Anand Menon
Director, Digital Projects
Powerledger

Anand Menon is currently the Director for Digital Grid Projects at Powerledger ensuring that projects are designed and scoped according to the company strategy to meet client requirements. Earlier, as full-time Advisor for Digital Energy and Corporate Strategy, he supported the implementation of innovative technology solutions in digital energy markets in addition to strategic guidance on the development of new platform products and business growth. Prior to Powerledger, over thirty-eight years, he had served major multinationals of Siemens and ABB as well as premier power utility Tata Electric Companies, India. His experience and expertise in the areas of Operational and Information Technologies in the power sector spans across five countries of Western Europe, South East Asia, Middle East and India. He has held several key positions including Chief Technical Officer, in Energy Management of Siemens ASEAN region, and Head of the Department for Electrical Protection as well as Global Product Manager, Protection Solutions at ABB, Switzerland. He was also responsible for several global flagship projects such as China’s Three Gorges, Malaysia’s 500kV corridor and AMI Smart Meter national roll-out, and has spoken at over thirty-five forums on state-of-the-art best practices in digital energy transformation. He is a Fellow, of the Institution of Engineers, India, and was a regular member of working groups of CIGRE from Switzerland.

Anil Rawal
MD and CEO,
IntelliSmart Infrastructure Private Limited

Anil Rawal is the MD and CEO of IntelliSmart Infrastructure Private Limited. He is an ex-Civil services officer of 1996 Batch and has more than 24 years of leadership experience, across both Corporate and Government organizations. He is an IIM, Ahmadabad alumnus of the 2007 batch and since then has been working with corporates particularly in the Power sector. In Government stint, Mr. Rawal has held various leadership positions in various capacities in Financial, Contractual and Commercial domains. He has also been actively involved in the evolution of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework for power infrastructure projects in the Country.

Atul Kumar Bali
Director
National Smart Grid Mission

Atul Bali is an Electrical Engineer from Delhi College of Engineering and Masters inTechnology in Management & System from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He has over31 year of rich experience in power sector. His experience spans design, engineering,monitoring and successful implementation of SCADA/EMS/DMS projects. He has worked in NHPC, POWERGRID and PFC, the Navratna Public Sector Undertakings of Ministry of Power, Government of India. Hehas been associated from concept to commissioning of Unified Load Despatch & Communication Scheme and has also supervised the implementation of IT based distribution reform projects under prestigiousRestructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (RAPDRP). The RAPDRP Programmeaimed at Establishment of reliable and automated systems for sustained collection of accurate base line databy adoption of Information Technology along with strengthening of power distribution system leading toself-sustaining distribution utilities. Presently he is working as Director inNational Smart GridMission which has been established by Govt of India to plan and monitor the implementation of policies andprogrammes related to Smart Grid activities in India. He has played a key role in implementation of variousSmart Grid Pilot Projects across various utilities in India.

Arvind Jadhav
Former Chief Secretary
Govt. of Karnataka

Arvind Jadhav, a distinguished public servant, held the esteemed position of Chief Secretary within the Government of Karnataka. With a career marked by dedication and leadership, he played a pivotal role in the administration of the state. His tenure as Chief Secretary was characterized by a commitment to good governance, effective policy implementation, and the betterment of Karnataka's socio-economic landscape. Throughout his career, Arvind Jadhav's contributions left an indelible mark on the state's administrative apparatus, embodying the qualities of a visionary and diligent civil servant.

Ariel Dosetareh
Business Development Manager
Electreon

Ariel Dosetareh, a seasoned business development professional at Electreon, a company at the forefront of wireless electric vehicle charging solutions. With a wealth of experience and expertise in innovation and strategic partnerships, Ariel plays a vital role in driving the growth and global expansion of Electreon's ground breaking technology. His commitment to revolutionizing electric vehicle charging and advancing sustainable transportation solutions exemplifies the dedication and forward-thinking spirit. Ariel is instrumental in shaping the future of electric mobility and reducing the barriers to widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

Ajay Tewari
Additional Secretary
Ministry of Power

Shri Ajay Tewari is an Indian Administrative Service Officer of 1993 Batch of Assam Meghalaya Cadre. He is presently Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power looking after Energy Conservation, Energy Transition, International Co-operation, Training & Research and Perspective Planning of Ministry of Power. Mr. Ajay Tewari is B.Tech (Electrical Engineer) from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and holds PG Diploma in Financial Management from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi. He is Government Nominee Director in the Board of Power Finance Corporation (PFC). Before joining Central deputation in the Ministry of Labour& Employment as Joint Secretary & Director General of Labour Welfare in the year 2018, he had worked in different capacities in the State of Assam and Megalaya. Shri Ajay Tewari has wide ranging experience of working in Finance, Education, Housing & Urban Affairs, Sports, Youth Welfare, General Administration, Revenue Administration, Disaster Management &Labour Welfare sectors. Shri Ajay Tewari was born on 5th August, 1970 and before joining Indian Administrative Service in the year 1993, he had also worked in Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) and Ordnance Factory, Nagpur for brief periods.

Anjali Vishwakarma
Executive Engineer
MPPKVVCL

Anjali works as an Executive Engineer at Mppkvvcl where she is currently posted in Operation and maintenance dept, rajgarh Division. She is responsible for maintenance of supply and maintenance of LT and HT supply, bill collection,theft checking of that domain & implementation of scheme like RDSS etc. Prior to that she worked in meter testing division where she looked after the installation, maintenance & operation on all the high value consumer with sanction load 10 kw & above including installation of smart meter and detection and rectification of theft and tamper in smart meter installed on high value consumer. She also worked for 10 years in automatic meter reading cell and worked in meter date analytics for theft detection,load forecasting, tamper detection prevention of outage etc. she has a 12 year in the utility sector.

Arindam Mitra
Vice President
Larsen & Toubro Digital Energy Solutions

Arindam Maitra is an energy industry executive with verifiable continued success achieving strategic objectives for electric utilities, strategic partners, and community stakeholders in the areas of integrated grid T&D planning, community microgrids, advanced energy communities, distributed energy resources (DER), electric vehicles integration, and power electronics applications. Extensive experience in building, cultivating, and leading diverse, cross-disciplinary teams in strategic planning, design, and implementation of transformative initiatives to achieve step-change business results. Recognized as a subject matter expert and industry leader in energy storage and microgrids, new technology evaluations, and defining the next horizon of the electric utility industry primary author of white papers; speaker at industry conferences; and holder of U.S. patents. Passionate about mitigating climate change and driving social equity.

Alok Mishra
Business Lead-Power Grid APAC
DNV

Alok is a highly experienced energy professional with over 13 years in the sector. He currently leads the Power Grid division in Asia Pacific at DNV. With a strong educational foundation in engineering and an MBA, Alok has spearheaded significant projects in decarbonization, offshore wind, and EV integration. His impactful contributions have earned him the Clean Mobility Leadership: Young Achiever Award in India, highlighting his outstanding leadership and expertise in navigating the evolving energy landscape.

Ashish Kumar Goel
Chairman
Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited

Dr. Ashish Kumar Goel is a highly accomplished individual with an impressive educational background. He holds a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi, an MA in Economics, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Dr. B R Ambedkar Agra University, and an M.Sc. in Public Management & Governance from LSE, London. Throughout his career, Dr. Goel has held several pivotal roles in public service and administration. He served as the Chairman of UP Power Corporation and played a crucial role in the Ministry of Rural Development as the Additional Secretary and Director General of the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency. His responsibilities included overseeing flagship schemes for rural roads and housing. Dr. Goel achieved significant recognition during his tenure as Divisional Commissioner in Prayagraj, where he led the organization of the cleanest and safest-ever Kumbh Mela in 2019. He has held various high-profile positions, including Secretary of Rural Development in the Government of UP and Managing Director of the UP State Road Transport Corporation. His extensive career also includes roles such as Secretary of Basic Education, Principal Staff Officer to the Chief Secretary, Managing Director of the UP State Road Transport Corporation, and District Magistrate & Collector in various districts of UP. Dr. Goel is a recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the PM Award for Excellence in Public Service in 2020 and the Alumnus of the Year Award by the IIT Delhi Alumni Association in 2019. He has also earned seven Guinness World Records, highlighting his remarkable contributions to initiatives like Swachch Kumbh, Traffic & Transportation Management, and Paint My City, as well as achievements in tree plantation and divyang camp programs. His career embodies dedication and leadership in public administration and infrastructure development.

