Ramesh Kumar is an entrepreneur and pioneer in biomass energy solutions with more than 35 years of experience in renewable energy technologies, biomass fuel systems, and sustainable energy entrepreneurship. He is the CEO of LWP BIOCOAL, and co-developer of biomass torrefaction technology that converts agricultural waste into coal-like BIOCOAL or BIOCHAR, offering a low-carbon alternative fuel with significant global market potential.  

Ramesh is also Chairman and Managing Director of Nishant Bioenergy Pvt. Ltd., a company specialising in biomass pellet plants, pellet-fuelled cook stoves, and carbon-neutral energy systems. Over the course of his career, Ramesh has worked extensively on developing decentralised bioenergy solutions that utilise agricultural waste to produce clean and affordable fuel, helping create local green enterprises and sustainable employment across India.

He has been recognised internationally for his work in sustainable energy innovation, including receiving the prestigious Ashden Award in 2005 presented in London by HRH Prince Charles, and the PCRA Award for biomass combustion technology design.

Vaughan is Senior Vice President of Biomass Sales and Logistics at Drax PLC based in London, UK and manages a global team stationed in the UK, Canada and Japan, overseeing the creation and servicing of a substantial world-wide biomass sales book. Vaughan joined Drax through their acquisition of Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc. in 2021, where he was the executive in charge of commercial and sustainability activities.

Vaughan is the President of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada and has served on that Board since 2012. He is a past-Director of the London based Sustainable Biomass Program Ltd (SBP) and past-Chairman of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association, BC Division.

Vaughan has an extensive career in international business, particularly in the forest products industry. Previously, he spent almost 20 years with Sappi, a global pulp and paper company. As their executive in charge of their world-wide pulp sales, he was stationed in Hong Kong for 10 years before moving to Canada in 2007 and joining Pinnacle in 2011. Vaughan earned his BSc from the University of Natal and his MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand, both located in South Africa.

Naveen Sikka is the founder and CEO of Terviva, a company that produces sustainably-grown oil and protein on marginal agricultural land. Naveen holds degrees from UC Berkeley and Columbia University and has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. Naveen also serves on the Board of Directors of Elemental Impact, an organization with over 150 portfolio companies that work on climate-related technologies. 

French executive and investor with 20 years in commodities and energy markets, now focused on biofuels, SAF, and carbon-backed regenerative agriculture.   Guillaume holds a Master of Engineering from ENSAE Paris and began his career in commodity derivatives.

Since 2016, he has co-led Canopy Energies as Deputy CEO, developing large-scale low-carbon feedstock and carbon projects across Sub-Saharan Africa, combining plantation development, SAF strategy, and blended carbon finance.

Regular speaker on pongamia and nature-based fuel transitions. While the role involves plenty of flights, he offsets them by retiring his own carbon credits alongside the Canopy team.

Yosuke Funaki is currently working for Idemitsu Kosan Co.,Ltd. in the role of Deputy General Manager of Carbon Neutral Transformation Department. In this senior managerial role, he carries out a range of tasks including but not limited to the development of biofuel supply chain including Pongamia plantation. 
 

With 37 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry, Yosuke’s career has seen him manage large-scale projects across Asia Pacific, North America and Middle East.  
 

He is attending Board meeting of Terviva Inc. and Jet Zero Australia as an observer.

Steven Bartholomeusz is the Head of Public and Regulatory Affairs, Asia Pacific at Neste, and leads all public policy and advocacy efforts in the company’s engagement with governments, public sector organisations, think tanks and other key stakeholders in the region.

Steven has been actively involved in advocacy and the development of policies related to sustainable aviation fuel and biofuels for the road transport sector in the region. With the need to advance acceptance of a wide feedstock base for biofuels as well as access amidst growing protectionist measures, he also supports the Feedstock Supply and Trading teams in the region.

Steven is an experienced public affairs professional with over 25 years of international, regional and local experience in oil and gas, hydropower and public utilities, and the food and beverage industry.  Steven has a Masters in Communication from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore with honors and a B.A in Mass Communication from Winona State University, Minnesota, USA.

