H.E. Paulo Roberto Soares Pacheco
Ambassador of Brazil to Chile · Embassy of Brazil in Chile · Brazil

A career diplomat born in Rio de Janeiro, Ambassador Pacheco holds a law degree from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (1986). He joined the Brazilian Foreign Service in 1988 and was promoted to Minister First Class in 2019. His overseas service includes Brazil’s Mission to the United Nations in New York and the embassies in Bogotá, London, Buenos Aires and Washington. He has led the Embassy of Brazil in Santiago since 2020.

H.E. Kenkō Sone
Ambassador of Japan to Chile · Embassy of Japan in Chile · Japan

A career diplomat, Ambassador Sone joined Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in 1989. He presented his credentials in Chile in 2025 as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan. According to his professional profile, his earlier postings include Economic Counselor at the Embassy of Japan in the United States, Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Public Affairs, Minister for Economic and Development Affairs at the Embassy in India, and Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles.

H.E. David Concar
Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Chile · British Embassy Santiago · United Kingdom

Before joining the Foreign Office in 2004, David Concar worked as a BBC News correspondent and as Deputy Editor of New Scientist. He served at the British Embassy in Beijing in science, innovation and economic-development roles, as Ambassador to Somalia (2017–2019), and as British High Commissioner to Tanzania (2020–2024), among other posts including Deputy Director of Protocol. He was appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to Chile, taking up the post in March 2026.

H.E. Brandon Judd
Ambassador of the United States to Chile · U.S. Embassy Santiago · United States

Brandon Judd was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the United States Senate on 7 October 2025, assuming office as U.S. Ambassador to Chile on 10 November 2025. He served as a U.S. Border Patrol agent from 1997 until his retirement in 2023 and was president of the National Border Patrol Council from 2013 to 2024. His stated priorities include cooperation on immigration, transnational criminal organizations, border security, and trade and investment.

H.E. Ximena Rincón
Minister of Energy · Republic of Chile

Ximena Rincón currently serves as Chile’s Minister of Energy. A lawyer from the University of Chile, she has held several senior public positions throughout her career, including Minister of Labor and Social Security and Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency. She was also the first woman to serve as Intendant (Governor) of the Metropolitan Region of Santiago. She has had a distinguished parliamentary career as Senator for the Maule Region and served as President of the Democrats Party. Widely recognized as a leading figure in Chilean public life, she has played a significant role in the country’s legislative work and governance.

Ricardo Raineri Bernain
Former Minister of Energy of Chile; Past President - IAEE; Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Ricardo Raineri Bernain is Chair of the 47th IAEE International Conference and a Full Professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He served as Chile’s Minister of Energy in 2010 and is a Past President of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), having previously been its Vice President for Academic Affairs. He holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Economics from the University of Minnesota and is a commercial engineer with a major in economics from PUC. He has also served as Chairman of the board of ENAP, Chile’s state oil company, and as Alternate Executive Director for the Southern Cone at the World Bank (2012–2014).

Andrés Rebolledo Smitmans
Executive Secretary · Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE)

Andrés Rebolledo Smitmans is the Executive Secretary of the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), assuming the role in March 2023 for the 2023–2025 term. An economist from the University of Chile, he served as Chile’s Minister of Energy (2016–2018) and as President of ENAP, the country’s state oil company. He has also been Director General of International Economic Relations (DIRECON), Ambassador of Chile to Uruguay and the country’s representative to ALADI, and a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). As minister he advanced the large-scale incorporation of non-conventional renewable energy into Chile’s matrix and an early regulatory framework for electromobility and green hydrogen.

Pilar Acevedo
Managing Director, Power Networks · ENGIE Chile S.A. · Chile

A business engineer with a postgraduate degree in business administration and over 20 years of experience developing and leading teams, primarily in the commercial and technical departments of public service companies. In this capacity, he has directed strategies for the efficient management of technical and commercial processes, mainly within the energy sector.

In October 2024, he assumed the role of Managing Director of the Networks Business Unit at ENGIE Chile, where his main objective is to define the business strategy in the transmission and gas sectors. This includes infrastructure management, operations and maintenance management, process management and optimization, risk management, cost management, and other related areas.

Mustafa Adel Amer
Energy Technology Analyst · Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Secretariat · Qatar

Mustafa Adel Amer has 13+ years of experience in the energy industry across engineering and market research. At the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Secretariat, he is part of the team producing the GECF Global Gas Outlook, covering long-term natural gas supply forecasting and energy system modelling. His research spans hydrogen production economics, carbon capture and storage, and methane emissions. He holds an MSc in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Aberdeen and an MSc in Innovation Management from a joint program between Cairo University and the University of Cambridge.

