Session 7: Panel Discussion: Private Sector Involvement in Financing E-mobility
Session 7: Panel Discussion: Private Sector Involvement in Financing E-mobility
Date: Wednesday, 3 December 2025
Time: 13:30 - 15:00 (GMT+7)
Venue: Ballroom 2, InterContinental Bangkok by IHG
Session Description
This session will explore the essential role of the private sector in driving and financing the scale-up of e-mobility. It will examine how innovative partnerships, business models, and financing mechanisms can leverage private capital, accelerate infrastructure deployment, and complement public efforts to build sustainable e-mobility ecosystems. The discussion will highlight how governments can create enabling conditions—through clear policies, risk-sharing instruments, and investment incentives—to attract and sustain private sector participation. Panelists will present concrete examples of private sector engagement across Asia and the Pacific, including a blended finance solution enabling AC Mobility to develop an EV charging ecosystem in the Philippines, ADB’s private sector investments advancing e-mobility in Thailand, Tiger New Energy’s efforts to build Bangladesh’s largest battery-swapping network while promoting women’s empowerment, as well as lessons from UNIDO’s experience with battery swapping projects. Together, these perspectives will illustrate how public–private collaboration can accelerate e-mobility adoption and market maturity.
Session Speakers
Chair / Moderator:
 | Mr. Bertrand Goalou, Principal Transport Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Mr. Goalou leads urban transport and railways initiatives in the Transport Sector Department at the Asian Development Bank, with focus on Emerging Areas and new Transport solutions. With more than 25 years of experience in the sector, Mr. Goalou’s expertise covers all stages of the project cycle. He joined ADB in 2010 and devised sustainable urban transport projects, promoting innovation and transformative approach. Prior to joining ADB, Mr. Goalou held various Project Director positions in a French leading international transportation engineering firm. He worked in Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa and developed urban mobility plans, bus rapid transit, light rail, metro, non-motorized transport, electric mobilities and railways projects. Mr. Goalou holds a postgraduate degree in urban planning and transport from ParisTech, France (2001) and a master degree in civil engineering and urban planning from the National Institute for Applied Sciences (INSA), France (1998).
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Panelists:
 | Ms. Yvonne Palomar-Castro, Regulatory and Government Affairs Officer, ACMobility Holdings Incorporated As a pioneer in the Philippines' electric vehicle (EV) industry, Ms. Palomar-Castro played a pivotal role in introducing the country's first fleet-operated electric jeepney in Makati City in 2009. She was instrumental in securing government support and regulatory approvals, helping establish the EV industry. She served as a founding member and Executive Director for the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (eVAP) from 2010 to 2014. Ms. Palomar-Castro joined Bemac Electric Transportation Philippines, where she led its successful bid to supply 3,000 e-tricycles funded by the ADB. In 2016, she developed a groundbreaking initiative to transition Boracay island’s public transport system to fully electric vehicles, a vision that has since become a reality. Currently, Ms. Palomar-Castro serves as the Regulatory and Government Affairs,Head for ACMobility, where she actively collaborates with various stakeholders, including government agencies and local government units (LGUs), to advance sustainable EV mobility solutions and its infrastructure in the Philippines.
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 | Ms. Sarocha Kessakorn, Climate Finance Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Ms. Kessakorn is a climate finance specialist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). She covers multiple sustainable transport projects in Southeast Asia. Sacha has been involved in several transactions, including the financing of Thailand's first e-tuktuk fleet for micro-transit, , the financing of Viet Nam's first fully-electric public transport bus fleet and national EV charging network, and the financing of EV charging network in Thailand and the Philippines. Sacha holds a master's degree in Finance and Investments from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.
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 | Ms. Yiwei Zhu, Co-Founder and COO, Tiger New Energy Ms. Zhu is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Tiger New Energy, one of South Asia’s fastest-growing energy-tech companies building the region’s largest EV battery-swapping network.
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 | Mr. Fukuya Iino, UNIDO Representative, UN Industrial Development Organization Mr. Iino, a Japanese national with a Ph.D. in engineering from University of Tokyo and an MBA, is a chemical and environmental engineer dedicated to enhancing industrial and institutional capabilities in emerging economies. His early career included research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1999–2001) and Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (2001–2004). Since joining the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in 2010, Mr. Iino has developed and managed over hundreds of projects in 50+ countries. He has also spearheaded innovative UNIDO initiatives, such as the SDG Impact Investment Programme and the first TEDx event at the Vienna International Centre. Mr. Iino currently serves as the UNIDO Representative for the Sub-Regional Office in Thailand, overseeing operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Lao PDR.
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Presentation slides available here
