Keynote Speakers

Shay Bahramirad, PhD
Vice President of Transmission and Distribution Engineering, Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PGE)

Dr. Bahramirad is a recognized leader in the energy sector, having held executive roles at LUMA Energy, Quanta Technology, and ComEd. At LUMA, leading energy transformation, overseeing the modernization of the power infrastructure and assisting with climate change risk assessment. She has testified before the U.S. Congress and regulatory agencies on topics such as disaster recovery, grid reconstruction, and energy investment strategies. Dr. Bahramirad is the President of the IEEE Power and Energy Society, a US CIGRE Executive member, an adjunct professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the founder of IEEE Women in Power. She earned her PhD in electrical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and has published over 100 academic articles, in addition to holding multiple U.S. patents.

Dr. Thomas Vahlenkamp
Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company

Dr. Thomas Vahlenkamp is a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, based in Düsseldorf, and a global leader in McKinsey’s Energy and Materials Practice. With over 30 years of experience, he specializes in advising companies in the energy, oil, gas, coal, chemicals, and transport industries on strategy, organization, and operational transformations. He has led major projects, including a multi-billion-euro transformation for one of the world’s largest utilities and growth strategies for international agribusiness and logistics firms. Thomas also co-authors McKinsey’s semi-annual Energiewende-Index, analyzing Germany’s energy transition.
A prolific writer, Thomas has published extensively on energy markets, investments, and risk management, solidifying his position as a thought leader in the energy sector.