Mr. Amer joins the conference’s GECF plenary participation following the nomination of Dr. Mohammad Amin Naderian, representing the GECF Secretariat in Santiago.

Muhammad Akimaya
Department Head of Corporate Planning · MIND ID (Mining Industry Indonesia) · Indonesia

Muhammad Akimaya serves as Department Head of Corporate Planning at MIND ID, the state-owned holding company for Indonesia's mining industry, with a portfolio that currently covers more than five mineral commodities and coal. Its subsidiaries include Antam, Bukit Asam, Freeport Indonesia, Inalum, Timah, and Vale Indonesia. As a state-owned company, MIND ID has a mandate to manage Indonesia's mineral resources in an integrated, value-added, and sustainable manner, in support of the country's industrialization goals and its role in the global supply chain. His responsibilities include long-term planning of the company's portfolio and market analysis.

Prior to joining MIND ID in 2025, he was an Assistant Professor of Economics at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia. He holds a PhD and an MS in Mineral and Energy Economics from Colorado School of Mines. He received his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette.

Mr. Mauricio Bejarano

Vice Minister of Mines and Energy; Director, Directorate of Alternative Energies Mr. Mauricio Bejarano · Paraguay

Attorney Mauricio Bejarano is the Vice Minister of Mines and Energy of Paraguay, under the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC). A graduate of the National University of Asunción, he holds a Master's degree in Energy Business and Law from the Complutense University of Madrid and a specialization in Oil and Gas Economics. With a solid track record in regulation, public policy, and energy law, he also serves as Director of the Directorate of Energy Alternatives. His current administration is leading the update of the National Energy Policy to 2050, the development of the legal framework for green hydrogen, and the promotion of sustainable infrastructure to strategically position Paraguay in the international bioenergy and mining markets.

Claire Marie Bergaentzlé
Associate Professor · Technical University of Denmark (DTU) · Denmark

Claire is an energy economist and Associate Professor at the Technical University of Denmark in the Energy Markets and Finance group. She holds a background in Energy Economics and Law and conducts solution-oriented research on power grid regulation, grid tariffs, and the coupling of multi-energy systems (electricity, district heating, gas, and digital systems). She has led international projects on these topics, with a focus on Europe and the Nordic region. Her most recent works examine the redistributive impacts of grid tariffs across socio-economic groups, as well as the effects of regulatory frameworks on both the flexible integration of electrolyzers into power systems and their effectiveness in driving sustained decarbonization in hard-to-abate sectors. Claire also serves as a board member of the Danish Association of Energy Economics.

Christophe Bonnery
Economist and Energy Policy Expert · Paris School of Economics (PSE) · France

Christophe Bonnery is President of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) and has been President of the French Association for Energy Economics (FAEE) since 2009. He currently serves as Program Director at the Paris School of Economics. His earlier roles include Vice President for Economics and Prospective at Enedis, the French power-distribution company, and Vice President for Energy Policy at the AREVA Group. He created the French Circle of Energy Economists (2012) to connect academic energy economics with policymakers and established the Marcel Boiteux Award (2011) for the best French book in energy economics. He holds an M.Sc. in General Engineering from Arts et Métiers (Paris) and an MBA in Petroleum Economics and Management from IFP School.

Heloisa Borges Esteves
Director of Oil, Gas and Biofuels Studies · Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (EPE) · Brazil

Heloisa Borges Esteves is Director of Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels Studies at Brazil’s Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (EPE), a position she has held since May 2020. She previously led the Superintendence for the Promotion of Tenders at Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP), where she worked for more than a decade. An economist and lawyer, she holds a doctorate and a master’s in economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), a postgraduate degree in Public Law and a law degree from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). Her work supports Brazil’s medium- and long-term energy planning, including studies on energy poverty and the role of cleaner fuels.

Cristian Cárdenas-Lailhacar
Associate Professor · University of Florida · United States

Cristian Cárdenas-Lailhacar is a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida, where he serves as Assistant Director of the Industrial Training and Assessment Center and of the Mobile Energy Laboratory, and is an Affiliate Faculty member of the Center for Latin American Studies. He holds a B.Sc. from the University of Chile and a Ph.D. in Quantum Chemistry from the University of Florida (1998). His teaching and research focus on industrial energy management, energy efficiency and optimization, energy policy and new energy sources. He was the founder and first head of Chile’s Energy Efficiency Agency (2010) and has helped establish industrial energy-management centers across Latin America.

