FT Global Renewable Energy Summit
 
Paul Appleby
Head of Energy Economics
BP

Paul Appleby leads the analysis of long term energy market developments for BP. His career at BP spans 28 years, and includes a variety of roles in BP’s gas and alternative energy businesses. Most recently he was the custodian of the investment appraisal process for BP’s gas, power and renewables businesses worldwide. He received his theoretical training in economics at Cambridge University (MA and MPhil); and served a practical apprenticeship as a Fellow of the Overseas development institute, posted to Malawi. He is an Associate lecturer in Energy Economics at the University of Surrey, and a member of the Council of the British Institute of Energy Economics.
 
Reza Abhari
Professor of Energy Technologies, Laboratory for Energy Conversion
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

Reza Abhari is Professor of Energy Technologies at ETH Zurich,where he is responsible for education and research of technologies and innovation processes related to development of energy devices and systems.  He is a founding member of a number of enterprises in US and Europe. He has been a member of the Supervisory Board of PNE Wind (PNE3.DE) since 2008, and also serves as Chairman of the company’s Audit Committee.   He has also served as a member of Supervisory Board of First Climate (2008-2013), a company involved in trading of emission reduction credits, and has acted as a technical, strategic and management advisor for a number of multi-nationals in Europe, USA and Asia.   Professor Abhari has also served as an advisor to several private equity and venture capital firms in support of clean tech investments. He is a member of Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences and Fellow of ASME. He received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Aerospace with a minor in finance, and an MA/ BA from Oxford University.
 
Mr. Adnan Z. Amin
Director-General
the International Renewable Energy Agency

Adnan Z. Amin is the Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). In this capacity, he is responsible for leading the Agency in the implementation of its mandate to promote the adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy worldwide. Mr Amin successfully led the Agency’s transition from the preparatory stage to its establishment in April 2011 when he was elected IRENA’s first Director-General. His priorities included setting the institutional and structural foundations of the Agency and the development of a strategic programmatic agenda. Under Mr Amin’s leadership, and with the rapidly increasing programmatic and financial support of its membership and stakeholders, IRENA has become a prominent player in the field of renewable energy.

Mr Amin, originally from Kenya, has over 25 years of experience in multilateral diplomacy and direct engagement in promoting the global development and socioeconomic agenda, including sustainable development. Prior to joining IRENA, Mr Amin served as Head of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) Secretariat. In this function, he was responsible for supporting the CEB in its UN system-wide policy coordination, under the Chairmanship of the UN Secretary-General. He also served as the Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on UN System-wide Coherence, co-chaired by the Prime Ministers of Mozambique, Norway, and Pakistan. Mr Amin is a member of global initiatives and entities such as REN21, and the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All Advisory Board.
 
The Rt Hon Gregory Barker MP
Minister of State
Department of Energy & Climate Change

Gregory Barker is a Minister of State at the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) and the Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle. The Minister of State for Climate Change supports the Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change on issues and policies related to climate change, to include, among others, energy efficiency and energy demand reduction, promoting the interests of energy consumers, managing fuel poverty and green jobs and skills.Mr Barker was elected Conservative MP in Sussex in June 2001 and served on the House of Commons Environmental Audit select committee between 2001 and 2005. He was appointed to the opposition front bench as a Conservative Whip in 2003. He served as Shadow Minister for the Environment from 2005 to 2008, where he led the led the passage of the Climate Change Bill for the Opposition through the House of Commons, and as Shadow Minister for Climate Change between 2008 and 2010. He was appointed Minister of State for DECC in May 2010. Prior to his entering politics, Mr Barker worked in the City of London for 10 years before becoming an associate partner at Brunswick Group Ltd. He served as Head of International Investor Relations for Sibneft, a major Russian oil company, between 1998 and 2000, and then returned to the UK in May 2000 to become the director of recruitment advertising business Bartlett Scott Edgar. Mr Barker was educated at Steyning Grammar School, Lancing College, and London University where he studied history, economic history and politics.
 
Luca Bettonte
Chief Executive Officer
ERG

Luca Bettonte is Chief Executive Officer of ERG and Director of ERG Renew. He joined ERG in 2007 and has held various positions within the company, to include Chief Financial Officer from November 2007 to December 2009, General Manager Corporate and Director of ERG from December 2009 to April 2012 and Chairman of the Board of Directors of ERG Renew from July 2011 to April 2012.

