Speakers

Career history:

2009	President of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE)
1995-	Professor for Energy Systems at the Institute for Energy Technology, Berlin University of Technology
1982-1995	Post doc researcher and Assistant Professor at the Center for Economic Research, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich

Areas of expertise:

Energy economics including energy market modeling and forecasting, energy market reform, energy trade, investment strategies, financing and risk management, and market entry of new energy technologies such as fuel cell and battery electric vehicles; Evolutionary economics applied to energy innovations and technologies

Career history:

Dr. Clarke is an expert in the cross-disciplinary analysis of issues relating to energy, technology, policy, and climate change. Dr. Clarke is currently a Senior Scientist and leads the Integrated Modeling and Energy Group at the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI), a collaboration between the University of Maryland and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). In this capacity, Dr. Clarke leads a group of 30 professional staff, post-doctoral researchers, and research assistants. Dr. Clarke’s current activities focus on the evolution of national and international energy and agricultural systems, energy technology deployment and technological advance, scenario analysis, international climate policy, and integrated assessment of climate impacts. Dr. Clarke has served in a range of national and international leadership roles, including coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), member of the National Academy Study on America’s Climate Choices, and coordinator of several multi institutions studies exploring energy, technology, policy, and climate change. Prior to joining PNNL, Dr. Clarke worked as a decision scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, evaluated utility demand-side management programs at Pacific Gas & Electric Company, and conducted a range of market assessments and demand side management program evaluations at RCG/Hagler, Bailly, Inc. Dr. Clarke holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Engineering Economic Systems and Operations Research from Stanford University and B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley.

Areas of expertise:

Energy technology, energy policy, climate mitigation, integrated assessment modeling, scenario analysis

Topic of Presentation:

Mobilising Innovation to Accelerate Climate Action

Career history:

Philippe Benoit is Head of the Energy Efficiency and Environment (Climate) Division at the International Energy Agency in Paris. The division analyses energy efficiency and climate change policy. Prior to the IEA, Philippe Benoit was at the World Bank, most recently as Sector Manager for Energy in the Sustainable Development Department of the Latin America and the Caribbean Region. He has held a number of positions within the World Bank, including in the energy group in the Africa Region, in the Private Sector Department (specializing in PPPs), and in the Legal Department. Mr. Benoit has also worked at SG Investment Bank as Director in the oil and gas division as well as on Wall Street in energy project financings. He holds a BA in Economics and Political Science from Yale University, a JD from Harvard Law School.

Career history:

2012	Laurence Tubiana was appointed by the French government to the National Steering Committee on Energy Transition
1997-2002	Laurence Tubiana served as senior advisor to the Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, on environmental issues Member of the French Council of Economic Analysis and research director for the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA)

Areas of expertise:

Published a number of articles and books on environment, development and international issues

Career history:

• Mr. Anwar Hossain Manju was born in a noble family in Pirojpur District of Bangladesh on January 1, 1944. Before his induction as the Minister for Environment and Forests he served as Minister in different ministries of the Government of Bangladesh three more times.
• He was the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resource from 1985 to 1988, Minister of Communications from 1988 to 1990 and from 1996 to 2001, he was the Minister of Communications under Hon’ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
• As minister, his achievements include the augmentation of energy generation from 740 to 2,500 megawatts, and completion of the major public works infrastructure project- Jamuna (Bangabandhu) Bridge.
• During his tenure as Communications Minister, both railway and road transportation links were introduced between Bangladesh and India.
• He was General Secretary and later Vice President of Fazlul Hoque Hall Students’ Union of University of Dhaka, Vice President of Student League and President of the National Press Club. He has been elected as Member of Parliament for six times in 1986, 1988, 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2014 to represent the Bhandaria-Kaukhali constituency in the District of Pirojpur.
• Anwar Hossain was one of the most successful figures in the media business of Bangladesh. From 1972 to 2007, he served as the Editor and Publisher of the Daily Ittefaq, a popular Bangla newspaper founded by his iconic father Mr. Tofazzal Hossain (Manik Miah).
• Mr. Hossain is now the Chairman of Jatiya Party (JP). Mr. Anwar Hossain received honours degree in Geography, Physics & Mathematics from Dhaka University. Later, he pursued further studies in International Relations at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
• Mr. Hossain in married to Ms. Tasmima Hossain and is blessed with four daughters.

