Tuesday, October 7
Time
Session Title & Description
Speaker
Location
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Registration & Breakfast
Mezzanine
9:15 AM - 9:25 AM
Welcome
A Celebration of the Pivotal Role Innovation Plays in the Future of Energy
Oli Barrett - Event MC
Plenary Core
9:25 AM - 9:45 AM
Opening Remarks
John Pettigrew - Group Chief Executive Officer, National Grid
Plenary Core
9:50 AM - 11:15 AM
Invitation to Experience the Innovation Zones
Immerse in Solutions Building a More Resilient Energy Future While Ensuring Customer Centricity and Creating Economic Growth
Workshop Zones
11:15 AM -11:20 AM
Break
11:20 AM - 11:40 AM
Keynote Session
When to Strategically Invest in Impactful Innovations so They Are Available at Point of Need
Kim Driscoll - Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
Plenary Core
11:40 AM - 12:00 PM
Keynote Session
Why We Should Accelerate Growth by Empowering Innovators Within National Grid and the Wider Industry
Dr. Emily Reichert - CEO, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Plenary Core
12:00 PM - 12:20 PM
Keynote Session
How to Convene and Connect Diverse Networks to Enhance Collaboration and Awareness
Ted Wiley - President & COO, Form Energy
Plenary Core
12:20 PM - 1:10 PM
Panel Discussion
Lisa Wieland - President, National Grid New England
Plenary Core
1:10 PM – 2:10 PM
Lunch & Networking
1-1 Meetings Available to Book
Mezzanine
2:10 PM -2:20 PM
Transition to Plenary Core
Mezzanine
2:20 PM – 2:50 PM
Welcome Back & Fireside Chat
Moderator:
Oli Barrett - Event MC
Speakers:
Ben Wilson - President, National Grid Ventures
Jonathan Silver - Chair, Global Sustainability Platform, Apollo Global Management, Non-executive Director, National Grid
Plenary Core
2:50 PM-3:00 PM
Transition to Workshop Zones
Workshop Zones
3:00 PM - 4:25 PM
Innovation Workshop
Advancing Customer Affordability: Regulatory Frameworks to Support Innovation
Affordability Workshop Zone
3:00 PM - 4:25 PM
Innovation Workshop
Resiliency Revolution: Innovation at the Edge of Electrification and Gas
Resilience Workshop Zone
3:00 PM - 4:25 PM
Innovation Workshop
Growth Reimagined: Scaling Smarter, Cleaner, and Faster
Growth Workshop Zone
4:25 PM - 4:40 PM
Break
4:40 PM - 5:10 PM
Fireside Chat
Hear What the Future of Energy Holds
Moderator:
Oli Barrett - Event MC
Speakers:
Talvis Love - Chief Information & Digital Officer, National Grid
Lily Stein - Head of Implementation, Kraken
Plenary Core
5:10 PM – 5:30 PM
Closing Remarks
Steve Smith - Chief Strategy & Regulation Officer, National Grid, President, National Grid Partners
Plenary Core
5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Networking Reception
Plenary Core
Wednesday, October 8
Time
Session Title & Description
Speaker
Location
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Registration & Breakfast
Palm Garden
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Morning Dialogue
Evolving Priorities Across Utility CVC's: Balancing Strategic Intent With Market Shifts
Kristian Bodek - Director, Investments, National Grid Partners
Shounok Sinha - Managing Director, Constellation Technology Ventures
Byron Kelly - Principal, NextEra Energy Investments
John Alvarado - Principal, Venture Investments, Edison International
Palm Garden
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Networking & Breakfast (cont.)
1-1 Meetings Available to Book
Palm Garden
10:00 AM - 10:25 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Steve Smith - Chief Strategy & Regulation Officer, National Grid, President, National Grid Partners
Main Keynote Hall
10:25 AM - 10:50 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Melissa Lott - Partner General Manager, Energy Technologies, Microsoft
Main Keynote Hall
10:50 AM - 11:35 AM
Plenary Panel
Leading Through Transformation: How Utility Executives Are Balancing Innovation With Reliability
Moderator:
Julia Hamm - Partner, The Ad Hoc Group, Inc., Board Member, Puget Sound Energy
Speakers:
Sally Librera - President, National Grid New York
Sunny Elebua - Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer, Exelon Corporation
Paul Chodak COO, Eversource Energy
Main Keynote Hall
11:35 AM - 12:20 PM
Plenary Panel
Grid Meets Gigawatts: What the Data Center Industry Needs From Utilities, and What Comes Next
Moderator:
Geoffrey Bailey - VP, Corporate Strategy, Oncor
Speakers:
Varun Sivaram - CEO and Founder, Emerald AI
Will Conkling - Head of Data Center Energy, Americas and EMEA, Google
Amit Narayan - CEO and Co-Founder, GridCARE
Dado Slezak - Executive, Power & Energy, QTS Data Centers
Main Keynote Hall
12:20 PM - 1:30 PM
Networking & Lunch
1-1 Meetings Available to Book
Palm Garden
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Utility-Startup Presentations
Grid Technologies: Unlocking Hidden Infrastructure Capacity for Rising Energy Demands
Karthik Rao - Vice President, Client Success, LineVision
Jason Huang - CEO, TS Conductor
Enrique Bosch - Director of Innovation, Avangrid
Breakout Room 1-4
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Utility-Startup Presentations
