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The East-West Center in Washington and the Royal Thai Embassy, Washington, D.C. invite you to
New Opportunities for the United States-Kingdom of Thailand Alliance in the Indo-Pacific Webinar Series:
Forging Thailand-US Climate and Energy Partnership
Featuring:
Opening remarks
H.E. Manasvi Srisodapol
Ambassador of Thailand to the United States of America
Mr. Kulit Sombatsiri
Permanent Secretary,
Thailand Ministry of Energy
Mr. Harry R. Kamian
Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Energy Resources,
United States Department of State
Mr. Mark W. Menezes
former Deputy Secretary of Energy,
United States Department of Energy
Panel Discussion
Ms. Verinda Fike
Regional Manager for the Indo-Pacific,
US Trade and Development Agency
Mr. Noppadol Dej-Udom
Chief Sustainability Officer,
Charoen Pokphand Group Company Limited (C.P. Group)
Ms. Courtney Weatherby
Research Analyst and Deputy Director,
Energy, Water, and Sustainability, Southeast Asia,
The Stimson Center
H.E. Piper Campbell (Moderator)
Former Head of the US Mission to the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) &
Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, American University
East-West Center in Washington · Forging Thailand-US Climate and Energy Partnership
Recent erratic and extreme weather patterns in the Indo-Pacific underscore the priority that the United States and Thailand place on combatting climate change. Both countries have taken concrete steps to advance their respective commitments under the Paris Agreement. Thailand has placed the ‘Bio-Circular-Green’ Model at the forefront of its national economic agenda, while the United States is seeking opportunities to create new and better-paid green jobs. Given Thailand’s recent ambitious pledges to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero GHGs emissions by 2065, this session identified areas where the United States and Thailand can complement each other to support the achievement of global climate goals at home, in the Mekong subregion, and within various multilateral frameworks such as ASEAN, APEC and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Mr. Kulit and Mr. Noppadol both shared PowerPoint slides.
Ambassador Campbell and Ms. Weatherby wrote for the East-West Center in Washington's Asia Pacific Bulletin series New Opportunities for the United States-Kingdom of Thailand Alliance in the Indo-Pacific.
The New Opportunities for the United States-Kingdom of Thailand Alliance in the Indo-Pacific webinar series is a collaboration between the Royal Thai Embassy, Washington, D.C., the East-West Center in Washington, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and the International Studies Center to further promote engagement and better understanding between the United States and Thailand’s respective government officials, parliamentarians, private sectors, academic and think tank analysts, and the general public.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
H.E. Manasvi Srisodapol has served as Thailand's ambassador to the United States of America since early 2021. Before this most recent posting, Ambassador Srisodapol served as Thailand's ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium (2017), the Special Representative of the Chair of the Group of 77 and China for Climate Change (2016), and Thailand's ambassador to the Republic of Poland (2015). In 2009, he served as the Permanent Representative of Thailand to ASEAN in Jakarta. Throughout his career, Ambassador Srisodapol has been awarded numerous decorations in honor of his service to Thailand. Ambassador Srisodapol has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Ottawa, Canada and a Master of Arts in International Affairs and Certificate for South Asian Studies from Columbia University.
Kulit Sombatsiri became Permanent Secretary of Energy in August 2018. Under his policy direction, Ministry of Energy is now initializing the National Energy Plan (NEP2022) to support Thailand’s carbon neutrality target towards the future trend of low carbon society. Prior to his current role, he was the Director-General of the Customs Department and the Director-General of the State Enterprise Policy Office, Ministry of Finance. Mr. Kulit Sombatsiri earned a Master of Business Administration Degree from University of Southern California and a Master of Public Administration Degree from San Diego State University.
Harry R. Kamian became Senior Bureau Official and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) on November 15, 2021. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, rank of Minister Counselor. Harry most recently served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for ENR. Prior to this appointment, Harry served as Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland. Previously, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Deputy Permanent Representative to the US Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from August 2017 to August 2020. During the first two years, Harry served as Chargé d’Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative. Harry served as Deputy Executive Secretary in the Department of State’s Executive Secretariat, where from 2015-2017 he worked with the Secretary’s staff, Bureau leadership and Chiefs of Mission to shape and execute overseas visits by the Secretary to advance US policy goals. Prior to that, Harry served as the Director and Deputy Director of the Operations Center, the Department’s 24-hour crisis center. Other overseas postings during Harry’s 29-year career include assignments in Vietnam, Chile, Turkey, Cuba and El Salvador. In Washington, DC, his assignments have included Deputy Director of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, as well as positions in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and on the staff of the Secretary of State in the Operations Center. Harry is the recipient of numerous Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor awards. Harry received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Relations and Spanish Language from the University of California, Davis.
