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IEF17
International Energy Forum Ministerial

Energy Security and Shared Goals in A New Era

Sunday 11 October 2026
Ritz Carlton Hotel, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Introduction

In a world of structural shifts and sharpened uncertainty, dialogue is the critical infrastructure that underpins global energy security.

On 11 October 2026, energy ministers, industry leaders, and heads of international organizations will convene in Riyadh for the 17th International Energy Forum Ministerial Meeting (IEF17), held under the theme "Energy Security and Shared Goals in a New Era." Hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and co-hosted by Italy and Nigeria, the meeting will bring together key stakeholders to advance dialogue and cooperation on the future of global energy.

HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Energy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said: "As the global economy navigates complex transitions, it is vital to bridge differing energy realities. The Kingdom remains deeply committed to this inclusive dialogue, guided by the principle that global energy security and market affordability are the essential foundations for achieving long-term sustainability."

Ministerial Dialogue on Energy Security and Shared Goals in A New Era

Global energy markets are no longer shaped by cycles alone. Structural transformations, geoeconomic realignments, rapid policy evolution, technology competition, and supply chain vulnerabilities are redefining risk, opportunity, and interdependence across the energy system.

Recent shocks have amplified volatility. Supply chain bottlenecks, regulatory uncertainty, financing constraints, and widening global energy divides risk undermining both energy security and the pursuit of universal access to affordable energy and climate objectives. Rapidly growing demand in emerging economies underscores the urgency of delivering clean, reliable, and affordable energy to all.

Against this backdrop, IEF17 will provide a neutral and inclusive Ministerial platform to:

  • Reinforce global energy security and market stability
  • Promote cohesive policy approaches across producers and consumers
  • Strengthen transparent functioning of increasingly complex markets
  • Reinvigorate trade and investment across the full energy spectrum

Dialogue at IEF17 will focus on energy security - energy policy change and continuity, cohesive approaches to clean technology deployment, and the trade and investment frameworks needed to meet universal energy access and greenhouse gas emissions goals, without compromising economic resilience, competitiveness, or development aspirations.

Dialogue is the critical infrastructure that underpins global energy security

IEF17 offers a unique opportunity to elevate public and private engagement at the highest level. Ministers and industry leaders will leverage the producer consumer dialogue to:

  • Address vulnerabilities across supply chains and infrastructure networks
  • Enhance policy foresight and market resilience
  • Restore investor confidence in long-term energy projects
  • Accelerate access to affordable clean technologies

Energy security requires unprecedented levels of dialogue and collaboration among IEF ministers and industry leaders to boost investor confidence, facilitate energy trade and technology advancements and ensure that shared goals are well anchored in global energy market realities.

Participants

Host Country

  • Saudi Arabia
    HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources

    HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz

    HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz

    Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Ministry of Energy, Saudi Arabia

    His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz was appointed Minister of Energy in September 2019. In his capacity as Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia, Prince Abdulaziz is responsible for coordinating the Kingdom’s domestic and international energy policies in line with the goals of Vision 2030. This includes overseeing energy activities within the Kingdom; regulating the oil, gas, electricity, nuclear and renewables sectors in the interests of the Kingdom in the short and long term and directing Saudi international policy with regard to relations with producers (including through OPEC and OPEC+) and with consumers. He has been an active participant in shaping energy policy, both nationally and internationally for more than thirty years and he is the chairman of many energy related organizations.

    Prior to his appointment as the Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz served in numerous capacities in the Ministry over the past three decades, including as Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Vice Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Assistant Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Deputy Minister for Petroleum Affairs and Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

    HRH holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) (1985) and a Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Management (1982), both from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. After graduation, he served from 1985-87 as Director of the Economic and Industrial Research Division of the Research Institute at King Fahd University of Petroleum.

Co-host Countries

  • Italy
    H.E. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Minister of the Environment and Energy Security

  • Nigeria
    H.E. Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil)

    Heineken Lokpobiri

    Heineken Lokpobiri

    Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Nigeria

    Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, (Ph.D), the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), was born on 3rd March, 1967, and hails from Ekeremor Local Government Area in present-day Bayelsa State. He completed his Senior School Certificate at Government Secondary School Borokiri, Port Harcourt, and then pursued a Bachelor of Law degree (LL.B) at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt (Now Rivers State University).

    After graduating, he attended the Nigerian Law School Victoria Island, Lagos, where he obtained his Qualifying Certificate and Certificate of Call to the Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Driven by a thirst for knowledge, he furthered his education at the Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom, earning a Masters in Law (LLM) in 2012 and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in 2015.

    Throughout his career, Senator Lokpobiri attended various seminars and courses, including The Oxford High-Performance Leadership Programme at the Said Business School, University of Oxford (November 2012), the Programme on the United States Election System at the International Law Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C (April 2014), and Executive-Legislature Relations and Effective Legislative Performance at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, D.C (April 2014).

    Senator Lokpobiri’s career spans both the private and public sectors. He served as a Pupil Counsel during his National Youth Service (NYSC) scheme at the Badagry Local Government Council in Lagos. From 1999 to 2003, he was a member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, representing Ekeremor Constituency II and serving as Speaker of the House from 1999 to 2001. Subsequently, he worked as the Principal Legal Director at Lokpobiri & Co (Legal Practitioners and Consultants) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from 2003 to 2007. Between 2007 and 2015, Senator Lokpobiri served as a member of the National Assembly, representing Bayelsa West in the 6th and 7th National Assembly. During his tenure in the Senate, he held the position of Chairman of the Committees on Water Resources, and Sports and Social Development; and was a member of various committees, including those on Niger Delta and Petroleum (Down Stream). He was also recognized for sponsoring several bills and motions during his time in the Senate.

    In 2015, Senator Lokpobiri was appointed as the Honourable Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, a role he held until the dissolution of the cabinet in 2019. In August 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, appointed him as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil).

    Senator Lokpobiri is the recipient of multiple awards and recognitions and has authored several publications during his career.

International Energy Forum Secretariat

  • IEF
    H.E. Jassim Alshirawi, Secretary General

    Jassim Alshirawi

    Jassim Alshirawi

    Secretary General, IEF

    Jassim Alshirawi is the sixth Secretary General of the International Energy Forum (IEF), the largest international organization of energy ministers, headquartered in the Diplomatic Quarter of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His term officially began on January 1, 2025.

    The first Secretary General of the IEF from the Middle East, Mr. Alshirawi is seasoned veteran of the energy industry with over 40 years of energy experience and leadership in both the public and private sectors.

    Mr. Alshirawi contributed to the advancement of Bahrain's energy sector in various roles, including as advisory to the Minister of Oil & Gas, and in multiple leadership roles at the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco), the National Oil & Gas Authority, the Ministry of Oil. He has contributed towards the development of the Sustainable Energy Centre, that oversaw the implementation of National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Plans under Bahrain's Minister of Electricity and Water.

    He has coordinated Bahrain's participation in a number of energy organizations, including WPC (now WPC Energy), the International Gas Union (IGU), the IEF, and OPEC.
    With seven years of experience as Bahrain's representative on the Executive Board and nine years on the International Support Group of the International Energy Forum, Mr. Alshirawi brings in-depth knowledge of the organization he now leads.

    Mr. Alshirawi's lifelong contributions to Bahrain's energy and engineering sectors were honored in 2019 when His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa awarded him the prestigious the Order of National Action medal.

Ministers and Government

  • Algeria
    H.E. Mohamed Arkab, Minister of Energy, Hydrocarbons and Mines

    Mohamed Arkab

    Minister of Energy, Hydrocarbons and Mines, Algeria

    Mr. Mohamed Arkab holds a State Engineering Diploma in Mechanics, specializing in Energy Science. He also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Business Management.

    Mr. Arkab joined the industrial assembly company ETTERKIB in September 1990. He held various positions of responsibility there: Mechanical Project Manager (from September 1990 to March 1992), then Site Director for power plants (from April 1992 to January 1997), and finally Site Director (from February 1997 to October 2003).

    Throughout his career, Mr. ARKAB has led numerous energy infrastructure projects (power plants, substations, oil and gas processing units, LNG, etc.) and industrial projects of national importance.

    In November 2003, he was promoted to Director of Works at ETTERKIB, responsible for the execution of all power plant and industrial projects, a position he held until June 2006, when he was appointed Chairman and CEO of the company.

    In September 2010, Mr. ARKAB became Chairman and CEO of the Electricity and Gas Engineering Company (CEEG), a subsidiary of the Sonelgaz Group, mandated to implement the entire development program for the Sonelgaz Group's subsidiaries. His achievements include:

    • The 4000 MW and 8000 MW programs and the 2000 MW emergency program for power plants.
    • The five-year public gas distribution programs and the infrastructure of the national gas transmission network.
    • The national electricity transmission network development programs (lines and substations).
    • Launch of the national renewable energy program, with the construction of the first high-efficiency photovoltaic power plant and the first wind farm.
    • Preparation for the launch of the new national renewable energy program with a capacity of 4,050 MW in photovoltaic power plants.

    Since his appointment as head of CEEG, the following have been commissioned: more than 8,032 MW of additional national electricity generation capacity, 9,200 km of national gas transmission network (including the construction of more than 700 public gas distribution points with pipelines ranging from 8" to 28"), 180 electrical substations with a transformation capacity of more than 20,448 MVA, and 6,700 km of national electricity transmission network with 60, 220, and 400 kV lines.

    Before assuming his new role as Minister of Energy, Mr. ARKAB served as Chairman of Sonelgaz, a position he has held since his appointment on Wednesday, August 30, 2017.

    Mr. Arkab has headed the newly created Ministry of Mines since June 20, 2020.

    Mr. Mohamed Arkab was born on February 19, 1966, in Hussein Dey, Algiers. He is married and has three children.

  • Azerbaijan
    H.E. Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy

    Parviz Shahbazov

    Minister of Energy , Azerbaijan

    Parviz Shahbazov was born in Baku on 24 November 1969.
    He studied at Azerbaijan State Oil Academy, 1986-1992, and did military service in 1988-1989.

    Since 1990, he began his diplomatic career as an intern at the Department of International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

    In 1992-1996, he worked as an attache at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Federal Republic of Germany, and in 1996-2001, he served as a Second Secretary, First Secretary, Head of Department, Deputy Head of Department for Europe, USA and Canada of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

    He then served as Advisor and Chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Austria during the period 2001-2005.

    He was the Chairman of the Security Cooperation Forum of the OSCE in 2005.

    After that, he was appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Federal Republic of Germany in 2005 and served in this position till 2016.

    He served as the Ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan during the period 2016-2017. He was appointed as the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 12, 2017.

    He is fluent in Azerbaijani (native), Russian, English and German.

    He is married and has two children.