Amit Tripathi
Advisor – Power Sector
The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Amit specializes in the power sector including transmission, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate change. He has provided advice to the multilateral, bilateral, government, and business sectors on a wide range of issues. Amit has a successful track record in Energy & Sustainability Consultancy, Management Strategy, Program Design, Policy Advocacy, and Project Management in the Sustainability & Clean Energy Sector, spanning more than a decade. In the energy and climate change sector, Amit advised the World Bank, UNEP, UNDP, DFID, and several other private sector companies. Amit graduated from Bharati Vidyapeeth University in India with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Global Energy and Climate Change Policy from SOAS, University of London.

Alok Tandon
Chairperson
JERC (for the state of Goa & UTs)

Shri Alok Tandon, IAS (Retd.) is the Chairperson of the Commission, JERC (for the State of Goa & UTs). Shri Tandon, is an Electrical Engineer (B.Tech.) from IIT-Kanpur (1984 batch), and the recipient of the President's Gold Medal. He has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Princeton University (2006) and a recipient of World Bank’s Robert S. McNamara Fellowship.  Additionally, he holds a Ph.D. in Economics. He was also awarded the Chevening Gurukul Scholarship by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the year 2010. Sh. Tandon joined Indian Administrative Service in 1986 and was allotted UP cadre. He has held various positions in the government of UP including Chairman-cum-Managing Director of UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam, Chairman-cum-CEO Noida Authority and Infrastructure & Industrial Development Commissioner. Sh. Tandon has also held significant administrative positions in the Govt of India. He has worked as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance, (October, 2011 to June, 2016) and as Secretary, Ministry of Mines, (January, 2021 to September, 2022).

Ashish Sahay
Country Manager and Sales Director
Wirepas

Ashish Sahay comes with a 25 Plus years of diverse experience in Project Management as well as Consulting Roles in Solutions around Smart Metering, Automatic Meter Reading, Revenue Management and IT Initiatives in Power Distribution in India. Currently he is heading Wirepas India, one of the leading RF Solution providers. Wirepas has shaken the India market, by enabling any “local Indian company” with limited skills and investments to become an “AMI solution provider”. Many new AMI solution providers have generated competition, which has improved the cost structure of the systems and delivered best performance on the field. During the last 15 years, Wirepas has made significant improvements in RF Mesh performance for massive scale deployments. Innovations in RF Mesh by Launching the “5G RF Mesh” - Non Cellular 5G.

Ashutosh Sharma
Senior Principal Consultant & Team Lead, Grid Asset Management & Studies
DNV, SEMELA

Ashutosh Sharma is working with DNV in capacity of Senior Principal Consultant, Grid Asset Management, responsible for Southern Europe, Middle East, Latin America & Africa, he is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. His specialization is asset management, Asset Condition assessment, power failure investigation, risk management and technical due diligence. He has led and delivered numerous projects in his area of specialization internationally. He is a certified project management professional (PMP). Mr. Sharma is an excellent presenter and trainer as well. He has presented many technical papers and case studies in international seminars. He has been the recipient of the distinguished paper awardee of GCC Cigre. His 38 years of experience spans working in India with NTPC and internationally with Aluminium Bahrain and with DNV.

Birendra Choudhary
DGM – IT
Noida Power Company Limited

Birendra Choudhary, Deputy General Manager (IT & Automation) at NPCL. I bring 19 years of invaluable experience in IT system development and solution building to my role. During my last 17-year tenure at NPCL, I have been responsible for SAP & Oracle system landscape administration, as well as overseeing the development of GIS and custom applications, all while managing projects related to IT/OT system integration.

Chintamani Chitnis
Head of Power System Control
TP Central Odisha Distribution Ltd.

Presently Head of Power System Control (PSCC) at TP Central Odisha Distribution Ltd (TPCODL), a joint venture between Tata Power and Govt.of Odisha .Has been instrumental in establishing first of its kind Centralized Power System Control Centre in Odisha at TPCODL after takeover, with the development & deployment of a unique model Distribution Network Operations methodology - DiNOM (Distribution Network Operations Model) for a composite automated-non automated, urban-rural network for ensuring & enhancing Safety manifold, ensuring Operational Excellence and improving Reliability .A patent for DiNOM has also been filed . A Core Power Sector professional in Transmission and Distribution with over 27 years of experience in areas of the areas of Operations & Maintenance ,Network Planning, Design and Engineering, Geographical Information System (GIS), Distribution Automation (DA),Distribution Management System (DMS), Power System Control , Digitalization ,Power Quality Monitoring & Assessment ,regulatory Interface ,Grid & Distribution Operations ,Power Management ,Safety and Construction Standards etc. having worked at Tata Power Company ,North Delhi Power Ltd (now TPDDL ) ,TPCODL and State Distribution Utilities. He has presented & published more than 30 Technical papers in various National and International Forums like CPRI, CIGRE, CIRED, ISGF, IEEE, Doble, CBIP, BIS and IIPE Has been a member of working groups of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) including Transformers and Insulating Fluids, member of committees on revision of CEA Safety Regulations and CEA Technical Standards of Construction. By education an Engineer with a Post Graduate Diploma in Operations Management.

Debasish U Banerjee
Managing Director
CESC Limited

Mr. Debasish Banerjee, is an Electrical Engineer with proficiency in Business Management, having rich and diverse industry experience. He has started his career from Areva and moved onto Crompton Greaves and Schneider Electric, heading Business Operations in Utilities, Industry & Dealer Domain. In the last stint as CEO of Reliance Energy, he contributed to improving Operational Efficiency through Business Processes Reengineering & Automation, thus improving bottom line and Customer Delight, while Optimizing Cost. In his current capacity as MD (Distribution) of CESC, he has ushered in a transformation journey to elevate CESC to newer heights of Excellence with Enhanced Operational Resilience for effective Business Continuity during and after any crisis, by transfiguring CESC into a more Agile, Customer Centric and Cost-Effective Digital Utility. In pursuit of his passion to deploy Technology for radical change, he is continually engaged in adoption of disruptive Technological Innovations, for delivering a better Customer Service Experience on Digital Platform, riding the new waves of Mobility, loT, Big Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence.

Erik Pohl
Electrical Engineer
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Mr. Erik Pohl is a research engineer within NREL’s Grid Planning and Analysis Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). His research focus is distribution system modeling and DER integration. Erik began his professional career as a distribution engineer at a major U.S. utility, becoming intimately familiar with the challenges of maintaining a reliable distribution system in today’s climate of rapid technological change. Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree in physics from Colgate University and a Master's Degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Colorado, Boulder.

Gopal Nariya
Vice President
BSES Rajdhani Power Limited

Mr. Gopal Nariya, is the Vice President of BSES Rajdhani Power ltd (BRPL) part of the Reliance Group. He is currently taking care of Central Engineering Services, Smart metering, Automation (SCADA / ADMS), Demand Side Management, PAT, Energy Audit and Analytics, Non-Tariff Income and Asset Management as a head of the departments. He possesses over three decades of rich experience in Power sector. He was previously associated with Reliance Infrastructure Limited, Gujarat Industries Power Company Limited and The Ahmadabad Electricity Company Limited. He is also associated with various professional organizations like Data Security Council of India, Quality Council of India, Central electricity authority, Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association. He is also in the technical committees of, Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) and active member of Cigre& CBIP. His aspiration is to developing digital utility with hyper automation in the area of smart grid, smart metering, DERM, ADR and strongly believe in developing young engineers who are future backbone of electrical industry to make India global leaders in providing digital solution for electrical utilities.

