Sama Bilbao y León is Director General of World Nuclear Association and also President of World Nuclear University.  She has more than 20 years of diverse experience in nuclear engineering and energy policy; having worked with distinction in industry, academia and having held high level positions at OECD/NEA and IAEA. 

Sama holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering,  a master’s degree in Energy Technologies, as well as a  master's degree and a PhD in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics and an MBA . Sama is one of founders of the North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN). 

Biography coming soon.

Biography coming soon.

He serves as the Head of the New Generation Nuclear Reactors Department at the Nuclear Energy Research Institute (NUKEN) of the Turkish Energy, Nuclear and Mineral Research Agency (TENMAK). He received his Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Nuclear Energy Engineering at Hacettepe University, where he also worked as an academic staff member from 2000 to 2006. He then worked at the Çekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center of the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) from 2006 to 2020 and has continued his work within the TENMAK since 2020. He also serves as a representative in various working groups of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/NEA). His research and professional activities are primarily focused on the areas of nuclear reactor design, nuclear reactor safety, and nuclear security.

Ximena Vásquez-Maignan has been working in the nuclear sector for more twenty years. She is the Chair of the WNA End Energy Users Panel and co-leads the group of the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs addressing private financing. Before joining White & Case, she was with EDF and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. She specializes in nuclear law, with a particular expertise in nuclear liability. She advises governments and public organizations, investors, operators, equipment and service providers, as well as insurers, in the development and monitoring of nuclear projects worldwide. 

She is a member of the International Nuclear Law Association, Women in Nuclear and the French Nuclear Society. She has served as an expert on numerous working groups, such as those of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the European Commission and nucleareurope. 

Biography coming soon.

Biography coming soon.

Biography coming soon.

Biography coming soon.

Thomas Jam Pedersen is an entrepreneur, electrical engineer, software engineer, and nuclear engineer. He has 20 years of experience in cutting-edge technology development. He is a speaker, an author, and does advanced mathematical modeling. He also loves nature and sail boats. He co-founded Copenhagen Atomics and is now the chair of the board. After ten years working in green energy, Thomas is still baffled by our society’s general lack of knowledge on how energy is made, consumed and how it shapes our societies. He sees thorium energy in general and Copenhagen Atomics in particular, playing a rapidly growing part in our clean energy future. He is a man of action who believes that now is the time to take action

Dr Han-Gon KIM is the President of Innovative SMR Development Agency. The agency is a foundation established by Korean Government to develop i-SMR.

Dr Kim graduated from nuclear engineering department of Seoul National University in 1988 and completed his master and Ph.D. degrees in nuclear engineering at KAIST in 1990 and 1993, respectively. Dr Kim worked to develop APR1400 in Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co, (KHNP) since 1997. And he had major role to get the standard design approval of APR1400 at 2002. In 2006, he led the national project to develop GEN III+ PWR, APR+.

From 2015, he was the project manager for APR1400 USNRC design certification and EUR certification. From 2020, he was the president of Central Research Institute (CRI) of KHNP and he planned the innovative SMR development with the Korean government.

He is a dedicated expert in the nuclear energy sector, an experienced business development executive, and a trained engineer-physicist. Okan is the Co-Lead of the Nuclear for Climate initiative at COP31 and was recently selected as Future Energy Leader – World Energy Council.

He has extensive experience in directing strategic initiatives, managing high-level B2B dialogues, and leading international multi-stakeholder partnerships across the nuclear logistics, supply chain, and advanced energy technologies.

Okan has worked in leadership roles spanning business development, marketing, and international cooperation. He serves as Secretary General of NIATR, where he successfully grew the association's industry membership and positioning Türkiye as a key regional hub for nuclear energy investment and technology deployment. He currently also acts as a Marketing Manager at ATA Energy Logistics.

Okan holds MSc and BSc as an Engineer-physicist, specializing in Nuclear Power Plants: Design, Engineering, and Operation. Fluently speaks Turkish, English, and Russian.

Esra Songur is a senior energy executive and licensed engineer with MBA , nearly 30 years of experience in sustainable development, nuclear and renewable energy and large-scale energy infrastructure. She currently serves as Director for Sustainable Development and Relations with Energy Companies & Business Associations at Akkuyu Nuclear JSC, a Rosatom company responsible for developing Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant.

In her current role, she leads ESG integration, stakeholder engagement, sustainability governance, and cooperation with key energy-sector institutions and business associations. Over the past decade, she has held multiple senior roles within the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant Project, contributing to strategic coordination, regulatory engagement, and the positioning of nuclear energy within Türkiye’s low-carbon and sustainable development agenda.

Biography coming soon.

Nuclear engineer with 10+ years of experience in the development and governance of Türkiye’s nuclear energy program. Currently coordinates new nuclear power plant projects, including SMRs, at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, supporting national decision-making at the intersection of technology, policy, and project delivery.