Prior to joining ERG, in the period 2003 to 2007, Mr Bettonte served as Chief Financial Officer of Atlantia, as Finance Director of Autostrade per l’Italia, Chairman of Autostrade International US Holdings, Director of Impregilo, AutostradeSud America and of EmittentiTitoli. From 1998 up to 2003 he worked at Indesit Company, initially as Group Financial Controller and later as Chief Financial Officer. 

Mr Bettonte is a trained Chartered Accountant and Auditor and from 1990 to 1998, worked for Pricewaterhouse Coopers spa in Italy and in Great Britain. His career has also involved a period spent in academia and Mr Bettone served as a Professor in  the Faculty of Economics and Commerce at the “UniversitàCattolicaSacroCuore” in  Milan from 2008 to 2010, and at the University of Bologna as from 2004 to 2008. Mr Bettonte graduated in Economics and Business at the University of Bologna.
 
Nick Butler
Visiting Professor and Chair
King’s Policy Institute, King’s College London

Nick Butler is Visiting Professor and Chair of the Kings Policy Institute at Kings College London. he was formerly Senior Policy 
Adviser to the Prime Minister and group Vice President for Strategy and Policy development at BP. He writes the FT’s blog on energy and power.
 
Guy Chazan
Energy Editor
Financial Times

Guy Chazan was appointed as the FT's Energy Editor in 2012. Prior to joining the FT, he was The Wall Street Journal's Energy correspondent. He worked as the Journal's Moscow correspondent from 1999 to 2007, and also spent time reporting for the newspaper in the Middle East, Central Asia and Afghanistan. Before joining the Wall Street Journal, he worked at BBC World Service Radio in London.
 
Pilita Clark
Environment Correspondent
Financial Times

Pilita Clark was appointed Environment Correspondent in May 2011, having previously been the Aerospace Correspondent and Deputy News Editor on the main news desk at the Financial Times, and then Deputy Editor of the FT Magazine.
 
In her current role Ms Clark covers all environmental issues, from climate change to wildlife and renewable energy, but has a particular focus on the impact of low carbon policies on businesses and investors.
 
Before joining the FT in 2003 as a Commissioning Editor on the FT Magazine, Ms Clark was a Senior Writer for the Sydney Morning Herald, where she was a Political Reporter in Washington DC and Canberra. She was also Managing Editor of The Eye news magazine in Sydney, and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.
 
Paul Coffey
Chief Operating Officer
RWE Innogy

Paul Coffey is currently the Chief Operating Officer for RWE Innogy GmbH, which is part of the RWE Group and one of the fastest growing renewable energy businesses in the world.Mr Coffey has gained 20 years of experience in the energy business, where he has covered a wide spectrum of disciplines including power generation, energy retailing, trading and risk management and also electricity distribution.

He has held a number of senior executive positions throughout his career across the power sector including Managing Director Operations & Technology for the 10GW of thermal power plants of RWE npower plc together with responsibilities for the UK nuclear new build and Carbon Capture and Storage programmes. He also has experience of the UK power retail sector, where he served as Managing Director for the industrial and commercial activities of RWE npower Business. Asset Management and Senior Trading and Risk Management positions round up his experience.
In addition to his extensive career experience he gained a Bachelor of Administration (Hons) in Business with a specialism in Finance.
 
Ed Crooks
US Industry and Energy Editor
Financial Times

Ed Crooks, based in New York, is the US Industry and Energy Editor at the Financial Times, a role he took up in 2010. Before that, Ed Crooks was Energy Editor at the FT and was based in the Head Office in London. Mr Crooks joined the FT in 1999 as Economics Editor, and then went on to become UK news editor. Previously, Mr Crooks was an economics correspondent for the BBC, reporting on both television and radio. he started at the BBC as a researcher and producer and worked across several news programmes. He has also been a reporter and editor for Investors Chronicle as well as an economic analyst for the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Mr Crooks graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He regularly appears on national and international TV and radio.
 
Damian Darragh
Financial Managing Director
Terra Firma Capital Partners
 
Damian Darragh leads Terra Firma’s investment activity in the renewable energy sector, in which he runs one of the world's largest private investment programmes with approximately $5bn of assets. He has over 18 years of experience with the firm, having joined Nomura International in 1993 where he worked with Terra Firma’s forerunner, PFG.
 
Mr Darragh has completed 18 acquisitions in the sector whilst at Terra Firma and built three world-class renewable energy utility businesses: Infinis (the UK’s largest independent renewable energy business), EverPower (a leading US wind energy business) and RTR (now the largest solar power generation company in Europe).
 