Career history:

Ms. Héla Cheikhrouhou is the Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund.
With close to 20 years of experience in project and development finance, Cheikhrouhou has extensive knowledge of international investment flows.
She is widely recognized as a visionary leader on global climate finance.
Educated in Tunisia and Canada, she started her career in the financial services industry as an investment banker with Citibank for seven years, lastly responsible for market risk management in North Africa. She has spent ten years working in multilateral development banks, first in the Latin America and Caribbean region of the World Bank, and then for the African Development Bank, initially with the responsibility for growing the Bank’s infrastructure project finance activities across Africa.
Before joining the Fund, she served as Director of the Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department at the African Development Bank where she took a lead role in scaling up green growth and climate resilient investments, with innovative blending of public, private, and climate finance.
In June 2013, the Board of the Green Climate Fund appointed Hela Cheikhrouhou as the first Executive Director of this global financial mechanism. In her initial year, Cheikhrouhou opened the Fund’s Headquarters in Songdo, Incheon, Republic of Korea, and worked with the Board to make the Fund operational. She kick-started the Fund’s first resource mobilization process, and reached out to developing countries to get ready to access the Fund. Her top priority is to secure significant pledges from contributing countries, foundations and individuals for the Green Climate Fund, to start delivering programmes and projects that advance the global paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways.
Cheikhrouhou is a citizen of Tunisia and fluent in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

Areas of expertise:

Climate finance and development finance

Career history:

Richard Lester is the Japan Steel Industry Professor and Associate Provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he oversees the international activities of the Institute. From 2009 to 2015 he served as head of MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, leading the Department successfully through a period of rapid rebuilding and strategic renewal.
Professor Lester’s research is concerned with innovation strategy and management, with a frequent focus on the energy and manufacturing sectors. He is widely known for his work on local, regional, and national systems of innovation, and he has led major studies of national and regional competitiveness and innovation performance commissioned by governments and industry groups around the world. He is the founding director and faculty chair of the MIT Industrial Performance Center.
Professor Lester is also well known for his teaching and research on nuclear technology innovation, management and control. He has been a long-time advocate of advanced nuclear reactor and fuel cycle technologies to improve the safety and economic performance of nuclear power, and his studies in the field of nuclear waste management helped provide the foundation for new institutional and technological strategies to deal with this longstanding problem.
Professor Lester’s latest book, Unlocking Energy Innovation: How America Can Build a Low-Cost, Low-Carbon Energy System (written with David Hart), outlines a strategy for mobilizing America’s innovation resources in support of a decades-long transition to an affordable and reliable low-carbon global energy system. Professor Lester is also the author or co-author of seven other books, including: The Productive Edge: A New Strategy for Economic Growth; Innovation—The Missing Dimension (with Michael Piore); Making Technology Work: Applications in Energy and the Environment (with John Deutch); Made in America: Regaining the Productive Edge (with Michael Dertouzos and Robert Solow); and Radioactive Waste: Management and Regulation (with Mason Willrich.)
Professor Lester obtained his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Imperial College and earned his Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from MIT. He has been a member of the MIT faculty since 1979. He is an advisor to governments, corporations, foundations and non-profit groups, and he serves as chair of the National Academies’ Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy.

Career history:

Nakanishi was promoted to Chairman & CEO in April 2014 after serving four years as the company’s President. Prior to April 2010, Nakanishi was Executive Vice President and Executive Officer, Chief Executive for North America, Hitachi, Ltd. and Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Inc. Nakanishi is widely credited with making transformational changes at Hitachi that helped the company recover from significant losses it experienced in 2009. He has streamlined operations, instituted management reforms, globalized management and operations, and led Hitachi in the development of its Social Innovation Business, which is now the key focus of the company. A lifelong employee of Hitachi, Nakanishi joined the company in April 1970. A leader with strong global experience, during his tenure, Nakanishi has led Hitachi offices in both Europe and North America.

Areas of expertise:

Nakanishi holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Tokyo and a Master of Science in Computer Engineering from California’s Stanford University.