IPEM 2026 convenes global industry leaders from leading energy companies, financial institutions, and technology firms. The following speakers bring private sector expertise to advance investment and regional partnerships.
Emily Arthun
Chief Executive Officer
American Coal Council
Jeff Ballard
President
and Chief Executive Officer
Sentinel Midstream
Rita Baranwal
Chief Nuclear Officer
Radiant Nuclear
Dinkar Bhatia
Executive Vice President
X-energy
Dinkar Bhatia
Executive Vice President
X-energy
Dinkar Bhatia is Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of X-energy, where he leads the company’s commercial strategy and global project development efforts. With nearly 30 years of experience in the energy sector, he brings deep expertise in successfully developing and financing new power projects around the world. Prior to joining X-energy, he served as Partner and Co-Head of North American Power at Hartree Partners. In that role, he led platform development across electricity, natural gas, renewables, and retail while overseeing trading, origination, strategic investments, and commercial operations. He also previously held roles in commodity strategy at Goldman Sachs, commercial strategy at Constellation Energy, and power generation portfolio development at PG&E. These experiences showcase his strength in developing commercial assets and navigating and executing complex energy and infrastructure projects.
Ann Bluntzer Pullin
Executive Director
Hamm Institute for
American Energy
Ann Bluntzer Pullin
Executive Director
Hamm Institute for American Energy
Ann Bluntzer Pullin, PhD serves as the executive director of the Hamm Institute for American
Energy at Oklahoma State University. Bluntzer frequently speaks on the geopolitics of the energy
sector, energy policy, the oil and gas industry, and the energy transition. She has over 25 years of
experience in higher education, as a professor and administrator, she continues to lead programs
that enrich student and industry knowledge in the energy and agriculture sectors. She had
previously worked with Texas Cristian University, University of South Carolina, Texas A&M
University, University of Jakarta, Austin Business College, and Warsaw University of Life Sciences.
Ann has also served in executive leadership positions with various nonprofit organizations globally.
She began her career serving in the Foreign Agriculture Service, for the United States Department of
State. Some of her assignments included: Poland, Lithuania, Indonesia, and Australia. Dr. Bluntzer
Pullin holds a PhD in Organizational Management and Education Administration from the University
of South Carolina, and a Master of Education in Leadership & International Studies and Bachelor’s
in Agricultural Development from Texas A&M University.
William Campbell
Senior Counsel for
Strategic Affairs
I Squared Capital
William Campbell
Senior Counsel for Strategic Affairs
I Squared Capital
Bill Campbell, who served as General Counsel for I Squared Capital from 2014 until December 2024, has taken on a new role as Senior Counsel for Strategic Affairs focusing on I Squared’s various relationships with governments and multi-lateral development institutions around the world. He also advises investment teams on certain key transactions globally. Prior to joining I Squared Capital, Bill was a Partner in the law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Energy and Infrastructure Practice Group. He has over 30 years of experience representing sponsors, financial institutions, lenders, contractors, operators, and suppliers in connection with a broad range of infrastructure investments internationally.Bill has worked with development finance institutions such as the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, the International Finance Corporation, and the Asian Development Bank. He also has extensive experience advising sovereign governments in connection with national-interest infrastructure and other capacity building projects.
Celeste Connors
President
East-West Center
Celeste Connors
President
East-West Center
Celeste A. Connors, who was raised in Hawai‘i, is a recognized international leader with more
than 25 years of risk management and national security experience. As a former Director on the
National Security Council and the National Economic Council under both Republican and
Democratic administrations, Celeste chaired complex interagency processes and advised White
House leaders on energy, trade, environment, and technology strategies. She previously gained
extensive foreign policy experience while serving as a US diplomat in Saudi Arabia, Greece,
Germany, and the US Mission to the United Nations, and as Foreign Policy Adviser to the Mayor of
New York City.
In recent years, Celeste led the internationally recognized center of excellence Hawai‘i Green
Growth focused on economic development. She served as Co-Chair of the Local2030 Islands
Network, a group of 45 island economies working to build community resilience.
Celeste has an extensive background in corporate and nonprofit governance, including serving on
the boards of Hawaiian Electric Industries, the state’s primary electricity provider, and the Hawai‘i
Visitors and Convention Bureau. She served as faculty lecturer and practitioner with the Johns
Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where she led a practicum
program focused on risk management.
Celeste holds a master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of London School of
Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and an undergraduate degree in International Relations from
Tufts University. Her husband Paul is a former diplomat and teacher, and they have a son and
daughter in their teens.
