Global Methane Forum 2024 - Speakers | Global Methane Initiative

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Discussion: Lessons Learned from Methane Reduction Projects in Southeast Europe

Dr. Goran Vujić is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Serbia, focusing on Circular Economy, Waste Management, Sustainable Development, and Organic Waste Treatments. With expertise in Solid Waste Management and Environmental Planning and Designing, Dr. Vujić educates students in these vital areas. He has made significant contributions to academia, with over 80 scientific papers published in international and national journals and conferences. Dr. Vujic's involvement in various international and national projects, including those funded by TEMPUS, IPA, ERASMUS+, INTERREG, and governmental bodies, highlights his dedication to advancing knowledge in his field. Additionally, Dr. Vujić has been actively engaged in over 40 national and international waste management projects, providing consultancy services to organizations such as GIZ, GMI, CCAC and US EPA. His extensive experience positions him as a respected expert in sustainable waste management and environmental studies.

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Regional Methane Action Showcase: Latin America

Stefania Abakerli is the Coordinator of the Global Methane Reduction Platform for Development (CH4D), the World Bank’s hub for methane reduction in agri-food, waste and sanitation sectors. Trained in Brazil and U.K. with more than three decades of experience in delivering high-impact programs, distinguished policy reforms, multi-sectoral projects, and collaborative partnerships in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Prior to joining the Bank, advised the Brazilian Presidency, state and local governments on climate-sensitive spatial planning and poverty reduction; lectured on the sociology of urbanization at university; and managed own firm devoted to strategic development planning, urban regeneration, local economic development and stewardship of climate-sensitive regions across Brazil.

Industrial Engineer, specialised in integral management of municipal, industrial, and hazardous solid waste.

Representative of the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Chapter, and member of the ISWA Board of Directors since October 2021.

Expert consultant in waste management for the World Bank (WB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Former President and Vice-President of the Association for the Study of Solid Waste - Argentina - local member of ISWA in Argentina.

Lecturer in the postgraduate courses of Environmental Management (since 1997) and Renewable Energies at ITBA (Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires) and ITBA - KIT (Karlsuhe Institute of Technology - Germany), since 2015 to date.

Manager of New Technologies and Environmental Control. CEAMSE (Coordinación Ecológica Área Metropolitana S. E.), Buenos Aires, Argentina, from November 2012 to date.

Attorney at Law specialized in Administrative and Economic Regulation.
Working in Waste Management since 1999.
President of ISWA - The International Solid Waste Association.
Member of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste.
Member of the Steering Committee for the Global Waste Management Outlook and for the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Waste Outlook, developed by UN Environment.
Member of the Steering Committee of the Coalition for the progressive Closure of Dumpsites in Latin America and the Caribbean, coordinated by UN Environment Regional Office.
Coordinator of the Brazilian National Solid Waste Plan - Planares 2022.
Founder of the ISWA Young Professionals Group in 2013.
General Coordinator and implementer of several projects related to Waste Management, Waste Strategies, Regulation, Public-private Partnerships and Marine Litter.
Author of the book "Solid Waste: what the law says” and “Solid Waste Framework in Brazil”, co-editor of the book “Effective Waste Management and Circular Economy”.

She has been working in the world of waste for more than 15 years, seeking to promote and realise solutions that are ecologically sensitive; and socially beneficial, fair and sustainable.

She worked for SNV and the Latin American Biogas Network (RedBioLAC), what brought her to work in 3 different continents, in rural contexts of the global south. This gave her the opportunity to understand and face realities from the perspective of dealing with biodegradable (organic) waste streams, energy poverty, food security, livelihood, and health.

Later, she became involved in the issues of municipal solid waste at the Zero Waste Alliance Chile, where she moved closer to socio-environmental activism. Since 2021 she is part of the GAIA (Global Alliance for Incineration Alternatives) team in Latin America, where she is the lead of climate projects related to organic waste streams and climate strategy, specifically in the world of methane abatement. Space where zero waste practices are promoted, and showcased, and public policy advocacy and knowledge dissemination are carried out. Throughout this work links with key actors are made to fight plastic pollution, incineration, and other false solutions, and in turn opportunities in best practices are systematized and disseminated.

Catalina is a Consultant at ImplementaSur, a Chilean-based consulting firm dedicated to accelerating climate action in the global south by supporting organizations from the public and private sectors to access climate financing, evaluate mitigation and adaptation projects, and develop policy frameworks, with a focus on the Latin-American and Caribbean region (LAC).

Catalina currently works in climate change mitigation and adaptation planning and policy for various sectors including waste management and mining. Her experience also includes the development of climate risk assessments, design of climate resilience programs for local communities, proposal and evaluation of mitigation measures for the waste sector, assessing nature-based solutions, developing guidelines for planning and designing green infrastructure, evaluation of the climate change component in environmental compliance assessments, among others. Catalina is a Civil Environmental Engineer from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile with a Diploma in Climate Change and Low Carbon Development from Universidad de Chile.

Coal Joint Technical Session:
GMI Coal Mines Subcommittee and Sector Updates

Dr Qingdong Qu is a team leader and principal research engineer with the CSRIO Sustainable Mining Technologies Research Program in Brisbane. He joined CSIRO in 2009 after he obtained a PhD degree in Mining Engineering from China University of Mining and Technology. His research in the past 20 years has largely focused on coal mine methane emission control and reduction, including gas emission prediction, gas drainage optimisation, goaf gas management, gas outbursts, pre-drainage. He has led and participated in various projects funded by Industry and Government.

Dr. Liu Wenge, Vice President of Information Institute of Ministry of Emergency Management of China & China Coal Information Institute, Professorate Senior Engineer, National Work Safety expert as well as the associate editor of the magazine China CBM. He has long engaged in R&D work in CBM development and coal mine gas control and utilization and been issued special subsidy by the State Council and certificate of government making outstanding contributions. He is alternate of China in GMI Steering Committee, co-chair of coal subcommittee and person in charge of Secretariat in China of GMI. He was invited as project expert by World Bank, Asian Development Bank and IEA, has been engaged in the development of the 120 MW CMM power plant in Jincheng of Shanxi province and led the formulation of Methodology for VAM utilization in China.

Stakeholder Updates

Małgorzata (Gosia/Megan) Kasprzak is a consultant for the United Nations Environment Programme's International Methane Emissions Observatory. Before joining UNEP's IMEO, her professional engagements included working for the European Commission's DG ENER and as an analyst at Ember, a climate data and policy think tank where she specialized in coal mine methane and Poland’s energy sector. She holds a combined Master's degree in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the University of Oxford.

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Measurement, Reporting, Verification and Reconciling Estimates (20 March)

Dr. Karacan is a research petroleum engineer with USGS Geology, Energy and Mineral Science Center based in Reston, VA, USA. He conducts research related to CO2 sequestration, reservoir engineering of petroleum system, and coal mine and abandoned mine methane emissions and resources. He has published and presented extensively in these topics. Before joining the USGS in 2017, Dr. Karacan worked for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Pittsburgh Mining Research Division for 13 years, where he managed research projects related to ventilation, and sources of gob gas and its control in coal mines. He has served as one of the Editors of International Journal of Coal Geology (2009-2021), and the Editor of Results in Geophysical Sciences (2020-2022). He is a Bureau member and vice chair of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition, and a U.S. delegate for Global Methane Initiative’s (GMI) Coal Mines Subcommittee.

A geoscientist with expertise in Coal Geoscience and Petrophysics, Prof. Debadutta Mohanty, PhD (*1978 in Cuttack, India) has 19 years of experience working at CSIR-CIMFR. With his collegial leadership, he has established a widespread linkage with various stakeholders and executed more than 100 projects on assessment of resource and recovery potential of CBM reservoirs; coal seam gassiness study; carbon footprint study of coal mines; feasibility study for underground coal gasification and geo-sequestration; and different fuel/non-fuel applications of coal. As a technical expert, he has assisted the line ministries to build an ecosystem for growth of nonconventional gas industry in the country.

Prof. Mohanty is the lead scientist for preparation of fugitive methane emission inventory for coal and, oil and gas sectors on behalf of MoEFCC, India for communications to UNFCCC. He represents India in the Roster of Experts of UNFCCC to implement activities mandated by the COP, CMP, CMA and the subsidiary bodies.

Prof. Mohanty is an Elected Fellow of the Geological Society of India. He received his BSc in Geology from Ravenshaw University, Cuttack; MScTech in Applied Geology from IIT (ISM), Dhanbad and PhD in Earth Sciences from IIT Roorkee. He had worked as a visiting fellow for more than a year at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, USA. He had also held visiting positions in Ergo Exergy Technologies Inc., Canada and The University of Queensland, Australia.

Prof. Mohanty is a Odia native speaker having fluency in Hindi and English.

I am an assistant professor at AGH University of Krakow in Poland and the area of my research interests mainly concerns issues related to mining in conditions of methane hazards, underground fires, and temperature hazards in hard coal mines. I am the author or co-author of 128 scientific publications on this subject. Since 2016, I have been a member of the Group of Experts on CMM and Just Transition and actively participating in topics related to the development and transformation of the mining sector and in issues related to methane hazard and workers' safety. Particularly important to me is the topic related to the harmful impact of methane released from mining ventilation shafts on atmospheric air. I am actively involved in projects related to the estimation of methane emissions, as well as methods of its monitoring and verification. I cooperated with the German Aerospace Center and other European research units. Since 2022, I have been co-running the “Methane to Go Poland” project in cooperation with International Methane Emission Observatory. The goal of the study is to address the critical lack of methane emissions measurement data and establish a protocol for comparing coal mine methane (CMM) emissions estimated by top-down (TD) and bottom-up (BU) approaches.