  • Bangladesh
    H.E. Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources

  • Brunei Darussalam
    H.E. Yang Mulia Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Mohammad Azmi bin Haji Mohd Hanifah, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Energy, Upstream and Downstream)

  • Comoros
    H.E. Aboubacar Said Ali, Minister of Energy, Water, and Hydrocarbons

  • Cyprus
    H.E. Michael Damianos, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry

  • Djibouti
    H.E. Djama Mohamed Hassan, Minister of Energy in Charge of Natural Resources

  • Egypt
    H.E. Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources

    Karim Badawi

    Karim Badawi

    Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Egypt

    Education:

    • Stanford University – California , 2023
      SLB Net Zero Executive program 10-15 September 2023
    • UC Berkeley – California, 2021
      Schlumberger Digital Business Excellence Program
    • International Institute for Management Development– Switzerland, 2010
      IMD Executive Strategic Finance training
    • Erasmus University – Holland – MBA, 2008
      Thesis Topic: Role of Social Networking in Improving business performance
    • American University – Cairo – M.SC. Mechanical Engineering, 1998
      Thesis: Finite Element Modeling of wellbore stability analysis
    • American University – Cairo – B.SC. Mechanical Engineering, 1995 
      Major in Mechanical Engineering and Minor of Industrial Engineering, GPA 3.8/4

    Experience:

    • Director New Energy, SLB Middle East & North Africa, after holding the position of the Enterprise Digital Performance Director, SLB Global HQ Houston, and before that held the position of Managing Director, Schlumberger Egypt, Sudan & East Mediterranean, in which he had a diverse career in engineering, practical and upstream sectors, as well as, marketing, training, information technology, human resources management sectors, working in the fields of Improving organizational structures, managing change, and laying out the strategies to achieve successful results, financing and ensuring effective operations performance.
    • Managed important projects which resulted in improving management and efficiency in oil, gas and decarbonization fields, preparing for new and clean energy systems, all while ensuring environmental balance, and continuing to support and develop relations between partners including ministries developers, EPC companies and different stakeholders of technology and industrial development, including oil, gas, electricity, iron and cement industries, to reduce emissions and achieve ambitions regarding new energy.
    • Participated in various international energy conferences, such as CERAWEEK in Houston in march 2023, Saudi petrochemical investment forum, World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi in May 2023, MENA Climate Week in Riyadh in September 2023, ADIPEC in the UAE in October 2023, EMGF decarbonization workshop in October 2023 in Cairo, COP28 in Dubai, in which he participated in the decarbonization technology seminar, held in the Egyptian pavilion during COP28, and the Oman summit for green hydrogen in Muscat in December 2023.

    Concerning the Egyptian Petroleum Sector, H.E. participated in the implementation of many Significant projects, including:

    • Establishing the Egypt Upstream Gateway (EUG), to encourage and facilitate investment in the Petroleum Sector, digitalize international bid rounds, and set the foundation for encouraging investments in the new Energy Sector. EUG is a unique model, as it includes digitizing and updating all subterranean layers’ data for utilization to attract investment, reduce risk for investors, and offer new regions for upstream activity
    • Implementing seismic operations using modern technologies to facilitate the success of Upstream operations in the Gulf of Suez. Modern technology was used to merge old data with new ones to create more accurate data for increasing the chances of successful exploration operations as well as increasing production from the Gulf of Suez fields.
    • Participation in the Petroleum Sector Modernization program in the programs of attracting investments, developing skills in the sector, and using the latest advanced equipments in Upstream and field development operations.
    • Participation as a technological partner in implementing Zohr natural gas field development project.

    Over 27 years in many petroleum operating regions, the extensive international work experience represents an essential foundation in:

    • Developing technical, administrative and human development strategies, in addition to dealing with energy companies, Ministries and international institutions to bolster building bridges for communication and encouraging investments.
    • Establishing new organizational structures, business integrations, support services, digital content, change management, and communication skills, all of which are important elements for restructuring institutions.
    • Providing extensive information concerning best practices in the decarbonization domain, new energy systems, carbon solutions, and working with electricity companies and many ministries of energy and mineral resources in the Middle East and North Africa region.
    • Considering the incentives and regulatory frameworks affecting the energy sources map in Egypt and their positive impact on the production sector, as well as increasing green energy production.
  • Germany
    H.E. Katherina Reiche, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy

  • Japan
    Minister, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

  • Japan
    Minister, Ministry for Foreign Affairs

  • Libya
    H.E. Khalifa Abdulsadek, Minister of Oil and Gas

    Khalifa Abdulsadek

    Minister of Oil and Gas, Libya

    Dr. Khalifa Abdulsadek is a Senior Petroleum Engineer with more than 20 years’ diversified national and international oil and gas experience with a focus on the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) and North America.

    Dr. Abdulsadek’s wide experience includes reservoir engineering, field development planning, field operations, strategic planning and business development. He has participated in several high-profile oil and gas development projects in the MENA region and in North America.

    He was the Chairman of the Management Committee of Zallaf Libya Oil and Gas, a newly established, 100% NOC-owned energy company in Libya. He is also the Chairman of the Owners’ Management Committee of Waha Oil Company also in Libya.

    Between 2015 and 2017, he taught Petroleum Engineering courses in the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Previously, he worked for Repsol Oil Operations in Libya, Repsol in Spain and with Talisman Energy in Canada.

    Dr. Abdulsadek holds a B.Sc. degree in Petroleum Engineering from Tripoli University, Libya and a PhD degree in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, UK.

  • Maldives
    H.E. Muaviyath Mohamed, Minister of State

  • Mauritania
    H.E. Mohamed Ould Khaled, Minister of Petroleum and Energy

    Mohamed Ould Khaled

    Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Mauritania

    Professional Experience

    • Minister of Energy and Petroleum since August 6, 2024
    • CEO of the Mauritanian Hydrocarbons Company (SMH) in February 2024
    • Entrepreneur in the private sector and founder of industrial companies since June 2016
    • Returned to Mauritania in 2009 (after living abroad) and engaged in business by creating companies in the sectors of mining exploration, mining logistics, and crushing.
    • Commercial Director for China at Texas Instruments, based in Shanghai, from January 2007 to January 2009. Responsible for activities and business relations with key international clients in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
    • Business Development Director for Europe at Texas Instruments, based in Munich, Germany, from June 2005 to December 2006. Directly responsible for a team in thirteen European countries, ensuring technical and commercial relations with clients specializing in high-tech products.
    • Marketing Director for processing products at Texas Instruments, based in Munich, Germany, from November 2001 to May 2005. Responsible for technical and commercial relations with leading telecommunications sector companies in Europe.
    • Application Engineer at Mentor Graphics in Munich, Germany, from August 1998 to October 2001. Responsible for selling simulation software across Europe.
    • Student Exchange Program at Wright State University in Ohio, United States, from August 1996 to March 1997.
    • Internship at DT Ulm, Germany, from March 1995 to September 1995. Developed electronic test circuits.
    • Mandatory internship at Deutsche Telekom in Rottweil, Germany, from February 1993 to May 1993. Practical internship to enter engineering schools.
    • Worked during studies in programming, e-commerce, and robotics at Siemens DTGS.

    Degrees and Training

    • Executive MBA from CERAM Campus Sophia Antipolis, Nice, France, in November 2005. Specialized training for business executives. Specialties: Management, Finance, Strategy, and Marketing.
    • Various training courses in Leadership, Negotiation, Communication, and Strategy from 1999 to 2008.
    • Precision Electronics Engineer from the University of Ulm, Germany, in July 1998.
    • High School Diploma in Mathematics from Nouadhibou High School in 1992.

    Languages Spoken Fluently

    • Arabic
    • French
    • German
    • English.
  • Netherlands
    H.E. Michel Heijdra, Vice Minister for Economic and Climate Affairs

  • Oman
    H.E. Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals

  • Pakistan
    H.E. Ali Pervaiz Malik, Federal Minister for Petroleum

  • Qatar
    H.E. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs & Cabinet Member CEO of QatarEnergy

    Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi

    Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi

    Minister of State for Energy Affairs & Cabinet Member CEO of QatarEnergy, Qatar

    His Excellency Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi was appointed Minister of State for Energy Affairs in November 2018.

    Career

    In November 2018, His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs was also appointed Deputy Chairman of QatarEnergy, in addition to his current role as President & CEO of QatarEnergy.

    Previously, His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs worked as the Managing Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of QatarEnergy in September 2014.

    Between 2006 and 2014, His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs was the Director of QatarEnergy’s Oil & Gas Ventures Directorate, where he oversaw all of Qatar’s oil and gas field developments as well as all the exploration activities in Qatar.

    Between 1991 and 2006, His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs was part of QatarEnergy’s Reservoir & Field Development Department, where he later became the Manager of Gas Development, responsible for North Field management and development.

    Education

    His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs has a BSc in Energy & Gas Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in the USA.

    Responsibilities

    His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs has overall responsibility for all energy issues, including:

    • Optimal utilisation of the country’s natural resources as per relevant laws
    • Regular and sustainable supply of energy, power and water for domestic need and regular review of potential and viable alternatives to secure such needs
    • Overall policy of and development of national industries
  • Senegal
    H.E. Elhadj Abdourahmane Diouf, Minister of Energy, Petroleum and Mines

  • Sudan
    H.E. Elmutasim Ibrahim Ahmed Ali, Minister of Energy and Petroleum

  • Syrian Arab Republic
    H.E. Mohammed Al‑Bashir, Minister of Energy

  • Türkiye
    H.E. Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

    Alparslan Bayraktar

    Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Türkiye

    Between 2016-2018, Alparslan Bayraktar served as the General Manager of Foreign Relations and European Union and Deputy Undersecretary at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources; between 2010-2016, he was a Board Member at the Energy Market Regulatory Authority; and between 2018-2023, he served as Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources.

    With the Presidential Decree 2023/284 dated June 3, 2023, he was appointed as the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

    Before his public service, he worked for the private sector in Türkiye and abroad.

    Alparslan Bayraktar also holds positions in various international organizations involved in issues relating to energy governance. He served as the Chairman of International Confederation of Energy Regulators (ICER) and Energy Regulators Regional Association (ERRA). Currently, he is the Chairman of World Energy Council Türkiye.

  • Zambia
    H.E. Makozo Chikote, Minister of Energy

CEOs and Experts

  • ACWA Power
    Mohammad Abunayyan, Founder & Chairman of the Board of Directors

    Mohammad Abunayyan

    Mohammad Abunayyan

    Founder & Chairman of the Board of Directors, ACWA Power

    As Founder and Chairman of Board of Directors of Acwa, Mohammad Abunayyan has guided the company’s rise into a global leader in clean energy, water desalination, and green hydrogen. Since its establishment in 2004, he has overseen expansion into 15 countries, embedding sustainability, innovation, and operational excellence at the heart of its operating model.

    With more than 40 years of business leadership, he is recognized internationally as a reference in the energy and water sectors. His focus on cost leadership and strong public–private partnerships has delivered long-term value to communities and stakeholders, while advancing Saudi Vision 2030.

    Beyond Acwa, he chairs Vision Invest and Dussur, and serves on the boards of several prominent organizations in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. A strong advocate of local talent and content, he has consistently championed community impact alongside corporate growth. His leadership continues to inspire Acwa’s mission of delivering sustainable value with purpose.

  • Ajax Holdings
    Charif Souki, Chairman

    Charif Souki

    Charif Souki

    Chairman, Ajax Holdings

    Charif Souki is the Chairman of Ajax Holdings, a family-owned private investment company founded in 2012. Historically, its focus has been on real estate and hospitality, however it recently created Phoenix Energy, an energy investment and development platform.

    Previously, Charif founded Tellurian in February 2016, where he oversaw the planning, design, permitting, and construction of the Driftwood LNG Facility, a 27.6 MTPA liquefaction plant in Louisiana. Tellurian was acquired by Woodside Energy in October of 2024, which has continued the construction of the Driftwood facility under the new name, Woodside Louisiana.

    Prior to Tellurian, Charif founded Cheniere Energy in 1996 and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, and President until December 2015. Under his leadership, Cheniere created the first liquefaction facilities in the US, and it remains the largest US exporter of natural gas to this day.

    Before founding Cheniere, he had over 20 years of independent investment banking experience in the energy industry and specialized in financing for small capitalization companies with an emphasis on the oil and gas industry.  

    Charif currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the American University of Beirut, as a member of the Advisory Board of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, and on the International Advisory Board for the Neurological Research Institute (NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital. He received a BA from Colgate University and an MBA from Columbia University.