HC Sharma
Chief (TS, PM, PSC, Q&S, BD & Collaboration)
Tata Power – DDL

Mr H C Sharma is the Chief – Technical Services, Power System Control, Power Management, Quality & Sustainability, BD & Collaboration at Tata Power-DDL. Mr Sharma heads the function that includes Business Development, Power Management, Power System Control, Quality Assurance and Technical Services. He has worked in many prestigious projects and has been instrumental for development of Plant Engineering, Quality Assurance System in TPDDL. He has worked in various verticals of projects that includes Design, Engineering, Quality Assurance, Procurement and Execution. He has also been involved in many innovative projects like development of 3 core-66KV cables, Coextruded cables with HDPE pipe protection, Distribution box for Electric poles for enhancing safety and self-life, Daily Work schedule unique numbering for utility project manpower and work monitoring, Vertical substation, Talk back seals, submersible substation, development of smart meters are to name a few. He is a keen planner to bring down project execution time, achieving resource optimization and smooth commissioning of Electrical Projects. Mr H C Sharma is a B. Tech (Electrical), Gold Medallist from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He has also pursued Post Graduate Certification in Business Management from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Hans-Peter Waldl
Managing Director
Overspeed GmbH

Dr. Hans-Peter is managing director of and partner in Overspeed. He was working until mid-2001 as a senior scientist at the University of Oldenburg, managing the wind energy activities of the energy and semiconductor group from 1992 to 2001. Dr. Waldl received a Diploma degree in Physics at the University of Oldenburg and holds a PhD degree in Physics from the University of Oldenburg ("Modelling the power output from wind farms"). He has managed several national research projects. Emphasis of his current work is wind energy meteorology, wind farm effects, software development, system design, development of training and education activities, consulting and coaching, and project management.

Jishnu Barua
Chairperson
Central Electricity Regulatory Commission

Shri Jishnu Barua is a former IAS Officer, who had joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1988 and was allocated the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, his home cadre. In his service career in the State Government of Assam, Shri Barua had served in several capacities in the field such as Deputy Commissioner of districts (1994-1997), Managing Director, Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) in 1997-2001, Commissioner & Secretary, Personnel, Home & Political Departments (2007-2012), etc. He was on Central Deputation again from 2014 to 2017. Upon returning to Assam, Shri Barua was posted as Principal Secretary to the Government of Assam, Power Department during which he also served as Chairman of Distribution, Generation and Transmission Companies under the State Government.

Jayant Kumar
Vice President & Business Unit Head
L&T PT&D, Digital Energy Solutions

Dr. Jayant Kumar is Vice President at L&T Power Transmission & Distribution (PT&D). At L&T PT&D, he is the business unit head for digital energy solutions, a global BU with a presence in the United States. In that capacity, Dr. Kumar is also USA country head for L&T PT&D. Dr. Kumar’s engagement during last decade has been in incubating and growing new businesses in the domain of electric power generation transmission &and distribution. Before joining L&T, Dr. Kumar was senior director at GE Renewable where he was responsible for Smart Utility Control Rooms, Grid Automation Systems & Services, Electric Market Systems, Microgrids and Smart City. Prior to GE, Dr. Kumar worked for Alstom and Areva where he developed and delivered multiple multi-million-dollar projects for most of the leading utilities in the United States. In late 90s and early 2000s, Dr. Kumar was engaged in design and development of most of the electric power markets across globe. Dr. Kumar’s role at Alstom included worldwide regions including Europe, the Middle East, India and China. Dr. Kumar has been USA country representative in multiple forums; such as the China Collaboration – Climate Coordination Working Committee (CCWG) and USA-India collaboration jointly led by USA DoE – India MST (Ministry of Science & Technology), a $30M projectfor defining and developing next-generation T&D operation with high penetration of solar, storage. During his tenure at Alstom and GE, Dr. Kumar has had numerous engagements with US DoE (Department of Energy) and US Department of Defense (DoD) for $100M+ grant projects. Prior to Alstom, Dr. Kumar worked for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the largest IoU in the state of California where he led the business and technology innovation required for the company’s transition from vertically integrated operation to deregulated energy services operation. Dr Kumar holds a PhD degree with major in Electrical Engineering and PhD minor in Computer Science and economics from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Krishnan Kutty
Energy Minister
Government of Kerala

K. Krishnankutty is an Indian politician representing the Janata Dal (Secular) and the current Minister for Electricity, Government of Kerala and MLA of Chittur constituency and the former Minister for Water Resources of Kerala state. He started his political career with the Congress party and became a KPCC member in 1969 and continued till the inception of the Janata Party. He is a strong supporter of the Cooperative Movement in Kerala. He has previously held the position of president of Perumatty Service Co-operative Bank, the Director of Palghat District Co-operative Bank and Kerala State Co-operative Bank. He became a legislator in 6th, 7th, 9th and the 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly. He became a Minister in Pinarayi Vijayan's Ministry, after replacing Mathew T. Thomas.

KR Jyothilal
Principal Secretary – Energy
Kerala

Shri Jyothilal IAS, a 1993 batch IAS officer is currently the Principal Secretary, Transport Department, Government of Kerala and Vice- Chairman, Kerala Metropolitan Transport Authority. Armed with a B Tech from IIT Madras and MBA from ICFAI, Mr. Lal has earlier been the Collector of Trivandrum and Kannur, and held portfolios in IT, Transport, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Food and Civil Supplies, GAD, Tourism, Devaswom, Parliamentary Affairs, Ports, Aviation, Excise among others. He has been instrumental in projects related to hitech agriculture, Smart City Kochi, KMRL, KMTA, Kannur airport, e-mobility and hydrogen economy etc.

Killian McKenna
Senior Research Engineer
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Killian McKenna is a member of the Distribution Edge Group in the Grid Planning and Analysis Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) where he leads research into distributed energy resources (DERs), electrical distribution system planning and operation, and demand-side resources. Dr McKenna joined NREL in 2018 and as a principal investigator he has led projects on smart inverters, DER and solar PV integration, lithium-ion and flow battery energy storage, demand-side management, customer modeling, and volt-VAR optimization. He is an R&D 100 Award winning researcher and has worked with utilities across the U.S. (Hawaii, California, Arizona and New York) and internationally. He holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering both from University College Dublin, Ireland. His expertise includes modeling and simulation, field data analysis, technoeconomic analysis and laboratory testing of distributed energy resources.

Manish Patel
Sr. General Manager – Business Development
Apar Industries Limited

Mr. Manish Patel Exp 25+years is working as Sr. General Manager–Business Development with Apar Industries Ltd (Uniflex Cables) and focusing on establishing new technologies in Electrical utilities, IPPs and contracting sector. Prior to Apar, Manish served in senior management roles managing cross functional initiatives within the technology and marketing domain covering Global sales, international market, business development, P&L Head and strategic roles with G&W Electric Company (USA), Cable Corporation of India and Aplab Ltd. He has experience in EHV power Cable & EHV Cable accessories, HV/EHV Covered Conductors, MV Switchgears (Reclosers & RMU) and Underground Distribution Substations in India and worldwide.

Manan Thapar
Director, Energy & Utilities
RTI

Manan is a Power sector professional having more than 21+ years of experience in the energy & utilities sector across Power distribution, Energy Transition, Impact Assessment and Policy & Regulatory, Renewable energy technology , electricity market & power exchange, policy reform etc. He comes with a background of working on reforms in Delhi with Tata Power Delhi (Erstwhile NDPL) and has advised many State Regulators, Donors as well as more than 15 State Discoms on Efficiency improvement, Loss reduction, distribution reforms, Energy management, Financial restructuring and Process Reengineering.

Meenakshi Vashist
Co-Founder & CEO
TekUncorked

Meenakshi spent 30+ Years leading Global Tech Programs in Space Research, High Performance Telecom Networks, System on Chips for Automotive, Cellular and Networking applications. A journey across 20,000 kms in India to understand India's power struggles led her to founding TekUncorked. She now works with the Utilities with a single-minded vision of reliable and uninterrupted electricity for all.

