Neelima Jain

Neelima is deputy director and senior fellow with the Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In her role, she works closely with the Indian states to bolster U.S.-India relations on energy reforms. Formerly, she was CEO of EPAL, Energy Efficiency Service Ltd’s (EESL) UK-based subsidiary. EESL is a government of India entity and a leading player in clean energy solutions. Neelima was responsible for the overall strategic direction, business development, and operational management of EESL’s operations in the United Kingdom. She established EPAL's operations from the ground up and led the first-ever acquisition of an overseas company by India’s Ministry of Power. In 2019, India Inc. included Neelima in its list of the 100 most influential people in UK-India relations. In 2020, EPAL was ranked as the fastest-growing Indian-owned company in the United Kingdom by Grant Thornton. Neelima also led UJALA, one of the largest zero-subsidy energy efficiency programs for domestic consumers. She managed the rollout of the program in 60 million households across India.

Neelima brings 17 years of experience working across India and internationally on energy efficiency, sustainable development, energy, and environment. She has served on the International Energy Agency’s EE Industry Advisory Board. In previous roles, Neelima has developed demand-side management programs for state utilities, led operational planning and strategy for one of the largest clean development management programs, and implemented smart grid initiatives at the likes of National Grid, Scottish and Southern Energy, Tata Power, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation, and Torrent Power. Neelima holds a M.Sc. in software engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani.