APOC 2026 Speakers

Profile
Name: Mr.Jirawuth Suwanna-arj
Position: Deputy Director General, Department of Internal Trade

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Economics (Finance), Ramkhamhaeng University
• Master of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS)

Professional Experience

Profile
Mr. Sanin Triyanond graduated Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and obtained a Master in Engineering Management from Duke University, USA. Currently, he is a director of Patum Vegetable Oil Company Limited, and Chairman of Thai Biodiesel Producer Association.

He has been actively involved in the areas of palm oil and biodiesel industry for decade and participated in several government committees, which have a significant role in developing and supervising oil palm and palm oil industries in Thailand, for instance, Thailand Oil Palm Board, Palm Oil Balance Management Sub-Committee.

Profile
Dr. Supatchalee Sophonthammaphat graduated in BSc. Environmental Science from Silpakorn University in 1996 and LL.B. from Thammasat University in 2004.Then, she completed an MSc. in Environmental Management at NIDA in 2006. where she achieved a high average grade point reward. Then, in 2011, she achieved a scholarship from the Royal Thai Government to study at the University of Sheffield, UK. She completed on Energy for Futures (E-Futures) programme (Postgraduate Diploma, Faculty of Engineering) in 2015 and a PhD. Degree in the Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering in 2018. This provides great opportunities to explore the renewable energy technologies with her research activities. In 1997, she started her work at S.P.S. Consulting Service Co., Ltd., In 1998, she worked at the Pollution Control Department (PCD), Thailand. Then, in 2008 she moved to the Dept. of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE), Ministry of Energy, Thailand. She attended on biofuel, RE &EE. She is also interested in energy policy & planning, petrochemical, CCUS, energy storage, waste to energy (WtE), biolubricant, bioplastics and bioproducts. She also works with UN, UNIDO, WHO, ASEAN, APEC and collaborates with international countries. She has experience in both environmental issues and energy for over 25 years.

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Dr. Hefni Rusli is currently the Acting Deputy Director General (Research & Development) at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Bioindustry and a Master of Science from Universiti Putra Malaysia, and holds a PhD in Biology & Biochemistry from the University of Bath, United Kingdom.

Dr. Hefni also serves as the Chairman of the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee. An award-winning scientist, he has published more than 30 scientific articles and books. He has been with MPOB since 2012, contributing extensively to research, innovation, and policy development in the palm oil sector.

Profile

Profile
Mr. Dieter Van Ryckeghem brings over 15 years of experience in clean energy solutions. His career began in Belgium in the heat pump industry and later expanded into flue gas treatment technologies for corrosive chemical processes. In 2017, he joined VYNCKE to focus on biomass-to-energy solutions across Europe and Africa. In 2018, he relocated to Asia to expand the business across China, Pakistan, and Korea. Since 2022, he has been based in Bangkok, where he currently leads the sales team for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.