  • Aramco
    Amin Nasser, President & CEO

    Amin Nasser

    Amin Nasser

    President & CEO, Aramco

    Amin H. Nasser is the President & CEO of Aramco, a world-leading integrated energy and chemicals enterprise, and one of the largest providers of crude oil to global markets. He is also a member of the Company’s Board of Directors.

    During a Company career spanning four decades, Nasser has served in a number of leadership positions, including as Senior Vice President of Upstream. In that role, he led Aramco’s largest capital investment program in its integrated oil and gas portfolio. Under Nasser’s leadership, the Company is now building on its Upstream leadership position by expanding its presence in the Downstream and chemicals segments of the petroleum value chain, with significant investments and joint-venture partnerships in the Kingdom, as well as in a number of overseas markets.

    Nasser is actively engaged in the advancement of people through education and training, and advancing the Company’s innovation and technology strategy. Nasser is a champion of Saudi youth advancement and development and keenly supports the Company’s Young Leader’s Advisory Board (YLAB), a program designed to link Aramco leadership with the voice of its young professionals.

    At the same time, Nasser is leading Aramco’s efforts to produce cleaner energy and products through investments in promising technologies such as next-generation fuel-engine interfaces, crude-oil-to-chemicals processes, renewable energy applications, entrepreneurial start-ups focused on cleaner energy solutions, and industry-wide efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI).

    He is also an advocate for an efficient, accessible, and world-class supply chain ecosystem that includes small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to support Aramco's growing procurement needs.

    In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Nasser is a member of the HUMAIN Board of Directors; the International Advisory Board of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals; the Board of Trustees of the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology; the World Economic Forum's International Business Council (IBC); the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Presidential CEO Advisory Board; and the BlackRock Board of Directors.

    The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) awarded Nasser its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, as well as the SPE's Charles F. Rand Memorial Gold Medal, awarded for distinguished achievement in mining administration, including metallurgy and petroleum, in 2015. In 2020, Nasser received The Chemists’ Club Kavaler Award by ICIS, and was named as Energy Intelligence’s Energy Executive of the Year. 

    Nasser holds a Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran. He completed the Saudi Aramco Management Development Seminar in Washington, D.C., in 1999; the Saudi Aramco Global Business Program in 2000; and the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University in 2002.

  • Baker Hughes
    Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman & CEO

    Lorenzo Simonelli

    Lorenzo Simonelli

    Chairman & CEO, Baker Hughes

    Lorenzo Simonelli is Chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR). Baker Hughes is an energy technology company that combines innovation, expertise and scale to provide solutions for energy and industrial customers worldwide.

    Simonelli was named Chairman of the Board in October 2017 and has been President and CEO since the Company’s creation in 2017, where he oversaw the successful merger of GE Oil & Gas with Baker Hughes Inc. Since 2013, he served as President and CEO of GE Oil & Gas.

    Previously, Simonelli served as President and CEO of GE Transportation, a global transportation leader in the rail, mining, marine and energy storage industries. During his five-year tenure, he expanded and diversified GE Transportation by focusing on advanced technology manufacturing, intelligent control systems, and a diverse approach to new propulsion solutions.

    He has also served as CFO Americas for GE Consumer & Industrial, as well as General Manager, Product Management for GE Appliances, Lighting, Electrical Distribution and Motors.

    Simonelli joined GE’s Financial Management Program in 1994, where he worked on assignments in GE International, GE Shared Services, GE Oil & Gas, and Consolidated Financial Insurance.

    He currently serves on the Board of Iveco Group N.V. He served on the Board of C3.ai, Inc. from 2020-2021 and on the Board of CNH Industrial N.V. from 2019-2021.

    Originally from Tuscany, Italy, Simonelli is a Business & Economics Graduate from Cardiff University in South Wales. He is married and resides in Houston.

  • Bapco Energies
    Mark Thomas, Group Chief Executive

    Mark Thomas

    Mark Thomas

    Group Chief Executive, Bapco Energies

    Mark Thomas serves as Group Chief Executive Officer of Bapco Energies, formerly the Oil and Gas Holding Company (nogaholding), where he oversees the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain's investments across the energy sector — spanning exploration, midstream infrastructure, and downstream petrochemicals and refining. He reports to the Board and Chairman, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, with responsibility for the group's financial and operating performance and its overall strategy.

    Thomas brings to the role a 38-year career with BP, across which he worked in board and executive processes, strategic transactions, commercial optimization, front-line operations, and environmental, social and corporate governance. He has lived and worked in nine countries and conducted business in a further twenty. Before assuming his current position, he served as Head of the Group Chief Executive's Office from 2018 to 2020, advising then BP Chief Executive Bob Dudley. He began his career as a Project Engineer with Amoco Canada, and later worked as a Commercial Negotiator for Amoco in Trinidad and Tobago prior to the company's merger with BP in 2000.

    He holds a Master of Business Administration from the European University in Antwerp and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick, Canada.

  • Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
    Iván Martén, Senior Advisor

    Iván Martén

    Iván Martén

    Senior Advisor, Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

    Iván Martén has served as the global leader of the Energy practice since 2008 and is an active member of the Organization practice. He previously served as the Energy leader for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), as well as worldwide topic leader of talent advantage in the Organization practice.

    Since joining BCG in 1987, Iván's client work has focused on the oil, gas, and power sectors, as well as on the energy engineering, equipment, and services segment. He has also worked for industry companies that are heavy energy consumers, and for players that are emerging in the sustainable development topic. Iván has deep experience in helping CEOs to transform their companies by defining the change agenda and assisting in the transformation.

    Iván sits on the advisory boards of several foundations, companies, and educational institutions. He is a frequent speaker on energy and geopolitics issues, has authored a book on strategic planning and many articles on energy issues, and regularly contributes to the Wall Street Journal.

  • BP
    Meg O’Neill, CEO

    Meg O’Neill

    Meg O’Neill

    CEO, BP

    Meg O’Neill was appointed chief executive officer on 1 April 2026. Before she joined, she served as CEO of Woodside Energy from April 2021. She joined Woodside Energy in 2018, and previous roles included serving as chief operations officer.

    Before then, Meg spent 23 years with ExxonMobil in a variety of technical, operational and senior leadership roles in Houston, New Orleans, Indonesia, Canada and Norway, as well as regional and global leadership positions.

    After 30 years in the energy industry, Meg has a track record of excellence, from her first projects for ExxonMobil, modelling the dynamics of offshore platforms, to driving transformation, growth and disciplined capital allocation across entire businesses.

    Meg has bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and in ocean engineering and a master’s in ocean systems management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.

  • Brazilian Petroleum, Gas & Biofuels Institute
    Roberto Furian Ardenghy, President & CEO

    Roberto Furian Ardenghy

    Roberto Furian Ardenghy

    President & CEO, Brazilian Petroleum, Gas & Biofuels Institute

    Roberto Furian Ardenghy has a significant amount of work experience in various roles within the energy and industry sectors in Brazil. Roberto Furian currently works as a Representative from Brasil at WPC Energy since 2023. Prior to that, they were a Member of the National Industry Forum (FNI) at CNI - Confederação Nacional da Indústria in 2022. In the same year, they held the position of President/CEO at IBP - Instituto Brasileiro de Petróleo e Gás. In 2021, they were an Executive Committee Member/New York at the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. and a Director at AMCHAM-Brasil. Before that, in 2020, they worked as a Director at Fiesp - Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo. One of their notable roles was as the Ministro da Carreira Diplomatica at the Governo Brasileiro - Ministério das Relações Exteriores from 2015 to 2022, where they supported Brazilian companies doing business in Texas and presented on Brazil's economy at various events. Their work as a Diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Brazil lasted from 1984 to 2022. Roberto Furian has also held various positions at Petrobras, including Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Institutional & Sustainability Officer, Chief Institutional Relations Officer, and Chief Of Staff. Additionally, they served as the President of the Board of Directors at IBP - Instituto Brasileiro de Petróleo e Gás from March 2021 to December 2021.

    Roberto Furian Ardenghy pursued a Master's degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Instituto Rio Branco Diplomatic Academy from 1984 to 1986. Prior to that, they obtained a Bachelor's degree in Law from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria between 1978 and 1981. In 2003, they also completed a COPPE - Pos Graduacao program in Oil and Gas at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.

  • Chevron
    Clay Neff, President, Upstream

    Clay Neff

    Clay Neff

    President, Upstream, Chevron

    Clay Neff, 63, is president, upstream of Chevron Corporation, a position he has held since July 2025. He is responsible for Chevron’s exploration and production activities across the globe.

    Neff recently served as the president of Chevron International Exploration and Production from October 2022 to July 2025 and was responsible for Chevron’s exploration and production activities throughout the international region, including the company’s significant portfolio of assets across Africa, Eurasia-Pacific, and the Middle East. From November 2019 to October 2022, Neff served as president of Chevron Middle East, Africa, South America Exploration and Production Company and as president of Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Company from 2017 to 2019, during which time he was responsible for the company’s exploration and production activities in those regions.

    Neff joined Chevron and its subsidiaries in 1985 and brings extensive international upstream experience, including prior leadership positions as Managing Director of the Nigeria / Mid-Africa business unit; General Manager of Asset Development and Production Operations Manager for the Southern Africa business unit; General Manager of Operations for the Gulf of Mexico business unit; General Manager of Asset Development for the San Joaquin Valley business unit; and Manager of North America midstream business.

    Clay currently serves on the board of the Corporate Council on Africa and the US-Saudi Business Council, as well as on the Board of Advisors for the U.S. Bilateral Chamber of Commerce.

    Clay received a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Louisiana State University, where he is currently a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the university’s College of Engineering.

  • China Energy International Group Co
    Chi Ma, President, KSA

  • CMX Caspian Gulf
    Jennifer Coolidge, CEO

    Jennifer Coolidge

    Jennifer Coolidge

    CEO, CMX Caspian Gulf

    Dr Jennifer Coolidge is Executive Director of CMX and an internationally renowned expert on the gas sectors of Iraq and Turkmenistan. She was Senior Research Advisor at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, University of Oxford, from 2007-2009.

    Dr Coolidge is widely acknowledged as the foremost consultant and advisor on gas development in Turkmenistan – her expertise is unrivalled and stems from 17 years of work, initially in the technical sphere of mineralogy and petrology, including two years spent living in-country.

    In 2006-2007, Dr Coolidge was a Research Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a prominent think tank in Washington DC. In 2005-2006 she was International Policy Fellow in the Department of Politics, University of Oxford, and Rapporteur for the UK Taskforce on Energy Security and Foreign Policy chaired by former EU External Relations Commissioner and former Governor of Hong Kong, Lord Christopher Patten.

    Dr Coolidge has commentated on BBC World, and is regularly quoted by Bloomberg, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the International Herald Tribune. She received a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford in 2002 and published "Turkmenistan: an exporter in transition" with Dr Stanislav Zhukov in Russian and CIS Gas Markets and their Impact on Europe, Oxford University Press, 2009.

  • ConocoPhillips
    Andy O’Brien, President & CEO

    Andy O’Brien

    Andy O’Brien

    President & CEO, ConocoPhillips

    Andy O'Brien is president and chief executive officer of ConocoPhillips, one of the world’s leading exploration and production companies.

    Andy began his career with Conoco in 1997 and held numerous finance, planning and strategy roles of increasing responsibility across the globe before becoming a member of the company’s executive leadership team in 2022. Since then, he has served in leadership roles overseeing the company’s Alaska and international businesses, commercial, LNG, finance, corporate strategy, investor relations and mergers and acquisitions. Most recently, he served as the company’s chief financial officer and executive vice president, Strategy and Commercial.