Keynote Session: A Global Call to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Dmitry Mariyasin was appointed Deputy Executive Secretary (No2) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) on 1 March 2021. UNECE, as one of the five UN regional commissions, covers 56 member States, promotes regional cooperation and facilitates the development of regulation and policy in areas such as energy, environment, trade, transport, housing, forestry and statistics.

Prior to joining UNECE, Mr. Mariyasin was heading the Country Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Armenia (2017-2021). He also served as the Team Leader, Partnerships in UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS region (2011-2016) and in other positions with UNDP at global, regional and country level.

Mr. Mariyasin holds a PHD in Economics from the Moscow State University, and a MA in Public Administration from the New York University. He is married, and is a proud father of three children.

Gianpaolo Balsamo serves as the director at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), having joined in 2024 to lead the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (G3W). This new flagship initiative aims to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement through the use of Earth Observations and Earth System Models. The G3W is dedicated to providing authoritative and precise data to support the Global Stocktake and the Nationally Determined Contributions under the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement.

Before this role, Balsamo coordinated the CO2 Human Emission European project, a precursor to the Copernicus CO2 service, CoCO2, developed within the European Commission's Earth Observation Programme, Copernicus, with support from the Horizon-2020/Horizon Europe Research Frameworks.

Balsamo holds a Ph.D. and a professorial accreditation from the University Paul Sabatier Toulouse III in Earth System Science. He is also an invited professor for the Climate Change Solutions Master's program at the Politecnico di Torino.

Prior to his affiliation with the WMO, he joined the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in 2006, where he was a principal scientist, and previously worked for Environment & Climate Change Canada in Montréal and Météo-France in Toulouse. Born and educated in Torino, he now lives in Geneva.

Tim Gould was appointed the Agency’s Chief Energy Economist in 2021. As Chief Energy Economist, he provides strategic advice on energy economics across a wide range of IEA activities and analysis. Mr Gould is also Head of the Division for Energy Supply and Investment Outlooks, in which capacity he co-leads the World Energy Outlook, the IEA’s flagship publication, and oversees the Agency’s work on investment and finance, including the World Energy Investment report.

Mr Gould joined the IEA in 2008, initially as a specialist on Russian and Caspian energy, and in recent years has designed and directed the World Energy Outlook together with the IEA’s Chief Energy Modeller while contributing to the Outlook as a principal author. Prior to joining the IEA, Mr Gould was Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the Energy Charter and has ten years of experience in Eastern Europe, primarily in Ukraine. He graduated from Oxford University and has a post-graduate diploma from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University.

Dr Maria P. Neira is the Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization. Prior to that she served as Under-Secretary of Health and President of the Spanish Food Safety Agency.

Dr Neira began her career as a medical coordinator working for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). She then spent several years working in different African countries during armed conflicts.

Dr Neira is a Medical Doctor by training, specialized in Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases in Paris, France, Master of Public Health and a University Diploma in Human Nutrition, Epidemic Preparedness and Crisis Management.

Among many distinctions, she has been awarded the Médaille de “L'Ordre National du Mérite” by the Government of France and received an “Extraordinary Woman” award by HM Queen Letizia of Spain. In early 2019, she was nominated among the top 100 policy influencers in health and climate change.

Governments as Vital Drivers to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Tomás Carbonell is Deputy Assistant Administrator for Stationary Sources in the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. From 2012 until January 2021, Tomás Carbonell was an attorney in the U.S. Clean Air Program at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where he most recently served as Senior Counsel and Director of Regulatory Policy. His work included litigation, regulatory, and policy advocacy on a range of climate and clean air issues, including carbon dioxide regulations for power plants; methane regulations for the oil and gas sector; hazardous air pollution from industrial sources; and climate legislation. Prior to arriving at EDF, Tomás was an Associate at Van Ness Feldman, LLP, where he counseled diverse clients on federal legal and regulatory matters related to climate change, clean energy, and environmental and electricity regulation. He has a J.D. from Yale University, degrees in Environmental Change and Management and Development Economics from the University of Oxford, and bachelor’s degrees in Chemical Engineering, Economics, and Multidisciplinary Studies from North Carolina State University.

Matthew Baldwin was appointed as Deputy Director-General in DG ENER, the energy department of the European Commission, on 1 June 2022. There he is responsible for the Energy Platform Task Force which aims to end the EU’s dependence on Russian gas as soon as possible.

He has served in the European Commission for over 20 years. He was previously Deputy Director General in DG MOVE for 6 years, where he ran the Commission’s Horizon Europe Mission for 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030, and also served as the EU coordinator for road safety and sustainable urban mobility. He was previously Director for Aviation in DG MOVE, and Director for Market Access in DG Trade.

He served in the Cabinet of President Barroso from 2007-9 as Advisor on energy, climate change, trade and development. He was Deputy Chef de Cabinet to Commissioner Lamy from 1999-2004, and Chef de Cabinet to Commissioner Hill from 2014-16.

His principal professional interests are in energy, transport, trade negotiation, and climate change.

He is of Italian and British nationality and has two grown up sons. He is passionate about cities and their potential to lead on climate change, and he is a keen but increasingly slow cyclist.

Dr. Daniel Tutu Benefoh (PhD) is an Acting Director at the Climate Change Unit of Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He has been with the Agency since May 2001 and presently serves as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) National Focal Person for Ghana. Dr. Benefoh is involved in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and UNFCCC negotiations with a focus on methodological issues, mitigation, transparency, and carbon markets. Within the Global Methane Initiative (GMI), he represents Ghana on the Steering Committee and the Biogas Subcommittee. He is also Ghana’s alternate Focal Person for the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).

Dr. Benefoh is a part-time lecturer in Carbon Accounting and Management at the University of Ghana, Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies and works across governmental teams, local government, and the private sector. He has an academic degree in related fields in environment, energy and natural resource from the University of Ghana, the University of Twente, Netherlands, and the University of Bonn in Germany.

Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, is Director-General of Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, and Hazardous Substances Management at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia. She was the President of the COP-4 of the Minamata Convention, held in Bali on 21-25 March 2022.

She has extensive experience with various multilateral environmental agreements in carrying out her duties as Director-General, particularly in addressing solid waste, hazardous waste, and hazardous substances issues. She has actively participated as an Indonesian Focal Point in a number of multilateral environmental agreements, including the Basel Convention, Rotterdam Convention, Stockholm Convention, and Minamata Convention. During her tenure, she established Ministerial Regulation No. 75/2019 on the Roadmap of Waste Reduction by Producers.

She is also the Secretary of the Marine Litter Handling Coordination Team, which was formed in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 83/2018 on Marine Litter Handling.

Catherine Stewart was appointed as Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change in August 2022. With over 25 years in the Canadian federal government, Ambassador Stewart has served in senior executive roles in Canada’s Environment and Climate Change (ECCC) ministry including as Assistant Deputy Minister of International Affairs and Chief Negotiator for Climate Change. Prior to joining ECCC, Ambassador Stewart’s public service experience was largely focused on Canada’s defence and security policy, including at the Department of National Defence and the Privy Council Office.

The Importance of Industry to Mobilizing Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Dario is the Director of Sustainable Energy at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Prior to joining UNECE, Dario was the Chief Underwriting Officer at SACE, responsible for export credit, the EU Green New Deal and the guarantees under the EU Temporary Framework. Before joining SACE, Dario spent more than a decade with General Electric (GE), at the Council of Europe Development Bank and with the European Commission. His career started at Cargill.

Chris Adamo is Vice President at Danone North America for public affairs & regenerative agriculture policy, assisting Danone to create social and environmental impact throughout its business as a certified B Corp. Chris helps Danone build policy & advocacy positions to help the food sector mitigate its climate impact, and also works with the Danone’s procurement teams to create strategies for implementing regenerative agriculture with farming partners across Danone’s supply chain. As a part of its regenerative agriculture framework, Danone launched its global methane initiative, which seeks to reduce methane emissions 30% by 2030 from its fresh milk supply.

Chris has nearly 20 years of experience working on a variety of environmental & climate issues across the corporate food sector, non-profit advocacy, academia, and government. Prior to joining Danone, Chris spent over a decade in the U.S. federal government leading strategies on topics such as agriculture, natural resources, and climate change. He served as chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Barack Obama, co-leading natural resource strategies under its climate action plan, and previously led the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry helping shape the U.S. government’s domestic agriculture and environmental policies.

Artur Badylak is a graduate of the Faculty of Mining and Geoengineering at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. He has been dealing with issues related to methane from coal mines for over 25 years. He gained experience in Zaklad Odmetanowania Kopalń ZOK Sp. z o. o., with which he was associated until 2019. Author of more than 150 projects in the field of methane drainage, including implementation projects. Author and co-author of numerous articles and papers on methane drainage issues.

Currently executing tasks in the area of increasing the efficiency of methane drainage and reduction of methane emissions to the atmosphere in JSW S.A. mines. Responsible for the Company's activities in the field of methane extraction and its economic use for the production of electricity and heat. Member of the Coal Mine Methane Task Group appointed by Euracoal to work on the European Union methane strategy. The chairman of The International Centre of Excellence on Coal Mine Methane (ICE-CMM Poland).

A seasoned professional with over 23 years of experience, Pankaj Kalra is the driving force behind Essar Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Ltd (EOGEPL) as its Chief Executive Officer. His expertise spans across various functions including Operations, Finance, M&A, and Strategy, enabling him to steer the company towards financial excellence and strategic growth.

He is a rank holder Chartered Accountant and a Company Secretary, holding a Bachelor's degree from the prestigious Sri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi. His deep understanding of financial and operational aspects of the oil & gas industry sets him apart as a leader with exceptional insights.

Prior to joining EOGEPL, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Cairn Oil & Gas, demonstrating his ability to navigate complex financial landscapes and drive value creation. His extensive experience also encompasses stints at Reliance, Aircel, Idea, American Tower, and EY, showcasing his versatility across diverse industries.

