Global Energy Forum Speakers

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	H.E. Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei Minister of Energy, United Arab Emirates H.E. Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei was appointed as United Arab Emirates (UAE) minister of energy on 12 March 2013. Minister Al Mazrouei has experience in corporate administration in different sectors including ship building, defense systems, oil and gas services sector, and real estate development. His career at the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company spanned ten years before he moved to Mubadala Company in 2007. During his career at the Mubadala Company, he expanded the company into Bahrain, Oman, and Kazakhstan. He was responsible for the development of new projects as well as investments in exploration and production in Middle Eastern countries and Africa. Minister Al Mazrouei graduated from the University of Tulsa in the United States with a BS in petroleum engineering. Back to speakers list
	H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mubadala Development Company H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa is Mubadala’s Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer. He is responsible for ensuring the company’s business strategy is aligned with Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification efforts. He is chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority, which provides strategic policy advice to the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, of which he is also a member. He is also chairman of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, the Abu Dhabi Media Zone Authority, and Emirates Global Aluminium; vice chairman of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council; and a board member of First Gulf Bank. H.E. Al Mubarak also sits on the Board of Trustees for Zayed University, New York University, and Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. He is also a Global eHealth Foundation ambassador. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber Chairman, Masdar; Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber has been chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) since February 2016. He also serves as senior projects manager at Mubadala Development Company. Dr. Al Jaber previously served as the chief executive officer for energy at Mubadala Development Company and chief executive officer and managing director of Masdar until March 2014. He oversaw DB Masdar Clean Tech Fund LP., Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, and Masdar Venture Capital. He spearheaded the launch and establishment of Masdar in 2006. He was appointed United Arab Emirates special envoy for energy and climate change in 2010. Previously, he held various positions within ADNOC and Abu Dhabi Gas Company. He has been the chairman of the board at Masdar since March 2014. In 2013, Dr. Al Jaber was appointed United Arab Emirates minister of state and member of the federal cabinet. He is also a member of the executive committee of Masdar Clean Tech Fund, LP. He holds a PhD in business and economics from Coventry University and an MBA and BS in chemical engineering from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Matar Al Neyadi Undersecretary, Ministry of Energy, United Arab Emirates Dr. Matar Al Neyadi is undersecretary of energy for the United Arab Emirates. In May 2014, Dr. Al Neyadi became chairman of the board of directors of the Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority. He is also an executive member in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and a member of the executive office of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, and the board of trustees of the minster of interior’s Award for Scientific Research. Dr. Al Neyadi has authored a number of legal books, which notably include Maritime Zones of the UAE, Rules of International Treaties in Public International Law, and Documents in Public International Law. He holds a PhD in international law from the University of Edinburgh. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Adnan Amin Director General, International Renewable Energy Agency Mr. Adnan Amin was elected as the director general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in April 2011. In this capacity, he is charged with the responsibility of establishing a sound institutional management structure and clear strategic vision for the implementation of the agency’s mandate to promote the adoption and use of renewable energy worldwide. Mr. Amin brings to this position over twenty-five years of experience in the fields of international environment and sustainable development policy, as well as in the political, management, and interagency coordination functions of the United Nations (UN). Mr. Amin served as head of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination Secretariat. He also served as the executive director of the Secretariat of the Secretary-General’s High Level Panel, co-chaired by the prime ministers of Mozambique, Norway, and Pakistan on UN system-wide coherence. Previously, Mr. Amin served as the director of the New York Office of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and special representative of the UNEP executive director. He also served from 2000 to 2006 as a trustee and member of the board of directors of the Cambridge, UK-based World Conservation Monitoring Centre, which is one of the premier biodiversity information institutions in the world. Back to speakers list
	H.E. Khalid A. Al-Falih Minister of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Resources, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia His Excellency Khalid A. Al-Falih has been Saudi Arabia’s minister of energy, industry, and mineral resources since 2016, and chairman of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Saudi Aramco. He was named Saudi Aramco’s chairman in 2015. Minister Al-Falih’s career with Saudi Aramco spans over three decades. He served as president and chief executive officer (CEO) from January 2009 until his ministerial appointment. He previously held key leadership positions across Saudi Aramco, including executive vice president of operations and senior vice president of both gas operations and industrial relations. Under his leadership, the company became the world’s largest producer and exporter of crude oil, a major natural gas producer, and a leading player in global refining and petrochemicals. He also served on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) International Business Council and chaired WEF’s Oil & Gas Community. He was also a member of the Asia Business Council, and the J.P. Morgan International Council. Minister Al-Falih earned a BS in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas and an MBA from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran. In 2009, he was awarded Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honor, the King Abdulaziz Medal, for his service to the nation. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Mussabah Al-Kaabi Chief Executive Officer, Law, Mubadala Petroleum Mr. Mussabah Al-Kaabi was appointed CEO of Mubadala Petroleum in 2014, having joined the company in 2013 as chief growth officer, responsible for new business development, mergers and acquisitions, and exploration. Previously he enjoyed a sixteen-year career with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). He joined ADNOC in 1997 and rose to manager of the exploration division. His achievements include leading ADNOC’s first ever offshore high pressure/high temperature deep gas reservoir mechanical fracturing project, initiating and leading efforts to assess the unconventional resources in Abu Dhabi, and leading recent negotiations with international oil companies to conclude a number of joint venture agreements in Abu Dhabi. He also undertook an overseas assignment with Shell, where he was part of a team specializing in reservoir surveillance. His areas of expertise include geophysics, petroleum geology, field development, unconventional resources evaluation, and petroleum economics. He has been an active participant in a number of professional bodies and event-related executive committees, and served as an advisory board committee member for the National Drilling Company, and as an executive committee member of newly established Joint Ventures in Abu Dhabi. Mr. Al-Kaabi holds a BS in geophysical engineering from Colorado School of Mines and an MS in petroleum geoscience from Imperial College, London. Back to speakers list
	Eng. Fatima Alfoora Alshamsi Assistant Undersecretary for Electricity and Clean Energy Affairs, Ministry of Energy, United Arab Emirates Dr. Fatima Alfoora Alshamsi is the assistant undersecretary for electricity, clean energy, and desalination of water at the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Energy. Her background ranges from electrical engineering and renewables, to business development and project management. She worked as the vice president of the privatization and business development in Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and as an executive director for electricity in the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA). Before joining the Ministry of Energy, she was leading the Mohammed Bin Rashid Solar Park Project, IP(W)P projects in Dubai, DEWA private investment portfolio development, DEWA corporate strategy team, and research and development related to the business development of DEWA. She is now leading the electricity, clean energy, climate change, and water desalination-related activities at the Ministry of Energy. Dr. Alshamsi graduated from the United Arab Emirates University with a BS in electronics engineering and holds an MBA in financial management. Back to speakers list
	Mohammed Ali Khan Chief Commercial Officer, GE Oil and Gas, MENAT region Mohammed Ali Khan is currently the chief commercial officer for GE Oil and Gas, MENAT region. Before joining GE, he worked at Tarmac Construction where he spent three years as a finance analyst. He went on to join British Airways in 2000 as country accountant, where he also earned his ACCA qualification. In May 2003, he joined GE Energy Services as senior finance manager for Europe in Bracknell, UK and remained in this capacity until August 2007 when he moved to Dubai and was appointed commercial finance manager for energy services for the MEA region. He has since moved into a variety of commercial roles in GE, including as business intelligence leader for power & water, GE Energy-MENAT; and in August 2012, he was promoted to channel sales GM for GE Oil & Gas MENAT. In April 2014, he was most recently appointed as the chief commercial officer for GE Oil and Gas MENAT region. Khan is originally from Liverpool, United Kingdom and holds a BA (Hons) degree in accounting and finance from the University of Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Ebtesam Al Ketbi Chairperson, Emirates Policy Center Dr. Ebtesam Al Ketbi is the chairperson of the Emirates Policy Center. She is also assistant professor of political science at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, UAE University. She obtained her PhD in political science at the Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences, Cairo University. She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Social Affairs in the UAE, a board member of the Arabic Society for Political Science, and a member of the board of trustees of the Arabic Organization for Transparency. She served as a member of the consultative committee of the UAE Center for Strategic Studies, as director of the woman program at the Gulf Research Center, and took an active role in developing the Arabic Human Development Report of 2006. Back to speakers list
	Bader Al Lamki Director, Clean Energy at Masdar Bader Al Lamki is a UAE national who brings eighteen years of outstanding experience in the energy sector. Currently at Masdar, Al Lamki is decisively executing on a strong plan that is delivering results today – with nearly 1.5 gigawatts of clean energy already deployed or under development globally – while also positioning the clean energy business for future growth. Prior to joining Masdar, Al Lamki led a multi-discipline team tasked to develop and deliver a strategic initiative at ADMA-OPCO (an Abu Dhabi based offshore E&P Company) to increase the oil production of the company to nearly one million barrels. He also worked for the French oil major TOTAL, based in Paris as Development Planning Engineer, conducting prospect evaluation for the ultra-deep water (1,400 – 1,700 metre) oil reservoir (Block 32) in the Republic of Angola. Al Lamki was also in charge for the debottlenecking of the NKOSSA field gas handling facilities in the Republic of Congo. Back to speakers list