    Andy serves on the board of directors of Spindletop Community Impact Partners, Inc. He is a chartered management accountant and graduated from the University of Plymouth with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

  • DSA Investments
    Manoj Narender Madnani, CEO

    Manoj Narender Madnani

    Manoj Narender Madnani

    CEO, DSA Investments

    Global Leader at the Intersection of Energy, AI, and Digital Infrastructure

    Manoj Narender Madnani is President of GasEntec and a global energy strategist operating at the intersection of LNG, energy security, and AI-enabled digital infrastructure. He brings deep experience across the upstream, midstream, and downstream energy value chain, with a strong focus on emerging markets, sovereign energy solutions, and infrastructure-led growth.

    Previously Managing Director, International at MARA, Manoj has led large-scale cross-border energy and digital infrastructure initiatives across the Middle East, India, Africa, and Southeast Asia. His work has centred on deploying reliable, affordable energy systems that support industrial development, grid stability, and rising demand from digitalization and AI.

    An alumnus of Babson College, Manoj is a frequent speaker at global platforms including Gastech, the Future Investment Initiative (FII), AIM Summit, and The Energy Council, and regularly engages with policymakers and industry leaders on energy security, critical minerals, and long-term system resilience.

  • EDF Power Solutions
    Luc Koechlin, CEO Middle East

    Luc Koechlin

    Luc Koechlin

    CEO Middle East, EDF Power Solutions

    Luc Koechlin is Chief Executive Officer of EDF Group in the Middle East, a role to which he was appointed in September 2022 and which, from February 2025, expanded to include the former EDF Renewables Middle East activities. He leads EDF's operations across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Lebanon, with a workforce of 850 employees.

    Koechlin joined EDF in 2005, following five years as a consultant in Corporate Recovery and Turnaround Management with Arthur Andersen. Within EDF Group, he held a range of positions, including advisor and auditor at EDF's Presidency and Regional Commercial Director, where he managed the transformation of EDF as the French electricity market opened to competition. From 2017 to 2022, he served as Vice President for Southern and Eastern Africa, based in Johannesburg, where he developed projects in hydropower and energy efficiency in response to regional energy crises and in support of the transition from coal to clean energy.

    He holds a Master's degree in Finance and Business Administration from ESSEC Business School.

  • Energy Aspects
    Amrita Sen, Founder & Director of Market Intelligence

    Amrita Sen

    Amrita Sen

    Founder & Director of Market Intelligence, Energy Aspects

    Dr Amrita Sen is the Founder and Director of Market Intelligence at Energy Aspects, a global research house that advises over 700 companies globally on energy markets and geopolitics. Amrita leads development of Energy Aspect’s views on crude, oil products, natural gas and carbon markets, as well as wider energy transition, policy, politics and macroeconomics landscape. She has led Energy Aspects to be recognised globally as the premier energy research shop, winning the Energy Risk award for Commodities Research House of the Year twice in the last 10 years, the latest one being in 2025. Energy Aspects has been ranked #15 in the Top 200 Women-Powered UK Businesses for 2025, with over 400 employees and 10 offices globally.

    Amrita’s deep understanding of the complex relationships within the global energy sector, her wealth of industry contacts, and over 15 years of market experience enable her to have a unique perspective on international energy markets. She advises central bankers, OPEC+ energy ministers with close relations to the GCC, and CEOs of energy companies around the world. She is recognised as the pre-eminent voice on energy matters globally.

    She holds a PhD from the University of London, an MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University, and a BSc in Economics from the University of Warwick. She was formerly Chief Oil Analyst for Barclays Capital and is frequently featured in leading media outlets. She has served as a research fellow at both the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies and the Atlantic Council and is currently a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Amrita is regarded as a leading authority on energy markets and is a sought-after speaker for company board meetings and top industry conferences. She is a champion of women in energy and has been awarded the Hart Energy Honouree Influential Women in Energy 2024 for her contributions to this sector. 

  • Eni
    Lapo Pistelli, Director Public Affairs

    Lapo Pistelli

    Lapo Pistelli

    Director Public Affairs, Eni

    Born in Florence in 1964. He was appointed Director Public Affairs of Eni on July 1, 2020.

    Mr Pistelli graduated with honors in 1988 in International Law at the Political Science faculty “Cesare Alfieri” at the University of Florence, he started working at a research center, while serving for two mandates in the local administration of Florence.

    He was member of the Italian Parliament from 1996 to 2015 (1996/2004 and 2008/2015), and also member of the European Parliament (2004/2008).

    He served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy from 2013 to 2015. He resigned from all his institutional and political roles in July 2015, when he entered Eni.

    He taught and lectured at the University of Florence, the Overseas Studies Program of Stanford University and many others international academic institutions. He regularly contributed to many European and American think tanks and research centers specialized in international relations.

    He is member of the board of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and of the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), and member of the WE – World of Energy editorial committee. He also collaborates with Limes and Aspenia magazines.

    He’s Chairman of OMEC (Observatoire Mediterranéen de l’Energie et du Climat).

  • ExxonMobil
    Darren W. Woods, Executive Chair & CEO

    Darren W. Woods

    Darren W. Woods

    Executive Chair & CEO, ExxonMobil

    Mr. Woods has 30 years of global industry experience managing highly sophisticated, safety-critical operations and has held a number of senior leadership roles in multiple international business units prior to being promoted to CEO. His in-depth understanding of company operations, knowledge of global business, markets and strategy, and experience leading transformational change, including the launch of ExxonMobil’s Low Carbon Solutions business, helps the Board to better understand and navigate the complex issues associated with transforming a multi-dimensional, capital intensive, commodity business through a thoughtful, long-term energy transition.  

  • Hitachi Energy
    Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO

    Andreas Schierenbeck

    Andreas Schierenbeck

    CEO, Hitachi Energy

    Andreas Schierenbeck is the CEO of Hitachi Energy. He is also a Senior Vice President and Executive Officer; CEO of Energy Sector; and CEO of Power Grids Business Unit at Hitachi, Ltd.

    Andreas joined the company in July 2024 from HH2E, a new green-hydrogen production company where he was co-founder and board member. Previously, he worked as CEO of Uniper from 2019 to 2021, where he launched the company’s decarbonization strategy. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Thyssenkrupp Elevator, where he led the transformation of the company into a global leader leveraging digital technology from 2013 to 2018.

    Between 1992 and 2012, Andreas held various management positions within Siemens, including a stint as President and CEO of Siemens Building Technologies in the United States between 2010 and 2012 and Senior Vice President in the Siemens electric utility sector in Switzerland.

    He holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from Technische Universität Dresden and an Advanced Management Certificate from Harvard University.

  • Japan Organization of Metal and Energy Security (JOGMEC)
    Jun Arima, Chief Sustainability Officer

    Jun Arima

    Jun Arima

    Chief Sustainability Officer, Japan Organization of Metal and Energy Security (JOGMEC)

    Jun Arima is Chief Sustainability Officer, Japan Organization of Metal and Energy Security (JOGMEC) and Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Tokyo. He also serves as, Consulting Fellow at the Research Institute of Economy, Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), Distinguished Senior Research Fellow at the Asia Pacific Institute of Research (APIR), and Senior Policy Fellow for Energy and Environment at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). He was a Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report.

    His publication includes "Energy Policies of the IEA Countries" (2003-2006 editions), "Memoir of the Kyoto Protocol" (2014), "Truth of Global Warming Negotiation – Economic War on National Interests-"(2015), "Global Warming Countermeasures with Pragmatism – Paris Agreement and Thereafter" (2016), "Trump Risk – America First and Global Warming" (2017), "Policy Recommendations by the Quadripartite Commission on the Indian Ocean Regional Security" (Chapter 2) (2017), "Japan’s Energy Conundrum" (Chapter 11) (2018), "Finding a Viable Path for Reducing GHG Emissions2 (2019 King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), "Eco-fundamentalism as a Grist to China’s Mill" (2021), "Eco-fundamentalism will ruin our country" (2021), and "Eco-Fascism –Diseases calling for Decarbonization, Renewables and Nuclear Phase-out" (2022 Joint Authorship).

  • Kayrros
    Antoine Halff, Co-founder and Chief Analyst

    Antoine Halff

    Antoine Halff

    Co-founder and Chief Analyst, Kayrros

    Antoine Halff is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University and chief analyst at Kayrros, a climate and energy data analytics company he co-founded in 2016. Earlier positions include chief oil analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA) and editor of its flagship publication, the Oil Market Report (OMR); lead industry economist at the U.S. Energy Information Administration; head of commodities research at Société Générale brokerage unit Newedge; director of the global energy practice at political-risk consultancy Eurasia Group and New York bureau chief at the Energy Intelligence Group, publisher of Petroleum Intelligence Weekly and other newsletters.

    Halff is the co-editor of Energy Poverty: Global Challenges and Local Solutions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, November 2014), which former World Health Organization head Gro Harlem Brundtland called “an excellent resource for the thoughtful analyst and political leader.” He earned his Masters degree from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris and served as the Adjunct Professor of International & Public Affairs at Columbia University from 2006 to 2012. He has lived in Paris, Seoul, New York and Washington.

  • KPC
    Shaikh Nawaf S. Al-Sabah, Deputy Chairman & CEO

    Shaikh Nawaf S. Al-Sabah

    Shaikh Nawaf S. Al-Sabah

    Deputy Chairman & CEO, KPC

    Shaikh Nawaf Saud Al-Sabah is Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) since March 2022. Established as a state-owned corporation in January 1980, KPC optimizes the value of Kuwait’s hydrocarbons endowment by producing, refining, transporting, and marketing these resources globally through six operating subsidiaries.

    Prior to this appointment, Shaikh Nawaf was President and Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum International, the international downstream subsidiary of KPC operating under the Q8 brand, from February 2019 to March 2022. In this position, he refined the company’s strategy to concentrate on projects that are profitable and strategic to the Kuwaiti oil sector.

    Shaikh Nawaf was concurrently Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC), the international upstream subsidiary of KPC, for almost nine years from May 2013. During that period, KUFPEC doubled its production and expanded into new geographies and technologies increasing its annual revenues and its profits to new highs.

    Before joining KUFPEC in 2013, Shaikh Nawaf spent 14 years at KPC, the last eight of which as Deputy Managing Director and General Counsel of KPC, where he was the principal in-house counsel to KPC and an active member of KPC’s negotiating teams on the corporation’s strategic projects.

    From 2002 through 2004, Shaikh Nawaf was head of KPC’s Washington Office, responsible for development of downstream business opportunities and policy analysis in the United States.

    Prior to joining KPC in 1999, Shaikh Nawaf was a corporate transactions attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, a major international law firm based in Los Angeles.

    Born in 1971, Shaikh Nawaf holds an A.B. degree magna cum laude from Princeton University’s School for Public and International Affairs and a Juris Doctor (Doctor of Laws) degree cum laude from Harvard Law School.

  • LanzaTech
    Jennifer Holmgren, CEO

    Jennifer Holmgren

    Jennifer Holmgren

    CEO, LanzaTech

    Dr. Jennifer Holmgren is CEO of LanzaTech. Under her guidance, LanzaTech is developing a variety of platform chemicals and fuels, including the world’s first alternative jet fuel derived from industrial waste gases. Given her integral role in the development of this alternative jet fuel, she is also a Director and the Chair of the LanzaJet Board of Directors. 