Michael Day
Chief Executive Officer
Eagle Summit Resources
Paul Everingham
Chief Executive Officer
Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association
Anatol Feygin
Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
Cheniere Energy
Pat Forkin
Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Peabody Development
Peabody
Matt Ganser
Senior Vice President of Sales and Government Affairs
Lilac Solutions
Matt Ganser
Senior Vice President of Sales and Government Affairs
Lilac Solutions
Matthew Ganser is the Senior Vice President for Sales & Government Affairs at Lilac. He has worked across oil & gas, cleantech, and aerospace industries in engineering, operations, and business roles.
George Gilboy
Chief Representative in Japan
Woodside
William Goodwin
Chief Legal and Strategy Officer
Oklo
John Hopkins
President and
Chief Executive Officer
NuScale Power
John Hopkins
President and Chief Executive Officer
NuScale Power
John L. Hopkins has been at the helm of NuScale Power as the Chief Executive Officer since December 2012 and served on the company’s Board during the same period. He transitioned from the role of Executive Chair after a tenure spanning from December 2012 to December 2021. Prior to joining NuScale, Mr. Hopkins had a notable career at Fluor Corporation, where he commenced his journey in 1989. Over the years, he ascended through various leadership positions entrenched in global operations and business development, ultimately serving as a corporate officer from 1999 until his departure in 2012.
Mr. Hopkins is actively engaged in numerous professional and business organizations, holding influential positions such as a member on the Executive Committee, Audit Committee, and Compensation Committee of the United States Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. He previously chaired both the Board and the Executive Committee. His experience also includes serving on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee from 2019 to 2020, alongside current roles as a member of the Nuclear Energy Institute Executive Committee and as an Energy Task Force Member at the Atlantic Council and IAEA Group of Vienna.
As a senior energy policy advisor at I Squared Capital in New York, Mr. Hopkins has also made significant contributions as a senior executive member on the boards of Fluor Netherlands and Fluor United Kingdom, chaired Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC, and held a directorship with the Business Council for International Understanding.
His qualifications to serve as a director stem from his in-depth knowledge of NuScale and its operational dynamics, strategic relationships with key stakeholders, and extensive experience in management, particularly within the nuclear sector and engineering and construction fields. Mr. Hopkins holds a B.B.A from the University of Texas at Austin and has participated in several advanced management programs.
Steven Kobos
President and Chief Executive Officer
Excelerate Energy
Steven Kobos
President and Chief Executive Officer
Excelerate Energy
Since 2018, Steven Kobos has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Excelerate Energy, guiding the company through a period of substantial growth and strategic transformation. Under his leadership, Excelerate evolved from a niche LNG services provider into an integrated LNG and power infrastructure platform with operations across Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North America.
During this time, Steven has championed a multi year sequence of initiatives that reshaped the company’s capabilities and long term strategic position. These efforts included deepening the company’s relationship with Qatar through the Nakilat joint venture, building in house operational capabilities, expanding commercial and LNG portfolio capacity, and instituting the governance and systems required of a global public company. He also led Excelerate’s 2022 initial public offering and NYSE listing, along with subsequent equity and debt capital markets activity that strengthened the company’s financial flexibility and access to long term capital.
A significant milestone of his tenure was overseeing the company’s $1.1 billion acquisition of an integrated LNG and power platform in Jamaica—the largest transaction in Excelerate’s history. In this role, Steven directed the strategic rationale, commercial alignment, stakeholder engagement, and integration planning across government partners, lenders, commercial stakeholders, and operational teams. The acquisition expanded the company’s downstream infrastructure footprint and marked a pivotal step in its evolution into a diversified LNG and power platform.
Steven continues to guide Excelerate’s long term strategy, positioning the company as a provider of reliable downstream LNG and power infrastructure that enhances energy security and resiliency around the world. His contributions extend to global industry and policy discussions, where he is a frequent participant in forums focused on LNG markets, energy access, and infrastructure reliability.
Before becoming CEO, Steven spent more than a decade as corporate counsel and a member of the Board of Directors, helping shape the company’s early international expansion and integrated business model.
Steven holds a J.D. (with highest honors) and a B.A. from the University of Oklahoma.
