role at TCX, Elif contributed to a USD 5 billion derivatives portfolio spanning more than 50 currencies. Elif focuses on originating and structuring tailored FX derivatives that unlock local-currency financing across Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Her work directly enables infrastructure and energy projects, project finance transactions, and financial inclusion initiatives by mitigating currency risk and improving the risk-adjusted returns of investments in high-impact markets. Elif holds an M.Sc. in Finance from Trinity College Dublin and a B.Sc. in Economics and Business Economics from Maastricht University. She is passionate about impact-driven investing and advancing resilient local capital markets.

Edwin founded Solarplaza company in 2004. He is a senior PV expert and started in the photovoltaic solar energy business in 1994. He has experience as a solar energy consultant and project developer in more than 200 PV projects. Edwin holds a Master’s degree in Chemical engineering and previously worked in the Chemical industry before starting his first consultancy company in PV in 1994.

Talitha Muusse is a social entrepreneur and renowned speaker on sustainability, generational leadership, and social innovation. She co-founded Blikverruimers, the first Dutch initiative promoting young professionals to supervisory board roles, and currently develops sustainable energy projects through a dedicated incubator for Gen Y changemakers. Talitha also serves on the supervisory board of MVO Nederland (Corporate Sustainability Responsibility) and regularly hosts events and interviews on stage and screen. As one of our top-rated speakers in 2024, we’re thrilled to welcome her back to the Future of Energy 2026.