Mark Wesley Menezes served as Deputy Secretary of Energy. The Deputy Secretary is responsible for driving transformative energy progress and technology solutions through coordinated planning, management, and innovation. Prior to being confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Energy, Mr. Menezes served as the Under Secretary of Energy. Having served as an executive at Berkshire Hathaway Energy, a partner at Hunton & Williams LLP, and a Chief Counsel, Energy and Environment, at US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce – Mr. Menezes has held many positions within the energy sector prior to coming to the Department of Energy. Before his service with House Energy & Commerce, he was Vice President with Central and South West, and upon its merger with American Electric Power, served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel for federal and state legislative and regulatory affairs. Mr. Menezes has been named in National Journal’s “Hill 100”—top Congressional staff for his work on both energy and environmental matters. He has been frequent guest speaker and lecturer before numerous associations and civic groups, including legal education seminars where he has been called on to address the nation’s energy and environmental policies, utility restructuring, telecommunications, ethics, merger and acquisition practices, and regulatory and legislative processes. He has co-authored numerous articles, a practice manual, and been quoted in the New York Times, Law360, Oil and Gas Journal, Politico as well as interviewed by E&ETV. He’s been listed Best Lawyers in America 2013–2016, Corporate Counsel’s Top Lawyers 2006–2011, Washington Post’s Top Lawyers 2008–2016, and DC Super Lawyers 2012–2016. Mr. Menezes is a graduate of Louisiana State University receiving both his undergraduate and juris doctor degree. Until joining the government he was a charter member of the Advisory Council, Louisiana State University Law John P. Laborde Energy Law Center, and served on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Chorus & American Youth Chorus.
Verinda Fike serves as the Regional Director for the Indo-Pacific for the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), where she is responsible for developing the agency’s strategy, infrastructure project preparation activities, and innovative public-private partnerships throughout the region. Ms. Fike has traveled and worked in over 50 countries and has managed projects in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Ms. Fike began her career at USTDA in 2010, and previously served as Country Manager for Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and for East Asia. Prior to joining USTDA, Ms. Fike consulted US private sector and USAID overseas missions on creating effective public-private partnerships in developing and emerging economies. She also spent three years in China managing patient relations and marketing for several women’s health clinics in cooperation with Johns Hopkins Hospital. Ms. Fike holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service and a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University, as well as a B.A. from the University of Colorado in International Affairs and Mandarin Chinese.
Noppadol Dej-Udom has served as C.P. Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer since 2017. He brings a wealth of experience to the position, including more than 10 years of financial and operations leadership at True Corporation Public Company Limited. He currently oversees the execution of C.P. Group’s sustainability policy and plays an important role in fostering innovation and ensuring sustainable business practices across the Group companies’ operations and supply chains. He is also Vice Chairman of Sustainability, Governance and Communications Committee of C.P. Group, the highest-level governing body of the Group on sustainability matters, and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of True Corporation. Mr. Noppadol was Deputy CEO for Corporate Development and Group CFO of True Corporation Public Company Limited, where he was central to the development of True Corp’s Broadband business. Under his leadership, True Corp established Thailand’s first and largest telecommunications infrastructure fund. He also serves as a Board Member and Secretary-General of Global Compact Network Thailand, a local network of the United Nations Global Compact. Most recently, he has joined the Business Commission to Tackle Inequality, which is an initiative established by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to mobilize the global business community to address escalating levels of inequality globally and generate shared prosperity for all. Mr. Noppadol has a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York State. He received the 2015/2016 Best CFO Awards in technology category from IAA and was selected Best CFO in 2015/2016 by FinanceAsia.