	H.E. Issam A. Almarzooq Minister of Oil and Minister of Electricity and Water, State of Kuwait Mr. Issam Abdulmohsen Almarzooq was appointed minister of oil and minister of electricity and water and the chairman of the board of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) on 10 December 2016. Prior to his appointment, he held the position of a board member of KPC. He also served as the chairman of the board of directors of Boursa Kuwait Company since 2014. In 1996, he served as a board director of Kuwait Shipbuilding & Repair Company. In 1982, Minister Almarzooq started his career in Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) and later joined KPC as senior planning engineer for the downstream operations, which included KNPC and Petroleum Industries Company. Minister Almarzooq graduated in 1982 with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Back to speakers list
	Ms. Becky Anderson Managing Editor and Anchor, CNN Abu Dhabi Becky Anderson is one of CNN International’s highest profile anchors. She hosts “Connect the World with Becky Anderson.” Anderson is based in CNN’s Abu Dhabi bureau, allowing her a distinctive regional perspective on some of today’s most important news stories, including the deepening humanitarian crisis in Syria and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Anderson is a skilled interviewer, adept at close questioning and has interviewed many of the world’s leading politicians, decision-makers and thought-leaders, including most recently President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Tammam Salam, and President Beji Caid Essebsi of Tunisia. She is equally at home quizzing the world’s A-listers, including George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey. Anderson has extensive business journalism experience including posts with the UK’s ITN, CNBC Europe, and Bloomberg. She began her career in journalism as a print reporter with various business publications, after gaining a Master of Mass Communication from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Robert Armstrong Director, MIT Energy Initiative Dr. Robert Armstrong directs the MIT Energy Initiative, an Institute-wide initiative at MIT linking science, technology, and policy to transform the world’s energy systems. A member of the MIT faculty since 1973, Dr. Armstrong served as head of the Department of Chemical Engineering from 1996 to 2007. His research interests include polymer fluid mechanics, rheology of complex materials, and energy. In 2008, Dr. Armstrong was elected into the National Academy of Engineering for conducting outstanding research on non-Newtonian fluid mechanics, co-authoring landmark textbooks, and providing leadership in chemical engineering education. He received the Warren K. Lewis Award and the Professional Progress Award in 1992, both from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the 2006 Bingham Medal from the Society of Rheology, which is devoted to the study of the science of deformation and flow of matter. Dr. Armstrong was a member of MIT’s Future of Solar Energy study group and co-edited Game Changers: Energy on the Move with former Secretary of State George P. Shultz. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Tewodros Ashenafi Founder and Chairman, SouthWest Holdings Ltd. Mr. Tewodros Ashenafi is founder and chairman of SouthWest Holdings Ltd., a leading Ethiopian holding company, and chairman of Ambo Mineral Water, one of the leading beverage brands in Ethiopia and part of Coca Cola Beverages Africa. Mr. Ashenafi is the local partner and did the largest privatization and private transaction in Ethiopian history, the $1.4 billion enterprise value privatization of NTE, where he joined as board director, and JTI. He is also the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of SouthWest Energy, an African indigenous oil and gas exploration company, which is the top ten acreage holder in East Africa. Mr. Ashenafi started his career at Merrill Lynch & Co. He serves on the board of the EastWest Institute, a leading security think tank. He is also on the International Advisory Board of the Atlantic Council and is on the advisory board of Cepheus Growth Capital Partners, a leading Ethiopian-focused private equity firm. Mr. Ashenafi is on the advisory board of the Columbia University Africa Centre. He is a member of Young President’s Organization (YPO) Intercontinental and Pan Asia Chapters. He holds a degree in economics from Columbia University and is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School. He was nominated as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum at Davos in 2009. Back to speakers list
	H.E. Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo Secretary General, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Mr. Mohammad Barkindo was appointed as secretary general of OPEC on June 2, 2016. From 2009 to 2010, he was group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Before that, he served as deputy managing director of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, a joint venture between NNPC, Shell, Total, and Eni. Earlier in his career, he was special assistant to former Minister of Petroleum Resources and OPEC Secretary General Dr. Rilwanu Lukman. Mr. Barkindo worked in several roles at OPEC between 1986 and 2010. In 1986, he was appointed to Nigeria’s delegation to OPEC, and from 1993 to 2008, served as Nigeria’s national representative on the Organization’s Economic Commission Board. In 2006, he served as acting secretary general of OPEC, and represented Nigeria on OPEC’s Board of Governors from 2009 to 2010. Mr. Barkindo received his Bachelor’s degree in political science from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, gained a postgraduate diploma in petroleum economics and management from the College of Petroleum Studies at Oxford Univeristy, and a Master’s degree in business administration from Southeastern University in Washington, DC. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Karel Beckman Editor-in-Chief, Energy Post Mr. Karel Beckman is the founder and editor-in-chief of the independent international open-access website Energy Post (www.energypost.eu), which he started in June 2013. Energy Post offers news, analysis, and debate on energy policy, market strategy, innovations, and trends, written by specialized journalists and top-level experts from across the globe. Previously, Mr. Beckman was editor and founder of European Energy Review from its inception in November 2007 until February 2013, and energy editor at the Dutch financial newspaper Financieele Dagblad from 2000-2006. In 2011, he won the 2010 Award for Excellence in Written Journalism from the International Association for Energy Economics. Having written about energy for over twenty years, Mr. Beckman has built up a unique international network in the energy sector and a wide international following of readers. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Randolph Bell Director, Business Strategies, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council Mr. Randolph Bell is director of business strategies at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center (GEC), where he has oversight of the budget and revenue of the Center, including GEC research and programs in Washington, DC and elsewhere, and its affiliated conferences, the Atlantic Council Istanbul Summit and the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum. From 2014 – 2016, Mr. Bell was director of business development and new ventures at the Atlantic Council, where he led the Council’s Global Energy Center launch campaign and oversaw the Council’s corporate and individual giving. From 2011 to 2014, Mr. Bell was managing director at the International Institute for Strategic Studies – US (IISS), where he had overall responsibility for the operations of the IISS’s Washington, DC office, including coordination of finance, administration, programming, and fundraising. From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Bell was manager, national security, at the Markle Foundation, where he worked on cyber security, intelligence community information sharing, and technology policy issues. He has published on African, South Asian, and cyber security issues. He has an MPP from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he was a Public Service and Belfer International and Global Affairs Fellow, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard College. Back to speakers list
	Minister Éric Besson Former Minister of Industry, Energy, and Digital Economy, French Republic Minister Éric Besson is the former French minister for industry, energy, and digital economy (November 2010- May 2012); minister for immigration, integration, national identity and co-development (January 2009 – November 2010); and secretary of state for strategic planning, public policy evaluation, and digital economy development (May 2007-January 2009). He is the former mayor of Donzère, France, where he spent three subsequent terms, and was a member of the French Parliament from 1997 to 2007. Minister Besson graduated with degrees in law, business administration, and political science from ESC Montpellier and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Fatih Birol Executive Director, International Energy Agency Dr. Fatih Birol became executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2015, twenty years after first joining as a junior analyst. Prior to assuming his current duties, he held the positions of chief economist and director of Global Energy Economics. Dr. Birol has made a significant contribution to the international policy debate on energy and climate change. Dr. Birol has been named by Forbes Magazine among the most powerful people in terms of influence on the world’s energy scene. He is the chairman of the World Economic Forum’s (Davos) Energy Advisory Board and serves as a member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on “Sustainable Energy for All.” Prior to joining the IEA in 1995, Dr. Birol worked as an oil market analyst at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna. He earned a BS in power engineering from the Technical University of Istanbul. He received his MS and PhD in energy economics from the Technical University of Vienna. In 2013, Dr. Birol was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science by the Imperial College of London. Back to speakers list
	H.E. Noureddine Boutarfa Minister of Energy and Mining, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria Mr. Noureddine Boutarfa has been the Algerian minister of energy and mining since June 2016. Prior to this, Minister Boutarfa was the first president of the Association of the Mediterranean Transmission System Operators from 2012 to 2016. From 2005 to 2012, Minister Boutarfa chaired the Maghrebian Committee for Electricity. He chaired the Committee of Coordination of the Mediterranenan Association for Electricity from 2004 to 2005. In 2004, Minister Boutarfa chaired the Algerian Energy Committee Member of the World Energy Council and was the chief executive officer of Sonelgaz Holding. He was the chief executive officer of the Algerian Energy Company in 2001. From 1974 to 2000, he held various positions in Sonelgaz, where he was in charge of power station projects, rising to the positions of director of economic studies and director of engineering. He is a former member of the boards of Sonatrach, Algerian Company of Insurance, the CPA Bank, Algeria Telecom, and the industrial group Elec El Djazair. Minister Boutarfa holds an engineering degree from the Algerian Petroleum Institute, a degree in physical sciences from the University of Algiers, received certificates in gas turbines technics from Essen, Germany, in strategic planning from CFC (Canada), and in energy economy and policy from the Institute IEPE from Grenoble (France). He is also Honoris causa Doctor from National Polytechnic school of Algiers. Back to speakers list
