About The Event

Nilay Shah is a Professor of Process Systems Engineering at Imperial College and Director of Zero Petroleum Ltd, a synthetic fuels business. He works on the analysis and design of low-carbon energy and industrial systems and is a member of the UK Government’s Hydrogen Delivery Council the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s Science Expert Group.

Jonathan Maxwell is the Founder and CEO of Sustainable Development Capital, LLP (‘SDCL’), an independent investment firm with over US$2 billion of investment capital dedicated to energy efficiency. Jonathan has over 27 years’ experience in business and finance with 15 years at the helm of one of the UK’s only independent sustainability and climate-focussed investment firms, which is one of the largest and fastest growing firms of its kind in the world.

Kim is the CEO and Co-founder of Sightline Climate, the market intelligence platform for the new climate economy built off the CTVC newsletter. She was previously a climate tech investor at Energy Impact Partners, a venture capital firm with $3 billion AUM, focused on propelling a sustainable future. Kim has made significant contributions towards shaping a greener world.

Gianfranco Pizzuto is an industry veteran with more than 30 years of international business experience. In 2007, he was Fisker Automotive’s first investor and co-founder. His role was instrumental as he developed the sales and after-sales network in Europe counting 30 retailers. He spent the last 17 years in the automotive industry working as a consultant and covering senior positions specializing in PHEV, EV, battery pack design, and zero emissions mobility projects around the world.

Gianfranco founded Automobili Estrema in 2020, a new boutique high-end electric vehicle car manufacturer based in Modena, the heart of the Italian Motor Valley and home to the most iconic supercar brands.

Henry Sanderson is an author and journalist focusing on clean energy. He is the author of Volt Rush, the Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green, which was chosen as a book of the week by the Observer, and one of the best science and environment books of 2022 by The Times. A former journalist for the Financial Times and Bloomberg, he is currently the executive editor of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the leading provider of data and analysis on the battery supply chain.

Deeana Ahmed, PhD is the Chief Strategy Officer at Our Next Energy (ONE). Through ONE’s energy storage technology, Dr. Ahmed aims to help build a foundation for the widespread adoption and accessibility to alternative energy sources. She also assesses market needs and how to scale renewable energy. Dr. Ahmed helped ONE secure funding from major investors, including BMW i Ventures and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Dr. Ahmed spearheaded ONE’s search for its first North American battery factory and has facilitated partnerships with a variety of businesses and non-profits across the country.

Dr. Ahmed was recently appointed to President Biden’s inaugural 21st Century Energy Workforce Advisory Board. The 14-member group includes individuals with workforce development, labor, and energy sector expertise and will develop strategic recommendations for how DOE can support and develop a skilled energy workforce to meet the changing needs of the U.S. energy system.

Dr. Ahmed holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience and nutrition from Columbia University, an M.Sc. and MPH in policy from Tufts University, and a BS from the University of Michigan. Deeana is a published researcher and policy analyst who has conducted large policy evaluations for the NYC Department of Education, managed grants for a Silicon Valley non-profit, and owns and operates a start-up education technology firm. Deeana is an alumnus of the University of Michigan Solar Car Team, where she led the development of the nationally and globally ranked solar car, InfiniUM’s battery pack.

Ben is the Mayor of London’s lead advisor on economic and business policy. In this role, he supports the Mayor and his deputies, and works with colleagues across the GLA to develop and implement policy in support of London’s growth, competitiveness and fairness.

Prior to working at City Hall, Ben worked on Sadiq Khan’s campaign to become Mayor of London in 2016, in particular playing a key part in drafting his manifesto. Previously, Ben was Head of Policy Development at The Labour Party, and has a background in transport, environment, housing and local government policy. He served as a councilor in the London Borough of Wandsworth between 2010 and 2016. He holds a B.Sc. in Public Policy, Government and Management from the University of Birmingham.

Originally from Warrington, Ben moved to South London in 2003 and still lives there today with his partner, Emma, and their daughter.

Claire is the strategic lead for BloombergNEF’s technology, industry & innovation research. BNEF is a research provider covering global commodity markets and the disruptive technologies driving the transition to a low-carbon economy. Claire oversees BNEF’s coverage of industrial decarbonization and early-stage climate technology. As part of this role, Claire manages teams covering the decarbonization of steel, cement, and petrochemicals, the circular economy and biomaterials, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). Claire has a particular interest in the role of startup innovation and how to scale first-of-a-kind projects. Claire is co-chair of the BNEF Pioneers program, Bloomberg’s annual climate-tech innovation competition.