Juan Manuel Contreras
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CT Energía · Former Executive Director, National Energy Commission of Chile · Chile

Juan Manuel Contreras Sepúlveda is General Manager of CT Energía. An Electrical Civil Engineer from the University of Chile, he holds an MBA and a Diploma in Finance (DFC) from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. He served as Executive Secretary of Chile’s National Energy Commission (CNE) from April 2010 to March 2014. His earlier management career in the electricity sector includes Vice President of Corporate and Commercial Development at HQI Transelec, Commercial Manager at Electroandina, Engineering and Commercial Manager at Compañía de Distribución Eléctrica del Río Maipo (Enersis), and Large-Accounts Executive at Chilectra.

Leila Dagher

Director, Center for Policy Action · Lebanese American University (LAU) · Lebanon

Leila Dagher is Director of the Center for Policy Action and Associate Professor of Economics at the Lebanese American University (LAU). She previously served as Director of the Institute of Financial Economics and Chair of the Department of Economics at the American University of Beirut (AUB), and has advised senior public officials, including the Prime Minister of Lebanon. Her research focuses on energy, environmental, and financial economics, with particular emphasis on policy-relevant analysis and econometric applications. She serves as an Editor of Energy Policy and sits on the editorial boards of Finance Research Letters and Utilities Policy. She is also a Senior Fellow at the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies and a Research Fellow at the Economic Research Forum. Dr. Dagher has published extensively in leading journals, including The Energy Journal, Energy Economics, and Resources Policy. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the American University of Beirut and a Ph.D. in Mineral Economics from the Colorado School of Mines.

Carol Dahl
Professor Emerita, Mineral and Energy Economics · Colorado School of Mines · United States

Carol A. Dahl from the Colorado School of Mines was Professor of Mineral and Energy Economics (1991-2014), Director of the CSM/IFP Joint International Degree Program in Petroleum Economics and Management (1995-2010) and has been Adjunct/Emeritus Professor since 2014. She received her PhD from the University of Minnesota studying under Nobel Economics Laureate Christopher Sims. She has published widely in peer reviewed energy journals, hopes to publish the third edition of her International Energy Markets: Understanding Pricing, Policies, and Profits in 2027, regularly presents her work nationally and internationally, and has been a visiting scholar at well-known universities worldwide. For research contributions to Energy Economics, she received the Adelman-Frankel Award from the United States Association for Energy Economics (2010), the Outstanding Contributions to the Profession Award from the International Association for Energy Economics (2013), and the OPEC Research Award (2023). For more on her activities, see https://dahl.mines.edu/dahl-cv.pdf.

Sylvie D'Apote
Director for Natural Gas · Brazilian Oil and Gas Institute (IBP) · Brazil

Sylvie D’Apote is Executive Director for Natural Gas at the Brazilian Institute for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels (IBP). Ms. D’Apote has an Economics Degree from “La Sapienza” University Rome, Italy, and a Master’s Degree in Energy Technology from Imperial College, London, UK. She has 30+ years of experience as an oil & gas specialist and executive in international and regional consulting firms, as well as in international organizations, such as the OECD and the IEA.

Prior to joining the IBP in May 2021, Ms. D’Apote was founding partner and CEO of the consulting firm PRYSMA E&T Consultores, which she created in 2013. Prior to that, she was Director for Gas in the Southern Cone for IHS-CERA and Managing Partner of Gas Energy in Brazil. Before moving to Brazil in 2003, she was Head of the Latin America Program at the International Energy Agency (IEA), in Paris, and senior economist for WEFA Energy, in London.

Javier Dib
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) · AES Andes · Chile

Javier assumed the role of AES Andes` Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in August 2022. Under his leadership, the Company continues to promote a responsible energy transition as part of its Greentegra strategy. Greentegra aims to accelerate our portfolio decarbonization and growth in renewables and involves applied innovation and the incorporation of energy storage battery systems.

Javier promotes a teamwork-focused culture where operational excellence, energy innovation and value creation for the communities where we operate all play a crucial role in maintaining the Company`s sustainable growth.

Since joining AES in 2002 and prior to his role as CEO of AES Andes, Javier held leadership positions in the financial area for AES`s operations in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.