	Ms. Lubna Bouza Business News Anchor, Sky News Arabia Ms. Lubna Bouza is a business news anchor with Sky News Arabia. She previously served as the host of CNBC’s International Markets segment and anchored Al Boussalla, the highest-rated business news show on Arabic-language television. She is a member of the board of directors of Adaa Financial Services. During her career in broadcast media, Ms. Bouza has interviewed a wide range of regional and international leaders, including Christine Lagarde, Bill Gates, Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal, and Najib Sawiris, and has covered major international events and conferences, including World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings and the World Economic Forum. She holds a Master’s Degree in international business administration from the University of Wollongong, with an emphasis on economics. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Andrew Bowen Visiting Scholar, American Enterprise Institute Dr. Andrew J. Bowen is a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. Concurrently, he advises Greenmantle, an economic and geopolitical advisory firm, and writes a weekly column for Arab News and Al Arabiya English. Dr. Bowen has been widely published, including in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Houston Chronicle, the Daily Beast, the National Interest, Al Arabiya, and CNN.com. His book “US-Syrian Relations: Security Cooperation in Regional Conflicts” (Palgrave Macmillan) is expected in spring of 2017. He has a PhD in international relations and an MSc in the history of international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom. His Bachelor’s degree in political science is from Rice University. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Neil R. Brown Director of Policy and Research, KKR Global Institute Mr. Neil R. Brown is the director of policy and research in the KKR Global Institute. He is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Brown served on the senior staff of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senator Richard G. Lugar, and he was a senior adviser at Goldwyn Global Strategies. As the lead for international energy in the senate, he spearheaded major laws and strategic initiatives in energy security, infrastructure, transparency, and US Department of State reorganization. Mr. Brown serves on the boards of The Lugar Center, US Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative advisory committee for the US Department of Interior, Merton College Charitable Corporation, and Association of American Rhodes Scholars. Mr. Brown graduated with a BA from Harvard University and MSc and MPhil from Oxford University, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Kun-mo Chung Senior Adviser to the President and CEO, Korea Electric Power Corporation Dr. Kun-Mo Chung is the senior adviser to the president and CEO ad Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). He has served twice as minister of science and technology in the South Korean government. Dr. Chung has also served as president and CEO of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology. He was formerly president of Korea Power Engineering Company and had served as chairman and CEO of the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation. Dr. Chung held posts as president of the general conference of International Atomic Energy Agency of the United Nations, vice chairman of the World Energy Council, and chairman of the International Nuclear Energy Academy. Dr. Chung has been professor of energy engineering at MIT, Polytechnic Institute of New York, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Ajou University, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, and George Mason University. He has been credited with the establishment of KAIST, which has become one of the leading science and engineering universities, and served as its founding provost. Dr. Chung is currently a fellow at the American Nuclear Society, International Nuclear Energy Academy, and the Korean Academy of Science and Technology. He is a member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Applied Science and Engineering and the US National Academy of Engineering. He is a cofounder of the International Risk Governance Council in Geneva. He also serves as a member of the Kenyan National Economic and Social Council and is a member of the International Advisory Board to UAE. He previously served as the founding president of Korea Society of Energy Engineering and Korea Society of Risk Governance. Back to speakers list
	Ms. Anne-Sophie Corbeau Research Fellow II, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center Ms. Anne-Sophie Corbeau joined the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) as a research fellow in September 2014. Ms. Corbeau has been working in the energy industry for fifteen years, focusing on the gas industry. Previously, she was a senior gas expert at the International Energy Agency, where she was responsible for managing the research on global gas markets, and in particular on short- to medium-term developments and energy security aspects. There, she developed a new annual publication – the Medium Term Gas Market Report. She has also worked at the Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst as associate director on the European gas team, and has worked on fuel cells and hydrogen at Peugeot and Debis Systemhaus. Ms. Corbeau holds an MS from the École Centrale Paris and an MS from the University of Stuttgart. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Helima Croft Managing Director and Global Head of Commodity Strategy, Global Research, RBC Capital Markets Dr. Helima Croft is a managing director and global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets. She specializes in geopolitics and energy, leading a team of commodity strategists that cover energy, metals, and cross-commodity investor activity. Dr. Croft is a member of the National Petroleum Council, a select group of individuals who advise, inform, and make recommendations to the secretary of energy with respect to any matter relating to oil and natural gas. She also is a CNBC contributor, a member of the channel’s exclusive family of experts, and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Croft joined RBC Capital Markets from Barclays, where she was a managing director and head of North American commodities research. Prior to that, she worked in Lehman’s Business Intelligence group, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the CIA, where she focused on geopolitics and commodities. Dr. Croft has received many industry accolades throughout her career, including Breaking Energy’s Top Ten New York Women in Energy and received her PhD in economic history from Princeton in 2001. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Thomas Cunningham Deputy Director, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council Mr. Thomas Cunningham is deputy director of the Global Energy Center at the Atlantic Council. He joined the Council following a thirteen-year career at the US Department of State, where he most recently served as energy diplomacy team lead for Europe at the Bureau of Energy Resources from August 2013 to May 2016. In that role, he advised the special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs and other senior US government officials on the intersection of energy and foreign policy in Europe and had lead department responsibility for organizing meetings of the US-EU Energy Council. He has also served at the US Department of State in the Bureaus of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, European and Eurasian Affairs, Economic and Business Affairs, and Diplomatic Security. Mr. Cunningham also worked on climate and energy legislation in the US Senate as a Brookings Legislative Fellow in 2009. He holds an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University and a BA in English/Creative Writing and French from Colorado College. Mr. Cunningham is an Adjunct Instructor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Back to speakers list
	Ms. Shermine Dajani Founder and Chief Executive Officer, PanMed Energy Ms. Shermine Dajani is founder and chief executive officer of PanMed Energy. She has twenty-five years of experience as a multinational business executive. For two decades, she has provided consultancy services to multinational companies seeking entry to Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. She collaborated and worked with Tractebel Engineering Belgium on the Arab Gas Pipeline project which provides Egyptian gas to Jordan. In addition to her involvement in the energy sector, Ms. Dajani was a leader in the Jordanian information technology (IT) and telecommunications sectors. She is a founding partner in Medgrid in France and is director of the Jordan Regional IT and Software Engineering Center. She is also a cofounder of the Middle East Career Women’s Forum. Ms. Dajani has actively supported nonprofit organizations, including a number of women’s organizations in the United States. Back to speakers list
	Mr. John Defterios Emerging Markets Editor, CNNMoney Mr. John Defterios is the emerging markets editor for CNNMoney and is based in CNN International’s Abu Dhabi bureau. His reporting focuses on the top business stories from emerging and BRIC economies. Mr. Defterios is also the anchor of CNN Marketplace Middle East, a weekly business program featuring in-depth analysis and top newsmakers from across the Middle East, and “One Square Meter,” a segment which explores urban planning and property development in emerging markets. He has more than two decades of financial news and current affairs experience covering some of the landmark events, including the Gulf War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the World Trade Center bombings, and G8/G20 summits from his postings in London, Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Rome, and the Middle East. He is a World Economic Forum media leader and member of the Global Agenda Council on the Arab World. He has also served as chairman of the Business Week Leadership Forums in London, Beijing, and New York; and the World Islamic Economic Forum, among others. Prior to CNN, he worked for Reuters Television as a European correspondent, West Coast correspondent, and special series producer in a joint venture with The Nightly Business Report on PBS-TV. Mr. Defterios graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in journalism and political economics. Back to speakers list
	Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky Senior Fellow, The Future of Diplomacy Project, JFK Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky is a foreign policy expert and former diplomat specializing in national security affairs. She is a senior fellow at the Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and vice chair of the National Executive Committee, US Water Partnership. From 2010 to 2012, Ambassador Dobriansky was senior vice president and global head of government and regulatory affairs at Thomson Reuters. During this time, she was also appointed as the distinguished national security chair at the US Naval Academy. From 2001 to 2009, Ambassador Dobriansky served as undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs. In February 2007, as the president’s special envoy to Northern Ireland, Ambassador Dobriansky received the secretary of state’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, for her contribution to the historic devolution of power in Belfast. During her more than twenty-five years in national security affairs, Ambassador Dobriansky has held many Senate-confirmed and senior level positions in the US government including associate director for policy and programs at the United States Information Agency; deputy assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs; deputy head of the US Delegation to the 1990 Copenhagen Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE); adviser to the US Delegation to the 1985 UN Decade for Women Conference in Nairobi, Kenya; and director of European and Soviet affairs at the National Security Council. From 1997 to 2001, Ambassador Dobriansky served as senior vice president and director of the Washington office of the Council on Foreign Relations and was the first George F. Kennan senior fellow for Russian and Eurasian studies. During this time, she also served on the presidentially-appointed US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Michael Eckhart Managing Director, Global Head of Environmental Finance and Sustainability, Citigroup Mr. Michael Eckhart is a managing director and global head of Environmental Finance and Sustainability at Citigroup in New York City. In this role he supports Citi’s goal to be the leading financial services firm in renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean water, and related areas. Mr. Eckhart serves on the governing bureau of the REN 21 global policy network in renewable energy, on the Renewable Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency, and as an observer to the International Renewable Energy Agency. From 2001 to 2011, Mr. Eckhart was founding president of the nonprofit organization American Council On Renewable Energy. Previously, he developed financing for solar energy under the SolarBank Initiative in South Africa and India, was chairman and CEO of United Power Systems, Inc., vice president of the venture capital firm Areté Ventures, Inc., a strategic planner of General Electric Company’s power systems sector, and a principal with the energy practice of Booz Allen Hamilton, where he conducted many of the original national studies on new energy technologies in the 1970s including renewables, advanced coal, synfuels, advanced nuclear, and others. He also served in the US Navy Submarine Service. Mr. Eckhart received a degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Cho Hwan-Eik President and CEO, Korea Electric Power Corporation Dr. Cho Hwan-Eik has been president and CEO at Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) since December of 2012. Dr. Cho served as the president at Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. He has served as director of Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. Ltd. and as CEO of Korea Export Insurance Corporation. Dr. Cho was vice-minister of Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Energy. Dr. Cho is chair-professor of Hanyang University, Ansan Campus. He holds a PhD in business administration from the Hanyang University. