 | Ivan Woods, Managing Director, Populus Capital Ivan Woods is founder and managing director of Populus Capital, and currently advisor to the Primestar Group in Singapore. Primestar is promoted by ETA Star, the UAE’s largest conglomerate with over 70,000 employees in 22 countries across the Middle East and South Asia. Ivan has worked in project finance since 1995, initially with European Capital in London advising on Asia projects including the Bangkok Skytrain, Indonesia’s Corridor Block gas field, and Taiwan High Speed Rail. He moved to Hong Kong in 2000 where he was a Director in HSBC’s project finance team, working mainly in China with international investors as well as PRC government agencies and State-Owned Enterprises. He subsequently headed Woori Bank’s international project finance team in 2006-09, lending to Asia and Middle East transactions. Ivan moved to Dubai with IFC’s infrastructure advisory group, where he led a team advising Saudi Arabia’s aviation authority on the successful $1.5 billion Madinah Airport PPP. He then established a regional advisory group for BDO, the accounting firm, before moving to Singapore with Primestar in 2013. Ivan graduated in economics from Bristol University in the UK in 1991, and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in London. |
| Allard Nooy, Senior Advisor, InfraCo Asia Development Pte. Ltd. Allard Nooy has over 25 years of broad and extensive strategic executive leadership experience in the infrastructure sector in emerging markets. He has successfully managed to develop, acquire, and implement infrastructure, energy and environmental Companies throughout the Asia. Project formats have varied widely: PPP’s and BOOT structures in the water, waste water, solid waste management, waste-to-energy, power, and renewable energy sector. Allard has been P&L responsible for and managing “start-ups” as well as developing and implementing growth strategies and managing infrastructure companies to the “next level up”. He currently manages InfraCo Asia’s strategic transformation process; the development of InfraCo Asia’s ‘multi-managers and co-investment program; including a separate program in Myanmar. Allard is also over sighting a US$ 150M private placement process for some of the renewable energy projects. Allard’s previous positions include: CEO of Jindal Aquasource (JITF Water Infrastructure Ltd) and Jindal Ecopolis (JITF Urban Infrastructure Ltd), based in New Delhi, India; President Asia Pacific with Covanta Energy Corporation, the world largest Energy from Waste Company and listed on the NYSE, based in Shanghai, China; Regional Director Greater China at Thames Water International, the 3rd world largest private water company, based in Hong Kong SAR |
| Boo Hock Khoo, Vice President - Operations, Credit Guarantee & Investment Facility (CGIF) Boo Hock is presently Vice-President, Operations at Credit Guarantee & Investment Facility (CGIF), an initiative of the Governments of ASEAN, China, Japan and Korea. Prior to this, he was Deputy Chief Executive of Danajamin Nasional Berhad, a bond guarantor he assisted to conceptualize and establish for the Government of Malaysia as its first employee. Previously he also held various positions in the financial sector in a career that spans over 20 years in rating corporate, project and structured finance bonds; project finance consultancy and private equity. |
| Christopher Stephens, General Counsel, Asian Development Bank Christopher Stephens is the General Counsel of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). ADB is a partnership of 67 member countries established to facilitate economic development and alleviate poverty in Asia and the Pacific. ADB invests more than $20 billion per year in 42 developing countries by providing loans, grants and technical assistance. ADB also manages $35 billion in 38 funds in 24 currencies. ADB’s legal department also runs the Law, Justice and Development program, through which ADB provides technical assistance to DMCs in relation to the adopting and administration of law. |
| Michael Barrow, Director - Private Sector Infrastructure Finance Division, Asian Development Bank Michael Barrow is Deputy Director General for ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department handling all of the Bank’s private infrastructure and financial institutions investments, lending and guarantees. He joined ADB in July 2003. Prior to joining ADB, Michael worked for the Deutsche Bank group over the course of 15 years in London, Tokyo and Singapore, lastly as both Director of Project Finance and Transportation, with a project finance and PPP focus. He was also a Senior Vice President in the Structure Finance Department of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. in Singapore handling project financing for three years. Michael was educated at the Lycee Internationale in Paris, France after which he obtained an MA in Oriental Studies from Oxford University England. |
| Sharad Somani, Executive Director & ASPAC Head for Power & Utilities, KPMG LLP Sharad leads the Infrastructure practice of KPMG in Singapore and has over 15 years of experience in infrastructure sectors including power and oil & gas with focus on Project Finance. His advisory experience includes bid advisory, business planning, financial modeling, contract structuring, regulatory advisory, risk mitigation, project appraisal and fund syndication. Sharad has been advising various government and private sector clients in the Asia Pacific and Middle East region. He was previous with Enron and worked on power and LNG projects in South Asia. He has worked on power projects in Singapore, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. He has also advised clients on gas regulations and transportation issues in the SE Asian market. Sharad’s main thrust has been on privatization advisory, PPP structuring, transaction process management, contract structuring and arranging financing for Water & waste, power, and infocomm projects in the region. |
