IMAI Takashi
Chairman, Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF)

Education
Mar. 1952        LL.B., Faculty of Law, The University of Tokyo

Professional Career
Apr. 1952        Joined Fuji Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.
Mar. 1970        Deputy General Manager, Fuel & Ferrous Materials Dept., Nippon Steel Corporation (merger of Fuji Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. and Yawata Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.)
Jun. 1981        Director, Member of the Board
Jun. 1983        Managing Director, Member of the Board
Jun. 1989        Representative Director and Executive Vice President
Jun. 1993        Representative Director and President
Apr. 1998        Representative Director & Chairman of the Board of Directors
Apr. 2003        Honorary Chairman, Director and Senior Advisor
Jun. 2003        Senior Advisor, Honorary Chairman
Oct. 2012        Honorary Chairman, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo
                        Metal Corporation (merger of Nippon Steel Corporation and Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.)
Apr. 2019        Honorary Chairman, Nippon Steel Corporation (Change of trade name to Nippon Steel Corporation from Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation)

Ex-officio Positions
May 1998 ‒ May 2002      Chairman, KEIDANREN
                                        (Japan Federation of Economic Organizations)
May 2002 ‒ Present       Honorary Chairman, NIPPON KEIDANREN
                                        (Japan Business Federation)
Jun. 2006 ‒ Present      Chairman, JAIF

HOSODA Kenichi
State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)

Mr. Hosoda Kenichi was appointed State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry on 6, October, 2021. He joins the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) from the House of Representatives where he is currently serving his fourth term of office.

Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Hosoda served in several senior posts within the Liberal Democratic Party including Deputy Chief Secretary, Research Commission on Comprehensive Energy Strategy and Director and Acting Director, Agriculture and Forestry Division. Mr. Hosoda has also served on key committees at the House of Representatives, including the Special Committee for the Investigation of Nuclear Power Issues.

Before seeking public office, Mr. Hosoda was a civil servant, joining MITI (now METI) right after graduating from Kyoto University’s Faculty of Law. Mr. Hosoda is also a graduate of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government where he earned a Master in Public Administration.

Mr. Hosoda was born on July 11, 1964, in Hyogo Prefecture.

William D. MAGWOOD IV
Director General, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)

Mr. Magwood took up his duties as Director-General of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) on 1 September 2014. He has extensive experience in both the regulatory and developmental aspects of nuclear energy, including at the international level.

From 2010 to 2014, he served as one of the five Commissioners appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). While a commissioner, he advocated the importance of nuclear regulatory independence and the necessity of maintaining strong, credible and technically sound nuclear regulation in the United States and all countries that use nuclear power.

Prior to his appointment at the NRC, from 2005 to 2010 he provided independent strategic and policy advice to US and international clients on energy, environment, education, and technology policy issues. From 1998 to 2005, Mr. Magwood was Director of the US Government’s civilian nuclear energy programme at the US Department of Energy (DOE). During his tenure, he established the Idaho National Laboratory; created activities that reversed the decline of US nuclear technology education; and launched important initiatives such as the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) and the US “Nuclear Power 2010,” which helped restart nuclear plant construction in the United
States. He was also actively involved in the work of the NEA, serving as a Steering Committee Bureau member from 1999 to 2005, including a term as Chair of the Steering Committee from 2004 to 2005.

Prior to his experience at the DOE, Mr. Magwood managed electric utility research and nuclear policy programmes at the Edison Electric Institute in Washington, DC, and was a scientist at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Magwood, a US national, holds Bachelor degrees in Physics and English from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Pittsburgh.

Tim GOULD
Chief Energy Economist, International Energy Agency (IEA)

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 coleads 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 worked on European and Eurasian energy issues in Brussels 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.

Chris LEVESQUE
President and CEO, TerraPower

Chris Levesque is president and chief executive officer of TerraPower, and also serves as a member of the TerraPower Board. He was appointed to that position in November 2018 after having served as president of TerraPower since 2015. Levesque leads this nuclear innovation company in the pursuit of next-generation nuclear energy solutions and also oversees TerraPower’s new venture into therapeutic medical isotopes. His proven track record in scoping, planning and implementing complex projects began with his service in the U.S. Nuclear Navy and features more than 30 years of experience in the nuclear field.

Prior to joining TerraPower, Levesque led major new reactor build efforts at both Westinghouse and AREVA, overseeing projects in both the U.S. and Finland. Before his assignment in Finland, he led the formation of AREVA’s joint venture with Newport News Shipbuilding, AREVA Newport News, for which he served as chairman of the Board and president.