He currently serves on the boards of the Generadoras de Chile Association, the Chilean Argentine Chamber of Commerce, the Chilean‑American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Chile), and INACAP’s Sectoral Business Council.

Javier is a public accountant from the Universidad Nacional de Tucumán de Argentina with a postgraduate degree in Finance from the Universidad de Belgrano (Fundación Magíster), Argentina.

Carlo Di Primio
Past President · Italian Association of Energy Economists (AIEE) · Italy

Carlo Di Primio is Managing Partner of Horus Green Energy Investments and Past President of the Italian Association of Energy Economists (AIEE), the Italian affiliate of the IAEE, where he has also served as Vice President and board member. With more than 40 years in the energy and renewables sector, he has been CEO and board director of several energy companies spanning oil refining and marketing, LNG, power generation and renewable projects. Most recently he was Vice President and board member of International Power Italia, and he has served as Vice President of Assoelettrica (now Elettricità Futura) and Deputy Director General of Unione Petrolifera, the Italian petroleum-industry federation.

Huibin Du
Professor · Tianjin University · China

Huibin Du is a professor and vice dean of the College of Management and Economics at Tianjin University, where she also leads research on energy and environmental policy. She earned a double bachelor’s degree (engineering and literature) at Tianjin University in 2000 and a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering in 2005 and has been a visiting scholar at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and the University of South Australia. Her research addresses energy-economy-environment (E3) system analysis, carbon markets and finance, low-carbon transport and climate change, and she serves as an associate editor of Energy Policy.

Isaac Dyner
Professor · Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano · Colombia

Isaac Dyner Rezonzew is a professor and former Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering at the Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano (Colombia). He holds a PhD in Decision Sciences from the University of London (London Business School), a master’s in Statistics and Operations Research and a bachelor’s in mathematics. He previously taught at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, where he directed the CEIBA complexity center and the institutes of Energy and of Decision Sciences. With more than 175 publications, he was recognized by Colombia’s Colciencias as an “emeritus researcher,” and his research focuses on energy policy and regulation, energy markets, renewables and modelling.

Roderick G. Eggert
Professor of Economics and Business; Deputy Director, Critical Materials Innovation Hub · Colorado School of Mines · United States

Roderick G. Eggert is Research Professor of Economics and the Viola Vestal Coulter Foundation Chair in Mineral Economics at the Colorado School of Mines, where he has taught since 1986, and is Deputy Director of the Critical Materials Innovation Hub, a U.S. Department of Energy research consortium established in 2013. From 1988 to 2006 he edited Resources Policy, an international journal of mineral economics and policy. He holds a B.A. in earth sciences from Dartmouth College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in mineral economics from Penn State University. His research addresses mineral economics and public policy, including critical minerals and materials; he chaired the U.S. National Research Council committee behind the 2008 report Minerals, Critical Minerals, and the U.S. Economy.

José Ignacio Escobar
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) · Colbún S.A. · Chile

José Ignacio Escobar Troncoso is Chief Executive Officer (Gerente General) of Colbún S.A., one of Chile’s largest power generators, a position he assumed in May 2022. An Industrial Civil Engineer (with a major in Electricity) from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, he holds a Master’s in Economic Regulation from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. He spent some eight years at Acciona Energía, becoming General Manager for Chile in 2014 and Director General for South America in 2018 (covering Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Peru), and he has served as President of ACERA, Chile’s renewable-energy and storage association, since 2017.

Edmar Luiz Fagundes de Almeida
Professor and Energy Economist · Institute for Energy Studies (IEPUC), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) · Brazil

Edmar Luiz Fagundes de Almeida is a professor and researcher at the Institute of Energy of PUC-Rio (IEPUC) and currently President of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE). Teaching and conducting research in the energy field since 1993, his work focuses on the evolution of the oil, natural gas and electricity industries in Brazil and worldwide, including energy economics, regulation and the energy transition. He holds an economics degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (1992), a master’s in industrial economics (UFRJ, 1994) and a PhD in Applied Economics from the University of Grenoble, France (1999). He previously taught at UFRJ’s Energy Institute (2002–2019), served as IAEE Vice President for Academic Affairs (2008–2012) and was an independent board member of Galp in Portugal (2019–2023).