Fred Hutchison
Chief Executive Officer
LNG Allies
Maria Korsnick
President
and Chief Executive Officer
Nuclear Energy Institute
Balaji Krishnamurthy
Managing Director and President
Chevron Australia
Balaji Krishnamurthy
Managing Director and President
Chevron Australia
Balaji Krishnamurthy is the managing director of Chevron Australia and president, Australia, for Chevron’s Upstream organisation, located in Perth, Western Australia.
Balaji is responsible for Chevron’s upstream activities and operations in Australia, including the Gorgon and Wheatstone natural gas developments, and participating interests in the North West Shelf Project. He assumed the role in April 2025.
Most recently, Balaji was vice president, Chevron Technical Center, located in Houston, U.S., with responsibility for overseeing technical services in support of Chevron’s global operations, the development and scaling of innovative technology solutions, and the application of engineering standards across the company.
Prior to this, Balaji served as vice president of Strategy and Sustainability and president of Chevron Canada, and he has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility spanning engineering, project management, decision analysis and asset development. He has also spent much of his career in Chevron’s international business units supporting operations in Angola, Canada, Kazakhstan, Thailand.
Balaji holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and Electrochemical Engineering from the Central Electrochemical Research Institute in India, a Master of Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Florida, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
Ichiro Kutani
Senior Research Director
Institute of Energy Economics, Japan
Dan Lipman
President, Global Business
Initiatives
Westinghouse
Dan Lipman
President, Global Business Initiatives
Westinghouse
Dan Lipman is President, Global Business Initiatives at Westinghouse Electric Company. In this role, he leads global strategic projects in multifaceted geopolitical, diplomatic and commercial situations while providing counsel on the company’s overarching strategy. Most recently, he served as President of APX Project Development & Partnerships – leading the commercial arrangements, project development and deal execution for our AP1000® Pressurized Water Reactor and derivative technologies across the world. Mr. Lipman has more than four decades of experience in the nuclear industry. He started at Westinghouse as a field engineer and has held senior roles overseeing sales, the global supply chain, quality, environment, health & safety, information technology, strategy and sustainability functions. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Lipman led Westinghouse’s new plant business, securing the landmark AP1000 PWR contracts in China and the United States.Prior to rejoining Westinghouse in 2024, Mr. Lipman served in leadership roles at the Nuclear Energy Institute, which included oversight of nuclear exports, international trade, fuel cycle policy and programs, and policy analysis. He has also been an advisor to the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Trade and Development Agency on small reactor development and support to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in emerging nuclear countries’ industrial development.He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester’s College of Arts, Sciences and Engineering and master’s degree from John Hopkins University School of Advanced International www.westinghousenuclear.com Studies.
Vern Lund
Chief Executive Officer
Navajo Transitional Energy Company
Roger Martella
EVP, Chief Corporate Officer
GE Vernova
Roger Martella
EVP, Chief Corporate Officer
GE Vernova
Roger Martella is Chief Corporate Officer, Head of Global Government Affairs and Policy, and Chief Sustainability Officer at GE Vernova. In this role, Roger engages the world’s top public and private sector leaders to solve the energy trilemma of affordability, reliability, and sustainability.Prior to joining GE in 2017, Roger served as General Counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the George W. Bush Administration, where he was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, and as Principal Counsel for Complex Litigation for the Department of Justice’s Natural Resources Section, where he won every case he litigated. Roger also co-led Sidley Austin LLP's global environmental and climate change practices and was recognized by his peers as the top lawyer in the field globally.Roger is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of the Atlantic Council, the ClearPath Foundation, and the American Conservation Coalition.Roger holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt Law School, where he was Editor in Chief of the Vanderbilt Law Review. Roger grew up in Norristown, PA, where he grew up working in his family’s corner Italian bakery.
Hideki Masui
President
Japan Atomic Industrial Forum
Tony Minella
Chief Executive Officer
Eldridge Capital Management
Tony Minella
Chief Executive Officer
Eldridge Capital Management
Tony Minella is Co-founder and President of Eldridge Industries, and Chief Executive Officer of Eldridge Capital Management. As President of Eldridge Industries, Mr. Minella has been instrumental in defining the culture, sourcing growth opportunities, and assembling successful management teams for both Eldridge Industries and its businesses. Previously, Mr. Minella was Chief Investment Officer of Security Benefit. Prior to joining Security Benefit, he was Co-Head of the Corporate Credit Group at Guggenheim Investments, where he co-chaired its Investment Committee. Mr. Minella serves on the boards of A24, Aurify, Cain, Flexjet, Everly, gamma, Zinnia, SMT, Stone Canyon Industries, and Stonebriar Finance Holdings. Mr. Minella is a member of the US Olympic & Paralympic Foundation Trustee Council, and supports the vital work of Radical Hope, Girls Leadership, Prostate Cancer Foundation, YC Community Foundation, and Elevate Big Sky, as well as Brunswick School and Avon Old Farms. He is a graduate of Avon Old Farms and received his A.B. in Economics from Bowdoin College.