Mr Darragh has a Sloan Fellowship MSc from London Business School and a Master’s degree in Electronic Engineering Science (MEng) from the University of Manchester and L’Institut Supérieur D’Electronique du Nord in Lille, France.
 
Rick Gambetta
Managing Director, Debt Finance and Advisory
Hexagon Finance and Advisory Limited

Rick Gambetta is Managing Director of Hexagon Finance and Advisory Limited (“Hexagon”), a FCA Appointed Representative firm with offices in the City. Hexagon was founded by Mr Gambetta to provide independent debt and equity advisory and capital raising services to borrowers, investors and developers active in the renewable energy and commercial property sectors. Hexagon's services include advising its clients on their financing requirements providing, where applicable, alternative equity and debt financing solutions and acting  as arranger of capital markets bond issues where the asset’s income profile fits the requirements of institutional fixed income investors Prior to establishing Hexagon, Mr Gambetta was Head of Debt Finance and Advisory at Matrix Property Fund Management LLP  where he arranged the UK's first solar securitisation (listed on the LSE in November 2012) and before that he served as head of Commercial Real Estate Structured Securitisation at that Lloyds Banking Group.
 
Anthony Hobley
President
Climate Market and Investment Association (CMIA)

Anthony Hobley is a banking lawyer based in London. He specialises in climate change and clean energy law as well as UK, EU and international environmental law. He has played a key role in helping to design the UK’s pilot emissions trading scheme and in developing key aspects of the EU ETS. He recently played a role in the advocacy around the Australian Clean Energy package and is currently working for a developing country government on scoping out options for their climate and clean energy legislation. Prior to his current role, he spent time at the boutique investment bank, Climate Change Capital, as General Counsel to the Carbon Funds and Director of Legal Policy. Whilst there he helped CCC to establish its key investment procedures and documentation.

Mr Hobley has been described as a leader in his field in recent editions of the Chambers guide to the legal Profession in the UK. He currently sits on the boards of the CMIA, The Verified Carbon Standards Association and on the Advisory board to the Climate bonds initiative. He has lectured and written widely on all subjects of environmental law, particularly in relation to contaminated land, renewable energy and emissions trading under the Kyoto Protocol and EU Emissions Trading Scheme. He has also appeared on UK television and radio speaking on climate change and has been quoted in the Economist, The Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Mr Hobley has a first class honours degree in Chemistry and Physics and recently completed a Masters degree in Environmental Law.
 
Steve Howard
Chief Sustainability Officer
IKEA Group

Steve Howard is Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA Group and a member of its Executive Management Committee, a role he has held since January, 2011. He is responsible for the company's sustainability strategy, environmental and social performance, the impact of its products. He believes that sustainability will be one of the mega-trends that shape society and the business landscape this century. He is committed to developing innovative ways to make sustainability attractive and affordable for everyone.

Prior to IKEA, Mr Howard was the Founder and CEO of The Climate Group, an independent non-profit organisation working internationally with government and business leaders to cut global emissions and build a low carbon economy. He currently sits on the organisation's International Leadership Council. He is a member of Vantage Point Venture Partners Advisory Board, an Advisor to the Planetary Skin Institute and also, until recently, was Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Climate Change and a judge of the Virgin Earth Challenge.

Prior to The Climate Group, Mr Howard spent 15 years advising major corporations, NGOs and UN bodies on the environment. He was a Partner at ERM where he led on Corporate Social Responsibility. Previously, he was the founding Director of the Global Forest and Trade Network for WWF International, where he led an international team advising 700 companies on forest and supply chain issues. He is also former chair of the UK Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) where he helped achieve far-reaching consensus on a national forest certification standard and was also founding chair of the Tropical Forest Trust.

Describing himself as a "professional optimist", Mr Howard is a leading authority on sustainability and climate change and believes politicians and business leaders must tackle urgent environmental and economic challenges together to create new jobs and build a prosperous and clean economy.

Mr Howard has a first-class honours degree in ecology and a PhD in environmental physics. His achievements have been endorsed by Time Magazine and Scientific American. He was listed in the Independent on Sunday's top 100 UK environmentalists in 2008 and won Social Entrepreneur UK at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards in 2009. 
 