Ying Fan
Professor · Beihang University · China

Ying Fan is a professor and Dean of the School of Economics and Management at Beihang University, and Director of its Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEP). She has served as Vice President for Academic Affairs of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) since 2016. Before joining Beihang she spent some 25 years at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was a visiting scholar at Cornell University (2004–2005). Her research and teaching span energy economics, energy-environment-economy system modelling, emissions trading and climate change, and she has led numerous projects on the design and socio-economic impact of China’s emissions-trading system.

Fulvio Fontini
Full Professor of Applied Economics · University of Salento · Italy

Fulvio Fontini is full professor of Applied Economics at the University of Salento, Lecce, Italy, and president pro-tempore of the Italian Association of Energy Economics, the Italian affiliate to IAEE. Was previously at the Universities of Padua, Florence and Siena (all in Italy). Has been coordinator of the Technical Committee for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan at the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security. Has been co-chair of the Council of European Energy Regulators, Bruxelles, and Seconded National Expert at the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators, Lubiana, Slovenia. He is author (together with Anna Creti) of the textbook Economics of Electricity, Markets Competition and Rules (Cambridge University Press) and several publications in international journals.

Julia Frayer
Managing Director · London Economics International LLC · United States

Julia Frayer is a Managing Director at London Economics International (LEI), with more than 20 years of experience advising on the power sector and other infrastructure industries across the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. She specialises in the economic analysis and valuation of infrastructure assets — power plants, gas and electricity networks and utilities — as well as market design and expert economic advisory services for power markets, and she co-leads LEI’s clean energy and energy-transition practice. A graduate of Boston University, she joined LEI in 1998.

Patricia Galilea
Assistant Professor, Department of Transport Engineering and Logistics · Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Member, Panel of Experts, Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications · Chile

Patricia Galilea is a Civil Industrial Engineer with a diploma in Transport and a Master of Science from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and a PhD candidate at University College London. She is an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Transport Engineering and Logistics and serves as Director of Public Engagement, Community and Diversity at the School of Engineering. Her research focuses on accessibility and inclusion, gender and transport, and fare evasion in public transport.

Álvaro González Gorroño

Undersecretary of Mining, Government of Chile · Chile

Álvaro González holds a degree in Law from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, a master’s in business administration from the same institution and a master’s in law from the Universidad de Chile. He has extensive experience in the mining sector, as well as in the fields of regulatory compliance in government entities, trade associations and companies in the regulated sector.

He was chief of staff of the Mining Undersecretary’s Office from 2012 to 2014 and legal advisor to the Housing and Urban Development Undersecretary’s Office from 2011 to 2012. He also served as head of regulatory compliance at the Higher Education Superintendency between 2019 and 2022.

In the area of trade associations, he served as director of the Legislative Affairs Committee at the National Mining Society (SONAMI) between 2022 and 2025.

Richard Green
Professor of Sustainable Energy Business · Imperial College London · United Kingdom

Richard Green has been Professor of Sustainable Energy Business at Imperial Business School since 2011. He has previously worked at the Universities of Cambridge, Hull and Birmingham, spent time on secondment to the Office of Electricity Regulation, and has held visiting appointments at the World Bank, the University of California Energy Institute, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He has been studying economics and regulation of the electricity industry for over 35 years, working on market power in wholesale markets and on transmission pricing. He now focuses on the impact of low-carbon generation (nuclear and renewables) and energy storage on the electricity market, and the business and policy implications of this.

He is an editor of The Energy Journal and was the 2016 Chair of the British Institute for Energy Economics. He is a member of the team that produces Electric Insights, independent of but financed by Drax Group plc.

Jean-Michel Glachant
Part-time Professor; Former Director, Florence School of Regulation · European University Institute (EUI) · Italy

Jean-Michel Glachant holds a PhD in Economics from La Sorbonne (France). He is a part-time professor at the Florence School of Regulation (Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute) and a former Director of the FSR and holder of the Loyola de Palacio Chair. He was the founding editor-in-chief of Economics of Energy and Environmental Policy (an IAEE journal) and a Past President of the International Association for Energy Economics. He has advised several Directorates-General of the European Commission and the French energy regulator (CRE).

Ricardo Bienvenido Guerrero Encarnación

Viceministro de Energía Eléctrica del Ministerio de Energía y Minas (MEM) · República Dominicana

Engineer Ricardo Bienvenido Guerrero Encarnación is the Vice Minister of Electric Power at the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) of the Dominican Republic, a position from which he coordinates public policies for the development and sustainability of the national electricity system. A graduate of the Loyola Polytechnic Institute and a professor at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), he combines a solid technical background with university teaching. His strategic management is focused on accelerating the energy transition, the efficient integration of renewable energy sources, and the expansion of the electrical infrastructure to sustain the country's economic growth through 2036.