At EOGEPL, his leadership has been instrumental in shaping the company's strategic direction and operational efficiency. Under his leadership, EOGEPL has maintained robust momentum and emerged as the leader in the unconventional space with a clear road map to double its CBM production.

He is actively pursuing opportunities in the realm of energy transition, recognizing the importance of sustainable practices in the industry's future. His leadership is guiding EOGEPL towards sustainable practices and reducing carbon footprint, demonstrating his commitment to a greener future.

Lawyer, Specialist in Senior Management from the University of Medellin, Master in Sustainable Development Management from the Universidad Externado de Colombia in Bogota with studies on gender, diversity, and inclusion, Senior Management Program PADE that belongs to the Executive Education Unit of INALDE Business School currently is the Strategy and Innovation Senior Director, at The Global FoodBanking Network- GFN.

A senior executive with more than 20 years of experience in administrative, financial, and legal management of public and private organizations at local, national, and international levels, coordinating and executing social, environmental, and economic projects with an emphasis on poverty, extreme poverty, and food security, from a government, business, and third sector perspective.

She has developed skills in resource management, team leadership in normal and adverse situations, situational adaptation, persuasion, cultivation of innovation, collaborative work, and generation of high-level relationships.

With social leadership traits, agility, and energy in process management, motivated by work-life balance, where group decision-making and achievement of shared goals are paramount, and preference for process-oriented, structured (or structured), and stable work environments.

Until last year, she served as regional director for Latin America at GFN, in charge of leading, aligned to the global strategy, the direct and indirect strengthening of 211 member organizations in 17 Latin American countries through the delivery of financial resources that leverage short-, medium- and long-term investments, capacity building and creation/strengthening of partnerships with companies in the region.

She has experience as secretary and board member of the board of directors of corporations and non-profit organizations.

Leader in the women's community on boards of directors in Colombia.

The Value of Data as a Driver to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Martina heads the Secretariat of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, which is convened by UNEP and brings together over 160 state and non-state partners. She has been within the UN system for almost 25 years, in different functions and from different duty stations. She has set up and grown numerous multistakeholder partnerships and initiatives, brings a wealth of experience in Environmental Policy and Programme Management and has expertise across climate, energy, buildings, transport and sustainable urban development fields.

Before joining the UN Environment Programme in 1999, Martina worked on Trade and Environment and Economic Instruments in the Area of Environmental Protection with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the European Commission and the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development.

She is a fully qualified lawyer, specialised in environmental law.

A German native speaker, Martina is fluent in English and French and German and has a good knowledge of Spanish.

Manfredi Caltagirone is the head of the United Nations Environment Programme’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO). He leads UNEP's work on methane emissions in the energy sector.

Prior to that, he was engaged in the establishment and operations of the Climate Technology Centre and Network under the UNFCCC. Manfredi also worked as policy advisor on climate technologies at the Italian Ministry for the Environment. He has been a Research Fellow at the United Nations Foundation and at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard.

Manfredi holds a J.D. from the II University of Rome, and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Pamela Franklin has 20 years of experience at the US EPA leading voluntary partnerships that collaborate with industry stakeholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, from several sectors, including oil & gas systems. She leads a team that works with the private sector and international partners to mitigate methane emissions through successful programs that have achieved cost savings, developed accessible tools & resources, and shared best practices. She also coordinates EPA’s technical assistance and outreach efforts under the Inflation Reduction Act Methane Emissions Reduction Program.

Internationally, Dr. Franklin directs EPA’s collaboration on methane mitigation activities under the auspices of the Global Methane Initiative (GMI), in support of the ambitious commitments of the Global Methane Pledge. She has led collaborations with the Climate & Clean Air Coalition for Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Groups of Experts, and the World Bank.

Prior to joining EPA, Dr. Franklin served as a Congressional Science Fellow through the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University, a master’s degree in civil & environmental engineering from Stanford University, and a PhD in Energy & Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.

Catalyzing Finance to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Mena is the CEO of the Global Methane Hub and the former Environment Minister for Chile under the Michelle Bachelet government (2014 to 2018). As minister, he spearheaded multiple international environmental initiatives including helping craft a landmark agreement to phase out coal power generation, South America’s first carbon taxes for power generation and new car sales, creating 45,000 square kilometers of national parks, and protecting 1.3 million square kilometers of ocean. Previously, he was Practice Manager at the World Bank, where he led the team that created the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action. Mena is a biochemical engineer who holds MS and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Engineering from The University of Iowa, focusing his research on estimating the externalities of biofuels, power generation, transportation, and residential heating. He used his research to advocate for renewable energy and push for more stringent regulations to stop dirty coal power generation in Chile. Currently he leads GMH, a major funder collaborative that has deployed over $200M in grants to help mitigate methane in energy, waste, and agriculture. He has received awards from UNEP, National Geographic, Oceans Unite, NASA and the EPA, as well as fellowships from MIT and the Fulbright Commission.

Sergio I. Campos G. is the head of the water and sanitation team at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington D.C.

He is responsible of the drinking water, sanitation, water resources management and solid waste portfolio which accounts to approximately USD 9,000 million in 100 projects in the IDB’s 26 member countries. In addition, he manages the Spanish Water and Sanitation Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (USD 1.1 billion) and the AquaFund, a multi-donor fund for technical cooperation.

He has lead the design and implementation of initiatives and special programs with strategic partners in areas such as behavioral change (Lazos de Agua), green infrastructure (Latin American Water Funds Partnership), recycling (Regional Initiative for Inclusive Recycling), among others.

In addition, he oversees the application of AquaRating, a platform that evaluates the performance of public utilities; and Hydro-BID, a hydrological simulation tool that has mapped water availability in more than 280,000 watersheds across Latin America and the Caribbean.

He is also in charge of the overall WASH knowledge and communications agenda (including publications, blogs, MOOCs, SPOCs, presentations), with an average of 12 technical publications a year.

Prior to joining the Bank, Mr. Campos led the structuring of large water and sanitation infrastructure programs with sovereign guarantee and worked on structuring merger and acquisition projects in transport, energy, water and sanitation and telecommunications, as well as in reengineering projects, business consulting, and microfinance.

Mr. Campos is an economist with Master’s degrees in Finances and Public Policy by the Georgetown University.

Juan Carlos Mendoza is IFAD’s Director for Environment, Climate, Gender, and Social Inclusion where he is responsible for overseeing the implementation of IFAD’s strategy to increase the resilience of rural communities to environmental degradation and climate change impacts and promote more inclusive development pathways that include women, youth and indigenous peoples as agents and beneficiaries of transformational change.

Before joining IFAD, Juan Carlos worked in international development in multiple international organizations and firms. This includes serving as Managing Director of the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention on Desertification, Senior Advisor to the initial management team that made operational the Green Climate Fund, Senior Director responsible for coordinating KPMG’s work with multilateral development banks and international organization. Juan Carlos also spent a decade in the World Bank where, among other roles, he managed the Bank’s portfolio in the Pacific Islands and contributed to the resource mobilization processes for IDA, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, and the Green Environment Facility.

Mr. Mendoza holds a master’s in public policy and a master’s in engineering from, respectively, Georgetown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.

Baysa Naran is a Manager in Climate Policy Initiative’s London office, where she leads the Global Climate Finance Tracking workstream.

Baysa and her team support policy makers and capital allocation decision-makers in assessing the scale of climate finance, identifying the main actors in the market, revealing investment gaps, and understanding opportunities to fulfil climate investment potential. Her work focuses on assessing global climate finance flows on the how, where, and from whom finance is flowing toward low-carbon and climate-resilient actions globally. Baysa led many of CPI’s sectoral and thematic analyses including the first assessment of global methane abatement finance. She is a contributing author to the IPCC 6th AR and UNFCCC Biennial Assessment and Overview of Climate Finance reports.

Prior to CPI, Baysa worked as a fiscal policy consultant at PwC, where she advised governments on fiscal and tax policy issues in developing and developed countries. She also has extensive experience working with multinational companies and provided corporate compliance, restructuring and advisory services in energy, mining, infrastructure and financial services industries. Baysa holds an MBA from the University of Cambridge, with a focus on energy and environment.

Andrea Thurner is a Carbon Procurement Director at the Foundation for Climate Protection and Carbon Offset (KliK) in Switzerland. In this role she is responsible for the sourcing of high-quality carbon offsets under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement for LATAM and Africa. This includes the program development for all sorts of Mitigation Activities including Methane destruction. Andrea has a background in financial planning and has led private equity investments in diverse environmental technology fields. Prior to moving to Switzerland, she has worked in Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, and Germany. Andrea holds a MSc degree in Environmental Management from the University in Nottingham and a BSc in International Business from Universidad de Comillas Madrid and ESB, Reutlingen Germany.

Succeeding Locally to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Henrique is an energy market specialist with 20 years of experience in the energy sectors of nine different countries in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. As co-founder of Interface Advocacy Ambiental, he has worked with policy-making and environmental advocacy to promote a just energy transition mindful of social-environmental safeguards in Brazil. More recently, he joined the Climate Champions Team to mitigate methane emissions from fossil fuels.

Henrique joins the Global Methane Hub as the Regional Lead, Latin America. Previously, he was the government relations director and then country manager of a British government relations and strategic communications consultancy specialized in Emerging Markets, where he worked closely with Brazil’s Environmental Agency, Federal Ministries, National Congress, state governors and mayors to promote renewable power generation and transmission projects, the digital economy, data protection, human rights, and climate resilience.

He has a MA in International Economic Relations at FLACSO (Argentina) and Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), where he researched Argentina’s public policies to attract private investments to the development of its energy sectors. He holds a BA in International Relations at the University of Brasilia.