Levesque has extensive experience with the nuclear industrial base and nuclear component manufacturing. Earlier in his career, Levesque served as the manager of engineering and manufacturing at Westinghouse’s Newington, New Hampshire, component manufacturing facility, and he has served in multiple management positions at two nuclear-capable shipyards. Levesque began his career as a nuclear submarine officer and served on both the USS Boise (SSN 764) and the USS Will Rogers (SSBN 659). On Boise, he supervised initial criticality and reactor startup testing, and qualified as chief engineer.

Levesque holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering and a Naval Engineer degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also serves on the Board of the Nuclear Energy Institute.

MURAKAMI Tomoko
Group Manager, Nuclear Energy Group, Strategy Research Unit, The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ)

Education:
1990      BE in nuclear engineering, School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo
1992      ME in nuclear engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo
2004      Master of Business Administration, Graduate School of Business Administration, Keio University

Work experience:
1992-2000           Engineer, Fast Breeder Reactor Development Department, the Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC)
2000-2002           Chief engineer, Plant Management Department, JAPC
2004-2005           Chief engineer, Decommissioning Project Management Department, JAPC
2005-2007           Senior Researcher, Industry Research Unit, The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ)
2007-                   Group Leader, Nuclear Energy Group, Strategy and Industry Research Unit, IEEJ
2011-                   Group Manager, Nuclear Energy Group, Strategy Research Unit, IEEJ

Tomoko Murakami graduated from Department of Nuclear Engineering, the University of Tokyo in 1990 and took her master degree in nuclear engineering in the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo in 1992. She accepted her first position as an engineer in the Japan Atomic Power Company in 1992, where she accumulated work experience by contributing to the Fast Breeder Reactor Development Project and to the licensing activities of Tsuruga Unit 3 and 4. In 2002, she temporary left JAPC and entered in the Graduate School of Management, Keio University to take a master degree on business administration (MBA). In 2004, she returned to JAPC to work as an engineer in Decommissioning Project of Tokai Power Station.
In 2005, she was sent to IEEJ as a visiting researcher and was promoted to the leader of nuclear energy group in 2007. Since then, she has been responsible for the researches on nuclear energy policy and development status in Japan and in the world. In 2010, she published a book on world nuclear business overview and it was awarded as one of the best books by Energy Forum. After Fukushima Accident in 2011, she has continuously made presentations on the energy policy trends and nuclear industry development in Japan and in Asia.

Focus of study:
*Reactor core design and plant safety analysis
*Nuclear power policy trends and development
*Low carbon technology development status and prospects
*Economics and corporate finance

Papers recently published:

• ・A historical review and analysis on the selection of nuclear reactor types and implications to development programs for advanced reactors; A Japanese study, Energy Reports, Volume 7, November 2021, Pages 3428-3436

Alice CAPONITI
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Reactor Fleet and Advanced Reactor Deployment, Department of Energy (DOE), U.S.

Alice Caponiti serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Reactor Fleet and Advanced Reactor Deployment in the Office of Nuclear Energy. She leads a diverse portfolio of research, development and demonstration programs focused on the technical and economic sustainability of the existing U.S. fleet of commercial reactors and the development and deployment of innovative advanced reactors, including small modular reactors and microreactors. Ms. Caponiti is managing a new cost-shared program with industry to demonstrate multiple advanced reactor designs that offer improved safety, functionality and affordability, leading to expanded market opportunities for clean energy. Her office also sustains the nuclear talent pipeline through competitive university R&D and infrastructure investment programs. Ms. Caponiti serves as Chair of the Generation IV International Forum Policy Group that advises on research and development needed to establish the feasibility and performance capabilities of the next generation nuclear energy systems.

Ms. Caponiti previously led efforts to design, build, test, and deliver safe and reliable nuclear power systems for space exploration and national security applications and conduct detailed safety analyses for each mission. She served as the as the technical advisor to the Department of State and a United Nations working group on space nuclear power sources, as well as a risk communications spokesperson for the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Mars Science Laboratory mission that delivered the Curiosity rover to the surface of Mars. Prior to joining the Office of Nuclear Energy in 2001, Ms. Caponiti worked on a nonproliferation program to reduce stockpiles of excess Russian weapons plutonium.

Ms. Caponiti has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Maryland and master degrees in nuclear engineering and the Technology and Policy Program from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Elena POPESCU
Director General, Directorate General Energy Policies and Green Deal, Ministry of Energy, Romania

Mrs. Elena Popescu, PhD Power Engineering, graduated from Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Energy Faculty, she holds a PhD on energy policies and optimal energy mix and a Master of Science on management and ecology of engineering systems.

Between 2007 – 2012, she acted as counselor at the Permanent Representation of Romania to the European Union, in Brussels, responsible for international energy and nuclear affairs, representing Romania in the related Working Groups at European Council and European Commission.