Kelvin Lee is Head of Sustainability for the Asia-Pacific region at the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 340 airlines or 80% of total air traffic. IATA supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues. In his role, Kelvin looks after environment and sustainability matters for the region. He works with governments and the wider industry to support member airlines in the transition to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to achieve the industry goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Kelvin has extensive experience in the aviation industry and has served in both government and airline roles before joining IATA.

Conor Madigan is the co-founder and CEO of Aether Fuels, a climate tech company developing flexible, economical, and highly scalable solutions for producing drop-in sustainable aviation fuel and sustainable marine fuel, leveraging Aether’s breakthrough Aurora technology.  He incubated Aether in 2022 together with Xora Innovation, a deep tech venture fund backed by Temasek.  Conor previously founded and ran Kateeva, one of the world’s leading suppliers of OLED manufacturing equipment, which helps make the screens on most Samsung smartphones and iPhones. He has a B.S.E. degree from Princeton, and M.S. and Ph.D degrees from MIT, all in Electrical Engineering.

Co-founder & CEO of Rhinoflux, a next-generation biomass power startup from Kyoto University. He has solid experience in Mitsubishi Corporation, Japan's largest conglomerate, as a commodity trader & corporate venture capitalist specializing in the natural resources industry. In CVC, he led investments and strategic collaboration with a NASDAQ-listed startup, unicorns and global VCs in the mineral resources & energy sectors. Leveraging his expertise and networks, he co-founded Rhinoflux as the first Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at Kyoto University.

Wojciech Rogowski is an experienced manager in the energy sector, specializing in the biomass and renewable fuels market. He serves as the Biomass Department General Manager at G7 Group Sp. z o.o., a dynamically growing company operating in the wholesale distribution of solid fuels and biomass in both domestic and international markets.
 
In his work, he focuses primarily on the development and contracting of agro-biomass, with particular emphasis on PKS (Palm Kernel Shell), a by-product of the palm oil industry that is playing an increasingly important role in the decarbonization of European energy. He is responsible for building stable supply chains of exotic biomass from Southeast Asia, managing maritime logistics, and implementing long-term, certified solutions in line with sustainability principles and RED III regulations.
 
He is a graduate of the Academy of Physical Education (AWF). Wojciech combines a practical business approach with extensive market knowledge and actively participates in discussions on energy security, the globalization of the biomass market, and the role of agro-biomass in Europe’s energy transition.

Chloe Hung is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Greenchar Climate Solutions Singapore, a company building infrastructure for the emerging biochar and carbon removal economy.

A Singaporean entrepreneur working extensively in China, Chloe has been among the early pioneers developing biochar carbon removal projects in the region, transforming agricultural and industrial biomass residues into biochar, low-carbon materials, and durable carbon removal solutions.

Through Greenchar’s operations in Singapore and China, she works with industrial operators, agricultural networks, and technology providers to deliver integrated biochar project development solutions, covering biomass sourcing, technology deployment, and commercialization.

In parallel, Chloe is leading the development of a global marketplace and digital infrastructure for the biochar industry, designed to connect suppliers, biomass resources, technology providers, and international buyers. Greenchar has mapped over 5,000 suppliers across more than 100 countries, building one of the most comprehensive datasets on global biochar supply chains and biomass resources.

The platform also supports product standardisation, supply-chain monitoring, and data infrastructure, helping scale biochar commercialization and transform it from a niche climate solution into a viable global industry. Greenchar works with partners across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America to support biochar project development and commercialization.

Yuhyeon Seo is the Head of Marketing at Biofuel Holdings, a leading biofuel feedstock company in South Korea. The company operates seven subsidiaries specializing in key biofuel feedstocks such as used cooking oil (UCO), food waste oil, and tallow, playing a significant role in supplying sustainable raw materials to the biofuel industry.

Amid the rapidly evolving global biofuel market, Mr. Seo has been actively developing and supplying certified feedstocks for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and bio-marine fuel, aligning with emerging policy and regulatory developments in South Korea and international markets.

Mr. Seo holds a degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Korea University. He began his career at SK Networks, a major Korean conglomerate, where he was responsible for domestic petroleum sales. He later served as Head of Marketing at JC Chemical, one of Korea’s leading biodiesel producers. Mr. Seo also served as Chairman of the Korea Bioenergy Association, contributing to the advancement of Korea’s bioenergy industry.