Bobbie Foot is a globally recognized leader in Health, Safety, and Environment innovation within the resources sector. With a career spanning two decades she brings a wealth of experience in leveraging data, science, technology, and leadership development. Bobbie is currently the Head of Capability and Learning at BHP’s Operating System Centre of Excellence where she is focused on developing human capability to drive improvement in sustainability, culture, and productivity. She also chairs the Just Transitions Taskforce within the UNECE Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition, and serves as a Director on the University of Queensland Sustainable Minerals Institute Advisory Board. Bobbie's unwavering commitment to sustainability in the resources sector earned her recognition as one of the International Top 100 Women in Mining in 2020.

Jinsun Roh manages the Industry Team at Solutions for Our Climate, overseeing methane, shipping, and steel programs. Jinsun comes with over 10 years of experience in the energy sector. Her work experience includes market research, project management and international cooperation in the oil and gas segment. She worked with governments, national energy corporations, private companies, and research institutes. She holds a PhD in Economics, having conducted research on energy policies and markets. Currently, she focuses on creating a deeper insight into methane emissions and the possibilities to lower such emissions through innovations and energy policies.

Possessing a passion for the science-technology-policy interface, Ben has experience across sustainability and the energy transition, including clean energy project development, just transition policy, and multilateral climate negotiations. He serves on the Global Coordination Team for YOUNGO, the UNFCCC's Youth Constituency, and on the Advisory Boards of the Global Youth Climate Action Fund and for the American Geophysical Union’s Ethical Framework for Climate Intervention Research. He previously served as YOUNGO’s COP27 and COP28 Energy Contact Point, as well as a lead coordinator for the COP28 Dubai Youth Climate Dialogue.

In his day job, Ben works as a Sustainability Consultant in London, helping to scale clean tech businesses and assisting governments in energy transition planning. He previously graduated with an MSc in Energy Systems at the University of Oxford, where he worked with the Argentinian Mission to the UK on net-zero planning, and a BSc in Earth Science from Imperial College London, where he was awarded the Governors’ Prize.

Dr. Goran Vujić is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Serbia, focusing on Circular Economy, Waste Management, Sustainable Development, and Organic Waste Treatments. With expertise in Solid Waste Management and Environmental Planning and Designing, Dr. Vujić educates students in these vital areas. He has made significant contributions to academia, with over 80 scientific papers published in international and national journals and conferences. Dr. Vujic's involvement in various international and national projects, including those funded by TEMPUS, IPA, ERASMUS+, INTERREG, and governmental bodies, highlights his dedication to advancing knowledge in his field. Additionally, Dr. Vujić has been actively engaged in over 40 national and international waste management projects, providing consultancy services to organizations such as GIZ, GMI, CCAC and US EPA. His extensive experience positions him as a respected expert in sustainable waste management and environmental studies.

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Implementing Biogas Policies in Germany and the Outlook for the European Union (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Anja Schwetje is a Senior Scientific Officer of the German Environment Agency (UBA) in the Section III 2.4 ‘Waste Technology, Waste Technology Transfer’, and since 2014 responsible for topics on waste with a nexus to climate change and methane. She is Co-Lead of the Waste Hub of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), Vice-Chair of the Working Group on Climate Change and Waste Management of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), Co-Chair of the Working Group on Organic Waste of the PREVENT Waste Alliance and an active member in the Global Methane Initiative (GMI) and the German RETech Partnership. By profession a process engineer, she has more than 30 years of international experience in waste management and circular economy.

Dr. Patrick Büker is a planning officer in the sectoral department of the GIZ Germany. He has been working in the field of environmental protection and climate change mitigation for more than 25 years. His specific interests and areas of expertise include air quality management, environmental impact assessments, mitigation of greenhouse gases – including short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) – and Just Transition concepts. He has worked extensively on these topics in developing countries and emerging economies. Currently, he is co-organising GIZ’s air pollution and SLCP portfolio, the latter with a strong focus on methane mitigation in the waste, agriculture and fossil fuel sectors. Before joining the GIZ in 2018, he worked for 15 years as a senior researcher for the Stockholm Environment Institute at its office at the University of York.

Marc Reinhard is working as an international affairs consultant at the German Biogas Association. His main tasks are international project management, biogas consultancy, biogas knowledge transfer and biogas trainings.

He has more than 15 years of experience as a consultant for international cooperation and capacity development in the fields of environmental and climate protection, circular economy, renewable energies (biogas), green tech and green skills for the German agency for sustainable development and international cooperation (GIZ) in Latin America.

He holds a degree in business economics from the University of Applied Sciences for Economy and Environment in Nürtingen, Germany and specialized in environmental management, environmental policy, environmental technologies and intercultural communication.

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
The Importance of Data Collection and Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) to Financing Projects in the Biogas Sector (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Tom Frankiewicz is Subject Matter Expert for Waste Sector Methane in the Climate-Aligned Industries Program at RMI. He leads RMI’s work on methane emissions mitigation in waste management including its flagship WasteMAP platform.

Background

Before joining RMI, Tom worked for more than 16 years in the Climate Change Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He led the Agency’s work on waste management and climate change, spearheading technical cooperation with national and municipal governments around the world to mitigate super-pollutants like methane and black carbon from solid municipal waste, wastewater, and agricultural waste.

In addition to coordinating work with climate partnerships such as the Climate & Clean Air Coalition and the Global Methane Initiative, Tom’s work took him to China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Serbia, among other countries, where he designed and launched waste management initiatives to reduce methane emissions.

In 2017, he served as Embassy Science Fellow at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where he advised U.S. diplomats on climate, waste and air pollution issues, and launched a project with the Chinese government to incorporate waste and wastewater best practices into their low carbon cities program.

Tom is a member of the Advisory Board of the Solid Waste Institute for Sustainability, and author of numerous publications on landfill gas use and mitigation. He was a contributor to the International Energy Agency’s 2020 World Energy Outlook on biogas and biomethane.

Education

Tom holds an MBA from George Washington University School of Business, with a concentration in environmental and strategic management. He graduated from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington, with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Management.

Dr. Nupur Bahadur is Senior Fellow & Associate Director, NMCG-TERI CoE on Water Reuse, Environment and Waste Management Division, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi. She obtained Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2005 from Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee and her 23 years of work experience involves R&D, Innovation, IP, Technology Development & Demonstration, Teaching, Policy, Advocacy, Capacity Building & Consultancy. Her areas of expertise involve Nanotechnology, Material Science, Advanced Oxidation Photocatalysis (AOP) for Wastewater Treatment, ZLD & Water Reuse, Solar Disinfection, Circular Economy, Decarbonization, Micropollutants, Microplastics, GHG emission & mitigation in wastewater sector.

She is Vice-Chairman, IWA-India; Member, Consultative Group of Experts Committee of CPCB, MoEFCC, GoI for the preparation of BREF/COINDS Document for Textile Sector in India; Member of FICCI Water Mission Committee and Working Groups on Reuse, Recycle and Recovery, Corporate Water Stewardship and Water & Agriculture, IWA Project Innovation Awards Jury 2021 and Programme Committee of Singapore International Water Week (2019-2022). Team Lead, World Bank Consultancy Project for BWSSB in wastewater management; Adjunct Faculty, TERI School of Advanced Studies.

She is the Inventor of TERI's TADOX® Technology to treat Municipal & Industrial Wastewater, has six Patents filed and a registered TM to her credit, 25 SCI Journal publications have avg. Impact Factor of 8.337 and 1158 citations in Google Scholar. One of her publications in Materials Today [I.F. 24.2] was cited as a ‘discovery’ in the News (12.04.2012) This week’s top stories (16.04.2012) and Top 5 Material Science News of 2012 (21.04.2012) at www.materialstoday.com/news/achieves Extraordinary Outcomes of DST-WTI Project, through which TADOX® Technology was developed were published on DST website & announced by the Ministry of Science & Technology, GoI: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1748888

She received following Awards: (1) Design & Manufacturing Technologies for ‘Make in India’ (IISF-2015) by Ministry of Science & Technology, GoI (2) VIWA-2018 Outstanding Women in Science (Chemistry) by Venus International Foundation, Chennai (3) Aqua Foundation Excellence Awards 2019 for Development of Technology (4) STE Water Award 2019 for Technological Innovation in Wastewater Treatment (5) STE Meritorious Award 2020 (6) TERI Roll of Honour 2021 (7) FICCI Water Award 2022 for Innovation in Water Technology (8) 2023-Featured amongst 10 Indian Water Sheroes by the O/o PSA to GoI, Red Dot Foundation and UN Women (9) 2023-Indian Women Scientist Association, Member Achievement Award.

Tia is a research scientist and the Waste Sector Lead for Carbon Mapper, a non-profit organization that is working to map and quantify large methane and carbon dioxide emissions sources globally. Carbon Mapper uses a combination of satellite and aircraft observations to estimate emissions from large emission sources and makes this information publicly available via Carbon Mapper’s data portal.

Tia’s background is in methane emissions inventory development and the use of satellite observations to inform nationally reported methane inventories. Her work in the oil and gas sector includes the creation of the Global Fuel Exploitation Inventory (GFEI). At Carbon Mapper, Tia’s research looks to combine process-level information on methane emission sources in the waste sector with remote sensing observations to better understand emissions and inform mitigation efforts.

Prof. Tjandra Setiadi is currently a full professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Bandung, Indonesia. He was the Director of the Centre for Environmental Studies (PSLH), from 2007 – 2021, and the Centre for Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Indonesia (CRECPI) form 2014 – 2018. His main research is in the application of bioprocess engineering in treating various industrial wastewater, biopolymer production, lignocellulosic enzyme, and bio-based products. He is a fellow of Faculty of Engineering (2019), University of Tokyo. He has engaged with various national, regional, and international collaborations and assignments. He is registered as a professional engineer in Indonesia and ASEAN.