Since September 2013, Mrs. Elena Popescu is the General Director for Energy Policies and Green Deal Department, Ministry of Energy of Romania. With extensive experience in the energy industry, energy administration and European and international affairs in energy field, Mrs. Popescu coordinates activities related to the development and implementation of an integrated energy and climate change policy in Romania. She also coordinates the European affairs and international relation in energy, including the technical view for the Romanian position on energy field for the European Council and in relation with EU institutions.

Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński
Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Republic of Poland

Graduate of HEC Paris and the history faculties of the Paris IV-Sorbonne University and the University of Warsaw.

In 2013, he began working at the Ministry of Environment as part of the Climate Negotiators Team at the United Nations COP19 Climate Summit in Warsaw. Previously, he had gained experience in the field of finance in the private sector.

In 2015–2018, he headed the Environmental Department at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the European Union in Brussels, where he negotiated draft legislation on the environment and climate in Council working groups.

In 2018, he served as the chief negotiator of the Polish Presidency of COP24 in Katowice, preparing a package of decisions implementing the Paris Agreement, the so-called Katowice Rulebook.

In 2019, he once again became the head of the Environmental Department at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the EU.

Guillaume BOUYT
Director, Nuclear Industry Department, Ministry for the Ecological Transition, France

ENDO Noriko
Project Professor, Global Research Institute, Keio University

Noriko Endo completed the doctorate program of Energy Science at the Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University to earn her Ph.D. in energy science. She specializes in energy policy, risk and security governance, as well as economic security.

She was appointed her current position to research and educate, following a career as an assistant editor-in-chief for an economic magazine.
She was engaged in the 2017 Abe Fellowship (Researcher). She published her book, “Study of Japan’s Nuclear Damage Compensation Scheme̶Reviewing Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident” (Iwanami Shoten, Publishers) and went on to receive the 14th Osaragi Jiro Press Award for her work.

She also serves as a member of the following governmental committees: Fiscal System Council; Industrial Structure Council, Industrial Technology and Environment Committee; Nuclear Energy Subcommittee, Electricity and Gas Industry Committee, Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy.

USUI Hidekazu
Chairman of Nuclear Energy Systems Steering Committee, The Japan Electrical Manufacturers' Association (JEMA)

Education Background
Mar.  1987   
　　Graduated from Mechanical Engineering of Waseda University
  
Career Experience
Apr.   1987
　　Joined Toshiba Corporation
　　　　　　　　　　
Oct.   2008                      
　　Group Manager of Nuclear System Design
　　System Design & Engineering Dept.
　　Nuclear Energy Systems & Services Division

Oct.   2013                      
　　Senior Manager of System Design and Engineering Dept.
　　Nuclear Energy Systems & Services Division

Apr.   2017                       
　　Technology Executive, Light Water Reactor Systems
　　Nuclear Energy Systems & Services Division

Oct.   2019                
　　Technology Executive, Nuclear Energy Systems
　　Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

Apr.  2021                       
　　Director, Chief Nuclear Officer
　　Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

Jul． 2021-                      
　　Chairman, Nuclear Energy Systems Steering Committee,
　　The Japan Electrical Manufacturers’ Association

George Borovas
Partner and Head of Nuclear Practice, Tokyo Office, Hunton Andrews Kurth

George advises governments, lenders and sponsors on the development of civilian nuclear power programs and the financing and construction of nuclear power plants. He has worked on projects and transactions in the UK, the US, Russia, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, China, Australia and South Africa.

George is a Board Member of the World Nuclear Association (WNA) and has been recognized as a nuclear industry leader by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC), as well as the US government as an appointee to the US Secretary of Commerce’s Civilian Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee.

For more information, please click on George’s bio here.

Chris HEFFER
Director, Nuclear Power and Decommissioning, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), UK

Chris Heffer became Director, Nuclear Power and Decommissioning at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on 31st August 2021.

Chris was previously the Deputy Trade Commissioner for North-East Asia based in the British Embassy in Tokyo for six years where he was responsible for Trade and Investment across all sectors, including Nuclear. Before that he worked in Strategy and Customer Insight roles in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Department of Health. He also led Drugs and Alcohol Policy within the Public Health Directorate of the Health Department.

Prior to joining the Civil Service, Chris was a Senior Manager at Deloitte, working in variety of sectors, including Life Sciences, Manufacturing and Consumer Business in Japan, Germany, France and the US. He studied Engineering, Economics and Management at University, and was a Sponsored Engineer during that time at Ford Motor Company UK.

Director, Nuclear Power and Decommissioning

The Director's responsibilities include the following areas:
- Nuclear power policy and legislation
- Nuclear decommissioning and sponsorship of the NDA
- International Strategy and engagement