Bruce Huber
Founder and Managing Director
Alexa Capital

Bruce Huber has thirty years' experience in investment banking across Europe, North America and Asia working with companies and investors in the energy, energy infrastructure, technology and communications sectors. Prior to founding Alexa Capital, he was Global Head of Cleantech Investment Banking for Jefferies & Co. where he led the global industry group operating from offices in Frankfurt, London, New York, San Francisco, Mumbai and Shanghai. He was also on the Board of Directors of Jefferies International, Chairman of European Technology Investment Banking and a senior member of various global risk management committees, including the Equity Commitment Committee, the Fairness Opinion Committee and the M&A Review Committee. Mr Huber has provided investment banking services to sectors undergoing transformation and regulatory change, including energy and mobile telecoms deregulation in the 1980s, telecoms and technology in the 1990s and early 2000s and new energy over the past decade. He has advised companies and investors across energy infrastructure, IT, telecoms and wireless technology, semiconductors/electronics, renewable energy and sustainable technologies. Mr Huber joined Jefferies in 2003 through its acquisition of Broadview International, the global technology-specialist investment bank, where he was a General Partner and the Managing Partner/CEO of Europe. He joined Broadview in 1995 from Barclays Investment Banking Division, where he worked both in London and Frankfurt. From 1984 to 1990 he was with Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette Investment Banking in New York in project finance and subsequently in TMT and prior to that worked in the energy project finance team at Warburg Paribas Becker. Mr Huber graduated with a BSc Engineering from Princeton University.
 
Yannick Jacquemart
Economics and Prospective Senior Advisor, European Affairs Division
RTE. Réseau de transport d'électricité

Yannick Jacquemart has been involved in power systems technical and economical optimization for 20 years. He firstly joined EDF R&D to develop new methods to improve system security assessment. In 2000, he moved to EDF group Headquarters to take up responsibility for the tariffs team and negotiating with French Ministry and Regulator during the period of market liberalisation and activities unbundling. Five years later, he returned to EDF R&D as Managing Director of the Department responsible for designing and developing forecasting, optimization and financial risk assessment methods and tools for EDF. Beyond high value creating projects for EDF, the department explored the future of power systems, especially the impact of intermittency, as early as 2009. Since the beginning of 2013, Mr Jacquemart has been with RTE, the French TSO, in charge of economics and prospective issues at the European Affairs Division.

Yannick Jacquemart gained a Degree in Engineering from Supélec, and followed this with an EMBA from INSEAD.
 
Sir David King
Chair, Future Cities Catapult
Senior Scientific Advisor, UBS

Professor Sir David King is the Chair of Future Cities Catapult, Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, Senior Scientific Advisor to UBS, Adviser to President Kagame of Rwanda, and Director of Cambridge Kaspakas. He also serves as Chair of the UK National Oceanography Advisory Board; as Council Member of the Ditchley Foundation; and as NED of Midatech Limited.
Sir David was the UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser from 2000 to 2007.  He raised the need for governments to act on climate change and was instrumental in creating the new £1 billion Energy Technologies Institute. He created an in-depth futures process which advised government on a wide range of long term issues, from flooding to obesity. He served as Founding Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University, 2008 – 2012, Head of the Department of Chemistry at Cambridge University, 1993 – 2000, and Master of Downing College Cambridge 2005 – 2000. 
He has published over 500 papers on surface science and catalysis and on science and policy, for which he has received many awards and medals, and .has received 22 Honorary Degrees from universities around the world, including Witwatersrand and Pretoria. He was Elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1991; Foreign Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002;  knighted in 2003; made “Officier dans l’ordre national de la Légion d’Honeur” in 2009. Sir David was educated at St John’s College Johannesburg and at Witwatersrand University, graduating with an Honours degree in Chemistry and a PhD.
 
Thierry Lepercq
Chairman
Solairedirect

Thierry Lepercq is the Chairman of Solairedirect, which he co-founded in 2006. Previously he had a 20-year carrier in technology finance, first with Bankers Trust in New York, and later with Banque Arjil (Lagardère Group) and Oddo & Cie. In 1999 he founded NetsCapital, a boutique investment bank focused on information technology which structured 40 transactions for a total of 400 M euros. In 2004 Mr Lepercq set up Réseau Innovation Energie, a think tank with such participants as Caisse des Dépôts, Suez, EDF and Gaz de France. He is a graduate of HEC (Paris).
 