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Tom Feldhausen Senior Vice President and Director, International Strategy, Federal Government Business Unit, Parsons Mr. Tom Feldhausen has been senior vice president and director of international strategy for government services business unit at Parsons Corporation since March 19, 2014. Mr. Feldhausen leads a team in the development, analysis, and implementation of international strategy for security and defense-related services. He is a strategically focused leader with more than twenty-five years of experience, serving most recently as a director of international operations for Lockheed Martin International, where he was responsible for driving key business standup actions and supporting day-to-day operations. Before that, he served as a director of corporate strategy for Lockheed Martin. Prior to joining the private sector, he served as a US Air Force Colonel, serving in multiple senior positions, including commander of the 52nd Fighter Wing and chief of the Strategy Integration and Analysis Division of the Joint Staff. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Rabia Ferroukhi Head, Policy Unit and Deputy Director, Knowledge, Policy, and Finance, International Renewable Energy Agency Dr. Rabia Ferroukhi joined the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in 2011 where she is currently the deputy director of the knowledge, policy, and finance division. She also leads IRENA’s policy unit, which is responsible for work on a range of renewable energy policy issues including design, socio-economic benefits, and integrated resource management. Dr. Ferroukhi has twenty years of experience in the fields of energy, development, and environment. She worked in both the public and private sector, including with governments in the Middle East and North Africa, energy companies in the Mediterranean region, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and other international institutions. Dr. Ferroukhi holds an MS in applied economics and a PhD in economics from American University in Washington DC. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Anatol Feygin Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), Cheniere Energy Mr. Anatol Feygin is the executive vice president and COO at Cheniere Energy and also serves as a director of Cheniere Energy Partners LP Holdings, LLC. He joined Cheniere in March 2014 as senior vice president of strategy and development. Prior to joining Cheniere, Mr. Feygin worked with Loews Corporation from 2007 to 2014, most recently as their vice president of energy strategy and senior portfolio manager. Prior to joining Loews, Mr. Feygin spent three years at Bank of America as head of global commodity strategy. Mr. Feygin began his career at JP Morgan Securities Inc. as a senior analyst of natural gas pipelines and distributors. Mr. Feygin earned a BS in electrical engineering from Rutgers University and his MBA in finance from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. Back to speakers list
	Dr. John Gannon Adjunct Professor, Center for Security Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University Dr. John Gannon is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies. He recently retired as president of BAE Systems Intelligence & Security, a provider of information technology, intelligence analysis, and other homeland security solutions to US government agencies. Dr. Gannon is a twenty-year Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) veteran and has held senior posts throughout the intelligence community. Prior to that, he headed the White House team that created the Department of Homeland Security Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate. Dr. Gannon was the CIA’s deputy director for intelligence from 1995 to 1997, supervising all of the agency’s analysts and overseeing the preparation of the president’s daily brief. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Holy Cross College and master’s and doctorate degrees in history from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a former naval officer and Vietnam veteran and was awarded the National Security Medal, the nation’s highest intelligence award, by President George W. Bush. Back to speakers list
	Mr. David Goldwyn Chairman, Global Energy Center Advisory Group, Atlantic Council Mr. David Goldwyn is the chairman of the Global Energy Center’s Advisory Group at the Atlantic Council and a nonresident senior fellow with the Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. He is the president of Goldwyn Global Strategies, LLC, an international energy advisory consultancy. Previously, he served as the US Department of State’s special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs from 2009 to 2011 and served the US government in numerous positions such as assistant secretary of energy for international affairs (1999-2001), counselor to the Secretary of Energy (1998-99), national security deputy to US ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson (1997-98), chief of staff to the undersecretary of state for political affairs (1993-97), and an attorney-adviser in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the US Department of State (1991-92). Mr. Goldwyn has also served as chairman of the Global Energy and Environment Initiative at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (2008-09) and as a senior associate in the Energy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (2001-09). He was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations’ 2007 Independent Task Force on National Security Consequences of US Oil Dependency and the Council of Foreign Relations Center for Preventive Action task forces on Angola, Nigeria, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Russia. Mr. Goldwyn has taught graduate seminars at Columbia and Georgetown Universities. He holds a BA in government from Georgetown University, an MA in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a JD from New York University School of Law. Back to speakers list
	The Hon. Stephen Hadley Principal, RiceHadleyGates, LLP Mr. Stephen Hadley served as the national security advisor to President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2009 and served as deputy national security advisor from 2001 to 2005. Mr. Hadley remains engaged with US national security policy, currently serving on the US Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. He is also a board director of the Atlantic Council, serving on its executive committee, as well as a member of the board of managers of the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, chairman of RAND’s Center for Middle East Public Policy Advisory Board, and a member of Yale University’s Kissinger Papers Advisory Board. From 1993 to 2001, Mr. Hadley was a principal in The Scowcroft Group and partner in the Washington, DC law firm of Shea & Gardner (now part of Goodwin Proctor). He represented US corporate clients in transactional and international matters—including export controls, foreign investment in US national security companies, and the national security responsibilities of US information technology companies. From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Hadley served as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy for President George H.W. Bush, and from 1974 to 1977 he served on the National Security Council staff of President Gerald R. Ford. He has previously held positions as co-chair of the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel, a member of the Department of Defense Policy Board, and a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Mr. Hadley also serves as senior adviser on international affairs to the United States Institute of Peace. Mr. Hadley graduated from Cornell University and received his JD degree from Yale Law School. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Gardiner Hill Director, Carbon Solutions, BP Mr. Gardiner Hill is the director of carbon solutions at BP. He manages a multi-disciplinary team located in the UK and the United States which analyzes and assesses the business risk associated with emerging regulations and policy around climate change on BP businesses. Prior to this, he was special adviser on carbon management and carbon capture storage technology, policy, and regulations that were responsible for developing strategy and providing advice to BP’s affiliated companies. Mr. Hill is a board member of the Carbon Capture and Storage Industry Association, based in London, and vice chairman (representing oil and gas industry) of the Zero Emissions Power Technology Platform in Europe. He is also the manager of the Carbon Mitigation Initiative Program at Princeton University. Hill graduated from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University with BS and MS degrees in civil and petroleum engineering and then joined the British National Oil Company which became Britoil, later taken over by BP. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Amos Hochstein Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, US Department of State Mr. Amos Hochstein currently serves as the special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs and leads the Bureau of Energy Resources at the US Department of State. Mr. Hochstein leads the US government’s efforts to combat the use of energy resources for political leverage while promoting a vision of energy cooperation and collaboration. He leads the engagement to strengthen Europe’s energy security and the White House-announced Caribbean Energy Security Initiative, chairs the president’s US-Caribbean and US–Central American Energy Security Task Force, and plays a key diplomatic role in the continued development of the important Southern Gas Corridor. Mr. Hochstein implemented US sanctions on Iranian oil and energy resources which later extended to overseeing US government energy-related sanctions elsewhere around the world. He previously served in a variety of senior level positions, ultimately serving as the senior policy adviser to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives. Mr. Hochstein also served as policy director to Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and as a senior policy advisor to Senator (then governor) Mark Warner (D-VA). Additionally, Mr. Hochstein worked as an adviser and executive vice president of international operations at Cassidy & Associates. Throughout his career, he has been a counselor for both domestic and international oil and gas companies, as well as companies focusing on renewable energy assisting corporations in assessing potential new markets, the development of alternative sources of power, and best strategies to bring them to market. