Effective Supply Chains for Energy Access

Panelists

Richenda Van Leeuwen, Executive Director, Energy Access

Richenda Van Leeuwen leads the UN Foundation’s work on energy access and engagement with the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. She founded and leads the Foundation’s Energy Access Practitioner Network, a 2,000-strong global network of businesses and non-profits catalyzing primarily market-led decentralized solutions for energy access. She joined the UN Foundation in 2010 from Good Energies, a global renewable energy private equity firm where she led its work on commercial emerging markets transactions, and was a founding board member of the Good Energies Foundation, focusing on energy access and climate change. Prior to this, she served as the Executive Director of Trickle Up, an international microenterprise development non-profit organization from 2001 to 2005. A sought-out speaker on energy access, gender equity and poverty issues, she has over 20 years of executive management experience with the UN, private sector and non-profits on several continents, in particular focusing on impact investing for micro- and small and medium sized enterprises as well as post-conflict reconstruction, refugee issues and economic empowerment. She currently serves on the board of SELCO India, a leading renewable energy social enterprise focusing on delivering renewable energy services to off-grid communities in India. She gained her BS and MBA degrees from Durham University, UK.

Coryell Stout, Director of Operations and Sales, One Degree

Coryell Stout oversees Operations and Sales at One Degree Solar, a venture-backed, technology company that designs and manufactures solar products for individuals, households and small businesses without reliable energy access. One Degree products have reached over 240,000 individuals to date. In addition to the United Nations Foundation, One Degree Solar has investors, clients and partnerships with Schneider Electric, Coca-Cola and the IFC as well as press coverage in FastCompany and Al Jazeera. Previously, Coryell led microfinance initiatives in Ghana, Nigeria and India, advised award-winning nonprofit organizations on board governance and donor management, and designed customer service strategies for Fortune 500 companies. Coryell also worked as Chief Operating Officer of Generation Enterprise, a business incubator for youth entrepreneurs in emerging markets, during which she oversaw program expansion across Nigeria and to India and guided investment in 16 seed-stage businesses. Coryell is an Advisor for Nurturing Minds and the Sega Girls School. Coryell graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Political Sciences/International Studies and African Studies. She was named the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Development Scholar and the Wharton School of Business’s Social Entrepreneurship Fellow.

Katherine Lucey

Katherine Lucey is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Solar Sister. After a 20-year career as an investment banker with expertise in the energy sector, Katherine retired from banking and turned her attention to finding a sustainable solution to the energy poverty that causes suffering to a quarter of the world’s population. Katherine determined that a practical, grassroots, locally generated solution was needed. Katherine is an Ashoka Fellow and a Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Entrepreneur. She has received recognition and awards for her work with Solar Sister, including Clinton Global Initiative member, Innovation Award from Social Venture Network, Advancement for the Developing World Award from C3E, and Champion for Change Award for Innovation from the International Center for Research on Women. She holds an M.B.A. from Georgia State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia. She is an alumna of the Global Social Benefit Incubator, the signature social enterprise program of the Center for Science, Technology, and Society of Santa Clara University.

Kieran Reynolds, Vice President of Operations, Azuri Technologies

Kieran has ten years of experience in developing early stage, high-growth companies. He has comprehensive experience of all stages in the development and market application of solar power devices, and he was with Plastic Logic for six years before joining the Advanced Photovoltaic Research Accelerator from which Azuri spun out. Kieran holds an M.Sci in Chemical Physics from the University of Bristol and a Ph.D in Physics from the University of Cambridge.