Emre Hatipoğlu
Research Fellow · King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) · Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Emre Hatipoğlu is an Associate Professor at the KAPSARC School of Public Policy (KSPP) and a Principal Fellow at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) in Riyadh, where he leads the Energy Markets and Geopolitics research project. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Penn State University and a bachelor’s degree in management from Boğaziçi University. Before joining KAPSARC in 2019 he was an Associate Professor at Sabancı University in Istanbul and a Fulbright Senior Scholar. His research, published in journals such as Energy Economics and the Journal of Politics, examines how geopolitical events and global energy markets interact.

John Higgins
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) · Resilient Structures LLC · Canada / United States

John Higgins joined Resilient Structures as CEO in 2024 following five years as an Independent Director. Higgins spent nine years as President of the Utility Services Group of MasTec, where he oversaw a stand-alone $1 billion business with 5,000-plus employees. He also has considerable experience in the energy infrastructure, technology, and natural resource industries.

Higgins began his career as a lieutenant and platoon leader in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master of Business Administration, with distinction, from Harvard Business School.

Roula Inglesi-Lotz

Professor of Economics and DSTI/NRF SARChI Chair in Just Energy Transition, University of Pretoria · South Africa

Her research focuses on energy economics, environmental economics, climate policy, and sustainable development, with particular emphasis on the economic dimensions of the energy transition in emerging economies. She has published more than 110 peer-reviewed journal articles and has supervised numerous master's and doctoral students. Prof. Inglesi-Lotz serves as Vice President for Membership and Affiliate Relations of IAEE and is an editor of Energy Policy, associate editor of Energy Economics, and a member of the Editorial Board of the Energy Journal and the Economics of Energy and Environmental Policy (EEEP) journals. Her work aims to bridge academic research and policy to support evidence-based energy transitions.

Gustavo Lagos Cruz-Coke

Professor of Mining and Economics · Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile · Chile

Gustavo Lagos is Full Professor and Director of the Mineral Economics Program at the Department of Mining Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where he has been a faculty member since 1994. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrochemistry from the University of Leeds and conducted postdoctoral research in Materials Science at Imperial College London (1979–1982). Earlier in his career he served as Associate Professor at the University of Chile and Executive Director of the Centre for Copper and Mining Studies (CESCO). His research spans mineral economics, environmental management, and the strategic dimensions of the mining industry, with over 150 scientific and technical publications in international peer-reviewed journals, books, and conference proceedings. He is South America Editor of Resources Policy, member of Chile's Copper Price Committee at the Ministry of Finance, and Director of the Master's Program for Mining Leaders (LPM) at PUC Chile.

Jimena Latorre
Minister of Energy and Environment · Government of Mendoza · Argentina

Jimena Hebe Latorre is the Minister of Energy and Environment of the Province of Mendoza, Argentina, a position she has held since December 2023. A lawyer (Universidad de Mendoza, 2011), she holds a master’s in Latin American Government and Public Administration from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona). She served as a National Deputy for Mendoza (2019–2023), where she was an authority on the Energy and Fuels Committee, and previously as President of the Provincial Electricity Regulator (EPRE, 2018–2019) and Chief of Staff of the Secretariat of Public Services. She is a board member of the Instituto Argentino de la Energía General Mosconi.

Chiara Lo Prete
Associate Professor of Energy Economics · Pennsylvania State University · United States

Chiara Lo Prete is associate professor of energy economics and Wilson Faculty Fellow in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research centers on the economics of energy markets, with a focus on competition and design in electricity markets, interdependencies between the electric and natural gas industries, and the integration of hydrogen into natural gas and power systems. Ongoing work examines long-term contract design to ensure compatibility with short-term electricity market operations, reforms in natural gas markets to support grid reliability, and the regulation of hydrogen pipelines in the United States. Before joining Penn State, Lo Prete was a Ziff Environmental Fellow at Harvard University from 2012 to 2014. She earned a B.A. in economics (summa cum laude) from LUISS University, an M.A. in energy economics from the Scuola Mattei, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in environmental engineering from The Johns Hopkins University.