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Ed Holland President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Southern Company Holdings; Executive Vice President, Southern Company Services Mr. Ed Holland became president and CEO of Southern Company Holdings and executive vice president of Southern Company Services on Jan. 1, 2016. Prior to his current roles, Mr. Holland served as president, CEO, and chairman of Mississippi Power from May 2013 to October 2015. He continued serving as CEO until Jan. 1, 2016, and as chairman until Aug. 4, 2016. Previously, Holland served as executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary for Southern Company. He also served as the company’s chief compliance officer. He served as president and chief executive officer of Savannah Electric from July 1997 to April 2001. Mr. Holland joined Southern Company subsidiary Gulf Power in 1992 as vice president and corporate counsel and served concurrently as Southern Company system compliance officer until 1995. He was then named Gulf Power’s vice president of power generation and transmission, a position he held along with corporate counsel until 1997. Prior to joining Gulf Power, Mr. Holland was a partner in the law firm of Beggs & Lane, where he served as general counsel to Gulf Power. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Auburn University and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Karl V. Hopkins Partner and Global Chief Security Officer, Dentons Mr. Karl V. Hopkins is a partner and global chief security officer at Dentons. Mr. Hopkins’ practice concentrates on the development, construction, start-up, and operation of large international energy projects. He is also involved in advising clients on security strategies for their assets and personnel abroad. Mr. Hopkins has represented numerous prominent companies in the following industries: oil and gas production, petroleum refining, pipelines, and oilfield services. He has represented clients on energy-related matters in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Russia, China, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, and Canada. He has experience in managing matters relating to large asset-based transactions, including the sale of oil and gas interests, the development of oil and gas production facilities (both onshore and offshore), pipelines, refineries, terminals, and related infrastructure projects. In addition to his transactional experience, Mr. Hopkins has represented clients in various arbitration tribunals, including the American Arbitration Association, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, the London Court of International Arbitration, the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law. He is a Chambers-rated lawyer for Energy and Natural Resources: Dispute Resolution. Back to speakers list
	Gov. Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. Chairman, Atlantic Council Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. is chairman of the Atlantic Council and co-chairman of No Labels. He began his career in public service as a staff assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He has served each of the four US presidents since then in critical roles around the world, such as ambassador to Singapore, deputy assistant secretary of commerce for Asia, US trade ambassador, and most recently, US ambassador to China. Elected twice as governor of Utah, Huntsman brought about strong economic reforms, tripled the state’s rainy day fund, and helped bring unemployment rates to historic lows. During his tenure, Utah was named the best-managed state in America. This was a far better result than in his run for the Presidency in 2012 where he ultimately placed third in the New Hampshire primary before bowing out. He currently serves on the boards of Ford Motor Company, Caterpillar Corporation, Chevron Corporation, Hilton Worldwide, the US Naval Academy Foundation, and the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he serves as a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institute, a trustee of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a trustee of the Reagan Presidential Foundation, and chairman of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation. Governor Huntsman is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and has nine honorary doctoral degrees. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Majid Hamid Jafar Chief Executive Officer, Crescent Petroleum Mr. Majid Jafar is the chief executive officer of Crescent Petroleum, the Middle East’s oldest private oil and gas company, and vice chairman of the Crescent Group of companies which includes interests in port management, logistics, contracting, private equity, and real estate. He is also managing director of the board of Dana Gas, the leading publicly listed natural gas company in the Middle East, in which Crescent is the largest shareholder. His previous experience was with Shell International’s Exploration and Production and Gas and Power Divisions. In addition, Mr. Jafar is the founder and chairman of the Centre for Economic Growth in partnership with INSEAD Abu Dhabi, and serves on several boards, including Queen Rania Foundation, the Arab Forum for Environment and Development, and the Iraq Energy Institute. He sits on the Middle East Advisory Council for the World Economic Forum, the Carnegie Endowment, and Harvard Business School. He is a member of the GCC Board Directors Institute and the Young Presidents Organization, an accredited director of the Institute of Directors Mudara, and has been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Mr. Jafar attended Eton College and graduated from Cambridge University (Churchill College) with a BA and an MA in engineering. He also holds an MA (with Distinction) in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and an MBA (with Distinction) from the Harvard Business School. Back to speakers list
	General James L. Jones, Jr. USMC (Ret.) Founder and President, Jones Group International General James L. Jones has spent his life serving and protecting America and American ideals. He is sought after for his wisdom, guidance, and political endorsement. As the former commander of US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, he led all military operations for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and later, as National Security Advisor, he brought clear vision and steady leadership to America’s mission in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, and the country’s interests around the world. Jones graduated from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and was commissioned into the Marine Corps in January 1967. He served in Vietnam, serving as rifle platoon and company commander. On returning to the US he pursued a career in the Marines, attending the Amphibious Warfare School in 1973 and the National War College in 1985, and serving as Marine Corps liaison officer to the US Senate. He was also commanding officer of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Northern Iraq and Turkey on Operation Provide Comfort; chief of staff, Joint Task Force Provide Promise, for operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia; and commanding general, 2nd Marine Division, Marine Forces Atlantic. He also served as Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense from 1997-99. He became the 32nd commandant of the United State Marine Corps in July 1999. During his NATO assignment from 200-2066, he advocated energy security and the defense of critical infrastructures as a core part of NATO’s future missions. With the Chamber, Jones worked to unite energy consumers and producers for a common goal – to increase the variety of the US energy supply and associated infrastructures, to advance international cooperation on energy issues, to protect national energy security, and to promote better understanding of change to the global climate and its effects on the environment. Upon retirement in February 2007, the combat veteran became the president and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for 21st Century Energy and, in 2008, served as the State Department’s special envoy for Middle East regional security. From 2009 until 2010, he served as President Obama’s National Security Advisor at the White House. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Kola Karim Group Chief Executive Officer, Shoreline Energy International Mr. Kola Karim is the group chief executive officer of Shoreline Energy International, a leading industrial group focused on energy and power investments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Karim has built Shoreline over the past twenty years into a leading integrated energy company with operating assets in the upstream, midstream, and downstream business. Mr. Karim’s vision has led Shoreline to grow aggressively through acquisition, and he has built a portfolio of international quality operating assets, which sit at the core of the platform on which the company can deliver on its strategic objectives to be present in key energy sectors on the continent. Mr. Karim serves on the Africa advisory board of the London Stock Exchange and is a Young Global Leader Award Honoree (2008). He is a pioneer and an active member of the Global Agenda Council on Emerging Multinationals of the World Economic Forum. Mr. Karim serves on the advisory board of Harvard University Center for African Studies among other international boards. He has delivered opinion and position papers at international conferences, investment forums, business schools, and universities. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Brian Katulis Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress Mr. Brian Katulis is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, where his work focuses on US national security strategy and counterterrorism policy. For more than a decade, he has advised senior US policymakers on foreign policy and has provided expert testimony several times to key congressional committees, including the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the US Senate Armed Services Committee. Mr. Katulis has conducted extensive research on the ground in the Middle East, where he has lived and worked in a number of countries, including Egypt, the Palestinian territories, Israel, and Jordan. His past experience includes work at the National Security Council and the US Departments of State and Defense during President Bill Clinton’s administration. He also worked for Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, the National Democratic Institute, Freedom House, and former Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey. Mr. Katulis received a MA from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School for Public and international affairs and a BA in history and Arab and Islamic Studies from Villanova University. In 1994 and 1995, he was a Fulbright scholar in Jordan. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Karim Keïta Chair for Defense, Security, and Civil Protection, Republic of Mali Karim Keïta is a Malian businessman and politician, who has been a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Mali since 2013. He is currently the chair for defense, security, and civil protection, a position he has held since his election in 2013. Prior to being elected as a member of the National Assembly, Mr. Keïta set up a car rental company and an investment consulting firm in Mali. Mr. Keïta has a degree in international commerce from HEC Montreal. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Frederick Kempe President and CEO, Atlantic Council Mr. Frederick Kempe has held the position of president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council since December 1, 2006. He comes to the Council from a long and prominent career at the Wall Street Journal, where he won national and international recognition while serving in numerous senior editorial and reportorial capacities. His latest book, BERLIN 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth (foreword by Gen. Brent Scowcroft) was published by Putnam in 2012 and is a New York Times bestseller. Mr. Kempe was for seven years the longest serving editor and associate publisher ever of the Wall Street Journal Europe, simultaneously functioning as European editor for the Global Wall Street Journal from 2002 to 2005. In 2002, the European Voice, a leading publication following EU affairs, selected Mr. Kempe as one of the fifty most influential Europeans, although he is American, and one of the four leading journalists in Europe. Mr. Kempe is a graduate of the University of Utah and has a Master’s Degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he was a member of the International Fellows program in the School of International Affairs. Mr. Kempe speaks German and is the son of German immigrants who came to the United States before World War II. Back to speakers list