Mukesh Dadhich
Head (Business Development, Sustainability And Clean Technology)
Bses Yamuna Power Limited

Mukesh Dadhich is having professional experience of more than 23 years mainly in Power Distribution Sector. He is an Electrical Engineer from ECK Kota with an added qualification of PGDBM (Energy Management) from MDI, Gurugram. Presently Mukesh is heading Sustainability and Clean Technology and Business development functions at BSES Yamuna Power limited which is a premier power distribution utility serving over 1.8 million consumers in central and eastern parts of Delhi. He has been driving various initiatives in the areas of Renewable Energy , E-mobility, Energy Storage, New technologies, research based projects, Energy Efficiency and has been frequently involved with Govt agencies and think tanks on policy front. He has in depth experience in utilities domain and has been instrumental in bringing in innovative technologies and programs related to managed charging solutions, auto demand response, renewable energy generation forecasting, urban microgrids and is keenly working on bringing in decarbonizing framework for power distribution utilities. Under his leadership BYPL is contributing greatly to development of EV charging infrastructure in the license area and beyond.

Narayankumar Sreekumar
Associate Director - Electric Mobility Program
Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation

With over ten years of professional experience, Narayankumar has worked extensively on electric utilities, electric mobility, and renewable energy integration. Prior to joining Shakti, he worked with The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) as Fellow and Associate Director (Electricity and Fuel), where he contributed to programmes in energy transitions, integrated resource planning, electric mobility and renewable energy. Narayan has a Master’s degree in Energy Engineering from Anna University, and a B.Tech degree in Electricals and Electronics Engineering from the University of Kerala.

Nilesh Kane
Chief Distribution (Mumbai)
Tata Power, Mumbai, India

Mr. Nilesh Kane is currently working as Chief Distribution (Mumbai) and EV Business Operations at Tata Power. He carries an experience of over 26 years in Electrical Operations and Technology ranging from Generation, Transmission, Distribution and Renewable sectors to latest pioneering technologies like Battery energy storage, Electric vehicle solutions and smart grid projects. He has represented Tata Power at various platforms for presentations on power distribution, EV infrastructure, battery energy storage, etc. Dr. Kane is an Electrical Engineer, Alumni of Harvard Business School, IIM-A, with an MBA in Energy Management and PhD in Strategy and Power Management. He is also a certified Auditor of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Member of various BIS Committees.

PINARAYI VIJAYAN
Honourable Chief Minister
Government of Kerala

Shri. Pinarayi Vijayan was elected in the 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly elections. He is a member of the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Earlier he served as Secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI (M) from 1998 to 2015. He also served in the Left Democratic Front Government under Shri. E.K. Narayanar as Minister for Power and Co-operation from 1996 to 1998. During his stint as Electricity Minister, the state achieved a record enhancement of power generation capacity through timely execution of augmentation and new projects. Pinarayi Vijayan entered politics through student union activities at Govt Brennen College, Thalassery, and eventually joined the Communist Party in 1964. He was elected to the Kerala Assembly in 1970, 1977, and 1991 from Koothuparamba constituency and in 1996 from Payyannur constituency.

PK Singh
Chief Executive Office
Government E Marketplace

Sh. Prashant Kumar Singh is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Government e Marketplace (GeM), Government of India. He is a bureaucrat of the Indian Administrative Service of 1993 batch. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Delhi and a gold medal in his Master's Degree in Public Policy & Sustainable Development from TERI University, New Delhi. In his last role, Sh. Singh was Principal Secretary & CEO, Election Deptt, Imphal and also held charge of the Departments of Urban Development and PHED. He has handled diverse departments in the State Government, including Personnel, GAD, Health & Family Welfare, Education & Tourism. Sh. Singh has had two terms earlier in Government of India. He served as Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Steel from 2002-06 where he was instrumental in framing the National Steel Policy and was part of the negotiating team from India for the development of a “Steel Specific” agreement for the WTO’s “Agreement on Subsidies & Countervailing Measures”. In the second deputation, Sh. Singh was Director and then Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas during 2010-14. He handled refineries, pricing & supply as Director and later handled the Gas Division & International Cooperation Division as Joint Secretary. For a brief period, he was Managing Director of NCCF as well. Sh. Singh is a keen sportsperson and regularly plays tennis and other racquet games. He is also an avid reader having multi-dimensional interest areas.

P Devanand
Chief (Tech Services & PSCC)
Tata Power Company Limited

P Devanand is the Chief PSCC and Technical Services at Tata Power Mumbai. He has over two decades of experience in various facets of power distribution. As In charge of Mumbai’s Integrated control centre for operating key transmission assets, hydro and Tata Power Distribution, Devanand has been instrumental in putting in place various initiatives for monitoring Islanding, training for Black swan events, Optimal Power Planning systems and Cybersecurity. He has also started pilots in the direction of Discom level trading platform for green adoption and participation of consumers in Discom Power Management Prior to his deployment in Mumbai, he was in TPDDL, Delhi, wherein he was instrumental in execution of Asia’s first ADMS project with GIS/SCADA/CRM integration. He was also one of the key members in setting up of Smart Grid lab which has now become a beacon of showcasing how smart grid works in real sense. He is a profound believer that the true Smart Grid would be achieved if we could operate all the technologies in Grid/ Grid Edge and Customers in a seamlessly integrated way, he also believes that these may be achieved through extended platforms He has a degree in Electrical Engineering and has done his MBA from FMS, Delhi. He is also an IIM-Ahmedabad Alumnus.

PK Pujari
Former Chairperson
Central Electricity Regulatory Commission

A Post Graduate in Economics from Delhi School of Economics, Shri P.K. Pujari joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the premier civil service of India in 1981 and was allotted Gujarat cadre. During his career, he handled assignments in various departments/ministries in Gujarat as well as Central Government, such as power, commercial taxes, finance and industries. He was Secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Power for more than two years before his superannuation in 2017, after serving for 36 years. Some of the key assignments in the field of finance and industries were (i) financial resource forecast, expenditure planning, annual budget preparation, debt and guarantee management; (ii) transition from sales tax to value addition tax (VAT), administration of commercial taxes by simplifying processes and making it enabled; and (iii) Setting up and marketing industrial estates and special economic zones. He worked in the power sector for more than seven years, as Director and Secretary. As Director he was involved in developing policy framework for participation of private power utilities in generation and distribution. During his tenure as Secretary (2015-17), maximum generation capacity and inter- state transmission capacity was added in the country, resulting in one nation - one grid - one price. As Secretary, he initiated and concluded a number of far-reaching initiatives and policy changes. These include electrification of all the remaining 18,452 villages (as on 1.4.2015), launching of "UDAY" for sustainable operational and financial turnaround of Discoms, revised Tariff Policy 2016, new coal linkage policy for power plants, revised National Electricity Plan, XIX electricity power survey, revised- bid documents for UMPPs, revised power allocation formula for states from cg stations, formulation of new hydro-power policy, formulation of the new policy for universal households electrification by 2019, policy guidelines for integration of renewable energy into the grid, revised rules for captive generators, finalisation of the report for rationalisation of tariff structure and tariff categories. During his tenure, the guidelines for cross border trade of power with neighbouring countries got finalised. The cross-border transmission lines also got augmented substantially. This facilitated increased trade of power with Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Power trade with Myanmar started for the first time. Talks started for sub-marine cable connection with Sri Lanka. He led the Indian side for the bilateral talks on power trade with these countries.He was closely associated with the signing of the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement during COP22 in Marrakech. He led the Indian delegation for the 2nd BRICS Energy Ministerial Summit and also for the 8th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) Summit at Beijing.His interests include reading books, sports and listening to music.