| Ramakrishna Pataballa, Director of Structured Finance, BNP Paribas Ramakrishna has more than 15 years of extensive project finance experience in Asia, of which the last 10 years has been with BNP Paribas in Singapore where he has led numerous project finance advisory and arranging mandates across a spectrum of oil & gas, power and infrastructure projects. He has extensive experience in structuring complex project finance transactions in the region including incorporating multiple sources of funding from commercial banks, ECAs and multilaterals. |
| Nonito Bernardo, Senior Investment Officer - PPP, International Finance Corporation - World Bank
Mr. Bernardo has over 15 years of experience working on PPP and privatization projects. With IFC, his recent experiences in the East Asia region include the preparation and tender for a BOT Power project; off-grid power supply; road concession; light rail projects; bulk water supply and water distribution projects; divestment of grain processing facilities, and the privatization of a power distribution utility. Prior to joining IFC, Mr. Bernardo was the Chief Financial Officer / Vice-President for Finance of the Philippines Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM), which was responsible for the privatization of the Philippine Government’s power assets. Before joining the Philippine Government, Mr. Bernardo worked at the Investment Banking/Corporate Finance Division of Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong and Singapore. He also worked with Southern Energy focusing on IPPs and acquisition projects throughout the Asia-Pacific region and developing a growth strategy and business plan to support an IPO. Lastly, Mr. Bernardo worked in Warburg’s Hong Kong and Manila offices in the Utilities/Oil & Gas and Project Finance Divisions. Mr. Bernardo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and an MBA. |
 | Shikhar Aggarwal, Principal Consultant - Public Sector & government, Frost & Sullivan Shikhar Aggarwal is a Principal Consultant with the Frost & Sullivan Singapore Public Sector & Government Consulting Practice. He has more than 6 years of business consulting experience with Government agencies and regulators across Asia Pacific in fields such as Economic Impact analysis, Financial Modeling, Market and Industry Development strategies, Green Technologies Development and Roadmaps, Digital Media and Education, Infrastructure Development, Science/Technology Park Master/Strategy Plans, Research Center Strategy Development Plans, Business Process Re-engineering, Change Management, Tourism, Manpower Planning, and Investment Promotion. He brings with him considerable technical knowledge and project management skills having worked with a combination of technical and functional expertise and experience of working with multi-cultural clients across the world. He has received his Masters in Business Administration from Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and Bachelors in Technology (Electrical Power) from The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). |
 | James Harris, Chairman - Asia, International Project Finance Association James Harris is the Head of Projects and Infrastructure for South East Asia. He has expertise in project finance, infrastructure privatisation and public private partnerships (PPPs), and has advised governments, corporates and lenders across South East Asia, the Middle East, the UK as well asAustralia, on numerous infrastructure based transactions. James also heads Lovells’ Asia Infrastructure Group, a cross practice group of senior lawyers and partners covering project development and financing, infrastructure/utilities related M&A, private equity and international arbitration. James is recognised as a leading project finance lawyer in several industry publications. He is well regarded for energy projects, petrochemical plants, transport (roads, ports, airports), water/waste projects plus experienced in projects involving hotels, resorts, casinos, sporting stadium and educational facilities. |
 | Robert Tiong Lee Kong, Associate Professor, Nanyang Technological University Dr Robert Tiong is an Associate Professor in School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, as well as Deputy Director of Centre for Infrastructure Systems at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is the Program Director of the MSc Programme in International Construction Management since its inception in 1991. Dr Tiong graduated in 1981 from University of Glasgow with First Class Honours in Civil Engineering, with specialisation in management. He obtained his M.Eng on Construction Engineering & Management, from University of California, Berkeley in 1987 and his PhD in 1994 from NTU. |
 | Hodaka Shoji, Senior Vice President, Global Project Finance Division, Mizuho Bank Mr. Shoji is a well respected Project Finance executive having over 23 years of experience been stationed in Singapore (1992-2000), Tokyo (2000-2006, 2012- ), and New York (2006-2012) in various roles at Mizuho Bank (“Mizuho”) as well as the legacy bank the Fuji Bank, Limited. After returning from New York in 2012, he was seconded from Mizuho to Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), a Japanese Government Export Credit Agency, at which he was responsible for underwriting Overseas Untied Loan Insurance for project finance loans and Overseas Investment Insurance for investments made by Japanese investors. At NEXI he was instrumental in closing complex cross boarder project finance transaction in the power, mining as well as the oil & gas sector. He is known to offer structuring advice and risk mitigation solution to various clients using his in-depth knowledge of project finance, ECA finance, forfaiting, supply chain finance, as well as structured trade and commodity finance. |
