Top-level speakers for MoBay regulators conference this week
Jed Bailey
STRENGTHENING THE regulatory oversight for utilities, while creating opportunities, is an emerging issue confronting Caribbean societies. These and other issues are to be discussed by stakeholders in Montego Bay, St James, this week.
Close to 200 delegates are expected to attend the 14th annual conference of the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators at the Secrets Resorts and Spa between October 26 and 28. The theme this year is ‘Regulation: Creating a Spectrum of Opportunities in the Caribbean’.
The following are some of those who will speak during the three-day conference.
KELLY TOMBLIN
Kelly Tomblin has worked for more than 25 years in the energy industry, in both competitive and vertically integrated Yasmin Chong markets throughout the United States, in the UK and in Latin America. She has experience in the generation, transmission and distribution sectors, as well as renewable development, energy services and sales. She has worked in all areas in the industry, including legal, customer service, regulatory, plant and field operations, and organisational transformation.
Tomblin was appointed president and chief executive officer of the the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) in April 2012. Prior to JPS, she served as vice-president for GDF SUEZ/International Power, one of the world’s largest energy companies, and president of Pennsylvania Electric Company, a part of FirstEnergy, one of the largest utilities in the US.
Winston Robotham is a certified regulation specialist whose primary area of expertise is in the energy sector at the multi-sector regulatory agency, Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR). Prior to his current service in the public sector, Robotham developed a professional career in the financial sector and was accomplished in a wide range of managerial assignments. Those assignments included credit and portfolio management, customer relationship management, marketing, human resource management, sales and business development.
Kadian Birch is an attorneyat-law with specialisation in health law and policy. She possesses over six years of work experience in the public-health sector. Birch is currently employed to the Ministry of Health, Jamaica, and is responsible for providing legal advice to the ministry and its departments and agencies on matters of policy, legislation, international law, medico-legal, bilateral and other agreements. She has been a member of the Consumer Advisory Committee on Utilities (CACU), Jamaica, since 2006 and is keen on promoting the best interests of Jamaican consumers in the utilities regulation process.
JED BAILEY
Jed Bailey is the founder and managing director of Energy Narrative, a network of energy experts providing strategic market analysis to industry and government leaders worldwide. He is also the managing editor of The Weekly Brief: Mexico. Bailey is an expert with nearly 20 years’ experience in emerging energy markets, specialising in market fundamentals, regulatory structure and strategic planning. He has been widely quoted in publications ranging from The Economist and Financial Times to the Iran Daily, and has appeared on Bloomberg Television and CNN International.
YASMIN CHONG
Yasmin Chong has been a practicing and experienced business development and utilities regulation practitioner for over 15 years and has served as a member of the CACU since its inception in 2000 and as chairman since January 2004. Through her association with the OUR and utilities regulation, Chong has sought to place the CACU at the forefront of consumer advocacy activities in Jamaica. Under her direction, the committee has become an integral part of the utilities regulation landscape. Recent transformation within Jamaica’s energy sector led to her appointment on January 11, 2016 as a member of the office at the OUR. She is also a member of the Consumer Protection Tribunal (established in 2013) at the Consumer Affairs Commission.
GLENN KHAN
Glenn Khan has built up a varied business and professional experience through his employment in both the public and private sectors as well as at the University of the West Indies. His areas of specialisation include financial, portfolio and credit management, policy analysis, credit union management, financial sector research and utility regulation. He has authored three books and several papers, and has made presentations at many international conferences throughout the Caribbean as well as in the Americas, Southern Africa and West Africa. His research work has been used as reference material by students at the UWI as well as from countries as far away as Europe. He retired as deputy executive director of the Regulated Industries Commission, a statutory body established to regulate public utilities in Trinidad and Tobago. He is currently the executive director of the Independent Regulatory Commission in Dominica.