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Regional Biogas Methane Action Showcase: India (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Klara Zimmerman is a program manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where she supports the Global Methane Initiative (GMI), working on climate change mitigation through reduction of methane emissions from the waste sector. Previously, she was a Fellow in the EPA Office of Water, supporting climate resilience initiatives for water utilities and an Analyst at Abt Associates, managing chemical sustainability programs as a contractor to EPA. Klara holds a Master of Environmental Management from Yale School of the Environment and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Brown University.

Tom Frankiewicz is Subject Matter Expert for Waste Sector Methane in the Climate-Aligned Industries Program at RMI. He leads RMI’s work on methane emissions mitigation in waste management including its flagship WasteMAP platform.

Background

Before joining RMI, Tom worked for more than 16 years in the Climate Change Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He led the Agency’s work on waste management and climate change, spearheading technical cooperation with national and municipal governments around the world to mitigate super-pollutants like methane and black carbon from solid municipal waste, wastewater, and agricultural waste.

In addition to coordinating work with climate partnerships such as the Climate & Clean Air Coalition and the Global Methane Initiative, Tom’s work took him to China, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Serbia, among other countries, where he designed and launched waste management initiatives to reduce methane emissions.

In 2017, he served as Embassy Science Fellow at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, where he advised U.S. diplomats on climate, waste and air pollution issues, and launched a project with the Chinese government to incorporate waste and wastewater best practices into their low carbon cities program.

Tom is a member of the Advisory Board of the Solid Waste Institute for Sustainability, and author of numerous publications on landfill gas use and mitigation. He was a contributor to the International Energy Agency’s 2020 World Energy Outlook on biogas and biomethane.

Education

Tom holds an MBA from George Washington University School of Business, with a concentration in environmental and strategic management. He graduated from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington, with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Management.

A practising lawyer for 10 years, Charlotte Morton studied for her MBA at London Business School before setting up a car club business. Asked to establish the business side of the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) in 2009, she saw the potential of an industry that can deliver huge potential and value to the UK. Given the even bigger global potential, which must be achieved if the Paris Climate Change targets and UN Sustainable Development Goals are to be met, Charlotte played a pivotal role in establishing the World Biogas Association (WBA) in 2016 to promote and increase the rate of uptake of biogas globally. Charlotte was awarded an OBE in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to the biogas industry.

Aditi is the Technical Director at the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) where she manages international projects and partnerships with the UN, provides assistance to ISWA’s Working Groups and helps develop innovative projects globally to further strengthen cooperation with ISWA’s partners and international organizations. Her skills are particularly focused on solid waste management and environmental issues. Aditi holds a master’s in Environmental Technology and International Affairs from the Vienna University of Technology. She has several years of experience in the private sector including at Caterpillar Inc. before joining the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in the Climate Policy and Networks unit. Aditi is also passionate about science education and was the founding member and lead of the ISWA Young Professionals Group (YPG) initiative on Education and is the past Chair of the ISWA YPG. In 2016 she helped launch the regional ISWA YPG in India.

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Environmental Justice Considerations for the Implementation of Methane Reduction Projects (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Mariel Vilella is currently leading the development and implementation of the GAIA’s Global Climate Program, which includes GAIA’s global campaigns and strategies around climate change, with focus on methane and organics management, zero waste solutions to climate change, carbon markets or other international sources of climate finance, engaging in policy advocacy at the UNFCCC and other key international climate policy spaces in collaboration with the wide GAIA network and regional offices.

Previously, she has also held senior global leadership roles such as driving the global work of Zero Waste Europe as Director of Global Strategy. During 2014-2019, she was the Managing Director of Zero Waste Europe, during its foundation and early development. Before 2014 she was the lead climate policy advisor for GAIA. She has extensive experience in research, publication development and project management.

Mariel has a BA in Sociology from the University of Barcelona, an MA in Discourse Analysis and Argumentation from the University of Amsterdam, and an MA in Social Communication Studies from the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona.

Dr Dominic Hogg has been a campaigner, researcher and consultant involved in environmental issues for more than 30 years. As Chairperson of Eunomia, which he founded in 2001, he helped shape waste management policy and practice in the UK and the EU, being regularly voted by his peers as one of the most influential players in the UK.

His professional experience covers (amongst other things): detailed reviews of standards for the outputs of biowaste treatment plants; optimising collection and treatment systems for high capture of food waste; revising the UK’s model on landfill GHG emissions; modelling GHG emissions from policy scenarios for municipal waste in the EU; numerous cost benefit analyses in relation to waste; and developing marginal abatement cost curves for waste for the UK Climate Change Committee. Recently, he has investigated the potential for GHG mitigation from ways of dealing with waste ‘leftover’ after implementation of separate collection systems for recycling. The role of sorting facilities in enabling ‘a second go’ at extracting materials for recycling, in conjunction with biological treatment prior to landfilling, has considerable relevance. His talk will address the applicability of such systems for reducing methane emissions, globally, from the waste sector.

Ana is an environmentalist who serves as an amplifier of voices from the Global South to global engagements. She is Brazilian and has been permanently living in Tanzania since 2010. Ana became an activist as a child during Rio1992, “the Earth Summit”, and built over 30 years of local, national, regional, and global advocacy. She is a Zero Waste implementer and plastic advocate with over 15 years of service in grassroots organizations aiming to create positive systemic change in the waste sector and build the foundation for a socially-just and climate-resilient world."

Ana is GAIA’s Director of Global Plastics Program, providing leadership and strategic vision to GAIA’s international plastic policy work.

David Sutasurya is the founder of Yaksa Pelestari Bumi Berkelanjutan (YPBB), an Indonesian non-profit organization that is committed to advocating for change in the waste management sector through a zero waste system. In 2001 David was awarded the Ashoka Fellows because of his dedication to building a movement for long-term change in community attitudes and behavior to encourage environmental conservation.

David was also part of the Regional Advisory Committee of the Global Alliance For Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) in 2018-2019 and is currently on the Steering Committee of the Indonesian Zero Waste Alliance or AZWI. In developing policies in Indonesia, David often serves as an advisor and expert for waste management studies, also master plans and its supporting regulations.

During 2023, David led the Bandung Zero Waste Forum to encourage the West Java provincial government to prohibit organic waste from entering the Sarimukti landfill to overcome the waste crisis after the burning of nearly 20 hectares of the landfill, until finally the government issued a Governor's Instruction where only residual waste was allowed to enter the Sarimukti landfill per January 1st, 2024. This policy is the first in Indonesia, even in Southeast Asia.

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Updates on Capabilities to Mitigate Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) (20 March)

Felicia Ruiz is the Director of International Methane Partnerships for Clean Air Task Force’s (CATF) Methane Pollution Prevention Program, working to advance the organization’s methane-focused partnerships and engagements in oil and gas, coal, waste, and agriculture.

Felicia has more than twenty years of experience managing energy and sustainable development programs in over thirty countries. Prior to joining CATF, Felicia spent more than a decade at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, leading global efforts to reduce methane emissions in the coal mining sector, including co-chairing the Coal Subcommittee of the Global Methane Initiative, and continues to serve on the Bureau of the UNECE Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition. Most recently she was a Senior Manager at the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) managing research and development activities and cross-cutting research opportunities for its market and grid strategy team.

Mr Drouin is President of Biothermica, a company he founded in 1987. The company is dedicated to the development, financing, construction and operation of climate mitigation infrastructure projects based on coal mine methane and landfill gas valorization for carbon credits and energy sales.

Over the last 30 years, Mr. Drouin financed, built, owned and operated the largest landfill gas power plant (25 MW) in Canada and a second similar project in El Salvador, registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of Kyoto Protocol selling carbon credits to Luxembourg. In 2009, he financed and installed at an Alabama underground coal mine the first ventilation air methane (VAM) abatement project in North America based on its VAMOX® RTO proprietary technology followed by the sales of the carbon credits on the Quebec-California capand-trade market. In 2022, he installed and successfully commissioned a second large scale VAMOX® RTO (150 000 acfm) system in Virginia followed by a third 180 000 acfm unit which began operation in 2024.

Mr Drouin holds an engineering degree from the Polytechnic School of Montreal and a Master's degree in Business Administration from McGill University.

Since 1992, Mr. Richard Grzanka (BSME, MBA) has been involved in the technical sales, application engineering and product development of air pollution control equipment for various industrial applications. Before joining Anguil in 2001 as the Vice President of Business Development, he was the Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for Reeco/Research-Cottrell and the Regional Vice President for Smith Engineering.

He has authored numerous technical articles and white papers. In addition, Mr. Grzanka has served as a member of several industry associations and presented numerous times on various air pollution control topics. His current responsibilities include business development activities for the company’s products in the Eastern United States and International markets while managing the company’s efforts in several target industries.

Anguil Environmental has over 45 years of experience supplying air pollution control equipment for VOC, HAP, Odor and Particulate emission abatement, this includes; direct-fired, catalytic, recuperative and regenerative thermal oxidizers, Cyclones, concentrator systems, acid-gas scrubbers and other air filtration systems.

Dr. Jacek Skiba is a head research and technology expert with Central Mining Institute – National Research Institute (GIG-PIB in Polish) in Katowice (Poland) in Mining Aerology Department. He conducts research related to CMM, VAM, CO2 sequestration (ECBM) and AMM emissions and resources but also to Hydro-Borehole Mining technology pilot tests. He has published and presented extensively in these topics.

Prior to joining GIG-PIB in 2003, Dr. Skiba worked in the Polish coal mining sector for 10 years, starting at one of Poland's gassiest coal mine “Brzeszcze”, where he gained his first professional experience in CMM and CBM, and then at coal concern NSW SA, where he managed methane projects and was involved in the World Bank's restructuring process for the Polish mining sector.