	Mr. David Koranyi Director, Energy Diplomacy Initiative, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council Mr. David Koranyi is the director of the Energy Diplomacy Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center. He has been a nonresident fellow at the Johns Hopkins University SAIS Centre for Transatlantic Relations since 2010. Mr. Koranyi speaks and publishes on the geopolitics of energy, and Hungarian, European, and US foreign and energy policy. Mr. Koranyi served as undersecretary of state and chief foreign policy and national security advisor to the prime minister of the Republic of Hungary, Gordon Bajnai (2009-2010). He worked in the European Parliament as chief foreign policy adviser and head of cabinet of a Hungarian member of the European Parliament (MEP) (2004-2009). Previously, he was a political adviser at the Hungarian National Assembly and a junior researcher at GKI Economic Research Institute in Budapest, Hungary. Mr. Koranyi is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, the Pacific Council, the Hungarian Europe Society, and a Concordia Adviser. He was a recipient of the French Foreign Ministry’s Personalities of the Future Fellowship (2012) and of the German Marshall Fund’s Marshall Memorial Fellowship (2010). He is also an Aspen Institute Socrates Fellow (2011), and a member of the Hungarian NATO Strategic Concept Special Advisory Group (2009). Mr. Koranyi obtained his master’s degree in international relations and economics, with a major in foreign affairs from Budapest Corvinus University. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Ken Koyama Managing Director, The Institute of Energy and Economics, Japan Dr. Ken Koyama is the chief economist and managing director of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ). He has also been a professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo since 2010. Dr. Koyama joined IEEJ in 1986 as an economist in the Oil Group. Since then, he has held various positions in the IEEJ, including senior economist in the World Oil and Energy Group (1992), head of the World Oil and Energy Group (1997), and senior research fellow in the Energy Strategy Unit (2005). He holds BA and MA degrees in economics from Waseda University, and a PhD from the University of Dundee, Scotland. Dr. Koyama has served as a committee member on a number of energy policy related councils and advisory committees within the Japanese government. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Philip Lambert Chief Executive Officer, Lambert Energy Advisory Ltd. Philip Lambert is chief executive officer of Lambert Energy Advisory Ltd (LEA), which is one of London’s leading M&A and strategic advisory firms dedicated solely to advising the global energy sector. LEA was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Mayfair, London. LEA also has senior representation in Kuala Lumpur, Moscow, and Oslo. LEA gives strategic and M&A advice to a select group of the world’s leading NOC’s, IOC’s, independents and utilities on their strategic direction and subsequent M&A initiatives. Prior to 1999, Mr. Lambert was head of Dresdner Kleinwort’s Global Energy Investment Banking team. In the 1990’s, his work was mainly focused on privatization mandates in the global energy sector, inter alia, in Russia (Gazprom and Tatneft), Hungary (MOL), Spain (Repsol and Enagas), Poland (PKN), etc. He is married with three children and, outside oil and gas, his main passions are composing piano music and gardening. Back to speakers list
	Ms. Anne Lauvergeon Founder, Chair, and CEO, ALP SA Ms. Anne Lauvergeon is the chair and CEO of ALP SA, a French advisory and services company. Prior to her current position, Ms. Lauvergeon served as the CEO of AREVA (2001-2011), chair and CEO of AREVA NC (1999-2011), senior executive vice president in charge of international business and industrial holdings for Alcatel, and as a partner of Lazard Frères & Cie (1995-1997). Ms. Lauvergeon has extensive governmental experience: from 1990 to 1995, she worked for the French president’s office, in charge of international economy and foreign trade missions, then as deputy chief of staff and personal representative to the French president, in charge of the G8 Summits. She began her career in 1983 in the steel industry at Usinor, before working on nuclear and chemical safety issues in Europe at the French Atomic Energy Commission. Ms. Lauvergeon is a doctor honoris causa of the Imperial College, London (2008), fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (2011), and fellow of the Royal Academy of Belgium (2012). She graduated from the Ecole Normale Supérieure and the French National School of Mining Engineers. She holds an advanced degree in physics and chemistry. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Gal Luft Co-Director, Institute for the Analysis of Global Security Dr. Gal Luft is co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS), a Washington based think tank focused on energy security, and a senior adviser to the United States Energy Security Council, a cabinet level extra-governmental advisory committee. He is also co-chairman of the Global Forum on Energy Security. He specializes in strategy, geopolitics, energy security, and natural resources. Dr. Luft has published numerous studies and articles on security and energy issues in various newspapers and publications such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the American Interest, the National Interest, Commentary Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. He is coauthor of Energy Security Challenges for the 21st Century (2009), Turning Oil into Salt: Energy Independence Through Fuel Choice (2009), and Petropoly: The Collapse of America’s Energy Security Paradigm (2012). He is author of Beer, Bacon and Bullets: Culture in Coalition Warfare from Gallipoli to Iraq. He appears frequently in the media and consults to various think tanks and news organizations worldwide, and has testified before committees of the US Congress. He holds a PhD in strategic studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. Back to speakers list
	H.E. Jan Mládek Minister of Industry and Trade, Czech Republic Ing. Jan Mládek, CSc. is the minister of industry and trade and a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. Until February 2014 he was the chairman of FONTES RERUM, a cooperative for economic, political, and social studies. He studied at the Prague University of Economics, the Charles University Mathematics and Physics Faculty, and the Prognostics Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. He was twice appointed deputy minister: first from 1991 to 1992 at the Czechoslovak Federal Ministry of Economy and secondly at the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic (1999-2001). As deputy minister of finance, he represented the Czech Republic at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC. Between 2002 and 2005 he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies and from 2005 to 2006, he served as the minister of agriculture of the Czech Republic.
	Ambassador Richard L. Morningstar Founding Director and Chairman, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council Ambassador Richard L. Morningstar is the founding director and chairman of the Global Energy Center at the Atlantic Council. He served as the US ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan from July 2012 to August 2014 and was the secretary of state’s special envoy for Eurasian energy from April 2009 to 2012. Prior to that, Ambassador Morningstar lectured at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and Stanford Law School. From June 1999 to September 2001, he served as US ambassador to the European Union. Prior to this, Morningstar served as special adviser to the president and secretary of state for Caspian Basin energy diplomacy, where he was responsible for assuring maximum coordination within the executive branch and with other governments and international organizations to promote US policies on Caspian Basin energy development and transportation. From April 1995 to July 1998, he served as ambassador and special adviser to the president and secretary of state on assistance for the new independent states (NIS) of the former Soviet Union, where he oversaw all US bilateral assistance and trade investment activities in the NIS. From 1993 to 1995, he served as senior vice president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Back to speakers list
	Ms. Melanie Nakagawa Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Transformation, Bureau of Energy Resources, US Department of State Ms. Melanie Nakagawa serves as the deputy assistant secretary for energy transformation in the Bureau of Energy Resources. Ms. Nakagawa is responsible for promoting the shift toward a low carbon economy as integral to economic development and addressing global energy and climate change challenges. She directs the Bureau’s efforts to reform electricity and power systems and develop more efficient and reliable municipal, national, and regional electricity markets. She also leads the Department’s efforts to assist countries as they work toward implementing their energy commitments to address global climate change, focusing on sustainable energy policy, addressing institutional reforms, and supporting business opportunities as essential components to a global energy transition. From June 2013 to December 2015, she served on Secretary Kerry’s Policy Planning Staff, focusing on climate change, energy, environment, and development issues. Previously, she served as the senior energy and environment counsel on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee for then-Chairman John F. Kerry. She developed policy recommendations, drafted legislation, and conducted oversight on energy security, climate change, and environmental issues. Prior to her government service, she was an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Carole Nakhle Founder and Director, Crystol Energy Dr. Carole Nakhle is an energy economist, specializing in international petroleum contractual arrangements and fiscal regimes, petroleum revenue management and governance, energy policy and investment, and global oil and gas market developments. She has expertise in the government and private sector. Dr. Nakhle worked with oil and gas companies, governments and policy makers, international organizations, academic institutions, and think tanks. She is a regular contributor to Geopolitical Intelligence Services on energy matters, a program adviser to the Washington-based International Tax and Investment Centre, and is active on the Advisory Board of the Natural Resource Governance Institute. Dr. Nakhle also founded the not-for-profit organization Access for Women in Energy in 2007, with the aim of enhancing opportunities and enriching dialogue within the industry. She is also the author of two books: Petroleum Taxation: Sharing the Wealth published in 2008, and Out of the Energy Labyrinth (2007), co-authored with Lord Howell. She is currently working on a new book: Petroleum Fiscal Regimes and Wealth Management. Back to speakers list
