Speakers

Mr. Ghansham Baburao Deshpande

Mr. Ghansham Deshpande is President, Technology and Engineering, Praj Industries, Pune India. He obtained his Masters in Chemical Engineering from ICT, Mumbai, India.

Presently he is heading Centre of Innovation and Applied Technology group in Praj with more than 30 years’ experience in developing affordable sustainable solutions for biofuel industry.  He has expertise in process design engineering, scale-up, optimization and Integration engineering for advanced bio-fuels and chemicals. He has more than 12 patents filed in bio-processes, product separation, energy and water conservation techniques for production of bio-fuels using conventional and Ligno-cellulosic feedstocks.

His present responsibilities include A) Design and Deployment of sustainable solutions for low carbon, high energy density bio-fuels for all modes of transportation under Bio-mobility platform. B) Providing value added low carbon intensity solutions to industry through Process Intensification and Innovation technique C) Establishing energy and water efficient technologies including Zero liquid discharge solutions for complex industrial effluents.

Dr. Preeti Jain

Dr. Preeti Jain is Head, Net Zero Transition Programs at IATA (International Air Transport Association (IATA), a leading industry body aimed to shape the future growth for a safe and sustainable air transport industry.

Dr. Jain comes with more than 2 decades of experience with leading energy companies across the world focused on energy transition. Her previous roles across the industry have included senior positions in business development, government policy focused on refining, petrochemicals and in biofuels research. She has a PhD in Chemistry and an MBA.’

Alex Menotti

Alex Menotti is the VP of Government Affairs, Policy, and Sustainability at LanzaJet. Alex leads LanzaJet’s global policy and regulatory engagement, with a focus on developing policies to catalyze the Sustainable Aviation Fuel industry. Prior to joining LanzaJet, Alex was the Federal Affairs Manager at Neste and led Neste’s North American policy and regulatory engagement on aviation decarbonization.

 Alex was previously the Director of Environmental Affairs at Airlines for America and was an environmental attorney in private practice, focusing on renewable fuels and the Clean Air Act.

Dr. Deepak Dugar

Dr. Deepak Dugar is the founder of Visolis, Inc. and brings deep expertise in the bio-based products domain. Previously, he worked as a management consultant at PwC advisory helping Cleantech clients with their commercialization efforts. He has also consulted for numerous entities like Royal DSM, NREL, Flagship Ventures etc. He has been a recipient of the Legatum Fellowship and the Martin family society for sustainability fellowship. Dr. Dugar completed his Dual Degree (B. Tech and M. Tech) in Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology from IIT Delhi and MBA, M.S. and Ph.D.in Chemical Engineering Practice from MIT.

Susan van Dyk Bio

Susan van Dyk is an expert in the field of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and biofuels with 15 years’ experience. As a consultant, she helps companies, governments and international organisations to develop and implement sustainable biofuel solutions.

Susan’s expertise includes an in-depth understanding of the technologies for SAF production, their potential and challenges, and research and commercialisation trends. She is also experienced in feedstocks and pretreatment processes, co-processing of biobased feedstocks in petroleum refineries, refinery integration, policy, and sustainability.

She is the author and co-author of numerous influential reports focusing on the application of biofuels and SAF in transportation sectors. These reports were commissioned by organisations such as the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Task 39, the International Renewable Energy Agency, Natural Resources Canada, and Transport Canada. She has also published many highly-cited academic papers.

She has worked on several SAF projects funded by Boeing, Suncor, Noram Engineering, the Parkland refinery and other companies, and she acts as a reviewer for the US Department of Energy. Other clients include Mitsui, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Delloite, and Sustainable Aviation Futures.

Susan holds a Doctorate in Biochemistry and a Master’s degree in law. She works as a consultant and is also a Research Associate at the University of British Columbia.