Pritam Muppuri
Business Development Manager, Public Sector
Amazon Internet Services Pvt Ltd

Pritam Muppuri is a Business Development Manager – Utilities with Amazon Internet Services Private Limited. In this role, he works with public sector utilities and AWS partners to help them leverage AWS for building industry solutions. Pritam comes with over seventeen years of experience in the IT industry spanning several roles including business development, IT consulting and project delivery. He has spent last nine years of his career working with utilities to help them on their digital transformation journey across IT and OT systems.

Prabir Neogi
Advisor
GMR Group

Prabir Neogi is an engineering graduate and holds a diploma in finance and accounting management. He has attended the Senior Executive Programme on Strategy, Leadership and Transformation at the London Business School. Prabir has had a long experience in power and coal sectors with exposure to policy, reforms, regulation and organisational design, having worked with CESC Limited and as Chief Executive, Noida Power Company Limited, and President, Integrated Coal Mining Limited. Subsequently, he had assumed the role of Chief Adviser-Corporate Affairs of RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group and assisted Group Companies in policy and regulatory matters impacting individual businesses. Currently, he is engaged with GMR Energy Limited as Advisor, Energy-Corporate. Mr. Neogi is acting as Mentor, FICCI Power Committee, and Advisor, Energy Vertical of ASSOCHAM. His areas of interest include policy and regulation for developing fuel and power markets, power distribution reforms, energy transition and decarbonisation initiatives.

Praveer Sinha
CEO & Managing Director
Tata Power Company Ltd

Dr. Praveer Sinha is the CEO & Managing Director of The Tata Power Company Limited- one of India’s oldest and largest integrated power utilities. A seasoned power professional, with a career spanning over almost four decades, Dr. Sinha has held several leadership positions across the power sector value chain. As a CEO & MD of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, he was instrumental in driving the turnaround of discom through technological and social interventions and setting a benchmark operational model for other discoms & developing countries to follow. Under his current leadership, Tata Power is at the forefront of transforming itself from century old power utility company into a new-aged sustainable, technology oriented and customer centric green energy solutions company. Dr. Sinha has led multiple partnerships with National & International technology partners and institutional associations. He has contributed significantly towards setting up the first international incubator in India for promoting innovations in the clean energy space. He co-chairs the CII National Committee on Power and is also a member of other national committees working on Indian Power sector reforms. Dr Sinha is a qualified Electrical Engineer and has also done his Master’s in Business Law. He received his PhD from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and is a visiting Research Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA.

Raj Kumar Rastogi
Chief Operations
TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited

R. K. Rastogi is a core power sector professional with an illustrious career spanning more than 25 years. He is a qualified Electrical Engineer and possess an MBA degree with specialization in Finance. During the initial years of his career he was involved in setting up and operation of Process industries and thereafter comprehensively engaged in various segments of power sector especially in generation & distribution sector. Presently, he is associated with TP central Odisha Distribution Ltd. (a JV of Tata Power and Govt. of Odisha, India), a power distribution utility in Odisha (India) as Chief Operations Services. He is a result-oriented professional with exhaustive experience in managing a wide array of functions which broadly includes Design & Development of quality & reliable power distribution network, AT&C loss reduction, Adoption, deployment & integration of various IT / OT systems etc. His core competency lies in smooth deployment & integration of various IT / OT systems in a seamless manner suiting to user requirement and thus facilitating improved levels of Operational & Commercial efficiency parameters. He has been instrumental in deployment & integration of GSAS, GIS, SCADA, DMS, DA, OMS etc. in a seamless manner and was also engaged in implementation of AMI, FFA, Big data system, ADR, Battery Storage System etc at TPDDL Delhi during his tenure as Head Technical services.

Rajesh Sharma
Member
Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission

Dr. Rajesh Sharma, an IAS (Rajasthan Cadre) with a distinguished career. Dr. Sharma's impressive educational journey encompasses a post-graduate M.Sc. in Medicine (Biochemistry) from S.M.S. Medical College, Jaipur, as well as an MBA, PGDHRM (Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management), and PGDIM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management). He also holds a Bachelor's degree in Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry from the College of Veterinary & Animal Science, Bikaner, Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Rajasthan, and a Diploma in Management (DIM). Dr. Sharma's notable achievements include a Certificate of Successful completion of the 113th Induction Training Programme from LBSNAA Mussoorie, participation in the Mid-Career Training Programme Phase-III at LBSNAA Mussoorie, and the Foundation Course from Harish Chandra Mathur, Rajasthan Institute of Public Administration, Jaipur (HCM RIPA). Currently, he serves as a Member in the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission, Jaipur, within the Energy Department of the Government of Rajasthan.

RR Mehta
Former Managing Director
Reliance Infrastructure

R.R.Mehta, a Chartered Accountant, having a total of 44 years of national and international senior management experience from ship owning to international trade and to managing diverse profiles of customers including large world-renowned steel companies in USA, Europe, Korea, Philippines, Mexico. Last professional assignment was of managing the electricity distribution services, Reliance Energy (now Adani Electricity Distribution Mumbai), in first of its kind of competitive environment in India, to consumers of Mumbai. Had steered Reliance Energy through a challenging task, a first in India, of the distribution license grant (renewal) for 25 years, coming up which was against all challenge.

Rahul Sethi
Founder
Metaverse

Rahul Sethi, Metaverse Expert & Founder, Metaverse911 is among the 'Top 100 Metaverse Tech Influencers' in India with a community of 27,000+ professionals on LinkedIn. He is a seasoned entrepreneur with his experience spanning over 20+ countries. Rrahul advises BIG5& Corporates on Metaverse roadmap for large-scale implementations. He has coached more than 3500+ professionals on Web3 & Metaverse along with extending Metaverse Masterclasses in Big5, Global Insurance and Technology firms like Deloitte, Allianz, Continental, Unilever, Starbucks, Times Now etc. He has been a keynote speaker and panelist at NASSCOM Annual Technology Conference, BRICS Alliance Summit, VRAR Global Summit EU, World Tech Conclave, CII International Tech Summit, MINT CIO Summit, and other prestigious summits.

Rajan N Khobragade
Chairman and Managing Director
Kerala State Electricity Board Limited

Rajan is currently working as a Chairman and Managing Director at Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL). Khobragade, is a 1993 batch IAS officer. Khobragade, who was health secretary during the COVID-19 outbreak, was posted as Secretary, Water Resources.

Ramkrishna Singh
Head – Business Operations-EV Charging
Tata Power Company Limited

Mr. Ramkrishna Singh is the Head – Business Operations-EV Charging with TATA Power Company Limited and responsible for overall EV Charging business operations, Strategy formulation, Concept to Commissioning and Operations of EV Charging Infrastructure for Home, Public and Bus segments across India and digital platform TATA Power-EZ Charge. Mr Singh is a veteran Power Sector and E Mobility professional with 28 plus years of extensive experience with India’s largest private power distribution utilities (BSES/REL, NDPL/TPDDL & Tata Power) in the field of Commercial, Operation, Engineering & Procurement, Project Management Consultancy & Project Implementation (Information Technology/Operation Technology / Power Distribution) and Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure development & operations. Mr Singh is Electrical Engineering Graduate and Management Post Graduate from NMIMS. He is also Fellow member of Institution of Engineers, Certified Energy Auditor, Member of various committees of BIS, CEA & CPU for Meters, AMI, Communication Protocol and E-Mobility etc.

Reena Suri
Executive Director
India Smart Grid Forum

Reena Suri, Executive Director with India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) since 2013, brings over 19 years of experience in the Energy Sector. She is responsible for the research projects, advisory services, business development, training and capacity building programs, customer outreach activities, member’s relations and finances of ISGF. Reena has contributed to the various advisory services, whitepapers and research reports of ISGF such as: Implementation Plan for Electrification of Public Transportation in Kolkata City; Smart Grid Handbook for Regulators and other Stakeholder; Blockchain for Electric Utilities; Energy Storage Roadmap for India; Smart Grid Roadmap for Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd; Development of Roadmap for Implementation of Smart Grid – Concepts, Practices and Technologies in SAARC Region; Study on Infrastructure and Enabling Environment for Road Electric Transport in SAARC Member States; and World Bank EV Project: EV Ecosystem Support for Kolkata.