Jim Long
Partner
Greentech Capital Advisers

Jim long has over 25 years of experience as an adviser and investor across the power, energy, infrastructure, environmental, and 
technology sectors. Based in Zurich, he works closely with companies and investors to identify strategic opportunities in global markets and craft client-specific solutions. He brings a wealth of cross-border transaction experience, helping both larger corporations optimize their business portfolios and leading growth companies toward value-added partnerships with leading companies and investors, utilizing a full range of capital and financing alternatives in support of client objectives. Prior to joining GCA, Mr long was a Managing Director at Ecofin, a leading specialist investor in utilities, renewable energy, and infrastructure. He led the private equity and infrastructure investment activities with over $500 million invested across wind, solar, water, and related sectors and over $750 million in realizations. Prior to Ecofin, Mr long spent 12 years at Citigroup in London in a number of roles, most recently as Co-Chairman of Global Power and Utilities Investment Banking. 

Mr Long has a dual degree in Economics (Wharton School) and English from the University of Pennsylvania. He holds both a Master of Philosophy and Master of Studies in Modern History from Oxford University, where he was also a tutor. 
 
ØysteIn Løseth
President and Chief Executive Officer
Vattenfall
Øysten Løseth has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Vattenfall since April 2010. Mr Løseth previously served as the company’s Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Business Group Benelux, a position he held from 2009-2010. Prior to joining Vattenfall, Mr Løseth served in a variety of senior positions in the energy industry to include: Director, Head of Strategy Division and M&A, Member of the Board responsible for Production, Business Development and R&D Nuon N.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands, (2003 – 2008), and then Member of the Board, then President and CEO of Nuon N.V. (2008-2009); Managing Director, Statkraft Energy Europe, based in Norway and the Netherlands (1997 – 2003); Commercial Director of Naturkraft, Oslo, Norway (1994 – 1997) and Planning Manager for Alliance Gas, London, UK, (1993 – 1994). He also held a variety of positions with Statoil, Norway from 1984 to 1993. Mr Løseth has a Master of Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Trondheim, Norway (Norges Tekniske Hoyskole) and completed Studies in Economics at Bedriftsøkonomisk Institutt, Bergen, Norway, 
 
John Lynch
Managing Director, Head of EMEA Power, Utilities & Renewables
Bank of America Merrill Lynch

John Lynch is Managing Director, Global Corporate & Investment Banking Group at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch. From his base in London, he is one of the leaders of the low carbon and sustainability investment banking activities of the bank in the international markets. Mr Lynch joined bank of America Merrill Lynch in 2000. Mr Lynch has 15 years of experience in the field of energy, power, renewables and infrastructure. Over his career he has worked with various corporate clients and governments on implementing changes to the energy mix as well as raising financing to facilitate these changes. 

Mr Lynch has a BA in Asian Studies and an MBA in finance and accounting from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
 
Eddie O'Connor
CEO, Mainstream Renewable Power
President, Friends of the Supergrid

In February 2008, Dr O’Connor founded Mainstream Renewable Power. Its core business is to develop, build and operate renewable energy plants in collaboration with strategic partners. The company employs over 180 highly experienced staff and has offices in  Beijing, Cape Town, Chicago, Dublin, London, Santiago and Toronto.
Dr O’Connor is also acknowledged as the driving force behind the European Offshore Supergrid which espouses, when built, to guarantee European energy self sufficiency as well as producing carbon free electricity.
Prior to establishing Mainstream Renewable Power, Dr O’Connor was the Founder and Chief Executive of Airtricity, a position he held from 1997 until January 2008 when the company was sold to E.ON and Scottish & Southern Energy for approximately €2 billion. From 1987 to 1996 Dr O’Connor was Chief Executive of Bordna Mona, the Irish Peat Board, where he was responsible for the successful turnaround of the company. In 1970 he began working with the Electricity Supply Board, where he held several managerial positions, including Manager of Fuel Purchasing until he left in 1987. Among his accolades, Dr O’Connor was named world energy policy leader by Scientific American magazine in 2003.
Dr O’Connor holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (1970) and a Master’s in Industrial Engineering (1976) both from University College Dublin and has a doctorate in Business Administration from the International Management Centres, Europe. In June 2008, Eddie was awarded an honorary doctorate in Science from University College Dublin and he was conferred with an honorary doctorate in Engineering from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth in June 2011.
 
Jurgen Rigterink
Chief Investment Officer
FMO-Netherlands Development Finance Company

Jurgen Rigterink is the Chief Investment Officer and Member of the Management Board of FMO. With an investment portfolio of over EUR 6 billion, FMO is one of the largest bilateral private sector development banks worldwide. FMO creates access to a full range of financial products and services to private sector enterprises in developing markets with a focus on financial institutions, energy, agribusiness and private equity.

