Energy infrastructure is at the center of a new geopolitical competition and a vital strategic and national security asset. Rising electricity demand driven by AI and data center expansion, the need for resilient power infrastructure, and the push to strengthen energy storage value chains are reshaping the sector, with significant implications for how countries secure their economic futures. LG has invested billions of dollars in securing America's energy future, and is holding its first public forum in Washington, DC, to share insights on meeting surging electricity demand, building resilient energy storage systems, and strengthening domestic supply chains.

Agenda

Sangyoun (Ian) Hwang
Ian Hwang is the Senior Vice President, Head of LG's Corporate Affairs office in Washington, DC. In this role, Mr. Hwang provides strategic leadership in navigating complex policy environments, ensuring LG Group's multibillion-dollar U.S. investments deliver meaningful economic benefits to local communities while driving strong business outcomes. By cultivating trusted relationships with policymakers, industry associations, and community partners, he advances initiatives that align corporate priorities with evolving regulatory and trade frameworks. A founding member of LG's Washington office, Mr. Hwang relocated there in 2022 after more than 12 years with LG in diverse leadership roles across the United States and Korea. His previous experience at LG includes serving as Smartphone Product Management Director at LG Electronics in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, and Smartphone Product Planning Director in Seoul, where he led the development of flagship smartphone models that sold millions of units worldwide. Before joining LG, Mr. Hwang spent a decade in the technology industry, holding positions at Nokia Korea and Intel Korea supporting Korean manufacturers in building innovative mobile products. He earned his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Seoul National University.

Paul J. Saunders
Paul J. Saunders is President of the Center for the National Interest and a member of its board of directors. His expertise spans U.S. foreign and security policy, energy security and climate change, U.S.-Russia relations and Russian foreign policy, and U.S. relations with Japan and South Korea. Saunders is a Senior Advisor at Energy Innovation Reform Project, where he served as President from 2019 to 2024. He is also a Principal Advisor at CNA Corporation, where he has supported work on Russia's foreign and national security policy and decision-making for many years. From 2005 to 2019, he was Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Center for the National Interest, where he directed the U.S.-Russian Relations Program and led projects on energy, climate change, and U.S.-Japan relations. Saunders served in the Bush Administration from 2003 to 2005 as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, working on transnational issues with respect to Russia, Ukraine, the former Soviet Union, Iraq, China, and India. He has written extensively for major newspapers and journals, and is a frequent commentator in national media.

Vanessa Sciarra
Vanessa Sciarra is Vice President for Trade and International Competitiveness at the American Clean Power Association (ACP), where she leads work on all aspects of trade policy as it affects the renewable energy industry. Prior to joining ACP, she worked at the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) and at the Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT), where her work involved advocating for trade and international investment issues for companies in many sectors of the economy. In addition to her trade association work, she has served as a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and as an Assistant General Counsel with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). A member of the District of Columbia Bar, she also has had a significant career in private practice representing clients in international trade matters at two law firms. She currently serves as President of the Association of Women in International Trade (WIIT), based in Washington, DC, which works to promote the professional development of women in international trade and business and to raise public awareness of the importance of international trade. She holds her B.A. and J.D. from Yale and her M.Sc. from the London School of Economics.

Robert H. Lee
Robert H. Lee is Corporate Executive Vice President, Head of North America LG Energy Solution. He previously served as the global Chief Strategy Officer and is responsible for LG Energy Solution in North America. From 2023 to 2024, he served as the first CEO of the LG Energy Solution Honda joint venture, where he played a crucial role in establishing the partnership and overseeing the development of a state-of-the-art battery manufacturing facility in Jeffersonville, Ohio. He previously served as President and CEO of Continental AG North America, where he led a business with over $10B revenues and 35K associates. He was also the CEO of a global battery system JV, SK Continental Emotion. In addition, he served as Vice President of Strategy B2B businesses at LG Electronics. Before joining LG Electronics, Robert was an entrepreneur and CEO in the technology sector, co-founding companies like PalTalk and Zing.com. Earlier in his career, he worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and AT Kearney. Robert holds a Master of Science in Management from MIT Sloan School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in both Economics and Sociology from Brown University. He is an avid outdoor enthusiast and hikes 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail annually.

Scott A. Snyder

Scott A. Snyder is President and Chief Executive Officer at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI). Previously, he was a Senior Fellow for Korea studies and director of the program on U.S.-Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations from 2011 to March 2024. Mr. Snyder is the author of The United States-South Korea Alliance: Why It May Fail and Why It Must Not (December 2023) and South Korea at the Crossroads: Autonomy and Alliance in an Era of Rival Powers (January 2018). Mr. Snyder received a BA from Rice University and an MA from the regional studies East Asia program at Harvard University.

For questions and accommodation requests, please email Arius Derr, Director of Communications at KEI at ad@keia.org.