Reena is the founder-editor of the Smart Grid Bulletin published by ISGF since January 2014 which has online circulation of over 50,000 senior professionals in 100+ countries. As an outreach specialist, she has been involved in development of the Customer Outreach programs for the utilities implementing the Smart Grid projects in India. The outreach program helps the utilities to educate the project benefits to the customers well in advance of the start of project implementation. Reena is also responsible for designing and delivering training and capacity building programs on various domains of Smart Grids for Policy Makers, Regulators and Utility Officials. Reena is instrumental in making the India Smart Grid Knowledge Portal (www.indiasmartgrid.org), one of the most popular portals on smart grids globally.

Reena has worked with ISGF Board to conceive, design, develop and the successful delivery of ISGF’s Annual Event, India Smart Utility Week (ISUW, www.isuw.in) since 2015. She is the principal show director of ISUW which in a short span has grown to be the signature event on Smart Grids and Smart Cities around the world.

Reji Kumar Pillai
President, India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF)
Chairman, Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF)

Reji is the President of India Smart Grid Forum (www.indiasmartgrid.org) since its inception in 2011 and is also the Chairman of Global Smart Grid Federation since November 2016. He an internationally renowned expert with nearly four decades of experience in the electricity sector in diverse functions covering the entire value chain and across continents. He is spearheading a mission to leverage technology to transform the electric grid in India and provide clean and reliable electricity to every citizen 24x7 at affordable cost. He is actively advocating for the “Right to Electricity Act” that will ensure lifeline supply of electricity to all citizens in India. Reji has played pivotal role in several ground breaking initiatives related to renewable energy, electric grid modernization, electric mobility, energy storage and digitalization in India during the past two decades. His current areas of research and work include: Grid Integrated Vehicles, District Cooling, Electric Cooking, Smart Grids as Anchor Infrastructure for Smart Cities, Grid Interactive Buildings and Campuses; Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Blockchain Applications for Utilities; Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Systems and the Future of Transportation; and Interconnection of Regional Grids in Asia - ASEAN, SAARC and GCC grids.

In November 2016, Reji was unanimously elected as Chairman of Global Smart Grid Federation, now renamed as Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF), a global umbrella organization of smart grid/energy associations and utilities from 16 countries and the European Union; and headquartered in Washington DC, USA. As an entrepreneur, Reji has built successful enterprises in India and overseas and exited them. He has studied Engineering, Finance, Management and Law; worked with NTPC and IBM and has been senior consultant with ADB, World Bank and USAID. A recognized thought leader in clean energy, smart grid technologies, smart cities and electric mobility, Reji is a popular key-note speaker at international symposiums and conferences on these domains. He has also contributed to several articles, books, research reports and white papers on variety of topics.

Ravi Seethapathy
Executive Chairman
Biosirus Inc.

Ravi Seethapathy, is Executive Chairman of Biosirus Inc., Canada and a Corporate Director of Larsen & Toubro’s - Power Transmission & Distribution (IC), India. He also serves as the “Ambassador for the Americas”, for the Global Smart Energy Federation, USA, and as an Advisor to the India Smart Grid Forum. With over 35+ years of experience in the Energy and Power Systems area in Canada, he mentors several utilities and companies in their technology development. His is active in several IEC, CSA, GSEF, ISGF technical committees, in the areas of sustainable energy, transportation, energy storage, microgrid and e-mobility. He is an invited speaker internationally and has co-authored over 50 technical papers and 35 published articles. His former Corporate Directorships include Toronto Atmospheric Fund, Smart Grid Canada, Ryerson University, TV Ontario, Scarborough Hospital, and as Chairs of Engineers Without Borders Canada, Canadian Club of Toronto, and Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce. He is a Life Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering; a Life Senior Member of the IEEE; and a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario. He has been honoured with several awards/citations including the Life Member Service Award, IEEE Toronto (2021); and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. He/ his family has endowed an IEEE PES/IAS Award in Rural Electrification Excellence. He holds a B. Tech (Hons) in Electrical Power from IIT, India, an M. Eng. in Electrical Power from University of Toronto and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto.

Rahul Tongia
Senior Fellow
CSEP

Rahul Tongia is a Senior Fellow with CSEP in New Delhi, where his work focuses on technology and policy, especially for sustainable development. He leads the Energy, Natural Resources,and Sustain ability group at CSEP,and is also active in broader issues of technology. Tongia’s works pans the entire energy and electricity,with focuses on supply options including renewable energy (covering finance, grid integration, etc.); smart grids, which use innovative information and communications technology to improve management of the electric utility grid; Issues of access and quality and broader issues of reforms and regulations, including electricity pricing.He is also a non-resident Senior `Fellow at the Bookings Institution, and Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and was the founding Technical Advisor for the Government of India’s Smart Grid Task Force.

Raj Pratap Singh
Former Chairperson
UPERC

Raj Pratap Singh, a retired IAS officer of the 1983 batch from Uttar Pradesh, holds a post- graduate degree in electrical engineering. With a diverse and distinguished 40-year career in public service, he has made significant contributions at both state and central government levels. He also served the PMO as Jt. Secretary & private secretary to Prime Minister of India. After his retirement as the Agricultural Production Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh in June 2018, he served as Chairman of the UP Electricity Regulatory Commission till June 2023. During his tenure, Singh showcased his expertise in regulatory frameworks, corporate governance, and policy formulation. His profound influence on public administration was particularly evident in the field of electricity regulation. Singh played a pivotal role in shaping the electricity regulations in the state of UP, focusing on fairness, efficient energy distribution, consumer protection, and promotion of clean energy adoption. Under his leadership, the electricity sector saw remarkable changes, marked by transparency, good governance, and anti-corruption measures. His international experience as a Senior Advisor at the World Bank provided him with a global perspective, enriching his approach to electricity regulation. He represented India in various international forums, visiting more than 35 countries. These travels underscored his unwavering commitment to public service and impactful governance.

Rish Ghatikar
Fellow, General Motors, US
Advisor & Board Member, India Smart Grid Forum

Mr. Rish Ghatikar is energy Fellow with General Motors (United States) and Advisor for energy technologies that enables economy-wide transportation electrification and mitigates climate risks. Ghatikar, as the Chief Research Officer at Greenlots (now, Shell Recharge Solutions), led the development of electric vehicle—grid and storage-integrated technical and business solutions. Ghatikar, as the Deputy Leader for the Grid Integration research, served the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Here, Ghatikar led the initiative for global demand response data standard, OpenADR, and to transition California utilities’ into automating dynamic pricing strategies. Ghatikar's work has appeared in over 100 scientific publications.

Sandip Sinha
Regional Vice President - Sales
Trilliant Networks India Pvt. Ltd.

Sandip Sinha is Regional Vice President – Sales at Trilliant Networks India Private Limited and is responsible for driving the growth of business in India. Sandip has completed bachelor of electrical engineering from Bangalore University and MBA from IIT Delhi. He has nearly 28 years of extensive industry experience, in HIL , ABB/Hitachi Energy, Zycus and Itron where he has held various management positions in the field of, Manufacturing, Testing, sales and Marketing, project management and services primarily in Energy Automation and communication domain.

Sanjay Dubey
Principal Secretary-Energy Department
Govt of Madhya Pradesh

Sanjay Dubey is Principal Secretary, Department of Energy and New and Renewable Energy, Government of Madhya Pradesh. A 1993 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, he is an alumnus of IIT-Delhi and has done his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering and M.Tech in Production Engineering. He has also earned a Master’s in Economics and Ph.D in Transportation. He has held several challenging positions, including Principal Secretary, Departments of Labour, Housing and Urban Development, Divisional Commissioner of Indore, and Additional CEO of Election Commission.