Ian Nguyen
Co-Founder
Delta Offshore Energy
Ian Nguyen
Co-Founder
Delta Offshore Energy
Ian Nguyen is a co-founder and Managing Director of Delta Offshore Energy, a
company focused on developing energy infrastructure projects in Vietnam. He is
primarily responsible for deal origination, stakeholder relations, and
government engagement in Vietnam. He heads the company’s Vietnam office in
Hanoi and has been instrumental in advancing Delta Offshore Energy’s flagship
initiative—the Bac Lieu LNG-to-Power project in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the
country’s first fully privately owned LNG-to-power project and backed by
American sponsors.
With more than a decade of experience in Southeast Asia’s financial markets on both
the buy-side and sell-side, Ian has participated in some of the region’s
largest IPOs and equity capital markets transactions. He maintains an extensive
executive network spanning investment funds, financial institutions, and
publicly listed companies. His investment experience spans across all major
industries, including infrastructure, construction, oil & gas, mining,
plantations, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, real estate, media,
telecommunications, financial services, and engineering.
Before co-founding Delta Offshore Energy, Ian spent several years in Singapore as an
investment professional for several investment funds covering Southeast Asia.
He served as CEO and Executive Director of Cheyne Capital Asia, a wholly owned
subsidiary of the London-based multi-asset strategy and alternative investment
manager Cheyne Capital Management LLP. Prior to that, he was a Director at an
affiliated company of Belvedere Investment Partners LLP, a UK-based hedge fund
manager. He began his career in Vietnam at investment banks, including
Citibank, as well as boutique firms in roles in sales & trading and mergers
& acquisitions.
Ian Nguyen (full name Ian Duc Thang Nguyen) is widely recognized for his deep
understanding of Vietnam’s financial and capital markets, energy sector and his
ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments. He continues to lead
Delta Offshore Energy’s strategic initiatives to support Vietnam’s energy
security and transition through the development and implementation of LNG and
power infrastructure.
Demetrios Papathanasiou
Global Director for Energy and Extractives
The World Bank
Demetrios Papathanasiou
Global Director for Energy and Extractives
The World Bank
Dr. Papathanasiou leads more than 100 professionals at the Energy and Extractives Global Department of the World Bank. He coordinates the overall strategic direction of the Practice, advances the knowledge and learning agenda for the Bank’s energy and extractives professionals, and oversees corporate reporting, trust funds, and partnerships for the Practice.
Dr. Papathanasiou has worked for more than 20 years with the World Bank Group on Energy and Infrastructure in Africa, Latin America, East Europe and the Balkans, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific Islands. He has contributed to developing energy policies in several countries and worked on power generation projects using many diverse technologies: thermal, hydropower, solar, wind, and geothermal. He has led large teams on complex utility and sector reforms, as well as sizeable public-private partnership transactions. As the Manager for the World Bank’s Energy Global Department in South Asia (2016-2020), he was responsible for a portfolio of more than $10 billion and worked to increase renewable energy projects in the region, expand regional interconnections and exchanges, and modernize networks across the region.
A professional Electrical Engineer, Dr. Papathanasiou holds an MSc in Environmental Technology and a PhD in Energy and the Environment from Imperial College in London, UK.
Adam Prestidge
President
Glenfarne Alaska LNG
Adam Prestidge
President
Glenfarne Alaska LNG
Adam Prestidge is the President of Glenfarne Alaska LNG, LLC, and oversees all of Glenfarne’s activities in Alaska, including on the Alaska LNG Project and Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline.
Adam also serves as Executive Vice President of Business Affairs for Glenfarne Energy Transition’s LNG business, which includes Glenfarne’s three LNG export development projects, Alaska LNG, Texas LNG and Magnolia LNG. In this role, Adam manages a wide range of workstreams, including commercial transactions, corporate strategy, project development, legal, government affairs, and corporate affairs.
Prior to his current role, Adam previously served as the head of legal and corporate affairs for Glenfarne’s gas and LNG business.
