D V Shastry is an astute professional leader with 36+ years of multifarious experience in Natural Gas Industry, encompassing its Technical and Managerial aspects such as Project Management, Operations & Maintenance of Natural Gas Pipelines and Gas Processing Plants, Learning & Development, HR/HRD and Administration. He is among the founder members of GAIL (a Maharatna PSU).

Apart from performing roles in Project Management and Operation & Maintenance of Pipelines and Natural Gas Processing plants, he was holding the position of Executive Director (Training, R&D and Start-Up) in GAIL (India) Ltd at the time of superannuation. He is also the former Director on the board of M/s GAIL Gas Ltd and former Director (Personnel), Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL) – a CPSE under Department of Atomic Energy.

His academic qualifications include a graduate degree in Mechanical Engg.- VU with M.Tech. in Energy Systems Engg. – IIT Bombay, Diploma in Management – IGNOU and Advanced Certification in HRM [ACHRM] – AIMA.

He had been supporting the Business Development of GAIL through capability building – especially in the new/upcoming areas and has been instrumental in conceptualization and implementation of various Knowledge Management initiatives – such as launch of ASME (USA) certification courses in pipeline/asset integrity management, organizing International Workshop on City Gas Distribution & CNG (CGD & CNG) for the participants from SAARC Countries and has been a part of organizing team of Asia Gas Partnership Summits (AGPS), held in the past. He also organized many similar events at GAIL Training Institute, in addition to structured training interventions to support business needs of various other organizations including IOCL, HPCL, MRPL(ONGC), GSPC, Torrent, ThinkGas and the Joint Venture Companies (JVCs) of GAIL, etc.

He is affiliated with several Professional (Technical & Management) Bodies such as ASME, Institution of Engineers (India), AIMA, FICCI, IIPE, RGIPT, IIM – Nagpur, FORE Society, ISTD, SHRM, NIPM, etc. He has held important positions in these bodies such as: Leader of the multi-company Task Force constituted by Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulator Board (PNGRB) for identifying/assessing technical skill gaps in the workforce required for City Gas Distribution (CGD) sector in the country, Member – Board of Governors RGIPT, Board of Studies – All India Management Association (AIMA), New Delhi and Institute of Public Enterprise (IPE), Hyderabad, Academic Senate – Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIPE), Vizag, Advisory Board – Centre of Excellence for Corporate Governance, CSR & Sustainability (CoECGCS), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Nagpur, etc. He has also been a Member of the Jury for prestigious FICCI Higher Education Excellence Awards besides being a key contributor in the HR Task Force for HR Excellence constituted by Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoPNG).

Tarun Kapoor is Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. He is a member of the Indian Administrative Service with over 33 years experience at the State and National levels.

Before taking over as Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr Kapoor has worked in various positions in the Government looking after Policy formulation as well implementation of Government Programmes in the field. He worked as Additional Chief Secretary in the State of Himachal Pradesh, which is a hilly State in the north of India, looking after various departments from time to time like Power, Environment & Forests, Food and Civil Supplies, Excise, PWD etc. He also worked as Head of District in two districts of Himachal Pradesh looking after complete administration and developmental activities in these districts. He also worked in Public Sector Companies in the Power sector at various positions. He has also worked as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India looking after National Solar Mission for five years.

He also participated in the International Conferences and Seminars mainly in the area of Renewable Energy.

He is an Electrical Engineer with Masters in Business Administration. His areas of specialization are Solar Energy and Hydro Power.

Reji is the President of India Smart Grid Forum ( www.indiasmartgrid.org) since its inception in 2011 and is also the Chairman of Global Smart Energy Federation since November 2016. He an internationally renowned expert with nearly four decades of experience in the electricity sector in diverse functions covering the entire value chain and across continents. He is spearheading a mission to leverage technology to transform the electric grid in India and provide clean and reliable electricity to every citizen 24x7 at affordable cost. He is actively advocating for the “Right to Electricity Act” that will ensure lifeline supply of electricity to all citizens in India. Reji has played pivotal role in several ground breaking initiatives related to renewable energy, electric grid modernization, electric mobility, energy storage and digitalization in India during the past two decades. His current areas of research and work include: Grid Integrated Vehicles, District Cooling, Electric Cooking, Smart Grids as Anchor Infrastructure for Smart Cities, Grid Interactive Buildings and Campuses; Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Blockchain Applications for Utilities; Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Systems and the Future of Transportation; and Interconnection of Regional Grids in Asia - ASEAN, SAARC and GCC grids. In November 2016, Reji was unanimously elected as Chairman of Global Smart Grid Federation, now renamed as Global Smart Energy Federation (GSEF), a global umbrella organization of smart grid/energy associations and utilities from 16 countries and the European Union; and headquartered in Washington DC, USA. As an entrepreneur, Reji has built successful enterprises in India and overseas and exited them. He has studied Engineering, Finance, Management and Law; worked with NTPC and IBM and has been senior consultant with ADB, World Bank and USAID. A recognized thought leader in clean energy, smart grid technologies, smart cities and electric mobility, Reji is a popular key-note speaker at international symposiums and conferences on these domains. He has also contributed to several articles, books, research reports and white papers on variety of topics.