Courtney Weatherby is a research analyst with the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia and Energy, Water, & Sustainability programs and Deputy Director of the Southeast Asia Program. Her research focuses on sustainable infrastructure and energy development challenges in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific, particularly food-water-energy nexus issues in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Weatherby was lead author on a range of technical and policy studies including Thailand’s Energy Development Pathways with Pact, the IUCN report Sekong, Sesan, Srepok Basin Energy Profile, the Stimson Center report Mekong Power Shift, and the TRENDS Institution UAE Energy Diplomacy report. She supports the team’s data-driven work on the Mekong Infrastructure Tracker and has authored and co-authored numerous short pieces a range of online publications including Foreign Policy, The Bangkok Post, and China Dialogue. She served as a US-Japan-Southeast Asia Fellow at the East-West Center in Washington in early 2019, focusing her fellowship research on US-Japan collaboration on energy infrastructure in Southeast Asia. She has spoken publicly on panels at a variety of institutions including the National Bureau of Asian Research’s Pacific Energy Summit and the Greater Mekong Forum on Water, Food, and Energy. Before joining Stimson in 2014, Weatherby worked briefly with the Center for Strategic International Studies, the State Department, and Human Rights Watch. She holds a M.A. in Asian Studies from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a B.A. in East Asian Studies with honors from Dickinson College.
H.E. Piper Campbell served as the Head of the US Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Ambassador to Mongolia during a distinguished 30-year diplomatic career, and her areas of expertise include East Asia and navigating multilateral organizations. She also has taught national security strategy at the graduate level, at the National Defense University’s National War College. Ambassador Campbell led the US Mission to ASEAN based in Jakarta from June – December 2018. In that capacity, she served as “Senior Official” in formal sessions of the East Asia Summit, ASEAN regional Forum, and the Lower Mekong Initiative. Leading a multi-agency team involved wide-ranging activities from securing agreement with ASEAN Defense Ministers on holding the first US-ASEAN military exercise to opening a summit of Young Southeast Asian entrepreneurs. Ambassador Campbell served as Chief of Mission, US Embassy Ulaanbaatar from 2012-2015, in which capacity she supported negotiations on the development of Mongolia’s extractive industries and agreement on a $350 million US-Mongolia Millennium Challenge Compact. Ambassador Campbell retired in April 2019, after a thirty-year diplomatic career with the rank of Minister Counselor.
The East-West Center in Washington and the Royal Thai Embassy, Washington, D.C. invite you to
New Opportunities for the United States-Kingdom of Thailand Alliance in the Indo-Pacific Webinar Series:
Forging Thailand-US Climate and Energy Partnership
Featuring:
Opening remarks
H.E. Manasvi Srisodapol
Ambassador of Thailand to the United States of America
Mr. Kulit Sombatsiri
Permanent Secretary,
Thailand Ministry of Energy
Mr. Harry R. Kamian
Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Energy Resources,
United States Department of State
Mr. Mark W. Menezes
former Deputy Secretary of Energy,
United States Department of Energy
Panel Discussion
Ms. Verinda Fike
Regional Manager for the Indo-Pacific,
US Trade and Development Agency
Mr. Noppadol Dej-Udom
Chief Sustainability Officer,
Charoen Pokphand Group Company Limited (C.P. Group)
Ms. Courtney Weatherby
Research Analyst and Deputy Director,
Energy, Water, and Sustainability, Southeast Asia,
The Stimson Center
H.E. Piper Campbell (Moderator)
Former Head of the US Mission to the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) &
Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, American University
East-West Center in Washington · Forging Thailand-US Climate and Energy Partnership
Recent erratic and extreme weather patterns in the Indo-Pacific underscore the priority that the United States and Thailand place on combatting climate change. Both countries have taken concrete steps to advance their respective commitments under the Paris Agreement. Thailand has placed the ‘Bio-Circular-Green’ Model at the forefront of its national economic agenda, while the United States is seeking opportunities to create new and better-paid green jobs. Given Thailand’s recent ambitious pledges to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero GHGs emissions by 2065, this session identified areas where the United States and Thailand can complement each other to support the achievement of global climate goals at home, in the Mekong subregion, and within various multilateral frameworks such as ASEAN, APEC and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Mr. Kulit and Mr. Noppadol both shared PowerPoint slides.
Ambassador Campbell and Ms. Weatherby wrote for the East-West Center in Washington's Asia Pacific Bulletin series New Opportunities for the United States-Kingdom of Thailand Alliance in the Indo-Pacific.