Ilya Sesyutchenkov has held positions in analysis, marketing and business development, and his current scope of responsibility includes SMR project development in Türkiye.

Mr. Sesyutchenkov has over 20 years within nuclear power industry. He joined Rosatom group in 2013 and held management positions in Rosatom International Network being in charge of marketing analysis and strategy. Later Mr. Sesyutchenkov was in charge of developing a large SMR project within Russia.

Ilya Sesyutchenkov holds a master’s degree in Economics in Plekhanov Russian University of Economics in Russia.

King Lee is the Head of Policy and Industry Engagement at World Nuclear Association. Mr Lee lead the policy and strategic outreach activities of the Association, promoting nuclear energy by working with the nuclear community to engage with key policy makers and stakeholders on the important role of nuclear energy as part of the clean energy system for sustainable development. Mr Lee oversee the Association’s Working Groups to support industry to share, collaborate and define collective industry positions. He also represents the Association at international forums including leading cooperation with key international institutions, such as United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Clean Energy Ministerial and World Energy Council.

Previously, Mr Lee was Head of Nuclear Development at Lloyd’s Register, where he led strategic business development and provided technical and commercial oversight major nuclear projects in UK, China, Korea and UAE.

Mr Lee is the Chair of UNECE Nuclear Fuel Working Group and Vice Chair of UNECE Group of Experts on Cleaner Electricity Systems. Mr Lee was the Vice-Chair of the Energy Institute Process Safety Committee. He is a member of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Nuclear Innovation 2050 Advisory Panel and Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) Flexible Nuclear Campaign Working Group.

Matthieu Euvrard has been International VP of GIFEN (French Nuclear Industry Association) since July 2025, after a more than 30 years career in France and internationally, including Turkey, in the electrical industry and the energy sector (Alstom, AREVA, Orano), mainly in the procurement and supply chain function. He was previously Chief Procurement Officer of Orano Group.

Biography coming soon.

Mesut Uzman is a senior nuclear executive with over two decades of global experience delivering complex nuclear programs across the United States, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. He currently serves as Chief Nuclear Construction Officer at Fermi America, leading development of the company’s advanced nuclear strategy to power the largest private grid in the United States.

Previously, Mesut held leadership positions at Westinghouse, Invensys, and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC). At ENEC, he played a key role in resolving critical path challenges at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, including establishing new work processes during the COVID-19 pandemic that enabled Unit 1 start-up to proceed while construction of Units 2–4 continued without delay.

He is recognized across the global nuclear community for navigating complex technical, regulatory, and stakeholder environments to deliver results under demanding conditions. Mesut holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

Ximena Vásquez-Maignan has been working in the nuclear sector for more twenty years. She is the Chair of the WNA End Energy Users Panel and co-leads the group of the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs addressing private financing. Before joining White & Case, she was with EDF and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. She specializes in nuclear law, with a particular expertise in nuclear liability. She advises governments and public organizations, investors, operators, equipment and service providers, as well as insurers, in the development and monitoring of nuclear projects worldwide. 

She is a member of the International Nuclear Law Association, Women in Nuclear and the French Nuclear Society. She has served as an expert on numerous working groups, such as those of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the European Commission and nucleareurope. 

Biography coming soon.

With 25+ years of experience in banking and consulting, Matt is an economist and finance practitioner advising on strategy, regulation and financing of utilities and infrastructure. Matt leads KPMG practice in Water, Power & Utilities and is the KPMG nuclear sector lead globally. 

Matt advises on corporate strategy, financing, regulation, and market design in energy, water and transport. His clients include water and energy networks in the UK as well as large suppliers such as Centrica, Engie, EDF, CEZ, SSE and Fortum. Matt also advised on many major infrastructure projects such as Sizewell C, Thames Tideway, Hinkley Point C, SESRO, Dukovany or Heathrow expansion. He works for governments and regulators and has led projects for Ofwat, Ofgem, CAA, ORR, Ofcom, FSA, the EC and the UK Government. On occasions he acts as an expert witness providing evidence to courts, regulators, and competition authorities, including at the High Court, CMA, CAT and HMRC. Matt began his career at Rothschild and Citigroup; he is an expert on structured finance and the author of several studies on the subject. Prior to KPMG, Matt spent 8 years at Oxera Consulting. He has extensive training in finance and economics having studied and taught courses at Oxford and Harvard. 

Sama Bilbao y León is Director General of World Nuclear Association and also President of World Nuclear University.  She has more than 20 years of diverse experience in nuclear engineering and energy policy; having worked with distinction in industry, academia and having held high level positions at OECD/NEA and IAEA. 

Sama holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering,  a master’s degree in Energy Technologies, as well as a  master's degree and a PhD in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics and an MBA . Sama is one of founders of the North American Young Generation in Nuclear (NA-YGN).