    Prior to LanzaTech, Jennifer was VP and General Manager of the Renewable Energy and Chemicals business unit at UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company. While at UOP, she was a key driver of UOP’s leadership in low carbon aviation biofuels, and under her management, UOP technology became instrumental in producing nearly all the initial fuels used by commercial airlines and the military for testing and certification of alternative aviation fuel.

    Jennifer is the author or co-author of 50 U.S. patents and more than 30 scientific publications, and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. In 2003, she was the first woman awarded the Malcolm E. Pruitt Award from the Council for Chemical Research (CCR). In 2010, she was the recipient of the Leadership Award from the Civil Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI). In 2015, Jennifer and her team at LanzaTech were awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Presidential Green Chemistry Award, and she was awarded the BIO Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology. Jennifer was named as #1 of the 100 most influential leaders in the Bioeconomy in 2017 and received the Global Bioenergy Leadership Award in 2018, and the 2020 William C. Holmberg Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Advanced Bioeconomy. In 2021, she received the Edison Achievement Award and the Prix Voltaire Award. In 2022, she was included in ICIS’s Top 40 Power Players ranking. Jennifer also has an honorary doctorate from Delft University of Technology.

    Jennifer is on the Governing Council for the Bio Energy Research Institute in India. The institute was set up by the DBT (Department of Biotechnology, Indian Government) and IOC (Indian Oil Corporation).  She also sits on the Advisory Council for the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University, the National Academies’ Board on Energy and Environmental Systems (BEES), the External Advisory Committee for the Advanced Energy Technologies Directorate (AET) at Argonne National Laboratory, the Advisory Council for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the Halliburton Labs Advisory Board, the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS International Advisory Council, and the Founder Advisory for The Engine, a venture capital fund built by MIT that invests in early-stage science and engineering companies. 

    Jennifer holds a B.Sc. degree from Harvey Mudd College, a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

  • Linde
    Sanjiv Lamba, CEO

    Sanjiv Lamba

    Sanjiv Lamba

    CEO, Linde

    Sanjiv Lamba was appointed Chief Executive Officer for Linde plc in March 2022, when he also joined the Board of Directors. In January 2026, he became Chairman of the Board.

    Prior to being appointed CEO, Lamba was Chief Operating Officer after serving as Executive Vice President, APAC.

    Lamba started his career in 1989 with BOC India in Finance, was appointed Director of Finance and subsequently Managing Director for the India business in 2001. He has worked in a number of geographies for Linde including India, UK, Singapore and Germany where he served as member of the Executive Board of Linde AG.

    Lamba is a Chartered Accountant (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Honours) from St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta University, India.

  • Meyer Resources
    Cornelia Meyer, CEO

    Cornelia Meyer

    Cornelia Meyer

    CEO, Meyer Resources

    Cornelia Meyer is a business consultant, macro-economist and energy expert who previously worked at General Electric and BP before a varied career in advisory roles and board positions. She is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MRL Corporation and Chairman and Chief Economist of LBV Asset Management.

    Ms Meyer was an investment banker before she joined the energy industry and was adviser to the Japanese Minister of Trade and Industry Yoshiro Mori in the 1990s.

    She is a member of Oxford Energy Policy Club and serves on the Advisory Boards of the Istanbul Finance Summit and Euromoney.

  • Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC)
    Bayo Bashir Ojulari, CEO

    Bayo Bashir Ojulari

    Bayo Bashir Ojulari

    CEO, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC)

    Bayo Bashir Ojulari serves as Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), a position to which he was appointed on 2 April 2025 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He brings to the role nearly 35 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, spanning petroleum engineering, development, production engineering management, strategy, planning, economics, and asset management.

    Ojulari began his career at Elf Petroleum Nigeria in 1989, before joining Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) as an Associate Production Technologist in 1991, with postings across Nigeria, the Netherlands, and Oman. In 2008, he was appointed Manager of Asset Development, Onshore and Shallow Water, and from 2015 he served as Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), overseeing operations across four deep-water blocks with a workforce exceeding 600. Under his leadership, SNEPCo received the 2016 Shell CEO HSSE Award, the Shell Global Deepwater Asset of the Year Award, and the Shell Upstream Impact Award.

    Following his retirement from Shell in 2021, Ojulari established BAT Advisory and Energy Company Nigeria Ltd, where he served as Chairman, before joining Renaissance Africa Energy Company as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. His individual honors include the PSRG Richardson Special HSSE Achievement Award, the Professional Award of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, and the African Regional Service Award of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

  • Planetive
    Ayla Majid, Founder and CEO

    Ayla Majid

    Ayla Majid

    Founder and CEO, Planetive

    Ayla is the founder of Planetive and a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum, where she serves on the Global Future Council on Energy. She advances energy transition, sustainable finance, and inclusive economic opportunity through public and private board roles, policy advocacy, and writing on energy, digital transformation, and diversity.

  • Rapidan Energy Group
    Robert McNally, Founder and President

    Robert McNally

    Robert McNally

    Founder and President, Rapidan Energy Group

    Robert (“Bob”) McNally is the founder and president of Rapidan Energy Group.

    Bob's 34-year career includes service as a White House energy advisor to President George W. Bush, an oil market analyst, and a hedge fund strategist at Tudor Investment Corporation. His acclaimed book Crude Volatility: The History and the Future of Boom-Bust Oil Prices (Columbia University Press, 2017) received the Honorable Mention in Economics in the 2018 PROSE Awards; the 2023 IAEE Marcel Boiteux Best International Energy Economics Book Award; and the 2024 USAEE Adelman-Frankel Award for unique and innovative contribution to the field of energy economics.

    Leading media outlets regularly interview Bob, who frequently testifies before Congress on energy markets and national security.

    From 2001 to 2003, he served as Special Assistant to the President on the White House National Economic Council and, in 2003, Senior Director for International Energy on the National Security Council.

    Bob earned his B.A./B.S. in Political Science and International Relations from American University and his M.A. in International Economics and Foreign Policy from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

  • RBC Capital Markets
    Helima Croft, Global Head of Commodity Strategy

  • Repsol
    Ángel Bautista, Director of Institutional Relations and Regulatory Coordination

  • S&P Global
    Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman

    Daniel Yergin

    Daniel Yergin

    Vice Chairman, S&P Global

    Daniel Yergin is Vice Chairman of S&P Global.  He is a highly respected authority on energy, international politics, and economics, and a Pulitzer Prize winner. He chairs S&P’s CERAWeek conference, which CNBC has called “the Super Bowl of world energy”.

    Time Magazine said, “If there is one man whose opinion matters more than any other on global energy markets, it’s Daniel Yergin.” The New York Times called him “America’s most influential energy pundit” And The Wall Street Journal described him as “the energy sage”.

    He plays a leadership role in the Commodity Insight research at S&P Global and recently led studies on LNG as a major new U.S. export industry and on “Copper in the Age of AI”.

    Dr. Yergin’s most recent book The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations is described by NPR as “a master class on how the world works,”  and in The Washington Post as “a tour de force of geopolitical understanding.,” It has been translated into 14 languages.

    A Pulitzer Prize winner, Dr. Yergin is the author of the bestseller The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World. The Quest, which The New York Times said it is “necessary reading for C.E.O.’s, conservationists, lawmakers, generals, spies, tech geeks (and) thriller writers.” Bill Gates summed up his review of The Quest by saying, “This is a fantastic book.”

    Dr. Yergin is known around the world for his book The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil Money and Power, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. It became a number one New York Times best seller and has been translated into 20 languages.

    Of Dr. Yergin’s book Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy, which has been translated into 13 languages, The Wall Street Journal said, “No one could ask for a better account of the world’s political and economic destiny since World War II.” Both The Prize and Commanding Heights were made into award- winning television documentaries for PBS and BBC, which Dr. Yergin co-produced, co-wrote, and narrated.

    Dr. Yergin is a senior trustee of the Brookings Institution and a member of the Energy Advisory Council of the Dallas Federal Reserve.  Dr. Yergin served on the U.S. Secretary of Energy Advisory Board under four U.S. presidents.

    Among his honors, both the Prime Minister of India and the United States Association have presented Dr. Yergin with a “Lifetime Achievement” awards and the U.S. Department of Energy awarded him the first “James Schlesinger Medal for Energy Security.” The University of Pennsylvania presented him with the first Carnot Prize for “distinguished contributions to energy policy.” Dr. Yergin was awarded the Gold Medal of the President of the Republic of Italy for combining “an understanding of the dynamics of the market with a broad view of the forces of geopolitics as he seeks to point the way to the positive outcomes for the world community.

    Dr. Yergin is a member of the advisory boards for the Columbia University Center on Global Energy policy and the MIT Energy Initiative.

    Dr. Yergin holds a BA from Yale University and an M.A. and  Ph.D. from Cambridge University, where he was a Marshall Scholar

  • SABIC
    Faisal Al-Faqeer, CEO

    Faisal Al-Faqeer

    Faisal Al-Faqeer

    CEO, SABIC

    Dr. Faisal Mohammed Alfaqeer is the Chief Executive Officer, an Executive Member of the Board of Directors at SABIC, and Investment Committee Member, with more than three decades of experience in the global petrochemicals and refining sectors.

    Dr. Alfaqeer earned a master's degree and Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, as well as a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. In addition, he has participated in several leadership and management training programs, including the Leadership Program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

    Before joining SABIC, Dr. Alfaqeer held several senior leadership positions at Saudi Aramco, including Senior Vice President of IK Liquids to Chemicals Development, where he led one of the company's most strategic growth initiatives. He also served as CEO of Sadara Chemical Company. In addition, he has overseen various key functions at Saudi Aramco, including Engineering Consulting Services, Research and Development, and Refining. His earlier roles include Vice President of Ras Tanura Refinery and Head of Aramco's Research and Development Center, where he was responsible for establishing several research satellite centers in North America and Europe. 

    Dr. Alfaqeer is the Chairman of the Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association (GPCA), Chairman of the Saudi Petrochemical Manufacturers Committee, and Chairman of Nusaned Investment Company™. 

  • Sacotel
    Joumana Hosri Haji, CEO

    Joumana Hosri Haji

    Joumana Hosri Haji

    CEO, Sacotel

    Joumana Hosri is a businesswoman and board member of the Fernand Hosri Group, founded in 1966 by her father, Fernand Hosri, and active across the Middle East in security, telecommunications, home automation, and renewable energy.

    Within the group, Hosri serves as Chief Executive Officer of Sacotel Znshine, a joint venture between Sacotel and Znshine PV-Tech — a tier-one Chinese manufacturer of solar panels ranked tenth globally — which has established Sacotel Znshine as a leading supplier of solar panels to the Middle East market. Under her guidance, the joint venture won a tender from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority in 2019 to supply solar modules for 5,000 villas. She also serves as Chief Commercial Officer of SACOTEL, a leader in telecommunications, security, and automation in the Middle East, and has led the company's accession to the United Nations Global Compact.

    Hosri's contribution to the region's energy transition has been widely recognised. In September 2019, she received the Energy Awareness Award from the United Nations Development Programme and IPTEC, for a solar project implemented in education. In 2021, she was named Woman in Solar of the Year by the Middle East Energy Industry Association. She is a founding member, board member, and Secretary General of the Society of Sustainability & Green Materials, and holds a degree in economics from the Sorbonne University in Paris.

  • Samos Energy
    Jacques Tohme, Managing Partner

    Jacques Tohme

    Jacques Tohme

    Managing Partner, Samos Energy

    Jacques J Tohme is Managing Partner at Samos Energy, which he co-founded and which has raised over $1 billion, with a team of more than 30 professionals globally, to deploy into traditional energy assets across oil, gas, and power. Under his leadership, the firm led the acquisition of BlackRock's Southeast Asia offshore energy business. He brings to the role more than twenty years of investing experience in energy and natural resources.

