Asian Power Summit 2022

Mike Thomas is a founding partner and the managing director at The Lantau Group, an economic consultancy focusing on the energy sector in the Asia Pacific region.  For the past three decades, Mike’s consulting work has centred around the intersection of regulation and competition in the energy sector.  He works with stakeholders throughout the region on matters involving commercial transactions, regulation and market design, strategy, and economic evidence in commercial, competition, and regulatory disputes.   

Prior to co-founding The Lantau Group, Mike headed the Asia Pacific Energy & Environment practice of a global consulting firm and was based in Wellington, New Zealand for ten years   He transferred to Hong Kong in 2007.  He had begun his consulting career began in the United States, working for 10 years with a firm that, among other things, specialised in energy sector transformation and the introduction of competition in energy markets.  Mike has an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School (PAE Prize) and a BA in Economics from Carleton College.

Ir. James Ung Sing Kwong is the Group Chief Operating Officer of Sarawak Energy, a position he was appointed to in January 2022.

In this role, Ir. Ung is responsible for the vision and strategy of the group’s operating units and oversees the execution of critical and transformative operational strategic initiatives while maintaining engineering and operational excellence. He is a member of the Group Executive Committee and also chairs the Group Operations Management Committee.

A mechanical engineer by profession, Ir. Ung has worked with Sarawak Energy’s group of companies since 1990, growing his expertise in technical and leadership roles in power generation and power plant project management. Over the past thirty years, his extensive experience included roles as technical engineer and power station management for coal, gas and hydro plants in the power generation business and new power plant development.

Prior to this appointment, Ir. Ung was the Chief Executive Officer of SEB Power Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sarawak Energy, responsible for all the power generation business (Hydro, Coal, Gas & Diesel), with a combined installed Generation Capacity of more than 5,500 MW. He was also instrumental in driving Operation Excellence and Digitalization for Sarawak’s generation assets.

Ir. Ung holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of South Alabama in the United States of America. He is a Fellow of the International Hydropower Association (IHA) and a registered Professional Engineer (PE) by the Board of Engineer Malaysia

Graeme York joined Senoko Energy as President & CEO in December 2020.

An Australian with 37 years’ experience in the energy industry, incorporating 16 years on international assignments in the USA, UK, Thailand and Singapore, Graeme has been with ENGIE for 10 years, since the acquisition of International Power.

Since January 2015, Graeme has been the Chief Operating Officer of the Asia-Pacific Business Unit for ENGIE. In this role, Graeme’s is a member of the Asia-Pacific Executive team. He manages the technical input for business development, drives IT and digital initiatives, and drives the standards of operation, health and safety, environment, security and construction activities across the Business Unit.

In Graeme’s previous role, he was the Head of Operations (based in London) driving operational excellence, benchmarking and operating standards for ENGIE’s international power generation fleet. Prior to that, he was CEO at Hazelwood in Australia

Dharma is currently the President Director of PT. Adaro Power, one of the largest Independent Power Producer (IPP) companies in Indonesia with ownership in power plant assets of 2260 MW. Dharma also serves as the President Commissioner of PT. Tanjung Power Indonesia and PT. Makmur Sejahtera Wisesa and Commissioner at PT. Bhimasena Power Indonesia, and also a Commissioner at PT. Genomics Solutions Indonesia. In this capacity, Dharma has been intensively involved in obtaining funding (financial close) and construction for various power plant assets with a value exceeding USD 4.7 billion.

Prior to Adaro Power, Dharma held various leadership positions in the energy sector, including President Director of a Tbk company and President Director of a mining services company. Previously, Dharma worked at McKinsey & Company, one of the leading management consulting firms.

Besides being active at Kadin Indonesia as Head of Permanent Committee of Middle East & OIC, Dharma is also active in the Association of Indonesian Private Electric Producers (APLSI) and also in other non-profit organizations such as the Young President's Organization (YPO) and Young Leaders for Indonesia (YLI). Dharma holds an MBA degree from INSEAD, and previously graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oregon.

Wichard Graf von Harrach – trained economist – is working over 25 years in different business development and management functions for IT, Telecom and Infrastructure.

2003 he entered the Siemens world in Bangladesh followed by a position as Vice President Project Development of Siemens Project Ventures in Germany. Developing and implementing a renewable energy strategy for Siemens through project development and equity participation, resulted in a large pipeline of renewable projects for Siemens AG. In 2009 being seconded for the first time as a board member of a large German Renewable Developer with a track record of 1.200 MW and 12 GW of pipeline. In 2014 he was send by Siemens to become President Director for PT Jawa Power – a 1220 MW power plant.

He is the Chairman of the supervisory board for the respective IPP Association in Indonesia.  Since 2017 Wichard is in the board of EuroCham Indonesia. He is currently the Vice Chair of EuroCham Indonesia focusing on the EU – Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership Agreement. In addition he is on the Executive Board of the EU-ASEAN Business Council in Singapore since 2019.

After being President and Board member of the Rotary Club Metropolitan since 2014, he currently serves as Assistant Governor for the District.

Iga Bagus Jaya Wardhana is an assistant analyst for Corporate Social Responsibility Monitoring and Reporting Program at PLN (Persero). He specializes in using progressive systems and applications and is responsible for managing social project feedback and reports from all over Indonesia. Bagus is a powerful force in the workplace and uses his positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed.

Bagus participated in an international conference and successfully published his academic journal in CEPSI 2021, and proudly his work earned Gold Prize at the HR Awards 2021. Bagus completed his BA in Financial Management with Cum Laude at Universitas Diponegoro in 2016. In his spare time, he does entrepreneurial work, involving himself in development and social projects discussion.