	Mr. William Nash Managing Partner, Abu Dhabi and Middle East Practice Coordinator, Squire Patton Boggs, LLP Mr. Bill Nash is the coordinator of the Middle East and North Africa practice and the managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs, LLP Abu Dhabi office, where he has been a resident since 2008. Mr. Nash advises regional and international clients on a variety of corporate and business law matters, focusing on private investment funds, international transactions and joint ventures, and general corporate counseling. He works with clients throughout the Middle East including banks, other financial institutions, and private companies on a variety of compliance and regulatory matters. Recent matters include a review of a regional bank’s sanctions compliance program. Before entering the practice of law, Mr. Nash served as an emergency management specialist with a US consulting firm, where he was responsible for designing and facilitating training exercises to prepare federal and state emergency responders for natural disasters and other crisis situations. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Meghan O’Sullivan Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs and Director, Geopolitics of Energy Project, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Dr. Meghan L. O’Sullivan is the Jeane Kirkpatrick professor of the Practice of International Affairs and director of the Geopolitics of Energy Project at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is working on a book about the foreign policy implications of the new energy abundance, which will be published by Simon & Schuster in 2017. She is also exploring the possibility of launching a project on the geopolitics of renewable energy. In 2013, she served as the vice chair of the All Party Talks in Northern Ireland. Between 2004 and 2007, she was special assistant to President George W. Bush and deputy national security advisor for Iraq and Afghanistan during the last two years of her tenure. Dr. O’Sullivan is an adjunct senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, an occasional columnist for Bloomberg View, and an advisor to the Hess Corporation. She is also a trustee or board member of the German Marshall Fund, The Trilateral Commission, the Aspen Strategy Group, and others. She has been awarded the US Department of Defense’s highest honor for civilians and, three times, the US Department of State’s Superior Honor Award. She has a BA from Georgetown University and a Master’s and Doctorate from Oxford University. Back to speakers list
	Ambassador Carlos Pascual Senior Vice President, IHS Global Energy, International Affairs, IHS Markit Ambassador Carlos Pascual is currently a senior vice president at IHS Markit and a nonresident fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. Ambassador Pascual served as US ambassador to Mexico (2009-2011) and Ukraine (2000-2003). As special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs, Ambassador Pascual established and directed the US Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources (2011-2014), and was the senior adviser to the secretary of state on global energy diplomacy. At the Brookings Institution (2006-2009), Ambassador Pascual was both vice president and director of Foreign Policy Studies and launched the Brookings Energy Security Initiative. Ambassador Pascual created the position of coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (2004-2005) and was the State Department’s coordinator for US Assistance to Europe and Eurasia (2003-2004). He served as special assistant to the president followed by a tenure as director and then senior director for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia at the National Security Council (1995-2000). Ambassador Pascual has held leadership roles at the US Agency for International Development (1983-1995), including as deputy assistant administrator for Europe and Eurasia; chief of policy and strategy for Africa; and in field postings in Mozambique, South Africa, and Sudan. He received his MPP from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (1982) and his BA from Stanford University (1980). His book, Power and Responsibility, won a 2009 award for the best political science book published by an independent publisher. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Barry Pavel Vice President, Arnold Kanter Chair, and Director, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, Atlantic Council Mr. Barry Pavel is vice president, Arnold Kanter Chair, and director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security at the Atlantic Council, focusing on emerging security challenges, defense strategies and capabilities, and key European and global defense issues. Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, he was a career member of the Senior Executive Service in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for almost eighteen years. From October 2008 to July 2010, he served as the special assistant to the President and senior director for Defense Policy and Strategy on the National Security Council (NSC) staff, serving both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. In this capacity, Pavel led the development of five of the first eight Obama administration Presidential Study Directives. He was the initiator and architect of the NSC’s first-ever National Security Priorities Review and a key contributor to the President’s 2010 National Security Strategy. Pavel holds an MA in security studies and an MPA in international relations from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, and a BA in applied mathematics and economics from Brown University. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Daniel B. Poneman President and Chief Executive Officer, Centrus Energy Corp. Mr. Daniel Poneman is president and CEO of Centrus Energy Corp. since 2015. From 2009 to 2014, Mr. Poneman was the deputy secretary of energy, and served as the chief operating officer of the US Department of Energy. Prior to this, Mr. Poneman served as a principal at the Scowcroft Group, providing strategic advice to corporations in a variety of strategic industries. In addition, he was a partner at Hogan & Hartson and an associate at Covington & Burling, advising clients on regulatory and policy matters. Mr. Poneman also served as a White House fellow and as director of defense policy and arms control for the National Security Council. From 1993 through 1996 he was special assistant to the president and senior director for nonproliferation and export controls at the National Security Council. Mr. Poneman is a senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, a distinguished fellow at the Paulson Institute, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Poneman received AB and JD degrees from Harvard University and an MLitt in politics from Oxford University. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Patrick Pouyanné Chairman and CEO, Total S.A. Mr. Patrick Pouyanné is chairman and chief executive officer of Total S.A. Mr. Pouyanné has numerous experience in government and industry. He held various administrative positions in the Ministry of Industry and other cabinet positions. Within Total, Mr. Pouyanné has held several positions, including chief administration officer in Angola, representative and later president of exploration and production in Qatar, and he served as president of finance, economy, and IT for exploration and production (2002). In 2006, he became president of strategy, growth, and research in exploration and production and was appointed a member of the Group’s Management Committee in May 2006. In March 2011, Mr. Pouyanné was appointed vice president of chemicals, and vice president of petrochemicals. In January 2012, he became president of refining and chemicals and a member of the Group’s Executive Committee. Prior to joining Total, he served as a technical adviser to the prime minister for environment and industry, cabinet director for the minister of information and aerospace technologies. Mr. Pouyanné is a graduate of École Polytechnique and a chief engineer of France’s Corps des Mines engineering school. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Ian Ralby Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council Dr. Ian Ralby studies a wide range of energy issues for government and private clients. Examples of his work include drafting energy security and critical national infrastructure strategy, legislation and policy for sovereign states, drafting international accountability instruments for private security oversight, advising security companies on legal considerations for protection of oil and gas infrastructure, advising a state-owned oil company on risk management, and most notably an in-depth investigation into global oil theft. In addition to his work with the Atlantic Council, Dr. Ralby is an adjunct professor of maritime law and security at the United States Department of Defense’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies, a key opinion former on maritime security at NATO, and chief executive officer of his own consultancy, I.R. Consilium LLC. He writes and speaks frequently around the world on matters of international relations, law, and security. Dr. Ralby has a BA in Modern Languages and Linguistics and an MA in Intercultural Communication from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He has a JD from William & Mary Law School, where he was a Jack Kent Cooke scholar, and received both an MPhil. and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, where he was a Gates scholar. Back to speakers list
	Ms. Maya Raydan Business News Presenter, Sky News Arabia Ms. Maya Raydan is a journalist with over twelve years of experience in television and radio news. She has been a business news presenter with Sky News Arabia since 2012, where she produces and presents a weekly program interviewing leading figures in the region. Previously, she worked with the “Voice of the People” radio station in Beirut as a news anchor and a reporter, and served as the main Beirut correspondent for Dubai TV’s Business Channel from 2001 to 2005. She also served as an editor for Business Pioneer and Al Iktissad wal Aamal magazines. Ms. Raydan has moderated major and international forums in English and Arabic, and received the United Nations Development Program’s first media award in 2000. She holds a bachelor degree in journalism from the Lebanese Faculty of Communication and Documentation. Back to speakers list
	Dominique Ristori Director General of Energy, European Commission Dominique Ristori is director-general of the Directorate-General for Energy within the European Commission. He has been working in the European Commission since 1978 where he has held several positions. Prior to his current position, he was director-general of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) from 2010 to 2013. Between 2006 and 2010, Ristori was deputy director-general of the Directorate-General for Energy. From 2000 to 2006, he was director of general affairs and resources at Directorate-General for Energy and Transport and was responsible for inter-institutional relations, enlargement and international relations, coordination of energy and transport research, internal market, state aids, infringements and public service obligations; passengers’ and users’ rights, and central management of human and budgetary resources. Between 1996 and 1999, Ristori was director of European energy policy at Directorate-General for Energy. Ristori played an important role in the preparation and adoption process of the first two directives on the internal market for gas and electricity. He also launched the Florence and Madrid Forum on electricity and gas at the origin of the regulatory process in the energy sector. From 1990 to 1996, Ristori was in charge of transnational cooperation between SMEs at the Directorate-General for Enterprise policy. Ristori graduated from the Institute of Political Studies of Paris in 1975. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Mattia Romani Managing Director, Economics, Policy, and Governance, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Dr. Mattia Romani is managing director for economics, policy, and governance at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). He is also senior visiting fellow at the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics. Before joining the EBRD in 2014, he was the deputy director general and chief economist of the Global Green Growth Institute, an international organization based in South Korea created to support developing and emerging countries in their green growth plans. He was previously with McKinsey and Company, where he worked as a senior expert until 2009. He served as Lord Nicholas Stern’s deputy on the UN Secretary General High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Finance in 2010. Between 2007 and 2009, he worked as the lead economist on the Stern Review team in the UK Government. He was previously at Shell International working on long-term scenarios. Between 1999 and 2003, he worked at the World Bank in Washington DC. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Oxford and a MS in development studies from the London School of Economics. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Christof Rühl Global Head of Research, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Dr. Christof Rühl is the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority’s (ADIA) first Global Head of Research. In this new function, he is responsible for establishing, managing, and leading ADIA’s first global research team, as well as providing economic and geopolitical underpinning to the fund’s strategic and commercial decisions. Dr. Rühl has a distinguished track record in business, academia, and economic policy making. From 2005 to 2014, he served as group chief economist and vice president of BP plc. Prior to BP, he was at the World Bank (1998-2005) where he served as the Bank’s chief economist in Russia and Brazil. Before that, he worked in the Office of the Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London. Dr. Rühl began his career as an academic economist, first in Germany, and from 1991 as professor of economics at the University of California in Los Angeles. Dr. Rühl has also held visiting professorships at academic institutions worldwide. His areas of specialization are macroeconomics and energy economics. He is widely published and quoted in these fields. Dr. Rühl also currently holds the position of a visiting professor at University College London, Australia, and is an independent board director of Halyk Bank, Kazakhstan. Back to speakers list