    Tohme also founded Amerocap LLC, a private US investment firm holding interests in energy, strategic minerals, and defence businesses globally. He co-founded Tailwind Energy in London, which later merged into Serica Energy plc (LSE: SQZ) to become the United Kingdom's third-largest independent, listed, upstream energy producer; during Tailwind's operations, the company transacted with major energy firms and completed over $1 billion in financings. He is also co-founder of Verde Magnesium Ltd, which is working toward becoming the European Union's primary producer of metallic magnesium — a project that has received EU Strategic Project status and represents the first new European magnesium metal project in decades, with the potential to account for half of the EU's demand.

    Earlier in his career, Tohme held a number of private equity and investment banking roles in New York. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Columbia University and maintains an extensive network among energy policymakers in the United States.

  • Shell
    Wael Sawan, CEO

    Wael Sawan

    Wael Sawan

    CEO, Shell

    Wael began his career at Shell in 1997 as an engineer with Petroleum Development Oman. By the mid-2000s, Wael was Managing Director and Chairman of Shell Qatar, where he oversaw Shell's business in Qatar, including its LNG and GTL divisions. Wael then became Executive Vice President of Deep Water, where he was responsible for driving its transformation into a leading business for Shell. Prior to being appointed CEO at the start of 2023, Wael joined the Executive Committee in 2019 as Upstream Director and in 2021, he became Shell's Director of Integrated Gas, and Renewables and Energy Solutions. Wael was a trustee of Shell Foundation from 2019 to the end of 2022.

    Wael holds an MEng from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. During his Shell career, spanning more than 25 years, he has worked in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, and has held roles across all of Shell's businesses. He has led several major commercial transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and divestments, as well as new business development projects. Wael is an exceptional leader, with all the qualities needed to drive Shell safely and profitably through its next phase of transition and growth. His track record of commercial, operational and transformational success reflects not only his broad, deep experience and understanding of Shell and the energy sector, but also his strategic clarity. He combines these qualities with a passion for people, which enables him to get the best from those around him.

  • SOCAR Türkiye
    Elchin Ibadov, CEO

    Elchin Ibadov

    Elchin Ibadov

    CEO, SOCAR Türkiye

    After graduating from the University of Illinois Chicago, Elchin Ibadov began the professional career in 2002 as a Research Specialist at the World Trade Center Chicago.

    Starting from 2003, Elchin Ibadov held various positions at PwC for a period of 11 years. Between 2014 and 2019, Elchin Ibadov served as Finance Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at STAR Refinery. In November 2019, Elchin Ibadov was appointed as CFO of Petkim and simultaneously served as Deputy Head responsible for Financial Affairs of the Refining and Petrochemical Business Unit, which includes key companies contributing to Türkiye’s economy such as STAR Refinery, Petkim, SOCAR Storage, and SOCAR Trading.

    Placing strong emphasis on continuous education and professional development, Elchin Ibadov has completed executive education and certification programs at Harvard Business School. In addition, Elchin Ibadov has authored and translated textbooks in the fields of economics, accounting, finance, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and auditing.

    Elchin Ibadov is also a member of leading international finance and audit organizations, including ACCA, ACFE, and IIA.

    In Türkiye, Elchin Ibadov serves as Vice Chair at YASED and DEK, Chair of the DEİK Türkiye–Norway Business Council, and Member of the Board at İKMİB. Since February 2023, Elchin Ibadov has been serving as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SOCAR Türkiye and concurrently serves as Advisor to the President of SOCAR since May 2026.

  • SOMO
    Ali Al-Shatari, Director General

    Ali Al-Shatari

    Director General, SOMO

    Ali Al‑Shatari is a senior energy economist and executive with over twenty years of accumulated experience in the oil and gas industry, during which he progressed through various roles in the marketing of crude oil and petroleum products within the marketing company, managing its global operations.

    He has been a prominent representative of Iraq in major international oil forums (including those of OPEC, the International Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and the International Gas Union), and has led successful diplomatic tours with major international oil companies, resulting in strengthening Iraq's position in global markets.

  • Sonatrach Group
    Nour Eddine Daoudi, CEO

    Nour Eddine Daoudi

    Nour Eddine Daoudi

    CEO, Sonatrach Group

    Born on January 2nd,1960, Mr. Nour Eddine DAOUDI graduated on 1987 at Houari Boumediene University of Science and Technology in Algiers and holds a State Engineer diploma in Geology.

    M. DAOUDI draws upon a long and successful career to his credit of more than thirty-five years, characterized by a strong commitment and sense of professionalism, added to an efficient contribution to the development of national hydrocarbons industry.

    He joined SONATRACH in 1988, where he began his career within the Exploration Division. Gradually, Mr. DAOUDI was appointed at various positions of responsibility within the Exploration Division.

    • In 2018 he was promoted to Director of the Exploration Division. In this position, which he helduntil the end of 2019, he contributed to the introduction of modern technical and scientificapproaches to improve performance and enhance the level of geological knowledge.
    • In April 2020, he was appointed Chairman of the National Agency for the Valorizationof Hydrocarbons Resources (ALNAFT), a position held until June 2023. During his tenure,Mr. DAOUDI initiated an in-depth reform, notably by modernizing methods of management,reinforcing the principles of transparency and efficiency and improving the investment climatein the hydrocarbons sector.
    • Since January 2022, Mr. DAOUDI has also been a member of the executive office of theInternational Energy Forum (IEF), one of the leading international organizations gatheringenergy-producing and consuming countries.

    Mr. Nour Eddine DAOUDI was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SONATRACH Group on October 26, 2025.

  • TDE
    Gerhard Thonhauser, CEO & Founder

    Gerhard Thonhauser

    Gerhard Thonhauser

    CEO & Founder, TDE

    Prof. Gerhard Thonhauser, Head of Chair of Drilling and Completion Engineering at Montanuniversität Leoben and CEO of tde, is a world-renowned expert, educator, and innovator in the energy industry. His expertise is widely recognized in academia and industry, positioning him as one of the foremost authorities in the field of digitalization and energy technologies. His main goals are to drive efficiency and reduction of CO2 footprint of the hydrocarbon industry and the development of technologies to accelerate the transition to a hydrogen- and carbon-based industry. Prof. Thonhauser is author and co-author of more than 100 publications and several patents.

  • TotalEnergies
    Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

    Patrick Pouyanné

    Patrick Pouyanné

    Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, TotalEnergies

    A graduate of École Polytechnique and a Chief Engineer of France’s Corps des Mines, Mr. Pouyanné held, between 1989 and 1996, various administrative positions in the Ministry of Industry and of Environment and other cabinet positions (technical advisor to the Prime Minister – Édouard Balladur – in the fields of the Environment and Industry from 1993 to 1995, Chief of staff for the Minister for Information and Aerospace Technologies – François Fillon – from 1995 to 1996). In January 1997, he joined TotalEnergies’ Exploration & Production division, first as Chief Administrative Officer in Angola, before becoming Company representative in Qatar and President of the Exploration and Production subsidiary in that country in 1999. In August 2002, he was appointed President, Finance, Economy and IT for Exploration & Production. In January 2006, he became Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development and R&D in Exploration & Production and was appointed a member of the Company’s Management Committee in May 2006. In March 2011, Mr. Pouyanné was appointed Deputy General Manager, Chemicals, and Deputy General Manager, Petrochemicals. In January 2012, he became President, Refining & Chemicals and a member of the Company’s Executive Committee.

    On October 22, 2014, he became Chief Executive Officer of TOTAL S.A. and Chairman of the Company’s Executive Committee. On May 29, 2015, he was appointed by the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting as director for a three-year term. The Board of Directors appointed him as Chairman of the Board of Directors as of December 19, 2015. Mr. Pouyanné thus became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Following the renewal of Mr. Pouyanné's directorship at the Shareholders' Meeting on June 1, 2018 and then on May 28, 2021 for a three-year period, the Board of Directors renewed Mr. Pouyanné's term of office as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for a period equal to that of his directorship.

    Mr. Pouyanné is thus the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies SE.

    Mr. Pouyanné is Vice-Chairman of the French association, Entreprises pour l’Environnement (EpE), after having been its Chairman between June 2022 and June 2025. Mr. Pouyanné has also been the Chairman of the Alliance pour l’Education - United Way association from June 2018 to January 29, 2025, having accepted this office as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. In addition, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of Capgemini (since May 2017), of the Board of Directors of École Polytechnique (since September 2018), of the Institut du Monde Arabe (since 2017) and of the foundation La France s’engage (since 2017). Mr. Pouyanné is an Officer of the Légion d’honneur.

  • Vitol
    Russell Hardy, CEO

    Russell Hardy

    Russell Hardy

    CEO, Vitol

    Russell Hardy has 30 years’ experience in the oil industry.  He joined Vitol in 1993 from BP and has held a number of trading and management roles in Singapore and London.  He has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2007 and most recently was CEO EMEA with oversight of the company’s regional trading activity.  Russell holds a Meng in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, London.

  • Vopak
    Hari Dattatreya, Senior Vice President Energy Markets & Asset Transition

  • Vortexa
    Arthur Richier, Head of Strategic Partnerships

    Arthur Richier

    Arthur Richier

    Head of Strategic Partnerships, Vortexa

    Arthur Richier is Head of Strategic Partnerships at Vortexa, a leading energy analytics company, where he oversees a global partnerships function spanning data procurement, strategic market positioning, and commercial revenue. With a career rooted in energy commodities, including price reporting at S&P Global Energy across oil and tanker markets, and strategy consulting at EY, he brings deep cross-sector expertise to the intersection of shipping intelligence and commodity markets. Arthur holds an MSc in Energy Management from ESCP Europe and a Foundation Diploma in Tanker Chartering from the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, and was recognised by Seatrade Maritime News as one of their 20 Under 40 maritime leaders in 2025.

  • White & Case
    Heather McDevitt, Chair

    Heather McDevitt

    Heather McDevitt

    Chair, White & Case

    Heather McDevitt is Chair of White & Case LLP and directs the Firm's strategy and operations around the world. A partner at White & Case for more than 20 years, she previously served on the Firm's global Executive Committee and led its Global Life Sciences and Healthcare Industry Group.

    Heather has represented clients in the pharmaceutical, consumer goods and oil and gas industries in a wide range of complex matters in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout the United States.

    Heather has devoted substantial time and energy to pro bono death penalty and wrongful conviction cases over the course of her career. She is a two-time recipient of the New York City Bar's Thurgood Marshall Award for post-conviction capital defense work in Alabama and leading the Eighth Amendment challenges to Alabama's method of execution by lethal injection.

  • Wood Mackenzie
    Simon Flowers, Chairman & Chief Analyst

    Simon Flowers

    Simon Flowers

    Chairman & Chief Analyst, Wood Mackenzie

    Simon has a long history with Wood Mackenzie. He first joined the company in 1983, as a North-West Europe upstream analyst, later moving to Sydney to become an equity analyst covering the Australian oil, gas and mining sectors.

    On returning to the UK in 1992, Simon was a No.1 ranked oil analyst with NatWest Markets after which he took on the role of MD and head of Pan European Utilities Research with Bank of America Merrill Lynch. There he worked with the boards of many utility companies and was involved in most of the major European privatisations, including Enel, EdF and GdF.

