Speakers

Mr Islam Sharif will speak on "Rural Electrification Using PV: The Success Story of Bangladesh". He is currently engaged in supporting the orderly growth of a robust commercial solar industry in Bangladesh and other parts of Asia.

SK Johnson LLC is a financial and renewable energy company in New York and Bangladesh. Mr Sharif was the CEO of Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL), a government of Bangladesh-owned financial institution until April 2012. During his three-year tenure at IDCOL, the Solar Home Systems (SHS) programme experienced phenomenal growth with an installation of 50,000 vs 12,000 units per month, lighting up the lives of 250,000 people. In the process, a US$200 million private-sector solar industry was developed and 100 new solar companies were established. IDCOL SHS programme is globally acclaimed and poised to be replicated in Asia and Africa as a success model.

Mr Sharif is dedicated to his passion of financing and dissemination of renewable energy, energy efficiency and low carbon business development through SK Johnson LLC. He previously worked in the financial services sector in the US, spending about 27 years with Citibank NA, JP Morgan Chase, Charles Schwab and Prudential.