Santiago Mingo
Associate Professor · Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile · Chile

Santiago Mingo holds a Doctor of Business Administration from Harvard University, and a Master of Science in Engineering and a Civil Industrial Engineering degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. An associate professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, he studies how the institutional and business environment shapes entrepreneurship, corporate strategy and global strategy in emerging markets, including private equity and venture capital. He is an associate editor of the Journal of Business Research.

Virginia Parente

Independent Board Director, Energy Strategy & Regulation Advisor, Arbitrator & Expert Witness · Brazil

Virginia Parente, PhD in Finance, is an economist and independent board director with executive experience in investment banking and 20+ years leading energy policy, financing, of leading energy policy, financing, and regulation research at the University of São Paulo (USP), and regulation research at the University of São Paulo - USP. She advises C-level executives and boards on strategy, regulation, ESG, energy transition, geopolitical risks, and carbon emissions reduction across electricity, oil & gas, and utilities.

She has served on the Board of Directors of Eletrobras and CHESF, two of Brazil’s largest electric utilities, and on the Board of ANACE, the National Association of Energy Consumers. She currently serves as Director of the Energy Infrastructure Department at FIESP. She was President of the Energy Strategic Committee at AmCham Brazil and former Chair of the Brazilian Chapter of IAEE.

At USP, she has led the supervision of 40+ master`s and doctoral research projects in energy and finance, with relevant articles published. As a certified expert, she provides consulting and expert assessment in arbitration and mediation proceedings in the energy sector.

Rahmat Poudineh
Senior Research Fellow · Oxford Institute for Energy Studies · United Kingdom

Rahmat Poudineh is Head of Electricity Research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. His work focuses on economics, policy, and regulation of electricity systems in the context of energy transition. His research covers power market design, system flexibility, network regulation, and investment frameworks for low-carbon technologies, including renewables and hydrogen. Rahmat has advised governments, regulators, and international organizations on electricity market reform, decarbonization strategies, and infrastructure investment. He has published widely on topics such as local flexibility markets, Contracts for Difference (CfDs), and the evolving economics of energy systems. He is also actively engaged in policy discussions on how to ensure reliability, affordability, and resilience in increasingly decarbonized and decentralized power systems.

Aaron Praktiknjo
Professor and Director · E.ON Energy Research Center, RWTH Aachen University · Germany

Aaron Praktiknjo holds the Chair of Energy Systems Economics and is Co-Director of the E.ON Energy Research Center at RWTH Aachen University. He is President of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) and Chairman of the Board of the German Association for Energy Sciences and Energy Policy (GEE). He is a member of the editorial board of Scientific Data (Nature Portfolio) and of scientific advisory boards including the Forschungsstelle für Energiewirtschaft (FfE). Together with Peter Zweifel and Georg Erdmann, he is co-author of the textbook “Energy Economics — Theory and Application.”

Gerardo Rabinovich
Vice President · Instituto Argetino de Energía General Mosconi· Argentina

Gerardo Rabinovich is Industrial Engineer from the Buenos Aires University and Master of Energy Economics from the IEPE, Grenoble University, France. Vice-president of Instituto Argentino de Energía "General Mosconi" and President of Empresa Mendocina de Energia (EMESA). Professor of Energy Economics in the Gas & Oil Institute, UBA, and National University of Cuyo, Mendoza.

Tomás Reyes
Director, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering · Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile · Chile

Tomás Reyes holds a Ph.D. and an M.Sc. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a Civil Industrial Engineering degree and a Master of Science in Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. An associate professor and Director of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (DIIS), he also serves as academic director of the Itaú Finance Laboratory. His research addresses corporate finance and behavioral finance.

Mauricio Riveros

Energy Sector Leader, Investment Promotion Division, InvestChile  · Chile

Mauricio Riveros is the Sector Lead for Energy at InvestChile, Chile's public foreign investment promotion agency. Mauricio holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Chile and an MSc in Sustainable Energy Futures from Imperial College London. He has 18 years of professional experience in both the public and private sectors, holding various management and consulting positions in the energy sector, including Associate Director of International Energy Transition at the Carbon Trust in London and Head of the Sustainable Energy Division at the Ministry of Energy in Chile. Internationally, he has led consulting projects on energy transition and decarbonization for various governments and energy sector stakeholders in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.