    Simon re-joined Wood Mackenzie in 2010, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience across a breadth of commodities and sectors including oil and gas, utilities and mining. His experience makes him uniquely qualified to occupy the role of chief analyst and chairman, which sees him produce high-value content and thematic research. 

    Simon’s views on the issues shaping the energy world are regularly sought by industry leaders as well as international media.

  • Woodside Energy
    Liz Westcott, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director

    Liz Westcott

    Liz Westcott

    Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Woodside Energy

    Liz previously led Woodside’s projects and business operations for Australia in the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Australia, focusing on optimising value across the portfolio and throughout an asset’s lifecycle. Liz joined Woodside in 2023 as Executive Vice President Australian Operations, with responsibility for the safe, efficient and reliable operation of Woodside’s portfolio of assets across Australia. Liz has over 30 years of industry experience and prior to joining Woodside, Liz held senior leadership roles at EnergyAustralia and ExxonMobil spanning strategic planning, operations, project management, and safety, technical and commercial leadership.

Organizations

  • AFREC | African Energy Commission
    Rashid Ali Abdallah, Executive Director

    Rashid Ali Abdallah

    Rashid Ali Abdallah

    Executive Director, AFREC | African Energy Commission

    Mr. Rashid Ali Abdallah has over 22 years of experience in energy field at national, regional and continental level. He is the Executive Director of the African Energy Commission (AFREC) since November 2018. Under his leadership, AFREC has developed several programmes and undertook several initiatives to support the African Energy Sector Transformation and African Union Member states’ effort toward energy transition, by creating the enabling policies and strategies to increase investment for the African Energy Sector, and to meet the AU Agenda 2063, Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) and the global commitment on climate change.

    Prior to joining AFREC, Mr. Abdallah served as the Head of Energy Division within the Department of the Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union.

    Mr. Abdallah hold a M.Sc. Project Management from Birmingham University - UK, Post Graduate Diploma in Energy Engineering and a B.Sc. (Hons) Mechanical Engineering from Khartoum University- Sudan.

  • APERC | Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre
    Robert Tromop, Senior Vice President

  • Atlantic Council
    Landon Derentz, Executive Director

    Landon Derentz

    Landon Derentz

    Executive Director, Atlantic Council

    Landon Derentz is the Atlantic Council vice president for energy and infrastructure, Morningstar Chair for Global Energy Security, senior director of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Under his leadership, the Atlantic Council devises solutions to the geopolitical, sustainability, and economic challenges of the changing global energy and infrastructure landscape.

    During his career, Derentz has engaged in all facets of US energy and climate policy, including as director for energy at the White House, director for Middle Eastern and African affairs at the US Department of Energy, as an energy policy advisor in the US Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources, and as a presidential management fellow in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. Derentz has deep experience building diverse coalitions across governments, the private sector, and civil society, including as the US representative and vice chairman of the International Energy Agency’s standing groups on emergency questions and the oil market. Additionally, Derentz proudly served as an officer in the United States Air Force.

    Derentz graduated with a juris doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law, a master of public policy from the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University, and a bachelor of arts in communication from the University of Southern California.

  • AUC | African Union Commission
    Sara Elhag, Head of Energy Division

  • CEM | Clean Energy Ministerial
    Jean-François Gagné, Head of Secretariat

    Jean-François Gagné

    Jean-François Gagné

    Head of Secretariat, CEM | Clean Energy Ministerial

    Jean-François Gagné is the Head of the Clean Energy Ministerial Secretariat, supporting international collaboration to promote policies and programmes that advance clean energy technology, to share lessons learned and best practices, and to encourage the transition to a global clean energy economy.

    A Masters of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering graduate, Jean-François has over 20 years of experience in varying fields touching transportation, energy and environment protection.

    He started his career in the aerospace industry, and then moved to the public sector to lead transportation, energy and environmental technology programmes. He provided technical and policy advice to the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Department of Natural Resources, and managed multiple programmes supporting the sustainable development objectives of the Canadian Government. He then spent 5 years leading the International Energy Agency’s collaborative work programme on sustainable energy technologies, policies and strategies.

    Before coming to the CEM Secretariat, JF was executive Director of International Affairs for Natural Resources Canada, developing and implementing Canada’s global energy engagement strategy, managing bilateral and multilateral collaboration mechanisms, and representing Canada as lead energy negotiator.

  • EMGF | East Mediterranean Gas Forum
    Osama Mobarez, Secretary General

    Osama Mobarez

    Osama Mobarez

    Secretary General, EMGF | East Mediterranean Gas Forum

    Osama Mobarez has 30 years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry. He is currently the Secretary General of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum; Osama had a key role in the establishment and activities of the East Mediterranean Gas Form (EMGF).

    In his previous role at the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources as the Undersecretary for Technical office, he was responsible for the Realization Office to drive Egypt’s Modernization Program across the Oil & Gas sector.

    Over his career he supported the development of policies and reforms within the petroleum sector in Egypt including, a comprehensive energy subsidy reform strategy, initiation of gas market reforms, modification and update of upstream agreements, and feasibility studies of infrastructure development projects.

    Osama led bi-lateral cooperation with other countries on oil and gas topics, as well as communication with financial institutions and oil and gas organizations. He was Egypt’s representative in the Executive Board of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), and the International Energy Forum (IEF). He was also the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of Egypt Petroleum Show EGYPS, the biggest oil and gas show in Africa and Southern Mediterranean.

    Osama holds an MBA with Distinction from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot Watt University UK, and completed Post- Graduate Studies in Economics of Energy at Reading University UK.

  • ERIA | Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia
    Tetsuya Watanabe, President

    Tetsuya Watanabe

    Tetsuya Watanabe

    President, ERIA | Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia

    Tetsuya Watanabe is President of ERIA (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia), an international organisation based in Jakarta that provides a multistakeholder platform for policy dialogue and regional cooperation.

    He works closely with the ASEAN Secretariat, governments, academia, the private sector, and civil society across ASEAN and East Asia.

    His research and leadership focus on key policy areas including supply chains, decarbonisation, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, startups, public health, and human resource development. Prior to joining ERIA in 2023, he served as Special Advisor to the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

  • GCC | Gulf Cooperation Council
    H.E. Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General

    Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi

    Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi

    Secretary General, GCC | Gulf Cooperation Council

    H.E. Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi serves as the seventh Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a position he assumed on 1 February 2023, succeeding Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf. He brings to the role an extensive diplomatic career, having most recently served as Kuwait's Ambassador to the United States.

    Secretary-General AlBudaiwi began his diplomatic career in 1992, going on to hold a number of senior posts representing Kuwait across Europe and Asia. He served as Kuwait's non-resident Ambassador to Luxembourg and Head of Mission to the European Union from 2017 to 2022, as Head of Mission to NATO and Ambassador to Belgium from 2016 to 2022, and as Ambassador to South Korea from 2013 to 2016.

    In recognition of his contribution to bilateral relations, AlBudaiwi was named Best Ambassador by South Korea in 2014, the same year he received the Distinguished Patron Award from the Asia Society Korea.

  • GCCSI | Global CCS Institute
    Jarad Daniels, CEO

    Jarad Daniels

    Jarad Daniels

    CEO, GCCSI | Global CCS Institute

    Jarad joined the Institute as Chief Executive Officer in October 2021, bringing with him over 20 years of international collaboration and leadership on clean energy and sustainable development. He has broad expertise in energy and deep experience in Carbon Capture and Storage, having worked with many countries, multilateral organisations, NGOs, and companies on technology development and deployment and government policy.

    Prior to joining the Institute, Jarad led the Office of Strategic Planning, Analysis, and Engagement within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Carbon Management. Earlier responsibilities included managing research, development, and demonstration programs for advanced power systems and environmental stewardship. His professional experience includes life cycle analysis, process engineering and materials science.

    Jarad holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Kansas State University and a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.

  • GECF | Gas Exporting Countries Forum
    H.E. Philip Mshelbila, Secretary General

    Philip Mshelbila

    Philip Mshelbila

    Secretary General, GECF | Gas Exporting Countries Forum

    HE Dr Philip Mshelbila assumed office on 1 January 2026 as the fifth Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).

    Dr Mshelbila is a senior energy executive with over 30 years of experience, most of which covered the global natural gas / liquefied natural gas (LNG), and power sectors.

    His career spans executive management, board-level governance, strategic communications and stakeholder management, healthcare, sustainability, and large-scale project development.

    Prior to joining the GECF, he spent more than two decades with Shell, most recently serving as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria LNG and previously as Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic LNG in Trinidad and Tobago.

    He has lived and worked across Africa, America, Europe and the Caribbean, and is now based in the Middle East.

    He holds an MB,BS from Ahmadu Bello University, a postgraduate qualification from the University of Aberdeen, and an Executive MBA from IESE Business School, Spain.

  • IEA | International Energy Agency
    H.E. Fatih Birol, Executive Director

    Fatih Birol

    Fatih Birol

    Executive Director, IEA | International Energy Agency

    As Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Dr Fatih Birol has positioned the IEA at the forefront of global efforts to advance a secure affordable and sustainable energy system. Since taking office in 2015, he has modernised the Agency by broadening its energy security mandate beyond oil to include electricity, natural gas, renewables and critical minerals, strengthened the Agency’s global leadership in clean energy transitions and expanded IEA membership to include major emerging countries. As a result, the IEA’s share of global energy demand coverage has increased from 40% to over 80%. He has also played a central role in the global response to major energy security emergencies, including those triggered by the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis.

    Dr Birol joined the IEA in 1995 and steadily rose through the ranks from junior analyst to Chief Economist, where he oversaw the flagship World Energy Outlook. Throughout his career, he has been a leading advocate for expanding access to electricity and clean cooking solutions in developing countries, particularly in Africa.

    He has twice been included in the TIME100 list of the world’s most influential figures, in 2021 and 2026. His numerous honours include the French Legion of Honour, the Japanese Emperor’s Order of the Rising Sun, the Swedish King’s Order of the Polar Star, and the highest state decorations from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Korea, Portugal, and the United Arab Emirates.

    Before joining the IEA, Dr Birol worked for the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna. He holds degrees in power engineering and energy economics from the Technical University of Istanbul and the Technical University of Vienna. He also has an honorary doctorate from Imperial College London and has been elected a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He chairs the World Economic Forum’s Energy Advisory Board and is an honorary life member of Galatasaray Football Club

  • IGU | International Gas Union
    Andrea Stegher, President

  • ISA | International Solar Alliance
    Ashish Khanna, Director General

    Ashish Khanna

    Ashish Khanna

    Director General, ISA | International Solar Alliance

    Mr Ashish Khanna has over twenty-six years of experience leading energy sector development across the private and public sectors in more than fifteen developing countries in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. He possesses extensive experience across the solar sector value chain, ranging from project conceptualisation to resource mobilisation, financing, bid process management, and project implementation.

    As the former Head of the World Bank’s West and Central Africa Program, he led Mission 300, an initiative aimed at providing energy access to 300 million people in Africa by 2030. He also served as Program Leader for the Middle East and North Africa, where he led initiatives that enabled private sector investment of USD 20 billion in Egypt’s energy sector for the first time.

    In India, as Lead Energy Specialist at the World Bank, he worked with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on policy and regulatory reforms to enable private sector participation in solar energy. Born and raised in India, he has experienced first-hand the fundamental human need for energy access and the challenges faced by developing countries in achieving it. He believes that the success of the International Solar Alliance depends on a strengthened organisation with the right skills and accountability framework to earn the trust and confidence of countries and their agencies in designing and implementing solar pathways for energy access and energy transition.

    Mr Khanna holds dual postgraduate degrees in Management and Public Administration. While pursuing his Master’s in Public Administration, he was recognised as a Littauer Fellow for Global Leadership Potential at the Harvard Kennedy School.