The New Opportunities for the United States-Kingdom of Thailand Alliance in the Indo-Pacific webinar series is a collaboration between the Royal Thai Embassy, Washington, D.C., the East-West Center in Washington, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and the International Studies Center to further promote engagement and better understanding between the United States and Thailand’s respective government officials, parliamentarians, private sectors, academic and think tank analysts, and the general public.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
H.E. Manasvi Srisodapol has served as Thailand's ambassador to the United States of America since early 2021. Before this most recent posting, Ambassador Srisodapol served as Thailand's ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium (2017), the Special Representative of the Chair of the Group of 77 and China for Climate Change (2016), and Thailand's ambassador to the Republic of Poland (2015). In 2009, he served as the Permanent Representative of Thailand to ASEAN in Jakarta. Throughout his career, Ambassador Srisodapol has been awarded numerous decorations in honor of his service to Thailand. Ambassador Srisodapol has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Ottawa, Canada and a Master of Arts in International Affairs and Certificate for South Asian Studies from Columbia University.
Kulit Sombatsiri became Permanent Secretary of Energy in August 2018. Under his policy direction, Ministry of Energy is now initializing the National Energy Plan (NEP2022) to support Thailand’s carbon neutrality target towards the future trend of low carbon society. Prior to his current role, he was the Director-General of the Customs Department and the Director-General of the State Enterprise Policy Office, Ministry of Finance. Mr. Kulit Sombatsiri earned a Master of Business Administration Degree from University of Southern California and a Master of Public Administration Degree from San Diego State University.
Harry R. Kamian became Senior Bureau Official and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) on November 15, 2021. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, rank of Minister Counselor. Harry most recently served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for ENR. Prior to this appointment, Harry served as Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland. Previously, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Deputy Permanent Representative to the US Mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from August 2017 to August 2020. During the first two years, Harry served as Chargé d’Affaires and Acting Permanent Representative. Harry served as Deputy Executive Secretary in the Department of State’s Executive Secretariat, where from 2015-2017 he worked with the Secretary’s staff, Bureau leadership and Chiefs of Mission to shape and execute overseas visits by the Secretary to advance US policy goals. Prior to that, Harry served as the Director and Deputy Director of the Operations Center, the Department’s 24-hour crisis center. Other overseas postings during Harry’s 29-year career include assignments in Vietnam, Chile, Turkey, Cuba and El Salvador. In Washington, DC, his assignments have included Deputy Director of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, as well as positions in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and on the staff of the Secretary of State in the Operations Center. Harry is the recipient of numerous Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor awards. Harry received a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and Bachelor of Arts degrees in International Relations and Spanish Language from the University of California, Davis.
Mark Wesley Menezes served as Deputy Secretary of Energy. The Deputy Secretary is responsible for driving transformative energy progress and technology solutions through coordinated planning, management, and innovation. Prior to being confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Energy, Mr. Menezes served as the Under Secretary of Energy. Having served as an executive at Berkshire Hathaway Energy, a partner at Hunton & Williams LLP, and a Chief Counsel, Energy and Environment, at US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce – Mr. Menezes has held many positions within the energy sector prior to coming to the Department of Energy. Before his service with House Energy & Commerce, he was Vice President with Central and South West, and upon its merger with American Electric Power, served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel for federal and state legislative and regulatory affairs. Mr. Menezes has been named in National Journal’s “Hill 100”—top Congressional staff for his work on both energy and environmental matters. He has been frequent guest speaker and lecturer before numerous associations and civic groups, including legal education seminars where he has been called on to address the nation’s energy and environmental policies, utility restructuring, telecommunications, ethics, merger and acquisition practices, and regulatory and legislative processes. He has co-authored numerous articles, a practice manual, and been quoted in the New York Times, Law360, Oil and Gas Journal, Politico as well as interviewed by E&ETV. He’s been listed Best Lawyers in America 2013–2016, Corporate Counsel’s Top Lawyers 2006–2011, Washington Post’s Top Lawyers 2008–2016, and DC Super Lawyers 2012–2016. Mr. Menezes is a graduate of Louisiana State University receiving both his undergraduate and juris doctor degree. Until joining the government he was a charter member of the Advisory Council, Louisiana State University Law John P. Laborde Energy Law Center, and served on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Chorus & American Youth Chorus.
