The Role of the Private Sector in Renewable Energy Development
Side Event: “The Role of the Private Sector in Clean Energy Development”
Hosted by SNV and REEEP
19 June 2015, 15:15 -16:30 | Geheime Ratstube
Supporting sustainable market development holds undetected potential to improve income distribution, create employment, reduce poverty, and spur trade in developing countries, especially in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. This sector is the main source of employment generation and output growth in emerging economies and developed countries and it is closely linked to a country’s economic growth. Increasing the use of clean energy solutions is the only sustainable path to prosperity and a healthy planet, and can only be realized by strong involvement and engagement with private sector partners.
OBJECTIVES
This session is aimed at providing an interactive panel discussion with moderated questions. High level speakers from the private sector, from both larger corporations as well as SMEs who have already gained valuable experience in developing market solutions, we will explore the impacts that have already been achieved on the ground and how the impact intelligence of these experiences can be collected, distributed and replicated.
Agenda
Welcome Remarks
Martin Hiller, Director General, REEEP
Private Sector Impact – Experiences and Lessons Learnt
Lessons Learnt from Engaging with Private Sector Partners
Andy Wehkamp, Managing Director for Renewable Energy, SNV
Panel Discussion: Market Based Solutions for Clean Energy Development
Moderator and Frame Setting: Eva Oberender, Programme Director, REEEP
Panellists:
· Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs, Philips (confirmed)
· Jeroen Blüm, Managing Director of BIX Fund (confirmed)
· Sally Gear, Team Leader, Sustainable Energy Unit, UK Department for International Development (confirmed)
· Samir Ibrahim, CEO & Co-Founder, Sunculture (confirmed)
· Mark Fogarty, Director, First Energy Asia (confirmed)
Close
CONTACT:
Katrin Harvey, katrin.harvey [at] reeep.org, T +43 1 26026 3425
Edu Willemse, ewillemse [at] snvworld.org, T +31 (0)70 3440 168
Speakers:
Andy Wehkamp, Managing Director for Renewable Energy, SNV
Andy Wehkamp was appopinted to the SNV Managing Board in April 2013. She oversees the SNV renewable energy portfolio with activities in 25 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America with a total volume of 87 million Euro. Starting her career with SNV in 1996, Andy has held a range of positions within the organisation, including Regional Director for West & Central Africa (2011-2012) and Asia (2005-2010), and Country Director for Uganda, Peru and Vietnam. Before joining SNV, Andy held different managerial and policy positions with Oxfam-Novib in the Netherlands and in Central America, and with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has a Cum Laude MSc degree in social anthropology from the University of Amsterdam.
Martin Hiller, Director General, REEEP
Martin Hiller has been Director General of REEEP since December 2011. He has over 20 years of experience in environmental issues and sustainability, policy, specialised policy communications and campaigns, and in-depth knowledge of climate change and energy policy. Under his leadership, REEEP has sharpened its focus as a catalyst for up-scaling clean energy business models.
Eva Oberender, Programme Director, REEEP
Eva Oberender has management oversight of all REEEP-funded projects, is leading the development of several new sector-specific interventions aimed at up-scaling successful clean energy business models and is responsible for the global network of REEEP Regional Secretariats. Having worked in the private, non-governmental and the government sectors, Eva brings a wealth of knowledge about the various needs and agendas of clean energy market solutions.
Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs, Philips
Harry Verhaar has over 20 years of experience in the lighting industry, and is Head of Global Public & Government Affairs for Philips Lighting. He is responsible for the strategy, outreach and stakeholder management on energy & climate change, resource efficiency and sustainable development, with a key focus on the role of the LED lighting revolution.
Jeroen Blüm, Managing Director of BIX Fund
Before founding BIX Fund Jeroen was deputy-director of the Shell Foundation. There he was among others responsible for the Breathing Space (Access to Energy) programme and setting up Shell Foundation’s carbon based pre-finance cookstove investments. This portfolio will now be brought into the BIX Fund and Jeroen wants to see it expand and reach the scale it was originally piloted for. Previously he worked for FMO, the Dutch development bank as investment officer private equity and at KPMG transaction services on wide ranging due diligence.
Sally Gear, Team Leader, Sustainable Energy Unit, UK Department for International Development
Prior to joining UK’s Department of International Development, Sally has had 20 years of experience in education and social development working in academia, government and the NGO sectors. Sally started her career as a research assistant in gender and development economics and went on to work as a Lecturer at the University of Manchester. She worked as Regional Education Adviser for Sub-Saharan Africa for the British Council and Gender and Education Adviser for the INGO Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO). She was policy lead for DFID’s support for girls’ education from 2009–2014 and managed the UK’s flagship Girls’ Education Challenge, a £355m global fund targeted at improving the educational opportunities for the world’s most marginalised girls. DFID’s Sustainable Energy portfolio currently totals £141m, ranging from clinic electrification projects to the development new forms of private investment funds.
Samir Ibrahim, CEO & Co-Founder, Sunculture
Samir Ibrahim’s interest in the relationship between economic development and the private sector started long before he gained his degree in finance and international business from NYU Stern School of Business. With family in East Africa, he has always been passionate about the East African agribusiness sector and the ways in which it can contribute to the livelihoods of individual farmers, contributing to the overall strength of national economies. That made Kenya a perfect fit to launch SunCulture – a company built on the intersection of agriculture and renewable energy – a key to lifting the world’s poorest out of poverty. SunCulture continues to expand in Kenya, providing over 300 small to medium size local farmers with the ability to irrigate their crops using a renewable energy solution, ultimately putting them on a path to prosperity not previously possible.
Mark Fogarty, Director, First Energy Asia
Mark Fogarty has a strong history in the development of Clean Energy and low carbon Markets for the Asia Pacific. Currently Mark lecturing in Sustainable Energy and Developing Countries at the University of NSW and is undertaking a PhD in Clean Energy Regulation focusing on ASEAN Countries. He is a solicitor admitted to practice in NSW. He holds a Master of Laws from the University of Sydney specializing in Environmental Law and Renewable Energy.