  • IRENA | International Renewable Energy Agency
    H.E. Francesco La Camera, Director General

    Francesco La Camera

    Francesco La Camera

    Director General, IRENA | International Renewable Energy Agency

    Francesco La Camera is the Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). He was appointed at the Ninth Assembly of IRENA, the ultimate decision-making body of the Agency. Mr. La Camera took office on 4 April 2019 and brings more than thirty years of experience in the fields of climate, sustainability, and international cooperation.

    In his role, Mr. La Camera is responsible for leading the delivery of IRENA’s work programme and strategy in cooperation with the Agency’s member states. At a critical time for climate change and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, Mr. La Camera is tasked with redefining the structure and operations of the Agency in response to the urgent needs of its members.

    Under his leadership the Agency has forged a series of new strategic partnerships with UN organisations including UNDP, UNFCCC and Green Climate Fund among others. A key priority of his tenure is to implement a more action-oriented approach to the Agency’s work.

    Previously, Mr. La Camera served as Director-General of Sustainable Development, Environmental Damage, EU and International Affairs at the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land & Sea since 2014. In this capacity, he developed cooperation and partnership agreements with a wide range of countries, particularly developing countries including Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

    Mr. La Camera held number of roles at the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea. As the national coordinator for climate, environment, resource efficiency and circular economy, he led the Italian delegation to UNFCCC’s COP 21 to 24 and the EU Presidency at COP 20. He was responsible for the preparation and organisation of Italy’s G7 Environment Presidency in 2017. He was a leading member of the Italian delegation to the G7 Environment Ministers meetings in 2016 and 2018.

    He served as co-chair of the Africa Centre for Climate and Sustainable Development established in Rome in partnership with FAO and UNDP and co-chaired the Financial Platform for Climate and Sustainable Development in partnership with the Italian Development Bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. He has also coordinated a number of national strategies including on sustainable development, green finance and fossil fuel subsides among other things.

    Mr. La Camera led the support provided by Italy to several renewable energy initiatives such as the Initiative for Renewable Island Energy (IRIE) and the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA), coordinated by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

    Mr. La Camera spearheaded international cooperation on issues related to climate change and the environment. He played a key role in developing initiatives between Italy and multilateral organisations such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank, UNEP, UNDP and FAO, to implement the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.

    He chaired the meetings of the Signatories to the Aarhus Convention led by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) and chaired the advisory board for the Convention’s implementation.

    Author of many publications, Mr. La Camera was a Lecturer of Sustainable Development at the University of Cosenza and of Environment & Land Economics at the Roma Tre University. He began his career as an economic analyst at the Italian Ministry of Budget and Planning.

    Mr. La Camera is a national of Italy, and graduate of the University of Messina in Political Sciences (Economic Policy major).

  • KAPSARC | King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center
    Fahad Alajlan, President

    Fahad Alajlan

    Fahad Alajlan

    President, KAPSARC | King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center

    Fahad Alajlan was appointed as the president of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) in August 2021. Prior to joining KAPSARC, Fahad was the director of the Hydrocarbon Sustainability Program at the Ministry of Energy. He was responsible for looking at the long-term energy trends and their impact on energy markets including global demand for oil and gas. Additionally, he oversees the Circular Carbon Economy National Program, which aims to utilize a comprehensive framework to manage emissions while furthering the socioeconomic development of the Kingdom.

    Fahad also worked at the Ministry of Economy and Planning in Saudi Arabia, advising on energy markets, policy, and trends, as well as the industry and petrochemical sector. Before that, he served for more than 15 years at Saudi Aramco, where he held senior positions working across operation, corporate strategy and investment planning, as well as mergers and acquisitions.

    He holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Stanford University in California.

  • OAPEC | Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries
    H.E. Khalid Naif Alotaibi, Secretary General

    Khalid Naif Alotaibi

    Khalid Naif Alotaibi

    Secretary General, OAPEC | Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries

    Khalid Naif Alotaibi is a leading figure and expert in the oil sector with more than 34 years of experience in Kuwait Oil Company and Kuwait Gulf Oil Company.

    He progressed through Kuwait Oil Company from 1990 until he reached the position of Vice CEO for Major Projects and Technical Services. He also assumed the position of Acting CEO during 2022.

    In November 2022, he joined Kuwait Gulf Oil Company as Acting CEO.

  • OGCI | Oil and Gas Climate Initiative
    Bjørn Otto Sverdrup, Chair of the Executive Committee

    Bjørn Otto Sverdrup

    Bjørn Otto Sverdrup

    Chair of the Executive Committee, OGCI | Oil and Gas Climate Initiative

    Bjørn Otto Sverdrup was appointed chair of OGCI’s Executive Committee in 2021 and became head of the Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter Secretariat in 2024. Sverdrup is also a non-voting member of the board of Climate Investment.

    Sverdrup brings over 20 years’ energy industry leadership experience to OGCI. He has had a long career at Norwegian energy company Equinor, most recently as Senior Vice President for Corporate Sustainability.

    Sverdrup is on the Climate Advisory Board of Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. He is also a TED speaker, as well as a guest lecturer at Imperial College, Columbia and Harvard Business School.

  • OPEC | Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
    H.E. Haitham Al Ghais, Secretary General

    Haitham Al Ghais

    Haitham Al Ghais

    Secretary General, OPEC | Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

    HE Haitham Al Ghais of Kuwait assumed office as Secretary General of OPEC on 1 August 2022. With more than 30 years of experience in global oil and gas markets, HE Al Ghais has held key senior management positions for Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) in his home country, as well as in Beijing and London.

    Before joining KPC in 1993, HE Al Ghais was Diplomatic Attaché in the Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs for two years, working closely with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. For KPC, HE Al Ghais held multiple managerial functions, including Crude Oil Marketing and petroleum products in the International Marketing Sector; Head of KPC’s Regional Office in Beijing; Manager of KPC’s European Regional Office in London; and Market Research Manager in Kuwait. In 2021, HE Al Ghais was appointed as KPC’s Deputy Managing Director for International Marketing, responsible for overseeing the development of the global market outlook for KPC’s international marketing plans and participating in the drawing up of KPC’s strategic long-term plans. HE Al Ghais has represented Kuwait in multiple governing bodies of renowned international institutions, including the Board of Governors of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (2008-2014), and the Board of Governors and subcommittees of OPEC (2016-2021).

    HE Al Ghais played a leading role in the historic Declaration of Cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC oil-producing countries. In 2017, he was appointed as the first Chairman of the Joint Technical Committee that helped facilitate the development of the methodology for monitoring the conformity of production adjustments. He was also part of the Kuwait team that participated in meetings of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee. Between 2018 and 2019, HE Al Ghais was the leader of Kuwait’s team involved in finalizing and signing the Charter of Cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC producing countries. HE Al Ghais is a proud father of three sons.

  • OPEC Fund | OPEC Fund for International Development
    H.E. Abdulhamid Al-Khalifa, Secretary General

    Abdulhamid Al-Khalifa

    Abdulhamid Al-Khalifa

    Secretary General, OPEC Fund | OPEC Fund for International Development

    Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, a Saudi Arabian national, was first elected as head of the OPEC Fund for International Development at the institution's June 2018 Ministerial Council meeting. Dr. Alkhalifa officially assumed his post on November 1, 2018. On June 21, 2023 the OPEC Fund's Ministerial Council unanimously re-elected Dr. Alkhalifa for a second five year term to commence on November 1, 2023. 

    Prior to his appointment at the OPEC Fund, Dr. Alkhalifa was Deputy Secretary General of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) from 2014 to 2018 and advisor to the Secretary General from 2010 to 2014. He has also held a number of leadership positions at the World Bank Group and served the government of Saudi Arabia in various capacities.

    Dr. Alkhalifa holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Miami, Florida, and a Master's in Applied Economics from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

  • OIES | Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
    Paul Horsnell, Chair of the Board

    Paul Horsnell

    Paul Horsnell

    Chair of the Board, OIES | Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

    Dr. Paul Horsnell is an independent energy analyst and Chair of the Board of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Previously he was Head of Commodities Research at Standard Chartered Bank, Head of Commodities Research at Barclays and Head of Energy Research at JPMorgan. 

    Before entering the finance industry he was Praelector in Economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, and Assistant Director for Research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. He is a former Chair of the British Institute of Energy Economics.

  • OIES | Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
    Bassam Fattouh, Director

    Bassam Fattouh

    Bassam Fattouh

    Director, OIES | Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

    Dr Bassam Fattouh is the Director of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) and Professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). He has published a variety of articles on energy policy, the international oil pricing system, OPEC behavior, the energy transition, and the economies of oil producing countries. Dr Fattouh served as a member of an independent expert group established to provide recommendations to the 12th International Energy Forum (IEF) Ministerial Meeting in Cancun (29-31 March 2010) for strengthening the architecture of the producer-consumer dialogue through the IEF and reducing energy market volatility. He is the recipient of the 2018 OPEC Award for Research. He acts as an advisor to a number of governments and companies. He is a regular speaker at international conferences.

    Areas of Expertise
    Bassam Fattouh focuses his research on aspects of the international oil pricing system such as the relationship between the futures market and spot market, the relationship between OPEC and the market, the causes of oil price volatility and the dynamics of oil price differentials. He also focuses his research on the IOC-NOC relationship and its implications for investment behaviour. He has a strong background in the economic environment of the Middle East.

  • WPC Energy
    Pedro Miras Salamanca, President

    Pedro Miras Salamanca

    Pedro Miras Salamanca

    President, WPC Energy

    With more than 30 years of experience in the energy sector, Pedro Miras has held key roles across both private and public institutions. Over the course of his career, he has worked extensively at REPSOL, covering areas such as institutional, international, refining, and strategic planning. He has also served at the National Energy Commission, focusing on the regulation of oil & biofuels; at the International Energy Agency (security of supply); and at CORES (security of supply for oil & gas).

    As WPC Energy President (on secondment from REPSOL), Pedro has overseen the rebranding and renaming of the organisation, the successful 24th Congress held in Calgary, and preparations for the forthcoming 25th WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 26-30 April 2026.

    Pedro has also served as President of the Spanish Strategic Petroleum Reserves Corporation (CORES), Chairman of the Standing Group on Emergency Questions (SEQ) and Market (SOM) of the International Energy Agency, Institutional Affairs & Organisations and Chairman’s Office Director (REPSOL) and Member of the Steering Committee and the Board of Directors of Enerclub (Club Español de la Energía) among other relevant positions.

  • WEC | World Energy Council
    Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General

    Angela Wilkinson

    Angela Wilkinson

    Secretary General, WEC | World Energy Council

    Angela is the World Energy Council’s sixth Secretary General since its founding in 1923.

    Angela is one of the world’s leading global energy futures experts, an experienced energy executive, a distinguished Oxford scholar and a published author. She has 30 years of experience in leading national, international and global multi-stakeholder transformation initiatives on a wide range of economic, energy, climate and sustainable development related challenges.

    Angela has worked as a senior executive in the public-, private-, academic- and civic sectors. She was appointed Secretary General and CEO of the World Energy Council in 2019. Angela joined the Council in 2017 to create a practical energy transition leaders toolkit and direct a new strategic insights programme. Prior to that Angela led an upgrade in strategic foresight at the OECD, based in Paris. Prior corporate experience includes decades in Royal Dutch Shell and British Gas plc.

    Angela is a Fellow of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Centre for Strategic Foresight and a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Science (WAAS). She has published four books and numerous articles. Angela has a PhD in Physics.

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