Mr Rigterink started his career at Bank Brussels Lambert working in Brussels, Chicago and New York before joining ABN AMRO in 1997. He has since served in a variety of senior positions including Sector Head for Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 2005, Jurgen was appointed Chairman of the Management Board and Country Executive at ABN AMRO Bank Kazakhstan.

Mr Rigterink has a Masters Degree in Economics from Rijks Universiteit Groningen, the Netherlands, and is also a Member of the Supervisory Board of the Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion (Nederlands Centrum voor Handelsbevordering). 
 
Falko Schmidt
UK- Coordinator
DESERTEC Foundation

Falko Schmidt Is the UK Coordinator for DESERTEC Foundation. Prior to joining DESERTEC, Mr Schmidt was a Manager at a real estate developing and management company and was Member of the International Bankers Forum. He Studied Economics at Berlin School of Economics and Law (specialised in banking) and has Master of Business Administration at London Southbank University.
 
Sumant Sinha
Founder-Chairman & CEO
ReNew Power Ventures

Sumant Sinha is the Founder Chairman and CEO of ReNew Power Ventures a leading Indian renewable energy Independent Power Producer (IPP). He is also currently Chairman of the National Renewable Energy Committee of Confederation of Indian Industry.

ReNew was  founded in 2011 with the purpose of establishing a robust, sustainable and growing presence as an IPP with activities across the clean energy space to include wind, solar and  hydro power. ReNew has grown organically to more than 300 MW of capacity, thereby playing a significant role in helping to reduce India’s carbon footprint. The company has secured an equity investment from the private equity arm of Goldman Sachs, the single largest investment in India’s renewable energy space.

Mr Sinha has extensive experience in the private sector. Prior to launching Renew, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Suzlon Energy, one of the world's largest wind turbine manufacturers which he ran jointly with the founder. Prior to this, he was the 

Group Chief Financial Officer of the Aditya Birla Group for over five years and also founded and ran the retail business of the company as its Chief Executive Officer. This followed ten years in international finance as an investment banker in London and New York, at Citibank and ING Barings respectively. Before he returned to India from New York in 2002, Mr Sinha was Managing Director responsible for ING’s debt business in Latin America.

Mr Sinha has a B. Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi; an MBA from the Indian  Institute of Management and a Masters from Columbia University’s School of International  and Public Affairs, where he was a Dean’s Fellow. He is also a CFA Charter holder and writes extensively on Indian economic and business issues in journals and newspapers.
 
Didier Sire
Executive Vice President, Strategy, Innovation, Econonic Studies, Regulatory Affairs, ERM and Sustainable Management
GDF SUEZ Europe

Didier Sire is Executive Vice President, Strategy, Innovation, Economic Studies, Regulatory Affairs, ERM and Sustainable Development of GDF Suez Europe. He joined the company initially through the Distribution Division of EDF GDF in 1981. He then joined the Marketing Division of Gaz de France in 1990 before being named  “Chef de Cabinet” of the Chairman and CEO in 1994.In the years between1997 and 2003 he held various posts in the international sector: in charge of Russia/CIS and LNG in the Gas Purchase Division; as Strategy and Projects Manager in the Supply, Trading and Marketing Division and as Deputy Vice President in the International Division in charge of Europe. He was appointed Strategy Deputy Vice President in July 2003 and Strategy Vice President in April 2007. Following the merger between Gaz de France and Suez he was in charge of Strategy and Regulated Affairs in GDF SUEZ Energy International, joining Energy Europe Business Line in January 2012.
Mr Sire is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and has a degree from the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Administration Economique (ENSAE).
 
Mark Tanton
Managing Director
Red Cap Investments
 
Mark Tanton is the Managing Director of Red Cap investments (Pty) Ltd, a private company developing renewable energy projects in Southern Africa. Red Cap was recently awarded preferred bidder status by the South African Department of Energy to develop an 80 MW wind farm. Mr Tanton was previously the Chief Executive Officer and Director of CEF Sustainability (Pty) Ltd, managing the implementation of a large basket of renewable energy projects in the Eastern Cape. He also worked for the Energy Development Corporation, a division of CEF (Pty) Ltd as Developmental Manager. While working at CEF Mr Tanton was responsible for the Darling Wind Farm within CEF, and also acted as a Director on the Darling Wind Farm Board of Management. He also previously served as Chairman of, and is now a board member of the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA).
 
Mr Tanton has a BSc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and has been granted the title of Certified Energy Manager (CEM) by The Association of Energy Engineers (Georgia, USA).