Energy expertise

Switch on the television or radio or read the daily newspaper in Australia and you see Kobad Bhavnagri’s face, hear his comments or read his name frequently for he is the Australian head of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, an energy industry research house which specializes in renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. Its parent company, Bloomberg, is a global financial information, news and data company established by the former mayor of New York.
Sydneysider Bhavnagri is an expert on the energy sector which is at the center of a global debate on how to reduce emissions and fight global warming. In Australia, the issue has become fiercely political because the nation derives much of its wealth from exporting minerals such as coal, making it the worst polluter per head of population in the developed world. National elections have been won and lost over this continuing controversy.

A regular on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s "Lateline,” "730” and "News 24” programs, as well as interviews on ABC Radio, recently Bhavnagri was featured on Australia’s most respected investigative journalism television show, the ABC’s "Four Corners.” The program has exposed many scandals and shaped national debates over its 40-year history. The episode featuring Bhavnagri entitled "The End of Coal?” sought to investigate the future of Australia’s coal industry. What would happen "to Australia and our national prosperity if coal becomes a less and less valuable commodity?” he asked the viewers before reminding them, "In many ways Australia is doubling down on coal. A technology that is 100 years old, is rapidly being outcompeted in many parts of the world by new technologies that are cleaner and have an outlook of lower and lower costs.”
Last year a picture and quote from Bhavnagri was pitted against the Prime Minister’s, in a story in The Sydney Morning Herald which sought to compare what the experts say about emissions versus the politicians. "There may be no one in Australia more clued in on the global energy transition big picture than Bhavnagri,” the 31-year-old authority was introduced in a YouTube program on "HotHouse Energy.”
"Growing up, I always had a deep love of science. Studying it through school and university taught me of the central role it has played in human progress. That’s a big part of the reason why I believe listening to what scientists say on climate change is so important,” says Bhavnagri who schooled in Melbourne and then moved on to graduate with a first class honors degree in Mechatronic Engineering from the University of New South Wales in 2007.

Kobad Bhavnagri (top and above) addressing an international meet

"My dad, Dr Viraf, is a retired structural engineer and my dear mum, the late Dr Nina, was an economist. My parents inspired me in both my personal and professional life. I have somehow become something of an amalgam of the two, having studied engineering but now working more closely in the field of economics,” he acknowledges. The youngest of three siblings, his elder brother Dr Burzin is a mathematician and sister Dr Simonil Mehta is a medical practitioner.
Among those who have inspired him from his younger days were "former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating who I admire for his intellect, wit, vision and leadership and former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor, who I idolised as a cricket-obsessed boy for his courage and sportsmanship... Other characters I really admire are Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela for their world-changing determination to fight for what is right.”
However the hero closest to his heart is Nina who two years ago lost a long battle with cancer. "My mum has been without a doubt the greatest single influence in my life. Her strength of character has shaped every aspect of my being. For 16 years she fought cancer, much of the time when we were children, but never let it affect us. I will always admire her bravery, selflessness and capacity for endless love.”

Kobad and Benafsha Bhavnagri at their wedding in 2014

Bhavnagri is a proud Zoroastrian and cites the faith as being a major driver of his passion for a cleaner environment. "Zoroastrianism is (probably) the oldest philosophy to espouse that man must live in balance with the environment,” he believes. He has also been heavily involved with youth and community leadership, serving several years on the governing committees of the Australian Zoroastrian Association (AZA) in Sydney and Victorian Zoroastrian Association in Melbourne, pioneering youth activities and an exchange program between the two cities.
The endearing characteristic of Bhavnagri is his modesty. Even those who had interacted with him many times in the past at the AZA functions, played cricket and table tennis with him had no idea that the friendly, zestful youngster is so eminent in his profession. In 2013, the World Zarathushti Chamber of Commerce recognized his accomplishments by presenting him the Outstanding Young Zarathushti Professional of the Year Award.
His talents encompass music too, having attained professional qualifications as an opera singer and performing lead roles in La Traviata and The Barber of Seville for the Rockdale Opera Company in Sydney. At the Fourth World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in 2007 he directed and acted in the opening ceremony, with a hilarious clip The Zoroastrian Hunter which parodies Parsis and Australia’s famous crocodile hunter, posted on YouTube.
Kobad is married to Benafsha Panthaki, a Human Resources professional from Bombay, who he met in 2013 and married a year later. He summed up the interview saying, "At the end of the day we are custodians of this planet for future generations. With the help of renewable energy, hopefully we can preserve its beauty for our children and live in balance with it.”