Cindi is the Managing Director of Ventures at Climate Investment. She joins us from TotalEnergies Ventures, the venture capital arm of TotalEnergies, where she led the Ventures team in San Francisco from 2021, and led the European Ventures team in Paris for the 4 years before. Before TotalEnergies, Cindi was a senior director at SunPower, a startup CEO of a vehicle electrification company, and an investment banker at JPMorgan and Stephens. Cindi is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, University of Queensland, and Rice University.

Sam Foster is a Partner within ERM Sustainable Energy Solutions and leads the team’s work on decarbonization in the Built Environment. He manages ERM’s work relating to decarbonization strategies for clients including building portfolio owners, property developers, cities and local authorities, public and private sector campuses, energy companies, network operators, and technology developers. While at Element Energy (which was acquired by ERM in 2021), Sam worked with the Greater London Authority on analysis to support the Net Zero 2030 target for Greater London.

More widely, Sam has delivered strategies for the decarbonization of commercial and residential real estate for global corporations including banks, private equity, and REITs. He has led high-profile thought leadership studies on low-carbon buildings for the UK, Irish and Moroccan Governments, the UK Committee on Climate Change, the UK National Infrastructure Commission, the Scottish Government, the European Climate Foundation, the World Bank, and others.

Sam holds a First Class M.Sci. In Physics from the University of Cambridge (UK), a Ph.D. in solar photovoltaics from Imperial College London, and spent time in R&D for Sumitomo Chemicals in Japan.

Raphael is CEO and founder of Converge, a construction technology company that leverages AI and smart sensors to tackle the industry’s largest emissions challenge: the decarbonization of concrete. At Converge, Raphael has raised over $25M to pioneer novel applications of AI in computational material science, to optimize concrete mixes and concrete operations. He holds a master’s in Mathematics and a bachelor’s in Physics from the University of Cambridge and previously worked as an algorithm engineer at Mellanox (acquired by Nvidia). He’s been featured on ULI’s new real estate vanguard series and has lectured at the MPA, on the use of digital technology in major infrastructure.

Kelly is a Founding Team partner at NIF, an inaugural €1B deep tech VC backing ambitious founders to secure the future for the Alliance’s 1B citizens. Focus areas include energy, AI, defense, climate, industrials, space, health, and biotechnology. NIF is the first multi-sovereign-backed fund and operates as a standalone VC, leading both early-stage investments and fund-of-funds.

Previously, Kelly was a Partner at DCVC, a $3B AUM deep tech venture capital fund based in Silicon Valley, where she led investments and served on the board of companies building revolutionary tech in AI, robotics, manufacturing, logistics, and sustainability. Earlier, Kelly was a fixed-income derivatives trader in New York, overseeing nearly $2B, an angel investor, and had built out a new securitized trading product for a global investment bank. It was in that quantitative role that she started relentlessly focusing on the non-quantitative side of business – understanding customer needs, the sales process, and building trust. Kelly has a BS/MS from Columbia Engineering and an MBA from Wharton. Outside of work, she can be found in the ocean, collecting data on the best dive locations or optimizing the max speed on her eFoil.

Helen invests in and supports portfolio companies that render humanity a net positive to nature. At One seeks innovative technologies that can upend the traditional industries contributing to climate change, with disruptive unit economics commercially and
environmentally.

Helen was formerly the Head of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at FINCA Impact Finance (FIF), where she drove FIF’s digital transformation strategy in its 20 subsidiaries across 4 continents and has led the implementation of strategic initiatives in Africa including agency banking, mobile banking, and various fintech partnerships. Before FINCA, Helen worked for 7 years in Investment Banking and Private Equity, including launching a growth equity fund in China (Baird Capital Partners Asia).

Andy leads the Faculty’s Energy Transition and Environment business unit, which designs, builds, and deploys bespoke AI solutions for businesses across the sector. Faculty is Europe’s leading applied AI firm with a 10-year history of developing AI-based solutions for clients. His particular focus is on helping companies use decision intelligence to develop new ways of operating in a rapidly changing environment, enabling the essential transition of the energy system.

Andy has spent the past 14 years at the forefront of change and innovation in energy transition through senior roles in consulting, start-up and Government organizations.