AI-Powered Grid Expansion: Transforming Infrastructure Planning And Construction
Matt Crye - President, Urbint
Mark Esguerra - Director, Transmission and Substation Engineering, Southern California Edison
Dana Small - Vice President of Safety, Training and Environmental, Exelon Corporate
Jeremy Suard - Co-Founder & CEO, Exodigo
Breakout Room 1-4
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Utility-Startup Presentations
Smarter Grid Security: Next-Generation Tools Against Physical and Cyber Threats
Abhishek Vinod Singh - Co-Founder & CEO, AiDASH
Joe O’Donnell - Chief Strategy Officer, Cyolo
Breakout Room 1-4
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Utility-Startup Presentations
Collaborative Pathways to Net Zero: Next-Generation Decarbonization Solutions
Tony Pan - CEO, Modern Hydrogen
Lionel Ribiero - Manager, Carbon Removal, Equinor
Tyler Hardin - Executive Director, Strategy & Product Solutions, NextEra Energy Resources
Breakout Room 1-4
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
Networking Break
1-1 Meetings Available to Book
Palm Garden
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Panel & Workshop
Modernizing the Grid: Enabling Flexibility for Resilient Energy Systems
Moderator:
Nick Watson - Director, Commercial & Customer Strategy, National Grid
Speakers:
John Franklin - VP Asset Strategy, New England Electric, National Grid
Shinjini Menon - Senior Vice President, System Planning & Engineering, Southern California Edison
Andrew Hoffman - Chief Development Officer, leap
Robin Lanier - Managing Director, Grid Strategy and Solutions, Georgia Power
Breakout Room 1-4
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Panel & Workshop
From Hard Hats to Robots: Innovation in Utility Construction
Moderator:
Natasha Deschene - VP, National Grid
Speakers:
Aki Manda - Venture Manager, Kajima
Ricardo da Silva - VP of Strategic Operations, New York Power Authority (NYPA)
Deise Yumi Asami - New Growth Business, Maximo Founder, AES
Breakout Room 1-4
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Panel & Workshop
Integrated Energy Planning: Utility-Collaboration Models That Drive Progress
Showcase presenter:
Marc-André Goyette - VP, Strategy, Finance and Regulation Affairs, Énergir
Moderator:
Sonia Brown - Group Head of Strategy, National Grid
Speakers:
Renault-François Lortie - VP, Customers and Gas Supply, Énergir
Heather Rock - Sr. Director, Strategy, PG&E
Raghu Sudhakara - VP, Distributed Resources Integration, ConEd
Walter Fromm - VP, Asset Management and Engineering, National Grid
Breakout Room 1-4
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM
Networking Break
1-1 Meetings Available to Book
Palm Garden
4:45 PM - 5:30 PM
Afternoon Panel
How Utility CIO's Are Leading the Digital Transformation And Integrating AI
Moderator:
Jonathan Silver - Chair, Global Sustainability Platform, Apollo Global Management, Non-Executive Director, National Grid
Speakers:
Richard Donaldson - Chief Information Officer, Duke Energy Corporation
Hema Sundaram - Division Chief Information Officer, Portland General Electric
Talvis Love - Chief Information & Digital Officer, National Grid
Main Keynote Hall
5:30 PM - 5:55 PM
Afternoon Fireside Chat
Ben Wilson - President, National Grid Ventures
Main Keynote Hall
5:55 PM -6:15 PM
Afternoon Keynote
Spencer Glendon - Founder, Probable Futures
Main Keynote Hall
6:15 PM - 6:20 PM
Closing Remarks
Main Keynote Hall
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
NGA Member Dinner, By Invitation Only
Off Site
Thursday, October 9
Time
Session Title & Description
Location
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Networking & Breakfast
Palm Garden
8:30 AM - 8:45 AM
Opening Remarks & Panel Sessions
Main Keynote Hall
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM
Academia Session
How Stanford, MIT & Harvard Are Shaping the Next Wave of Grid Innovation
Moderator:
Liang Min - Managing Director, Bitts & Watts Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy
Speakers:
Priya Donti - Associate Professor, MIT, Co-Founder, Climate Change AI
Ram Rajagopal - Associate Professor, Stanford, Co-Director, Bitts & Watts
Le Xie - Professor, Harvard
Main Keynote Hall
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM
Accelerator Session
From Lab to Grid: Navigating The Utility-Startup Partnership in the Age Of AI
Moderator:
Gabriel Scheer - Senior Director, Investments and Innovation, Elemental Impact
Speakers:
David Aronoff - Chairman and Managing Partner, MCJ
Melissa DeValles - Senior Vice President of North America, Energy Dome
Ryan Rutledge - Executive Director, Joules Accelerator
Main Keynote Hall
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
NGA Member-Only Workshop
Capturing Value from Utility Innovation Activities: Live Discussion
NGA 2026 Planning
TBC
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
NGA Member-Only Site Visit
VEIR Superconductor Technologies
Available for up to 15 people. If interested in joining, please contact [email protected]
VEIR Headquarters