 | Supriya Sen, Director, Red Fort Capital Supriya Sen is a Specialist in project finance and investment banking, with over 24 years of experience in international project finance, corporate finance, private equity investment and public private partnerships in industrial and infrastructure sectors in South Asia, East Asia and the Middle East. She is currently on the board of directors of a few companies in the private equity space and in the non-profit sector. She also worked as Principal Private Sector Specialist at Asian Development Bank in public-private-partnership initiatives in South Asia, and at World Bank in financing large infrastructure & utilities projects in India, China and Middle East. Prior to that she worked in project and structured finance at GE Capital and ICICI. She holds a B.Eng from Bangalore University and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. She completed an executive program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and was visiting faculty at Indian Institute of Management and S.P. Jain Institute of Management. |
 | Boon-Khim Tay, Head of Indochina, Indonesia (Thermal Power), Sumitomo Mitsyu Banking Corporation Tay, Boon-Khim is a senior member of the Power & Infrastructure Project Finance Asia of SMBC. He brings over 16 years of project, infrastructure, acquisition financing, securitization, and project advisory experience across the Asia Pacific region. He is experienced and leads a team in advising, structuring and arranging debts, utilizing finances from the Export Credit Agencies, Multi-Lateral Agencies, and the commercial banks, for power, utilities, infrastructure, and telecommunication projects in the region. He has recently closed two landmark projects, Sarulla Geothermal power project in Indonesia and Nam Ngiep 1 Hydropower project in Lao PDR, where he has led and undertaken key structuring roles in the projects. He has earlier been seconded to Clifford Capital Pte Ltd, where he has helped in the establishment of the company. Prior to joining SMBC, Boon-Khim had worked in UniCredit Bank AG (formerly known as Bayerische Hypo- und Vereinsbank AG) specializing in assets securitization, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. dealing in project finance and structuring, and American Express Bank Ltd responsible for supporting business development and planning for the entire Asia Pacific region and the Indian subcontinent. |
 | Susan Prado, Executive Vice President - Chief Finance Officer & Head of the Financial Resource Sector, Development Bank of the Philippines Susan is A senior banking professional with extensive experience in corporate and investment banking, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, project finance, treasury and fund management in major domestic and international financial institutions with expertise in managing a business portfolio aimed at maximizing revenues and controlling expenses. Susan has in-depth knowledge of financial products and services particularly treasury and credit facilities, risk management, investments, fund management and financial advisory. She is currently working in a government financial institution in the Philippines cross-selling financial products and services with focus on treasury, correspondent banking, fund sourcing, global remittance, investment banking and capital markets. She has over 15 years working experience in corporate finance, investment banking, capital markets, asset & liability management for a government financial institution and four global banking institutions. In addition, she has over 10 years working experience in treasury, financial advisory and fund management for a domestic financial advisory firm, two investment houses and a life insurance company. Susan ha an extensive network of contacts in the Philippine government agencies, corporations and financial institutions. |
 | Minerva Lau, PFI Asia Pacific Editor, Thomson Reuters She joined PFI in late 2000 and has been covering both the international and the fast-growing domestic bank debt markets for projects in the energy, infrastructure and industrial sectors in Southeast Asia, North Asia and more recently also the rapidly expanding markets in the Indian subcontinent. She also produces comprehensive special reports on Asia Pacific and on India, and writes and commissions articles on energy and infrastructure. Prior to PFI, Minerva spent five years with Thomson Reuters publications International Financing Review (IFR) and its regional counterpart IFR Asia. She covered the active syndicated loan market and debt restructuring activities in Southeast Asia, including during its crisis in 1997-98. Her career as a journalist started at Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), becoming the first non-Japanese reporter outside Japan. Minerva wrote about the activities of the Japanese businesses as well as major financial and economic developments of the countries in the Southeast Asian region. During the Nikkei years, she was heavily involved in the interviews of many senior government and corporate leaders including those in Singapore such as Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong, and the current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Minerva attended the University of the Philippines, holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from Kyoto University, Japan and obtained a MA Asia Pacific Studies from Leeds University, UK. |
 | Sean Conaty, Of-Counsel, Hogan Lovells Sean has more than 10 years of experience advising a broad range of international clients on project finance and other financing transactions. Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Sean was in the projects and finance practice of a “magic circle” firm in Asia for eight years. Sean is qualified in Australia. |