Mark leads and provides advice to clients on their Low Carbon Economy Transition, and specialises in subsea cables and renewable energy across APAC.  With over 16 years of experience, he is able to lend insights from both a practitioner and advisor perspectives on the environmental and international ESIA regulations, regulatory permitting, fisheries studies and liaison, and social engagement, across a range of sectors, including power, infrastructure and technology, media and telecommunications. Currently based in Singapore, Mark has a proven track record of numerous large scale submarine cables projects in Asia Pacific, including in Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. He has also led environmental and social studies across a range of power projects in the region including hydropower in Philippines, nearshore windfarms and thermal power in Vietnam, and large utility scale floating solar

Justin leads and manages the delivery of low carbon economy transition projects across Australia and Asia Pacific, including renewable hydrogen production and potential applications. With over 20 years of experience, Justin has an extensive track record across operational, safety and risk management in the production, distribution and use of cryogenic and high-pressure gases. He has held general management, finance and project management roles in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, across the heavy industrial, minerals processing and industrial gas industries. Prior to joining ERM, he held various leadership roles in Air Liquide, including as Industrial Director in Japan, Country Managing Director in New Zealand, and earlier as the Finance Manager in Western Australia. Justin is able to lend insights and share best practices from both practitioner and advisor perspectives, to help organisations on their journey towards a low carbon economy. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Leandro Leviste founded the Solar Philippines Group in 2013, after seeing the nascent potential of solar energy in the country, which was then heavily reliant on traditional energy sources such as coal. A visionary and pioneer, he has subsequently led the company through various stages of growth, including the commissioning and operation of a 63.3MW solar farm in Calatagan, Batangas, a 150 MW farm in Tarlac, and in the successful initial public offering (IPO) in 2021 of Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp. or SPNEC. SPNEC, the first company to list its shares on the bourse following the PSE’s new relaxed rules for renewable energy companies, has initiated the construction of a 500MW solar farm in Penaranda, Nueva Ecija, which is touted to be the largest in Southeast Asia upon its completion. 

Under his leadership, the company is spearheading the development of solar sites which power producers can use to build solar facilities. Solar Philippines, with its vision of being the leading project developer in the solar energy space, targets the completion of 10 GW worth of solar projects by 2025. 

Working in Husk Power Systems Private Limited as Head – Business Development & CRM based at India HO at Patna. The current role includes, among others, achieving set revenue goals, ensuring customer delight & subsequently retention, market studies, new project development, developing and implementing marketing & brand promotions, and engagement
with external agencies.

More than 24 years of experience in Renewable & Clean Energy Space. Previously worked with leading companies in India and successfully led Solar Energy-based innovative and prestigious projects in B2B, B2C, and Government Sectors. Acquired Post Graduate Degree in Rural Management and Graduated in Science with Physics as a major. Also attended training programs conducted by Leading Indian & Global Institutions.

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Dr. Fraser Thompson is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Sun Cable, which is developing the world's largest solar energy infrastructure network, making it possible to power whole cities with renewable energy. The flagship project from the Northern Territory to Singapore (the Australia-Asia PowerLink) will include the world’s largest solar farm in the Northern Territory, the world’s largest battery, the world’s longest undersea cable, and will supply around 15% of Singapore’s electricity needs. Fraser is an expert on sustainable development and energy transition issues, working with a range of governments, investors, and multilateral institutions. His past work has included developing the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 (which included understanding how to accelerate the implementation of the ASEAN Power Grid), developing Indonesia’s national circular economy strategy, and working with Temasek on understanding investment and business opportunities related to sustainable energy transition in Asia.

Fraser was a founding director and inaugural President of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in ASEAN (AustCham ASEAN), launched by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Singapore in 2017, and a board member of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. Fraser previously worked with McKinsey & Company for almost 9 years as a leader in their sustainability practice (with particular expertise on carbon abatement and resource productivity) and with the World Bank before that. He is a Rhodes Scholar, with a PhD in Economics from Oxford University.

Michael has over 25 years of career involvement in the power industry in combined cycle plant operations in Malaysia, and since then has progressed through engineering, sales, and management positions in Malaysia and in Europe, most recently in Business Development and Sales for Long Term Service Agreements including O&M Contracts in Kuala Lumpur. Prior to that he also worked in power plant performance monitoring, developing improvements in diagnostics followed by Integrated Power Plant Lifecycle Management to give Owners a greater insight of their assets. He is also an active Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and held various leadership positions.

Currently he is the Sales Director for SEA and GCC at SS&A Power Consultancy AG.

Fabien supports the development of the company on the newly-established and fast-growing Thailand market.

He has been developing solar project across Thailand since 2015 with responsibilities ranging from Business development to Head of Engineering department. He followed closely the evolution of the regulation as well as the solar market. He help develop the Thailand branch of an international and independent power producer.

He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering from the École Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Tarbes – ENIT (France) with a specialization in Economics of International Energy.

Sam Reynolds, energy finance analyst with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), focuses on the economic, financial, and climate risks associated with natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure developments in emerging Asia.

He is the author of several studies concerning the region’s transition to renewable energy, stranded asset risk in the natural gas sector, and the macroeconomic risks associated with a greater regional dependence on imported LNG.

As a former political and regulatory risk analyst focusing on global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets, Sam analyzed judicial, legislative, and executive actions that impacted U.S. energy and environmental policy. His work has been published in local and international media outlets around the world.

Sam has a master’s degree in energy economics and international environmental law from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in international development from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Originally from Venice, California, he has lived and worked throughout Asia. He currently resides with his wife in Washington, DC. 

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