Prior to joining Glenfarne, Adam was an energy and infrastructure lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Houston, structuring, negotiating and executing deals across a wide range of energy assets, including natural gas infrastructure, power generation, and LNG. Adam began his career as an M&A lawyer at Debevoise & Plimpton in New York City, working on numerous public and
private transactions across a variety of industries, including energy and finance.
Pham Quoc Anh
Chief Executive Officer
Pacifico Energy Vietnam
Pham Quoc Anh
Chief Executive Officer
Pacifico Energy Vietnam
Mr. Quoc Anh Pham is Chief Executive Officer of Pacifico Energy Vietnam, where he leads the company’s investment, development, and delivery of energy projects nationwide. He brings more than 16 years of experience in renewable energy and international business development, working extensively with partners across the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia.Prior to joining Pacifico Energy, he was Development Director (Vietnam) at Macquarie, the world’s largest infrastructure investor. Earlier, as General Director of Mainstream Phu Cuong, a joint venture with Mainstream Renewable Power in Vietnam, he led the development of Vietnam’s first large-scale offshore wind power pipeline.Mr. Quoc Anh Pham holds a Master of Science in Digital Media Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is also a member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its Economic Advisory Council.
Steve Read
President
Signal Peak Global Markets
Michael Sabel
Chief Executive Officer
Venture Global
Michael Sabel
CEO Executive Co-Chairman and Founder
Venture Global
Michael Sabel is one of the company’s co-founders and serves as the Chief Executive Officer and as an Executive Co-Chairman of the company’s board of directors. Prior to founding the company, Mr. Sabel spent decades working in the energy, technology and financial service sectors in senior leadership, new company formation, technology licensing, corporate business development, and capital market transactions.
Walter Scheller
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Warrior Met Coal
Rick Springman
President of Global Energy
Holtec International
Rick Springman
President of Global Energy
Holtec International
Dr. Rick Springman is President of Global Clean Energy Opportunities & International Programs at Holtec International, where he leads strategy, project development, partnerships, and commercial structuring for the global deployment of the company’s advanced energy technologies, including the SMR-300 small modular reactor. He also oversees capital planning, project financing, and offtake strategy to expand Holtec’s baseload energy initiatives worldwide. Over the past two decades, Dr.
Springman has led the development and delivery of more than 30 nuclear projects across 15 countries - from market entry through EPC execution. As Vice-Chairman of Holtec’s Executive Committee, he advises the CEO on corporate policy, strategic growth, acquisitions, and international expansion, and has led establishment of several of the company’s global divisions. A recognized industry leader, Dr. Springman has played a significant role in the development and commercialization of Holtec’s technologies and holds several patents related to spent fuel management. He earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania, where he now serves on the department’s External Advisory Board.
Katie Sweeney
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
National Mining Association
Maeda Tadashi
Chairman
Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)
Maeda Tadashi
Chairman
Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)
At JBIC, he has held various positions including Director-General of Energy & Natural Resources Finance Department ; Managing Executive Officer & Global Head of Infrastructure and Environment Finance Group ; Senior Managing Director; CEO & Executive Managing Director and Governor. From June 2010 to December 2012, he served as Special Advisor to the Cabinet in the Government of Japan. He was reappointed to his role from September 2022 to September 2024. He served as a member of the Steering Committee of Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund from October 2011 to October 2013. He was a member of the IISS Council from June 2014 to 2017. Since 2020, He has served as a Global Advisory Board member of Observer Research Foundation(ORF) in India.
Nanako Tanaka
Country Director, Government Affairs & Policy
GE Vernova
Maeda Tadashi
Chairman
Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)
At JBIC, he has held various positions including Director-General of Energy & Natural Resources Finance Department ; Managing Executive Officer & Global Head of Infrastructure and Environment Finance Group ; Senior Managing Director; CEO & Executive Managing Director and Governor. From June 2010 to December 2012, he served as Special Advisor to the Cabinet in the Government of Japan. He was reappointed to his role from September 2022 to September 2024. He served as a member of the Steering Committee of Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund from October 2011 to October 2013. He was a member of the IISS Council from June 2014 to 2017. Since 2020, He has served as a Global Advisory Board member of Observer Research Foundation(ORF) in India.