Verinda Fike serves as the Regional Director for the Indo-Pacific for the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), where she is responsible for developing the agency’s strategy, infrastructure project preparation activities, and innovative public-private partnerships throughout the region. Ms. Fike has traveled and worked in over 50 countries and has managed projects in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Ms. Fike began her career at USTDA in 2010, and previously served as Country Manager for Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and for East Asia. Prior to joining USTDA, Ms. Fike consulted US private sector and USAID overseas missions on creating effective public-private partnerships in developing and emerging economies. She also spent three years in China managing patient relations and marketing for several women’s health clinics in cooperation with Johns Hopkins Hospital. Ms. Fike holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service and a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University, as well as a B.A. from the University of Colorado in International Affairs and Mandarin Chinese.
Noppadol Dej-Udom has served as C.P. Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer since 2017. He brings a wealth of experience to the position, including more than 10 years of financial and operations leadership at True Corporation Public Company Limited. He currently oversees the execution of C.P. Group’s sustainability policy and plays an important role in fostering innovation and ensuring sustainable business practices across the Group companies’ operations and supply chains. He is also Vice Chairman of Sustainability, Governance and Communications Committee of C.P. Group, the highest-level governing body of the Group on sustainability matters, and Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of True Corporation. Mr. Noppadol was Deputy CEO for Corporate Development and Group CFO of True Corporation Public Company Limited, where he was central to the development of True Corp’s Broadband business. Under his leadership, True Corp established Thailand’s first and largest telecommunications infrastructure fund. He also serves as a Board Member and Secretary-General of Global Compact Network Thailand, a local network of the United Nations Global Compact. Most recently, he has joined the Business Commission to Tackle Inequality, which is an initiative established by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to mobilize the global business community to address escalating levels of inequality globally and generate shared prosperity for all. Mr. Noppadol has a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York State. He received the 2015/2016 Best CFO Awards in technology category from IAA and was selected Best CFO in 2015/2016 by FinanceAsia.
Courtney Weatherby is a research analyst with the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia and Energy, Water, & Sustainability programs and Deputy Director of the Southeast Asia Program. Her research focuses on sustainable infrastructure and energy development challenges in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific, particularly food-water-energy nexus issues in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Weatherby was lead author on a range of technical and policy studies including Thailand’s Energy Development Pathways with Pact, the IUCN report Sekong, Sesan, Srepok Basin Energy Profile, the Stimson Center report Mekong Power Shift, and the TRENDS Institution UAE Energy Diplomacy report. She supports the team’s data-driven work on the Mekong Infrastructure Tracker and has authored and co-authored numerous short pieces a range of online publications including Foreign Policy, The Bangkok Post, and China Dialogue. She served as a US-Japan-Southeast Asia Fellow at the East-West Center in Washington in early 2019, focusing her fellowship research on US-Japan collaboration on energy infrastructure in Southeast Asia. She has spoken publicly on panels at a variety of institutions including the National Bureau of Asian Research’s Pacific Energy Summit and the Greater Mekong Forum on Water, Food, and Energy. Before joining Stimson in 2014, Weatherby worked briefly with the Center for Strategic International Studies, the State Department, and Human Rights Watch. She holds a M.A. in Asian Studies from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a B.A. in East Asian Studies with honors from Dickinson College.
H.E. Piper Campbell served as the Head of the US Mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Ambassador to Mongolia during a distinguished 30-year diplomatic career, and her areas of expertise include East Asia and navigating multilateral organizations. She also has taught national security strategy at the graduate level, at the National Defense University’s National War College. Ambassador Campbell led the US Mission to ASEAN based in Jakarta from June – December 2018. In that capacity, she served as “Senior Official” in formal sessions of the East Asia Summit, ASEAN regional Forum, and the Lower Mekong Initiative. Leading a multi-agency team involved wide-ranging activities from securing agreement with ASEAN Defense Ministers on holding the first US-ASEAN military exercise to opening a summit of Young Southeast Asian entrepreneurs. Ambassador Campbell served as Chief of Mission, US Embassy Ulaanbaatar from 2012-2015, in which capacity she supported negotiations on the development of Mongolia’s extractive industries and agreement on a $350 million US-Mongolia Millennium Challenge Compact. Ambassador Campbell retired in April 2019, after a thirty-year diplomatic career with the rank of Minister Counselor.
