Wednesday, September 16
Time
Session
Description
Speakers
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Registration
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Networking Lunch
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Women in Utilities Networking Lunch
Invite Only
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Utility Workshop
- From Pilot to System Impact: Utility Innovation Models & Metrics in Action​
- Genius at Scale: Why Great Innovation Fails to Scale and How to Fix It ​by Jason Wild
NGA Members Only
Amine Benssy, EDF, Director of Innovation
Jacob Morris, Southern Company, Managing Director, New Ventures
Jason Wild, Wild Innovation, CEO
John Franklin, National Grid, VP, Asset Strategy
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Networking Break
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Utility Workshop Breakout 1: CVC + Commercialization
- Beyond One Playbook: How Utility CVCs Invest, Partner, and Scale Innovation ​
- Turning Unmet Utility Challenges into Scalable Solutions Using Startup Thinking ​
NGA Members Only
André Botelho, EDP Ventures, Principal
Jacob Morris, Southern Company, Managing Director, New Ventures
Kristian Bodek, National Grid Partners, Director, Investments
Sergej Mahnovski, Edison International, Managing Director of Corporate Venture and Strategy
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Utility Workshop Breakout 2: Regulation + Robotics
- Grid Utilization Metrics in Practice: Trends, Tensions, and Tactics in the Regulatory Space​
- From Fragmentation to Focus: Building a Robotics Roadmap​
NGA Members Only
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Startup Dragon's Den
Invite Only
Ayse Coskun, EmeraldAI, Chief Scientist
Harry Atkinson, Sensat, Co-Founder
Jaeger Glucina, Luminance, Chief of Staff
Jeremy Suard, Exodigo, Founder and CEO
Joseph Hunter, TS Conductor, VP of Global Sales
Ram Rajagopal, GridCARE, Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder
Tim Heidel, VEIR,Co-Founder & CEO
Vishal Kapadia, LineVision, CEO
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Future of AI Infrastructure Roundtable
Invite Only
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
NGA Summit Welcome Reception
All Attendees Welcome
Thursday, September 17
7:45 AM - 8:45 AM
Registration & Breakfast
8:45 AM - 8:55 AM
Welcome
Aaron Panzer, National Grid Partners, Head of Strategic Bets
Shun Sakaguchi, National Grid Partners, Head of NextGrid Alliance
8:55 AM - 9:10 AM
Opening Remarks
Steve Smith, National Grid, Head of UK Strategy and Policy
9:10 AM - 9:35 AM
Morning Fireside Chat
The New Grid Reality – Powering Up with Customers, Capital & Connection
Ben Downing, MassCEC, CEO
Sonia Brown, National Grid, Group Head of Strategy
9:35 AM - 10:15 AM
Plenary Panel
Executive Crossroads: Navigating Tough Calls and Trade-offs in Utility Leadership
Chris Karwick, Silicon Valley Power, COO
Geoffrey Bailey, Oncor Electric Delivery, VP of Corporate Strategy
Ignacio Estella, Avangrid, SVP, Innovation, Talent & Equal Opportunity
Natasha Deschene, National Grid New York, Interim COO
Valencia McClure, Exelon, SVP, Governmental, Regulatory and External Affairs
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
Coffee Break
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM
Plenary Panel
Beyond Investment: How National Grid Partners Drives Commercial Agreements​ With Startups
Brett Chandler, National Grid Partners, VP of Business Development
Gia Mahmoud, National Grid, VP, Portfolio and Project Management
Harry Atkinson, Sensat, Co-Founder
Mark Thompson, National Grid, VP, Digital Solutions, NY
Simon Harnett, National Grid, Chief Procurement Officer
11:15 AM - 11:55 AM
Plenary Panel
Managing Diverse Customer Needs. Who Pays, Who Builds, and Who Gets the Power?
Ari Matusiak, Rewiring America, Co-Founder, CEO, President
Jason Williams, Dominion Energy, VP, Strategy Partnership
John McFarland, Portland General Electric, SVP & Chief Commercial, Customer & Digital Officer
Justin Lopas, Base Power, Co-Founder and COO
Morgan Steacy, National Grid, VP, Connections & Strategic Accounts
11:55 AM - 12:25 PM
Innovation in Action: Rapid-Fire Utility–Startup Use Cases Part 1
Grid Deployments That Delivered (and What Nearly Derailed Them)
Jeremy Suard, Exodigo, Founder and CEO
Steven Chen, Treeswift, CEO & Co-Founder
Vishal Kapadia, Linevision, CEO
12:25 PM - 1:30 PM
Networking Lunch
1:30 PM - 2:15 PM
Breakout Panel
Grid Modernization at Full Capacity: Maximizing Utilization, Orchestration, and Capital Efficiency
Brian Chen, Southern California Edison, VP, Project & Field Engineering
Erika Schimmel Guiles, SDG&E Director, Portfolio & Project Management
Josh Gould, Duquesne Light Company, Director of Advanced Grid Solutions & Strategic Planning
Michael Putt, Florida Power & Light, Executive Director, Grid Transformation & Integration
Robin Lanier, Georgia Power, Managing Director, Grid Strategy & Solutions
1:30 PM - 2:15 PM
Breakout Panel
Beyond the Air Gap: AI, OT Cybersecurity & the Future of Critical Infrastructure
Almog Apirion, Cyolo, CEO and Co-Founder
Anthony Bettini, Vulncheck, Founder and CEO
Dan White, National Grid Partners, Director of Business Development
Joshua Marpet, Finite State, Senior Product Security Consultant
Phil Tonkin, Dragos, Field CTO
1:30 PM - 2:15 PM
Breakout Panel
Bridging the Power Gap: Integrating Gas and Electric Energy Solutions for Large Load Customers
Andrea Hu-Bianco, RWE, SVP of Engineering
Andrew Schneller, National Grid, VP of Engineering and Network Strategy
PJ Martin, Xcel Energy, VP of Integrated Planning
Sandeep Dudhwewala, Vistra, SVP of Corp Strategy and M&A
2:15 PM - 2:30 PM
Coffee Break
2:30 PM - 4:15 PM
Structured Networking
1-1 Meetings Available to Book on the NGA Summit App
4:15 PM - 4:30 PM
Coffee Break
4:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Innovation in Action: Rapid-Fire Utility–Startup Use Cases Part 2
AI and Software Tools Delivering Real Value to Utilities
Jaeger Glucina, Luminance, Chief of Staff
Ram Rajagopal, GridCARE, Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder
Rory Billing, Transcend, Head of Power
5:00 PM - 5:40 PM
Plenary Panel
Energy as Infrastructure: Utilities as the Next Technology Platform
Ahsan Yousufzai, NVIDIA, Managing Director of Energy
Ayse Coskun, Emerald AI, Chief Scientist
David Lucey, Digital Realty, SVP Head of Portfolio Management
Jacob Susman, Google, Head of Origination and Partnerships
Sarah Salati, National Grid Ventures, CCO, Large Load Power Solutions
5:40 PM - 6:10 PM
Afternoon Keynote
The Quantum Grid: How Quantum Computing Transforms the Utility Sector
Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, Nu Quantum, Founder and CEO
Pradeep Tagare, National Grid Partners, Interim President
6:10 PM - 6:15 PM
Closing Remarks
Steve Smith, National Grid, Head of UK Strategy and Policy
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
NGA Summit Dinner
Invite Only