Tom TerBush
President and Chief Executive Officer
Electric Power Research Institute International
Tom TerBush
President and Chief Executive Officer
Electric Power Research Institute International
Tom TerBush is EPRI’s Vice President of Sales and Member & Technical Services and EPRI International
President. He is accountable for EPRI’s overall funding and collaborative engagement with members and partner organizations in the United States and over 45 other countries in support of EPRI’s mission to drive innovation to ensure the public has safe, reliable, affordable, and clean energy around the globe. Since joining EPRI in 1997, TerBush has held a wide range of positions in Europe, Asia, and North America involving economics, nuclear, power delivery, sales, marketing, and technology transfer. Prior to joining EPRI, he worked with U.S. and Japanese organizations on energy economics, technology, and deregulation.
TerBush has a Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University, where he developed expertise in
energy economics and the interplay of energy regulation, energy markets, and economic performance.
Mitesh Thakker
President and Chief Financial Officer
Core Natural Resources (CORE)
Ryosuke Tsugaru
Chair
Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association
Dena Volovar
President Nuclear, Security, and Environment
Bechtel
Dena Volovar
President
Bechtel Nuclear, Security, and Environmental
Dena Volovar is President of Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security & Environmental (NS&E) global business unit. She has more than 26 years of experience in project management, operations, business
development, and engineering. Her current portfolio includes the oversight of U.S. and allied government projects and nuclear power projects with missions focused on ensuring the world is cleaner, safer and more secure. Bechtel’s NS&E global business unit encompasses all the company’s government contracts including work for the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy, and NASA, as well as nuclear power projects worldwide.
Prior to her current role, Dena served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of NS&E’s
Environmental and Security business line. She managed oversight of government projects,
operating sites, and national laboratories focused on nuclear security and nuclear waste
management for the U.S. Department of Energy.
Previously, Dena served as the Manager of Functions for NS&E and was responsible for all of the
people, processes, and execution in the areas of engineering, procurement, construction, startup
and operations as well as their supporting functions. Dena has held leadership roles on a variety
of projects, including project director of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Uranium
Processing Facility project, a multi-billion-dollar complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for processing
highly enriched uranium for U.S. nuclear defense and naval nuclear propulsion. She also served as
project manager of the Sabine Pass Liquified Natural Gas facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana and
operations manager for all of Bechtel’s nuclear operating plant services.
Dena was elected a Bechtel senior vice president in 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Science in
Nuclear Engineering from the University of Maryland and is a Project Management Professional.
She is the chair of the Board of Visitors for the University of Maryland’s Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering and executive committee board member of the Nuclear Energy
Institute.
Tetsuya Watanabe
President
Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia
Tetsuya Watanabe
President
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia
Tetsuya Watanabe is the President of ERIA (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia), an international organization located in Jakarta, Indonesia. Before joining ERIA, he was the Special Advisor to the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry. In his public service career of over 30 years, Watanabe has held the positions of Director General for the Trade Policy at the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) and Counsellor of the TPP Headquarters at the Cabinet Secretariat, where he was engaged in Japan’s major trade policy initiatives and negotiations in the TPP, RCEP, Japan-US Trade Agreement, Japan-UK Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and the WTO Reforms, among others. He has also served as Vice President of the Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry (RIETI), one of Japan’s most prominent policy think tanks. Watanabe is an alumnus of the University of Tokyo and Columbia Law School.
Yunis Yudistian
President Director
PT Geo Dipa Energi
Yunis Yudistian
President Director
PT Geo Dipa Energi
Yudistian Yunis is the President Director of PT Geo Dipa Energi (Persero), Indonesia’s state-owned geothermal developer. He assumed this role in 2023 after previously serving as Director of Business Development and Exploration at the company. With more than three decades of experience in the
power and geothermal sector, he has played a key role in advancing Indonesia’s geothermal development and supporting the country’s energy transition.
Before joining Geo Dipa Energi, he served as Director of Operations at PT PLN Gas & Geothermal, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s national electricity company, and previously held senior leadership roles in
geothermal development within PT PLN (Persero). Earlier in his career, he worked as an engineering geologist, building technical expertise in geothermal exploration and power generation.
He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Management from University Tenaga Nasional in Malaysia and a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering from Trisakti University in Jakarta. He has also been actively involved in the global geothermal community, including serving as Vice Chairman of the Indonesian Geothermal Association (INAGA) and representing Indonesia in international geothermal forums.
Throughout his career, Mr. Yunis has contributed to strengthening Indonesia’s position as one of the world’s leading geothermal producers while promoting innovation, sustainable energy development, and regional collaboration in the geothermal sector.
Thomas Zacharia
SVP, Strategic Technical Partnership and Public Policy
AMD