Since 2004, he has been a member of the Bureau and vice chairman of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's (UNECE) Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and a Just Transition, and Poland's delegate to the Coal Mines Subcommittee of the Global Methane Initiative (GMI), he was founder of the first ICE CMM.

He is Secretary General of the International Organizing Committee of the World Mining Congress, Technical expert and evaluator for the European Commission, Head of several ongoing R&D and pilot projects. He earned a MBA from Teesside University (UK), and completed postgraduate studies in international affairs management in Paris. He is a licensed technical translator of English and French. He is married and has two grown sons. He practices several sports, including skiing and windsurfing.

Carsten Walddörfer (*1979 in Stuttgart, Germany) took over in 2018 the European lead of product management as well as research and development for the Clean Technology Systems division within Dürr Systems AG. He has the global product responsibility for regenerative thermal oxidizers within the Dürr group. Before that he worked as a Sales Manager and Project Manager within the field of exhaust air purification, special waste incineration and for the disposal of chemical weapons as well as conventional ammunition for Dürr Systems AG, AWS Group AG and Eisenmann Anlagenbau GmbH with a professional green tech business experience in total of 20 years. The process engineer is active in the United Nations Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition (UNECE), is a member of the UN Task Force on Methane Emissions Reduction and is a lecturer at SRH University Heidelberg in the Climate Change Management course.

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Data Needs for Project Development, Carbon Markets, and Policy (20 March)

Alicja KRZEMIEŃ is a professor of environmental engineering, mining and energy at the Central Mining Institute – National Research Institute (GIG-PIB), Katowice, Poland

A specialist in risk assessment and Occupational Health and Safety in mines, working at the Department of Extraction Technologies, Rockburst and Risk Assessment at GIG-PIB. She chairs the EURACOAL’s Technical Research Committee and is a member of the European Commission’s advisory group for coal (CAG). She also chairs the task force on safe operations and closure of coal mines within the UNECE Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition. A lecturer in Risk Management at the University of Oviedo (Spain), has also participated in 12 European funded project, both as a member team and as a coordinator. She is involved in the development of methane mitigation projects supporting the underground coal mining sector in reducing methane emissions, as well as projects related to the transition of coal mines to green energy production.

Brent Bobsein is the Vice President of Sustainable Development at CNX Resources, the operator of the largest CMM capture for beneficial use project in the United States. In his role, he is responsible for developing and commercializing emerging technology, expanding CMM capture and providing low carbon energy solutions. He was the commercial and technical lead on CNX’s announced partnership with Newlight Technologies, participation in the US DOE’s Hydrogen hub, and generation of Pennsylvania Tier 1 Alternative energy credits. He and CNX are continuing to pursue new pathways to provide the necessary economic support required for CMM capture investments and project development. Mr. Bobsein graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Case Western Reserve University.

Before joining GHGSat, Jean-Francois Gauthier accumulated over 15 years of experience in the commercial space industry in various capacities at COM DEV including design and test, project management, engineering management, and sales and marketing. In October 2016, he joined GHGSat to help commercialize the products and services from their breakthrough satellites around the world and build the sales and marketing organization. He is now responsible for guiding the strategy of the company and leads corporate development activities.

Dr. Kirti Ramesh is the Director of Carbon Ratings at BeZero Carbon where her team evaluate the climate integrity of carbon projects globally. Prior to BeZero, Kirti's research focussed on the effects of climate change and environmental pollution in various systems. Kirti was a member to the ICVCM Categories Working Group for CCPs and an expert reviewer for IPCC Special Reports.

Michal Hetmanski. CEO & Co-founder of Instrat. Expert in areas of public policy, energy & climate policy, power market modelling, energy and coal mining sectors, and open data. Co-author of research and strategic documents on just transition in coal regions, data governance, public finance and taxation systems. Since 2022, Visiting Senior Fellow at Grantham Research Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Transforming Energy Sector Infrastructure (20 March)

Bobbie Foot is a globally recognized leader in Health, Safety, and Environment innovation within the resources sector. With a career spanning two decades she brings a wealth of experience in leveraging data, science, technology, and leadership development. Bobbie is currently the Head of Capability and Learning at BHP’s Operating System Centre of Excellence where she is focused on developing human capability to drive improvement in sustainability, culture, and productivity. She also chairs the Just Transitions Taskforce within the UNECE Group of Experts on Coal Mine Methane and Just Transition, and serves as a Director on the University of Queensland Sustainable Minerals Institute Advisory Board. Bobbie's unwavering commitment to sustainability in the resources sector earned her recognition as one of the International Top 100 Women in Mining in 2020.

Dr. Ryna Cui is Research Director, Associate Research Professor at the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS), University of Maryland School of Public Policy. Dr. Cui is an expert in global coal phaseout, integrated assessment modeling, national ambition assessment, and U.S.-China climate engagement. In her role as the research director, Dr. Cui oversees and manages the research portfolio and research team at CGS. She also directs CGS’s China program, managing the program’s research portfolio, collaboration, and engagement. Dr. Cui also holds a joint appointment at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a collaboration between the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland.

Pallavi is a Programme Lead working with the Low-Carbon Economy Team at The Council. She works with the Global Change Analysis (GCAM) model for long-term decarbonisation of India and its various states, as well as shape their energy and climate policy. She closely follows international climate change negotiations and has been working on the Global Stocktake (GST).

Before joining CEEW, she was a research associate at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and has worked on a number of projects related to energy, climate change and sustainable development. Her primary research explored the cost of emission mitigation to meet the INDC targets for the ASEAN + 2 countries.

Pallavi has completed her Masters degree in Energy from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok and her Bachelors degree from Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education (SAICE) in Puducherry.

Yihan Hao is a principal leading RMI’s Methane Mitigation Initiative and Rural Climate Equity Initiative in China, developing and managing research and collaboration projects focused on enabling the rapid evolution of solutions on energy sector methane control, rural energy transition, and agriculture sustainable development. Yihan Hao has interdisciplinary experience in a wide range of critical topics related to energy transition including corporate green power procurement, buildings electrification and transition finance, with in-depth understanding of the institutional framework and investment environment for sustainable development in China.

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
Governments as Vital Drivers to Mobilize Methane Action in the Oil & Gas Sector (20 March)

Faisal works as a senior specialist in the Sustainability and Climate Change Deputyship at the Ministry of Energy in Saudi Arabia. He is also a part time energy efficiency consultant with the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC).

His work in the International Climate Initiatives Department in the Ministry involves representing the Kingdom in several international initiatives such as Mission Innovation, the Clean Energy Ministerial and the Global Methane Initiative.

In these multilateral international initiatives, he leads workstreams related to Carbon Dioxide Removal, Clean Hydrogen and methane abatement in the oil and gas sector. He is also involved in the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) as the head of the Circular Carbon Economy Regional Collaboration Initiative.

Alessia Clocchiatti joined the European Commission in 2014 and is currently leading the team on Methane International and Fossil Fuel Phase Out in the Directorate General of Energy. She is responsible for the overall coordination of the Global Methane Pledge initiative as well as of the development and implementation of policies to reduce methane emissions globally through bilateral and multilateral collaboration. Alessia is also coordinating the work on the transition away from fossil fuel, ensuring synergies between internal and external EU energy policy. Previously, Alessia worked as US and Canada desk in the international relations unit and coordinated the EU energy policy input to the Clean Energy Ministerial and the Mission Innovation. Before this, she used to coordinate the Strategic Energy Technology Plan and the relation with EU Member States on clean energy R&I. Before joining DG ENERGY, Alessia worked in the Directorate General on Maritime Affairs, dealing with Innovation, Marine Knowledge and Investment. Alessia holds a Master Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy and a Post-Graduate Master in Interdisciplinary European Studies from the College of Europe.

An Assistant Director at the Climate Investments Directorate of Nigeria’s National Council on Climate Change. Also the CCAC Focal Point for Nigeria and Nigeria’s Focal Point for the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance. She led the Mitigation Division of the Department of Climate Change of the Federal Ministry of Environment before her redeployment to the National Council on Climate Change. She was a member of the UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board from 2020 - 2023. She participated at the development of the National Action Plan to reduce ShortLived Climate Pollutants in Nigeria and the inclusion of SLCP into Nigeria’s revised NDC. Ms. Jibril has about 15 years working experience in the area of climate science and policy as well as climate negotiations under the UNFCCC.

Justin Pryor is a program analyst at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where he supports the Global Methane Initiative (GMI) as a U.S. delegate to the Oil and Gas Subcommittee. He also works on climate change mitigation through the reduction of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector through domestic programs, such as the Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge Program and the new Methane Emissions Reductions Program. Justin has more than 15 years of combined experience with the U.S. EPA, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of the Army, and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (U.S. Department of Transportation) in environmental clean-up response, local air quality management, and climate change policymaking. Justin holds a master’s degree in Environmental Resource Policy from The George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of New Hampshire.

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
The Role of Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) in Addressing Methane Emissions (20 March)

Tom Curry is the Director of the Policy and Analysis Division within the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s Office of Resource Sustainability. Tom leads the development of technical, economic, and policy analyses to support the office’s research and development, engagement, and natural gas regulatory work. Tom has more than 20 years of experience applying strategic and technical expertise to energy and environmental issues. He has managed the development of methane emissions intensity protocols for companies that operate in the natural gas supply chain and has extensive experience working with companies, investors, and trade associations on greenhouse gas emission inventories. Before joining the Department of Energy, Tom was a partner and the North America Climate Advisory Policy Lead at ERM. Tom holds a Master of Science degree from the Technology and Policy Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a double major in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University.

