Dr. Timur GÜLHead, Energy Technology Policy Division,
International Energy Agency (IEA)

Timur Gül, a German national, was appointed Chief Energy Technology Officer of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in October 2023. In this capacity, he oversees IEA analysis of innovative new and emerging clean energy technologies and their supply chains across a range of sectors. Mr. Gül is also Head of the Energy Technology Policy Division, with responsibility for the IEA's flagship technology publication Energy Technology Perspectives, the IEA Energy Innovation Forum, the IEA's Technology and Innovation Advisory Board as well as the IEA's Technology Collaboration network. Having joined the IEA in 2009, Mr. Gül previously was a lead author of the IEA's World Energy Outlook (WEO). Prior to his time at the IEA, he was a researcher at Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland.

Timur Gül holds a PhD from the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH) Zurich in Switzerland. He also holds a Master degree in Environmental Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) Stockholm, Sweden, and a Diploma in Environmental Engineering from Stuttgart University, Germany.

Moderator
Mr. SAKAMOTO ToshiyukiBoard Member, Managing Director for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Unit,
The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan or IEEJ

Mr. Sakamoto joined the Ministry of International Trade and Industry or MITI, the Japanese Government after obtaining the Master's Degree of Engineering at the University of Tokyo in March 1986. He worked for policy planning and implementation on energy, climate change and industry competitiveness for 30 years at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry or METI. Most notably, he was responsible for the COP negotiation as Director of Global Environmental Affairs Office, and ZEB and energy efficiency benchmarks as Director of Energy Conservation Division at METI. After leaving METI in 2016, he engaged in renewable and hydrogen energy businesses at two private companies and thereafter was appointed to the current position in June 2020. He was elected as the Vice Chair, the Committee on Energy Research and Technology or CERT, IEA in November 2020. He was also appointed as Visiting Professor, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies or GRIPS in April 2023.

Moderator
Prof. NAKAGAKI TakaoWaseda University, Faculty of Science and Engineering,
Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering,

Takao Nakagaki spent 15 years at Toshiba Corporation engaged in research and development of new power generation systems and has since served as a professor in the Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering at Waseda University. He holds a Doctor of Engineering degree and is a Certified Professional Engineer. He has participated in numerous NEDO projects, including the Green Innovation Fund for CO₂ capture technology and the Carbon recycling for carbonates production. He played a key role in developing the Carbon Recycling Technology Roadmap in 2019 and has served for many years as a member of NEDO's Technical Committee in the field of carbon recycling research projects.

Moderator
Ms. KUWAHATA MinamiManager, Social and Environmental Systems Strategy Consulting Unit NTT DATA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, Inc.

After working at a thermal power plant and in the corporate finance divisions of a major electric utility, she joined NTT DATA Institute of Management Consulting, Inc. in November 2019. Focusing on the environment and energy sectors, she supports central and local governments in developing decarbonization strategies, assists in the establishment and operation of regional energy companies utilizing renewable energy, and conducts demonstration projects and impact assessments related to decarbonization-oriented behavioral change.

Since 2021, she has served as an evaluation committee member for projects under NEDO's Green Innovation (GI) Fund Program, including the Carbon Recycling and Next-Generation Thermal Power Generation Technology Development project.