Saurav Shah
Executive Director
Power Finance Corp Ltd

Saurav Shah was a 2009 batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, he is spear heading the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). RDSS is Government of India's priority program in the power distribution sector having an out lay of Rs.3000 billion and is aimed at transformation of the sector. PFC along with its subsidiary REC is the Nodal Agency for the scheme. At PFC, he was also associated with and instrumental in successful completion and closure of Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) & the erst while Restructured Accelerated Power Distribution and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP) worth Rs 600 million.

Sunil Kumar Singh
Head of Business (India and IAESA)
Larsen & Toubro Digital Energy Solutions

More than 32 years of experience in Automation and Digital solutions for Power and Industry. Worked in Esteem organisation like IL Kota (Toshiba Div.), Tata steel, Alstom, Areva, GE. By heart Technology innovator but by profession Business Development strategist who builds strong, dedicated client relationships and partnerships that are built on trust. Delivered more than 100 Control centre in Power transmission and Distribution. The world Biggest Asset management Centre (NTAMC) was delivered for Power grid India in 2015. In L&T also he turn the Business and got two ADMS Jobs and NTAMC job.

Saloni Goel
Director-Projects & ESG
Religare Enterprises Ltd.

Ms. Saloni Goel is a seasoned leader in the fields of sustainability, climate change, and environmental policy. She currently holds the position of Director of ESG & Projects at Religare Enterprises Ltd., a prominent Non-Banking Financial Company in India. Saloni's career has been marked by numerous achievements and significant contributions, including her role as a Climate Change Specialist at NITI Aayog, where she played a pivotal role in developing India's Net-Zero 2070 strategy. She also made a substantial impact during Kumbh 2019, the world's largest mass gathering, by leading sanitation efforts that resulted in an open defecation-free, garbage-free, and odor-free event. Furthermore, Ms. Saloni has excelled in roles related to Circular Economy and Plastic Waste Management at UNDP and contributed to initiatives addressing marine litter and plastic pollution at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Her expertise extends to smart biomedical waste management systems, as she pioneered one under the World Bank-funded UP Health System Strengthening Project. Ms. Saloni's remarkable contributions have earned her accolades such as the IIT Delhi Alumni of the Year Award, the Kalam Award for Innovation in Governance (KIGA), and the Guinness World Record for sanitation at Swachh Kumbh. With a solid educational background, including a master's degree in Environment & Development from LSE and a graduation from IIT Delhi, Saloni Goel stands out as a prominent figure in the realm of sustainability and environmental policy, making substantial strides in these critical areas.

Sanjay Kumar Banga
President – Transmission and Distribution
Tata Power, Mumbai, India

Mr. Banga is responsible for the Transmission, Distribution, and Power trading business of Tata Power. This includes discoms performance across Orissa, Mumbai, Delhi, and Ajmer, Transmission Business in Mumbai, Powerlink Transmission Ltd, and recently acquired transmission assets in UP. He is the chairman of Tata Power Trading Corporation Limited. Before his current role, Mr. Banga served as the Chief Executive Officer of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL), a notable Public-Private Partnership (JV) between TATA Power and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. During his tenure, TPDDL earned acclaim as one of the top five companies in India by “Great Place to Work,” achieving the topmost position in the Power sector. As a power sector veteran with more than three decades of illustrious career spanning in the Power sector, Mr. Banga brings expertise across various domains such as operational and Commercial management of discoms, Business development, Digital Transformation, Project Management, Change Management, Regulatory advocacy, and Stakeholder Management. These competencies are instrumental in ensuring the sustainable performance of the Transmission and Distribution business. His extensive experience from collaborations with leading Public and Private sector electrical utilities in India has equipped him to effectively address the formidable challenges in the electricity distribution domain, both in India and globally. Owing to his profound understanding of the subject matter, he is a frequent speaker in seminars, workshops, and panel discussions across India and internationally. Mr. Banga commenced his professional journey as an Engineer Trainee at the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), actively involved in the operation and commissioning of Super Thermal Power Projects from 1989 to 1995. Before joining Tata Power (DDL), he made significant contributions at Reliance Energy (formerly BSES Ltd) from 1996 to 2003. He oversaw activities in the generation sector, including Operations, Maintenance, Planning, Design, and Project Engineering of thermal power projects. Educationally, Mr. Banga is an alumnus of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kurukshetra, and holds a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) from the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) in Delhi. He has also completed the Senior Executive Leadership Program from the most coveted Harvard Business School and holds alum status. Beyond his professional pursuits, Mr. Banga nurtures a passion for reading and indulges in Tennis during his leisure time.

Sharvari Patki
Program Head – Electric Mobility
WRI Inidia

Sharvari Patki is Program Head, Electric Mobility with the Sustainable Cities and Transport program at WRI India. Here, she is responsible for organization’s engagement in freight projects including freight electrification efforts. She is also engaged in efforts for comprehensive and easily accessible, electrical charging infrastructure, which will facilitate faster adoption electric vehicles. With professional experience at the intersection of policy research with project management and project delivery, Sharvari’s work includes efforts for forming collaborative efforts between academia, industry, and policy makers in areas critical for development of electric vehicle ecosystem in India. Before joining WRI India, Sharvari worked in Engineering Consultancy, leading real estate developers in India for engineering design and master planning of residential and commercial developmental projects. She has also been actively involved in process standardization, strategic cost optimization initiatives. Sharvari holds a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from Mumbai University, and a master’s in Energy Systems Engineering from IIT Bombay, India. Besides being an Indian music afficionado, she also holds a keen interest teaching.

Sainath Bandhakavi
Principal Solutions Architect for Power & Utilities and Sustainability
Amazon Web Services

Sainath Bandhakavi is Principal Solutions Architect for Power & Utilities and Sustainability at Amazon Web Services India. He also leads Specialist and Central solutions architecture functions for Public sector at AWS India. In this role, he works with Public sector organizations, Start-ups and AWS partners to help build and modernize industry solutions on AWS by leveraging the power of cloud. Sainath comes with over two decades of experience of working with customers in Power & utilities and smart cities domain in various roles including Solutions Architecture, Strategy & Process Consulting. His recent assignments were around smart metering, utilities billing and customer care, smart cities solutions, advanced analytics etc. Sainath has patents and various technical papers published in power & utilities domain. Prior to joining Amazon, he worked with IBM in their Global CoC for Energy, Environment & Utilities team supporting customers in India and abroad. He also worked with Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited in developing and implementing solutions for metering, customer care, billing, revenue assurance and operations functions.

S K Senapati
Head -Sales & Commercial Services(EMEA & IAPAC)
L&T PT&D, Digital Energy Solutions

Mr. S.K. Senapati embarked on his professional journey with L&T, where he initially joined as a Design Engineer. Through his unwavering commitment and skills, he has ascended the ranks and currently holds the position of Head of Sales and Commercial at L&T-Digital Energy Solutions. With rich and diverse experience in Solutioning and deployment of cutting-edge Software Solutions. Mr. Senapati career spans an impressive 25 years, during which he has made significant contributions in domains such as Renewables, Storage, Industrial Electrification, infrastructural projects (such as Airports and Metro systems), Intelligent IT Parks, Power Transmission, Power Distribution, and the Oil & Gas Sector. Mr. Senapati has played a crucial role in driving advancements in various sectors, including Renewables, Storage, Microgrids, EV Charging Infrastructure, Hybrid Network Operations Centres (NOCs), Energy Efficiency, and Analytics. Notably, he has been instrumental in deploying pioneering technologies, including edge-based Power Plant Controllers (PPCs) and the groundbreaking Virtual PPC, which stands as the first of its kind globally for Bulk Renewable plants. Moreover, his expertise extends to the implementation of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for Green Hydrogen and spearheading the piloting of Interoperability in Digital Substations, marking complex integrations that have never been achieved before on such a scale. Mr. S.K. Senapati's remarkable accomplishments and comprehensive industry knowledge position him as a distinguished leader, shaping the landscape of state-of-the-art software solutions and driving the industry toward a sustainable and technologically advanced future.