Prof. Matthew Johnson is a professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada where he heads the internationally renowned Energy & Emissions Research Laboratory (EERL). A two-time winner of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s (NSERC) prestigious accelerator award, Prof. Johnson has worked extensively to translate peer-reviewed research results into practice. His EERL combines advanced experimentation, simulation, and statistical analysis in both large-scale controlled lab experiments and field work and employs a suite of advanced optical diagnostics, analytic tools, and experimental capabilities this is unparalleled in Canada. As of 2023, EERL has successfully completed field measurement studies on four continents with research contributions that include large-scale aerial methane surveys, comprehensive protocols for creating measurement-based inventories, novel “VentX” technology for quantifying unsteady methane flows, “sky-LOSA” technology for measuring black carbon emissions from flares, techno-economic analysis of methane mitigation potential, and quantitative analysis of regulatory equivalency. His work is cited in Canada’s National Inventory Report, incorporated in provincial and federal standards and regulations, and regularly cited in international methane and black carbon mitigation efforts.

Zheng Xinquan was born in March 1965 and obtained his Master's degree in Drilling Engineering from China University of Petroleum in 1989 and his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering from the same university in 2010, holding the title of Professor-level Senior Engineer. He has long been responsible for technical management work in China National Petroleum Corporation, including well testing, drilling, oil and gas production processes, and safety and environmental protection.

He organized the large-scale promotion of horizontal wells in China National Petroleum Corporation, which led to advancements in horizontal well fracturing technology and achieved notable results in improving development effectiveness and controlling the increase of well numbers. He also organized the implementation of exploratory high-risk well drilling and tackled complex deep well drilling technology challenges, which enhanced the technical level of deep well drilling. Furthermore, Zheng was instrumental in drafting the "Integrity Guidelines for High Temperature, High Pressure, and High Sulfur Wells," and established a graded management method for annulus pressure anomalies, effectively controlling issues related to annular pressure anomalies.

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
The Role of Technologies in Improving Measurements and Enhancing Inventories to Enable Faster Action (20 March)

Manfredi Caltagirone is the head of the United Nations Environment Programme’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO). He leads UNEP's work on methane emissions in the energy sector.

Prior to that, he was engaged in the establishment and operations of the Climate Technology Centre and Network under the UNFCCC. Manfredi also worked as policy advisor on climate technologies at the Italian Ministry for the Environment. He has been a Research Fellow at the United Nations Foundation and at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard.

Manfredi holds a J.D. from the II University of Rome, and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Anwar is an energy and environmental economist with an engineering background and over a decade of research and advisory experience around the areas of energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, energy price reform, and carbon pricing. He currently leads multiple cross-functional teams on key projects tackling these areas, with a proven track record of publishing high-impact papers, providing consulting services to policymakers, and building the capabilities of talent within the organization. Anwar’s research has been published in leading energy and environmental journals and has been picked up by leading news media. Anwar also has experience transforming organizations, having been a member of task forces responsible for refreshing organizational strategy and building human capital. Anwar holds an M.Sc. from KAUST in Electrical Engineering and a B.Eng. from the University of Liverpool in Electronics and Communication Engineering.

Fiji George is the Senior Director for Climate & Sustainability at Cheniere Energy Inc. and has more than 29 years of management and technical experience covering corporate climate and sustainability strategies across natural gas value chain- exploration/production, gas processing, transmission & storage, and liquified natural gas (LNG).

Mr. George served on multiple National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) and National Petroleum Council (NPC) study committees. He is a co-author on multiple peer-reviewed scientific papers, design of novel research collaborations such as Energy Emissions & Modeling Data Lab (EEMDL), and the architect of the ONE Future Coalition voluntary methane program design. He serves as an External Advisory Board Member to Rice University’s Professional Science Master’s program, and as a member of the University of Texas at Austin’s Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering External Advisory Committee. Prior to Cheniere, held technical and management corporate positions at various Oil & Gas firms. He holds a master’s in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from Texas A&M University and a bachelor’s in Mining Engineering from Anna University, India.

Antoine Halff is chief analyst and cofounder of Kayrros, a global environmental intelligence and digital MRV firm that uses AI, satellites and other tools to generate timely, independent and verifiable measurements and insights needed to achieve our climate goals. Kayrros Methane Watch is the first global methane monitoring platform that tracks super-emitters worldwide in near realtime and attributes them to their sources. Kayrros is a key data provider of the International Methane Emission Observatory. It was recognized by the Financial Times as a “Tech Champion” and by Time as one of the “100 Most Influential Companies” and included in Fortune’s list of companies that “Change the World.”

Earlier, Halff served as chief oil analyst at the International Energy Agency; Lead Industry Economist at the U.S. Energy Information Administration; deputy head of research at Newedge; director of Global Energy at Eurasia Group; and New York bureau chief of the Energy Intelligence Group.

He is adjunct senior research scholar at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy and a board member of the New York Energy Forum. His book, Energy Poverty: Global Challenge and Local Solutions, co-edited with Jon Rozhon and Benjamin Sovacool, was published by Oxford University Press in 2014.

As the Senior Director for EU Energy Transition at Environmental Defense Fund Europe, Flavia Sollazzo shapes EDF Europe’s engagement to secure full energy transition and associated emission reductions both at EU and Member State level. In this context, she leads on the methane campaign and works on growing the Environmental Defense Fund Europe’s work on other energy transition opportunities, such as the EU hydrogen agenda.

Flavia’s expertise spans across the European and international energy and climate agenda. Prior to joining EDFE, she worked at Italy’s permanent representation to the EU, the Italian Environment Ministry and has served as Chief of Staff in the European Parliament. She has conducted negotiations at EU and UN levels and managed partnerships in China, and in countries across Africa and the Middle East to mitigate and adapt to challenges caused by climate change.

Oil & Gas Join Technical Session:
Resources for Government Ministries to Support Development of Effective Methane Policy and Regulation (20 March)

Lorena is the Director for Climate in Ipieca. Her responsibilities involve advancing operational emissions reduction, driving decarbonization across oil and gas value chains, and enhancing reporting and operational performance within the Ipieca membership and beyond them. She joined Ipieca in 2016 and prior to that, Lorena has been working as sustainability analyst oriented toward minimizing the impact of businesses on water quantity and quality, air quality and waste from operations; environmental auditor; and health, safety and environmental technician. She holds a BSc Hons degree in Environmental Science from the University of Leon, Spain, and MSc in Global Environmental Change from King's College London.

K.C. Michaels is a lawyer in the International Energy Agency’s Office of Legal Counsel. In this role, K.C. is responsible for workstreams involving policy and regulatory analysis on fossil fuel methane emissions and critical minerals. K.C. is a lead author on “Driving Down Methane Leaks from the Oil and Gas Industry: A Regulatory Roadmap and Toolkit” and the Critical Minerals Policy Tracker. K.C. is also a key contributor to the IEA’s annual Global Methane Tracker. In addition to his work on policy and regulation, K.C. provides legal support for IEA activities related to technology and innovation and advises on issues related to public international law and governance. K.C. worked as a lawyer for the U.S. Department of Energy before joining the IEA. K.C. holds a law degree (J.D.) from New York University and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Maryland.

Suriya Jayanti is an International Energy Transition Expert at the U.S. Department of Commerce, part of the Commercial Law Development Program, where she advises governments on how to formulate and implement their energy transition strategies. She is also a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center; the co-founder and managing director of Eney, a US-Ukrainian decarbonization company; and the CEO of Denetek, a U.S. small modular nuclear reactor development company working to decarbonize Ukraine’s power sector. She also serves on the Board of the Institute for Security and Technology, a Silicon Valley policy tank that works to bridge the gap between policymakers and emerging technologies to help shape governance solutions that support both innovation and national security.

Before starting Eney, she represented the United States as an international attorney-advisor at the US Department of Commerce. Prior to this, she served as a US diplomat with the US Department of State. As well as assignments in Kuwait, the Bahamas, Iraq, and Washington, DC, she served as the US energy, cybersecurity, environment, science, technology, and health chief in Kyiv from 2018 to 2020. There, she worked closely with Ukrainian counterparts to help reform the country toward good governance, anti-corruption, and energy security. Before her diplomatic career, she worked as an attorney in the Brussels office of Hunton & Williams, and for Donahue & Goldberg in Washington, DC. She also clerked for Chief Judge Eric Washington of the DC Court of Appeals.

Suriya has contributed to multiple textbooks and published in such venues as the Atlantic Council, TIME, the Globalist, and the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), as well as in law reviews at Georgetown, Rutgers, and American Universities, among others.

Originally from Los Angeles, she holds an undergraduate degree from Claremont McKenna College, a law degree from American University, and an LLM from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where she is also completing a PhD focused on the saga of Nord Stream 2.

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
Available Tools for Quantifying Emissions (20 March)

Andrew has been working as an engineer and program analyst for the Climate Change Divison of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Air and Radiation for over three years. He helps manage EPA’s voluntary methane partnership programs for the oil and natural gas sector, including Natural Gas STAR and Methane Challenge, as well as GMI’s oil and gas sector activities. He represents the U.S. on UNECE’s Group of Experts on Gas, where he serves as Vice-chair, and he serves as a U.S. delegate to GMI’s Oil and Gas Subcommittee. Andrew has been leading GMI’s oil and gas sector technical support and capacity building activities in Southeast Asia, including the development of an updated national GHG inventory refinement tool called SMART Plus. Andrew has degrees in Sustainable Engineering (MS) and Mechanical Engineering (BS) from Villanova University.