Enzo Sauma

Professor · Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile · Chile

Enzo Sauma is a Professor of the School of Engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. He is both Ph.D. (Dec. 2005) and M.S. (Dec. 2002) in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at University of California, Berkeley. He also holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Industrial Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. He is also Principal Investigator of the Millennium Institute on Green Ammonia as Energy Vector (MIGA). His interests include power systems economics, environmental economics, mathematical programming, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy policy. He has received several international awards (INFORMS, ICORAID, NEXUS-Fulbright, etc.). He is member of IAEE, CIGRE, Senior Member of INFORMS and Senior Member of IEEE

Livingstone Senyonga
Lecturer and Researcher in Energy and Transport Economics · Makerere University Business School · Uganda

Dr Livingstone Senyonga is a Senior Lecturer of Energy Economics in the Department of Energy Science and Technology at Makerere University Business School (MUBS), Uganda. He holds a PhD in Economics, specializing in Energy Economics, and an MSc in Development and Natural Resource Economics from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), where he was a postdoctoral research fellow. His research focuses on incentive-based electricity market regulation, energy market integration, performance measurement, energy efficiency, energy poverty, sustainable energy transitions, and the value chains and impacts of critical and high-value mineral mining. Livingstone has published in leading energy journals, including The Energy Journal, Energy Policy, Energy Reports, Energies, and Utilities Policy. He is Director of the Energy Economics Resource and Modelling Centre at MUBS and Coordinator of the MUBS-NTNU NORHED II project on socially just and sustainable energy transitions in East Africa. He is also founder and interim President of the Uganda Association for Energy Economics. His consultancy work includes World Bank-supported research on revenue mobilization and responsible artisanal gold and marble mining in Uganda.

Ms. Diana Lizzette Solís Paz Undersecretary of Renewable Energy and Electricity · Honduras

Diana Lizzette Solís Paz is the Subsecretary of Renewable Energy and Electricity at the Ministry of Energy (SEN) of Honduras and the President of the College of Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineers of Honduras (CIMEQH). An Industrial Mechanical Engineer with a Master’s degree in Renewable Energy from Italy, she has extensive experience in energy policy formulation, rural electrification, and international cooperation, having previously served as Director General of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (DGEREE) and Executive Director of the Honduran Association of Small Renewable Energy Producers (AHPPER).

Govinda Timilsina
Senior Economist, Development Research Group · World Bank · Global

Dr. Timilsina is a Senior Economist in the Development Economics Vice Presidency of the World Bank, based in Washington, DC. He has nearly 30 years of experience spanning a broad range of energy and environmental economics and policy areas. He has worked across all continents and in more than 50 countries worldwide. A widely recognized expert in energy and environmental economics, Dr. Timilsina has authored more than 200 publications, including articles in leading academic journals, books, book chapters, working papers, and technical reports. He has delivered hundreds of presentations at international conferences and seminars.

Gregory B. Upton
Executive Director, Energy Institute; Associate Professor–Research · Louisiana State University (LSU) · United States

Gregory B. Upton Jr. is Executive Director and Associate Professor-Research at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Energy Institute, where his work lies at the intersection of energy and environmental economics. He joined the center in 2014, was promoted to associate professor in 2020 and was named executive director in 2024 after serving as interim director. He received three degrees in economics, including his doctorate, from LSU. He is President-Elect of the United States Association for Energy Economics (USAEE) and a member of the National Petroleum Council, and his research addresses oil- and gas-market dynamics, the energy transition and their fiscal impacts.

Deyi Xu
Professor · China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) · China

Deyi Xu is a Professor in the School of Economics and Management at the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), where he works in mineral and energy economics. His research addresses resource and energy economics, critical-minerals and rare-earth supply chains, the clean-energy transition, energy poverty and the environmental and governance dimensions of resource use. He has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals on these topics.

Yukari Yamashita
Research Advisor (former Managing Director) · Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) · Japan

Yukari Niwa Yamashita is currently a Research Advisor having served as a Managing Director for the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), in Charge of the Energy Data and Modelling Center (2011-2026). EDMC is responsible for quantitative and qualitative analyses on energy policy issues. Her team’s analyses and recommendations contribute greatly to debate and policy making for Japan and international communities such as ERIA, APEC and IEA.  The annual IEEJ's Outlook is globally recognized for its timely analyses and pragmatic approach towards climate change.

She has been serving as a member of various government councils and committees in the fields of energy and science & technologies. Her latest contributions include policy discussions at Nuclear Energy Subcommittee. She has been a visiting professor at Kyushu University. She has been a Council member of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) for 2015-22 and is the Past President of the IAEE (2020).