SR Pandey
Member
Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission

Shri Satyendra R. Pandey is Member, Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) since December, 2020. Prior to his present assignment, he served as Electricity Ombudsman for Gujarat State, Legal Advisor to GERC and in Erstwhile Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB) i.e. GUVNL. Shri Pandey holds the Post-Graduate Degree in Electrical Engineering, Law, and Management. He has also done PGDM (Finance) & (HRD). He is well versed in Power Sector having more than 37 years of rich and varied work experience in all the facets of the Power Sector i.e. Regulatory, legal, finance, commerce and technical aspects pertaining to Generation, Transmission, System Operation, and Distribution. In the GERC he is instrumental in formulation of Regulations framed under the Electricity Act, 2003, dealt with subject matter of Determination of Tariff, Promotion of RE Projects , Electricity subject matter of generation, transmission and distribution and also dealt with various petitions on different subject mattersfiled before the Commission on various subjects like approval of capital cost of the generation projects, approval of PPA, approval of deviation of bid documents, approval for grant of license for distribution, transmission and trading of electricity, disputes pertaining to PPAs, Tariff related issues, Open Access, Intra-State ABT, DSM, Energy Accounting, Renewable Energy, Captive Generation Plants, Licence related issues, Suo-Motu proceedings, Appeals filed against the Orders of the Electrical Inspector on Meter Disputes etc. by way of analysis, preparation of issues and draft orders on it. Further, he was involved in Research & Development of Electric Power Utility, formulation of various projects on power sector and submitted to Central Government for consideration as Research project, in house training programs, RE Projects, DSM and Energy Audit work, O&M of Thermal Power Station, and transmission systems, Strategy formulation for execution of projects.

Tripta Thakur
Director General
NPTI

Tripta Thakur is Director General, National Power Training Institute (NPTI), apex body of Ministry of Power, Government of India. She was earlier Head and Professor, Electrical Engineering Department at the National Institute of Technology, MANIT-Bhopal, India. She is a graduate in Electrical Engineering with master’s degree in Power Electronics from IIT-Kanpur and has a PhD from IIT-Delhi. She has been recipient of several awards such as Commonwealth Research Scholar at University of Dundee (2005-2008), UK, Commonwealth Academic fellow at Durham University Business School (2014), UK, COFUND Senior researcher at Durham University Business School (2016), Visiting Faculty at Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok (2010), technical member for International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), SEG4 Group, ISGF (MoP) working group member etc. She has teaching and research experience of 28 years and has nearly 100 publications to her credit. She has also been a consultant for evolving a possible Common South Asian Electricity Markets. She has done various consultancies for Distribution companies in India.

Vivek Kumar Dewangan
Chairman & Managing Director
REC Limited

Shri Vivek Kumar Dewangan is the Chairman & Managing Director of REC Limited since May 17, 2022. He is an IAS officer (Manipur:1993) and holds B.E. in Electronics from NIT, Bhopal and P.G. in Optoelectronics & Optical Communication from IIT, Delhi. Prior to joining REC, he was Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Government of India. During his illustrious IAS career, he has held various administrative positions in the areas of Finance, Power & Energy, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Elections, Law & Justice, Commerce & Industries, Minister’s Offices (Corporate Affairs, Agriculture & Food Processing Industries), Education, Human Resource Development, Sericulture, Agriculture & Cooperation, Economic affairs, Economics & Statistics, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, District Administration (Surguja& Raipur districts in Chhattisgarh and Senapati district in Manipur) and Revenue Administration. As CMD, he provides strategic vision and overall direction to REC for achieving its corporate objectives. He is also the ex-officio Chairman of REC’s wholly-owned subsidiary viz. REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited (RECPDCL). Shri Vivek Kumar Dewangan is holding Nil equity shares in REC. Further, he has no inter-se relation with any other Director or Key Managerial Personnel of the Company.

Vyshali Sagar
Startups and Sustainability Charter
Amazon Web Services Pvt Ltd

Vyshali Sagar leads Startups and Sustainability charter for Amazon Web Services Public Sector across India where her true north is to relentlessly focus on helping startups win. Vyshali is collectively looking forward to partnering and building with the most ambitious founders/startup ecosystem stakeholders in India. Vyshali has been previously employed with Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) and Google. Vyshali has run sector/stage agnostic accelerator programs designed to help startups build and scale innovative solutions. In her current role, she runs various initiatives to engage, onboard, nurture and grow Public Sector focused startups from early-stages of their inception by collaborating with the Government, Academia, Corporate and Non-Profits to foster Innovation and managing partnerships with Incubators/Impact Investors. She represented India as a Global Climate Change Ambassador at International Antarctica Expedition 2016, a Global Shaper at World Economic Forum and has represented the Government of Telangana at World economic forum, Davos. She is a part of core team at Global Entrepreneurship Congress representing India for startups and Impact Investments. .

Vetrivel Kuppusamy
Sr. Manager
Schneider Electric

Vetri is a seasoned technical sales professional with over 20 years of experience in various techno-commercial roles across diverse product lines, industries & geographies with strong leadership skills. Started his career in technical roles like Product development and applications till 2009, then moved to Marketing and Sales. In his career he has handled Power utilities such as PGCIL, NTPC, Power-gen companies, Electro-intensive industries,state TRANSCO's, and DISCOM's. Have taken up the sales leadership role for Energy Automation solutions in Schneider Electric Greater India Zone. In this capacity, he plays a crucial role in Schneider Electric, overseeing the Digital transformation of Power Utilities, Oil & Gas, Transportation and Metals & Mining customers. Vetri’s objective is to empower these organizations by making their systems SMART, Efficient, and Reliable.

V.K Srivastava
Member (Law)
UPERC

Sh. V.K Srivastava joined UPERC as Member on 6th Dec 2019. He joined Judicial Services in Aug 1987. With an illustrious career spanning over more than 32 years, he has held many important posts such as Railway Magistrate - Gorakhpur, Agra and Ghaziabad, Civil Judge, Chief Judicial Magistrate Ghaziabad, Additional District & Sessions Judge - Allahabad, Kanpur Nagar, Aligarh, and Etawah, Spl. Judge - Anti-Corruption Lucknow, Spl. Judge - Anti-Corruption CBI Lucknow, District Judge - Raebareli, Gorakhpur and Kanpur Nagar. During his tenure as Spl. Judge CBI (Anti-Corruption), he tried cases of corrupt politicians and got outstanding remarks from Hon’ble High Court Allahabad.

Vishal Kumar
Business Unit Head
Phoenix Contact

Mr. Vishal Kumar is B. Tech graduate in Electronics and Instrumentation and working with Phoenix contact India as Automation Systems Business Unit head. He got 12 years of rich experience in Industrial automation, cyber security and digitization. He is one of the global trainers of PLCnext Technology for cyber secured RTU in power industry.

Zakir Rather
Associate Professor
IIT Bombay, India

Zakir is an electrical engineer by training, with PhD from Aalborg University, Denmark. He has been working in renewable energy (RE) and electric mobility sector for past 12 years, with around 4 years of RE industry experience in Europe. He, in close collaboration with the Danish National transmission system operator, Energinet.dk, has extensively worked on the Danish grid. He is currently working as Associate Professor with the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, where the focus of his work continues to be on grid integration of renewables, grid integration of Electric Vehicles (EVs), power system operation under high penetration of renewable generation and EVs. He is an Editor of IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, Editor of IETE Technical Review, Guest Editor of International Journal of Power and Energy Systems, a Senior Member of IEEE, IEEE Power & Energy Society, IEEE Smart Grid Community, IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, and Danish Smart Grid Research Forum. He is also involved in various BIS committees on EV charging infrastructure. His areas of research interest include grid & system integration of wind and solar power, power system dynamics, EV charging infrastructure and EV grid integration, smart and micro grids, and WAMPACS. He is recipient of ‘IREDA-NIWE Award for Best Research Work in Wind Energy’. He is a registered expert in Joint Research Centre (JRC) European commission. He is also recipient of Young Faculty Award IIT Bombay, and several best paper and Industry awards.