Alberto brings over 30 years of experience in chemical engineering research and process optimization for sustainability. As current CEO and founding director at Process Ecology Inc., Alberto has worked across multiple industries to assist operating companies become more efficient in their use of energy and water. Alberto started his career as a production engineer with Bayer and then spent ten years in Academia as research scientist and lecturer. In 1999 he joined Hyprotech/ Aspentech in Calgary, Alberta Canada as product manager for conceptual design of chemical processes and thermodynamics software tools. Alberto later worked with Natural Resources Canada performing R&D supporting energy-intensive industrial sectors through process integration and process optimization projects. With Process Ecology, Alberto has specialized in modeling and optimization for emissions reduction and sustainability in the oil & gas sector. Alberto is a Biochemical Engineer graduated from Metropolitan University in Mexico City and holds an MBA as well as MSc and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Manchester, UK.

Jonathan has worked with CATF since 1999 and serves as Global Director of the Methane Pollution Prevention program, where he develops and directs all of CATF’s international efforts to dramatically reduce methane pollution from energy, waste, and agriculture. Jonathan brings over two decades of experience working with governments, companies, and civil society around the world to foster and implement policies to reduce methane pollution. Jonathan works to catalyze international coalitions, country level policies and subnational efforts, to foster rapid change. He also serves on the board of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

Prior to joining CATF, Jonathan served as policy director for a national environmental campaign working to clean up coal fired power plants in the U.S. and was legislative assistant to U.S. Congressman Ralph Hall for energy and environment. Jonathan also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Congo.

Manon Simon has been working as a senior consultant in Carbon Limits for the past five years where she specializes in methane emissions management in the oil and gas sector. Her work covers the full scale of methane emissions, from specific projects at facilities, country and company assessment, and writing and review of international best practices and methodologies. She is a key resource and project manager for the development of the OGMP technical guidance and has assisted companies in the implementation of OGMP. In addition, she has been leading the development and methodological work on Mist, a methane emissions inventory software. She is always eager to make technical content available and actionable to all, no matter where they are at in their methane journey. Manon holds a master’s degree in business engineering UcLouvain in Belgium and in economics and business administration from the Norwegian School of Economics, with a specialization in energy, natural resources and environment.

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
Overcoming Challenges for Methane Management to Mobilize Action in the Oil & Gas Sector(20 March)

Damon Burtt is a consultant at Carbon Limits, a climate change consultancy based in Oslo, Norway.

His area of expertise is methane emissions from the oil and gas sector. At Carbon Limits, his roles include the statistical analysis of satellite imagery, technical analysis of methane detection and quantification technology, assisting a variety of stakeholders to comply with voluntary initiatives such as OGMP 2.0, capacity building, project management, as well as contributing to the continuous development and deployment of the MIST software developed by Carbon Limits. Damon has both technical and in-field experience in the upstream oil and gas industry quantifying greenhouse gas emissions. Damon holds an MSc. in mechanical engineering from Carleton University where he focused on quantifying the efficiency and methane of flares subject to a turbulent crosswind.

Before joining GHGSat, Jean-Francois Gauthier accumulated over 15 years of experience in the commercial space industry in various capacities at COM DEV including design and test, project management, engineering management, and sales and marketing. In October 2016, he joined GHGSat to help commercialize the products and services from their breakthrough satellites around the world and build the sales and marketing organization. He is now responsible for guiding the strategy of the company and leads corporate development activities.

Olga Gassan-zade is a senior energy and climate expert with over 20 years of experience working on climate policy and carbon markets in transition economies and developing countries. She is a member of Article 6.4 Supervisory Body, the UN body responsible for overseeing the multilateral carbon markets under the Paris Agreement.

Outside of the UNFCCC negotiations, her work involves supporting national authorities and companies in building institutional capacity in low carbon planning, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gas accounting, and carbon pricing. She has advised on the implementation of carbon crediting and emerging emissions trading schemes in the former Soviet Union states, the transposition of the EU acquis, and the larger impact of the EU energy and climate policies on the EU neighborhood countries.

Sector-wise, she has worked closely with the iron and steel, cement, chemicals, and oil and gas sectors. Most recently, her focus has been on improving the understanding of fugitive methane emissions. She has led multiple methane detection and measurement campaigns and has personally visited over 70 oil and gas facilities to assist local companies in identifying measures to reduce methane emissions and improving emission accounting.

Pietro joined OGCI in 2018 and is currently a Programme Manager within the Strategy & Policy team, leading OGCI member companies’ portfolio of efforts on methane emission reduction as well as managing the Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative. On behalf of OGCI and its member companies, Pietro is responsible for engagements with key stakeholders and O&G players in the methane space.

Prior to joining OGCI, Pietro worked for Edison, a major gas producer and power utility company in Italy on their renewable and energy transition strategy. Pietro holds a MSc in “Climate Change & Finance” with Distinction from Imperial College London Business School and a MSc in “Civil Engineering – Structural Design” from Imperial College London.

2024 Global Methane Forum

Mobilizing Methane Action

18-21 March 2024 • Geneva, Switzerland

Speakers

Filter by Session

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Welcome and Opening of the Session

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Regional Methane Action Showcase: Southeast Europe

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Discussion: Lessons Learned from Methane Reduction Projects in Southeast Europe

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Regional Methane Action Showcase: Latin America

Coal Joint Technical Session:
GMI Coal Mines Subcommittee and Sector Updates

Stakeholder Updates

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Measurement, Reporting, Verification and Reconciling Estimates (20 March)

Keynote Session: A Global Call to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Governments as Vital Drivers to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

The Importance of Industry to Mobilizing Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

The Value of Data as a Driver to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Catalyzing Finance to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Succeeding Locally to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Implementing Biogas Policies in Germany and the Outlook for the European Union (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
The Importance of Data Collection and Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) to Financing Projects in the Biogas Sector (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Regional Biogas Methane Action Showcase: India (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Environmental Justice Considerations for the Implementation of Methane Reduction Projects (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Updates on Capabilities to Mitigate Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) (20 March)

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Data Needs for Project Development, Carbon Markets, and Policy (20 March)

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Transforming Energy Sector Infrastructure (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
Governments as Vital Drivers to Mobilize Methane Action in the Oil & Gas Sector (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
The Role of Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) in Addressing Methane Emissions (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
The Role of Technologies in Improving Measurements and Enhancing Inventories to Enable Faster Action (20 March)

Oil & Gas Join Technical Session:
Resources for Government Ministries to Support Development of Effective Methane Policy and Regulation (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
Available Tools for Quantifying Emissions (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
Overcoming Challenges for Methane Management to Mobilize Action in the Oil & Gas Sector(20 March)

2024 Global Methane Forum

Mobilizing Methane Action

18-21 March 2024 • Geneva, Switzerland

Speakers

Filter by Session

Biogas Joint Technical Session:Welcome and Opening of the Session

Biogas Joint Technical Session:Regional Methane Action Showcase: Southeast Europe

Biogas Joint Technical Session:Discussion: Lessons Learned from Methane Reduction Projects in Southeast Europe

Biogas Joint Technical Session:Regional Methane Action Showcase: Latin America

Coal Joint Technical Session:GMI Coal Mines Subcommittee and Sector Updates

Stakeholder Updates

Coal Joint Technical Session:Measurement, Reporting, Verification and Reconciling Estimates (20 March)

Keynote Session: A Global Call to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Governments as Vital Drivers to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

The Importance of Industry to Mobilizing Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

The Value of Data as a Driver to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Catalyzing Finance to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Succeeding Locally to Mobilize Methane Action (livestreamed) (Plenary Session on 19 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:Implementing Biogas Policies in Germany and the Outlook for the European Union (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:The Importance of Data Collection and Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) to Financing Projects in the Biogas Sector (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:Regional Biogas Methane Action Showcase: India (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:Environmental Justice Considerations for the Implementation of Methane Reduction Projects (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Coal Joint Technical Session:Updates on Capabilities to Mitigate Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) (20 March)

Coal Joint Technical Session:Data Needs for Project Development, Carbon Markets, and Policy (20 March)

Coal Joint Technical Session:Transforming Energy Sector Infrastructure (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:Governments as Vital Drivers to Mobilize Methane Action in the Oil & Gas Sector (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:The Role of Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) in Addressing Methane Emissions (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:The Role of Technologies in Improving Measurements and Enhancing Inventories to Enable Faster Action (20 March)

Oil & Gas Join Technical Session:Resources for Government Ministries to Support Development of Effective Methane Policy and Regulation (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:Available Tools for Quantifying Emissions (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:Overcoming Challenges for Methane Management to Mobilize Action in the Oil & Gas Sector(20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Welcome and Opening of the Session

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Regional Methane Action Showcase: Southeast Europe

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Discussion: Lessons Learned from Methane Reduction Projects in Southeast Europe

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Regional Methane Action Showcase: Latin America

Coal Joint Technical Session:
GMI Coal Mines Subcommittee and Sector Updates

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Measurement, Reporting, Verification and Reconciling Estimates (20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Implementing Biogas Policies in Germany and the Outlook for the European Union (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
The Importance of Data Collection and Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) to Financing Projects in the Biogas Sector (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Regional Biogas Methane Action Showcase: India (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Biogas Joint Technical Session:
Environmental Justice Considerations for the Implementation of Methane Reduction Projects (hybrid meeting) (20 March)

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Updates on Capabilities to Mitigate Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) (20 March)

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Data Needs for Project Development, Carbon Markets, and Policy (20 March)

Coal Joint Technical Session:
Transforming Energy Sector Infrastructure (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
Governments as Vital Drivers to Mobilize Methane Action in the Oil & Gas Sector (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
The Role of Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) in Addressing Methane Emissions (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
The Role of Technologies in Improving Measurements and Enhancing Inventories to Enable Faster Action (20 March)

Oil & Gas Join Technical Session:
Resources for Government Ministries to Support Development of Effective Methane Policy and Regulation (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
Available Tools for Quantifying Emissions (20 March)

Oil & Gas Joint Technical Session:
Overcoming Challenges for Methane Management to Mobilize Action in the Oil & Gas Sector(20 March)