Subramaniam Vishwanathan Iyer (born 25 December 1957), also known as S. "Vijay" Iyer, is the vice president and chief operating officer of the
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, the former managing director of
Rio Tinto India,
and had previously served as Director of Energy and Sustainable Development at the
World Bank Group.
Iyer holds an MS in chemistry from
Jabalpur University and a Masters in Management from the
Yale School of Management.
Career
Rio Tinto India
As managing director of Rio Tinto India, Iyer focused on strengthening the company's position in India and consolidating its operations. He brought a pronounced focus on sustainability and safety, building partnerships with other companies and more broadly within the Indian Mining Industry. As senior vice president of the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) and the chair of its Sustainability Mining Initiative, Iyer promoted sustainability initiatives and efforts aimed at lifting the public perception of mining in the country.
World Bank Group
Sustainable Energy for All
Iyer's primary focus as Energy Director of the
World Bank Group was increasing access to clean energy for the poor through collaboration between the public and private sectors,
primarily in
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
. Notable projects include the Bangladesh Solar Initiative, which provided solar power to over 2 million rural homes which were previously without electricity and lighting. Additionally, Iyer worked to increase
electrification for thousands of rural poor in
Senegal,
Ethiopia, and
Tanzania, and also implemented several
biomass
Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...
energy projects
Criticism
Despite the bank's efforts to increase electrification, Iyer drew criticism from environmental policy advocates in 2014 for asserting that
fossil fuel
A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels m ...
s are a viable option to increase electrification for Africa's poor.
In response, Iyer maintained that renewable options were cost prohibitive for many regions in Africa that had no access to energy, and that in order for these cost barriers to be removed, the economic growth that results from initial electrification must first be realized.
District Collector Indore
Prior to joining the World Bank, Iyer served as
District collector through the
Indian Administrative Service in the city of
Indore in
Madhya Pradesh,
India. During his term as Collector, Iyer worked to enhance government transparency, eliminate corruption in the police force, and restore historic sites in the greater Indore area.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iyer, Subramaniam V.
1957 births
Living people