	Mr. David Scott Executive Director of Economic Affairs, Executive Affairs Authority, Abu Dhabi Mr. David Scott is currently working as the executive director of economic and energy affairs at the Executive Affairs Authority, an entity within the government of Abu Dhabi, where he provides strategic economic and energy policy advice to the chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Executive Council. Previously, Mr. Scott was a regional Vice President for Occidental Petroleum Corp, a Fortune 500 US oil and gas company. Prior to that, he served within the US government in numerous capacities including as the director for the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa at the US National Security Council. Mr. Scott is a well- known authority on the energy sector and a frequent speaker on energy policy and comparative energy generation technologies. Mr. Scott is a graduate of Brigham Young University. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Jean-François Seznec Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council Jean-François Seznec is a nonresident senior fellow in the Global Energy Center at the Atlantic Council. He is also an adjunct professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and at Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies. He teaches classes on finance, energy, and politics in the Persian Gulf. He holds an MIA from Columbia University (1973), a MA and PhD from Yale University (1994). He has published and lectured extensively on chemical and energy-based industries in the Gulf, and their importance in world trade. He is interviewed regularly on national and international television, radio, and newspapers. Dr. Seznec has twenty-five years of experience in international banking and finance, of which ten years were spent in the Middle East. Dr. Seznec is managing partner of the Lafayette Group, a US-based consulting and investment company. His research centers on the influence of the Arab-Persian Gulf, as well as political and social variables on the financial and oil markets in the region. Back to speakers list
	Ms. Lara Sidawi-Moore Chief Strategy Officer and Chair, Executive Committee, Energy Intelligence Group Ms. Lara Sidawi-Moore is the chief strategy officer and was appointed chair of the Executive Committee at Energy Intelligence in June 2012. Prior to this, she ran the strategy and operations of Energy Intelligence from December 2008, implementing new services and technology platforms. In 2002, Ms. Sidawi-Moore founded and developed Energy Intelligence Research, now Energy Intelligence Research & Advisory, an independent arm of the company which provides clients with detailed analytic reports and retainer services. Ms. Sidawi-Moore joined Energy Intelligence in December 2001 as director of finance, analyzing the company’s profitability on a product-by-product basis, having fulfilled the Associate Global Investment Training Program at JPMorgan Chase in 2001. Prior to this, Ms. Sidawi-Moore’s career included advising fashion brands such as Armani Prive and John Galliano for Dior on global growth strategies. Ms. Sidawi-Moore has a BA in business management and fashion design from the European Business School and Central Saint Martins, London, in 1998. She later received an MBA in both international finance and information systems from American University in 2000 and an executive marketing management certification from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, in 2003. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Andreas Spiess Chief Executive Officer, SolarKiosk Mr. Andreas Spiess works as a lawyer and chief exeucitve officer of SolarKiosk AG in Berlin, Germany. The boutique law firm Spiess Schumacher Schmieg & Partner focuses on IP and media law, as well as venture capital and private equity transactions (M&A) in the field of renewable energy and developing markets. In 2008, Mr. Spiess and his Ethiopian partners established Solar23 dev plc in Addis Ababa, which is now one of the biggest solar system integrators in Ethiopia. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Todd Stern Visiting Lecturer, Law, Yale Law School; Former Special Envoy for Climate Change, US Department of State Mr. Todd Stern a visiting lecturer of law at Yale Law School. Mr. Stern previously was the US special envoy for climate change with the US Department of State from 2009 to 2016. He was formerly a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, where he focused on climate change and environmental issues. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a vice chair of public policy for the law firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. Prior to this, he served a three-year stint at the US Department of Treasury from 1999 to 2001, where he advised the secretary on economic and financial policies and supervised the Treasury’s anti-money laundering strategy. He also has extensive US presidential campaign experience. He worked on President Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, and later became President Clinton’s deputy staff secretary. In 1995, he was promoted to staff secretary and assistant to the president. As secretary, he played a central role in preparing presentations on key domestic, economic, and national security issues and was the senior White House negotiator at the Kyoto Protocol negotiations, which called for the stabilization of greenhouse gas emissions. He was also an adviser to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, he counseled on issues pertaining to the environment and global warming. He graduated from Dartmouth College and received a JD from Harvard Law School. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Michael Taylor Senior Analyst, Renewable Cost Status and Outlook, International Renewable Energy Agency Michael Taylor is a senior energy analyst at IRENA with 20 years’ experience in energy modeling, the economic analysis of energy sector issues, and energy policy development. Michael is responsible for IRENA’s analysis of renewable technologies cost and performance, which started with power generation and transport, and will soon cover stationary applications. Prior to working with IRENA Michael worked at the IEA in the Economic Analysis Division on the World Energy Outlook (WEO) and in the Energy Technology Policy Division, where he was responsible for leading the divisions’ modeling and analysis of the buildings sector, including the development of IEA roadmaps for the buildings sector. He was one of the lead authors of the IEAs groundbreaking Energy Technology Perspectives: Scenarios and Strategies to 2050 series of publications. Michael is the author of IRENA’s Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2014 released in January 2015, which draws on IRENA’s world-class database of over 15,000 utility-scale projects and 750,000+ small-scale solar PV systems. Michael has contributed to numerous other publications that focus on the energy sector and the economic and environmental challenges it faces. Back to speakers list
	Mr. Michael Townshend President, BP Iraq Michael Townshend has been working for BP for 33 years in roles covering engineering, project management, operations, strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions. His posts have ranged from the USA, Africa, Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Between 2002 and 2007, he was CEO of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and managed BP’s onshore business in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. Townshend has been president of BP Iraq since 2009. He served on the Board of TNK-BP between 2011 and 2013 and was president of BP Russia in 2013. Starting in October 2014, he became regional president BP Middle East. Townshend holds an honors degree in engineering and an MBA with distinction. Back to speakers list
	Dr. Lanxin Xiang Director, Centre of One Belt and One Road Studies, China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation Dr. Lanxin Xiang is a professor of international history and politics and director of the Centre of One Belt and One Road Studies at the China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation. Dr. Xiang was previously an associate professor at Clemson University in the United States. He held the Kissinger chair of foreign policy and international relations at the US Library of Congress. He also founded the Trilateral Forum for top-level policymakers to discuss the US-China relationship. He was a McArthur Foundation fellow in Germany (1989), and an Olin fellow at Yale University (2003). Dr. Xiang has held chairs at Fudan University in Shanghai and China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. He is a contributing editor for the publication Survival at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, London, and Dushu Magazine in Beijing. His research focuses on East Asia, foreign and security policies, and modern China. His main publications include: Tradition and Chinese Foreign Relations, The Origins of the Boxer War (2003), Recasting the Imperial Far East (2005), and Mao’s Generals (1998). Back to speakers list
	Mr. Damon Wilson Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council Mr. Damon M. Wilson is the executive vice president of the Atlantic Council. From 2007 to 2009, Mr. Wilson served as the special assistant to the president and senior director for European affairs at the National Security Council. He managed interagency policy on NATO, the European Union, Georgia, Ukraine, the Balkans, Eurasian energy security, and Turkey, and planned numerous presidential visits to Europe, including US-European Union and NATO summits. Mr. Wilson has also served at the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq as the executive secretary and chief of staff; at the National Security Council as the director for Central, Eastern, and Northern European affairs; and as deputy director in the Private Office of NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson. Prior to serving in Brussels, Mr. Wilson worked in the US Department of State in various positions and served in Rwanda with Save the Children. He is a graduate of Duke University and completed his graduate studies at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs. Mr. Wilson also worked with the Unaccompanied Children in Exile refugee program in Croatia and Turkey. Back to speakers list
	Mr. N. Guy Winebrenner Vice President, Energy and Environment, RTI International Mr. Guy Winebrenner is the vice president for energy and environment with RTI International, a global research and consultancy firm. Prior to joining RTI, Mr. Winebrenner was the global director of energy for Amec Foster Wheeler, where he directed specialized resources from across the company to manage programs and solve problems that are important to its power and gas utility customers. Mr. Winebrenner has over forty years of utility and consulting experience in developing sustainable solutions to infrastructure and resource management challenges associated with the energy and water needs of the Middle East region. Throughout his professional experience, he has focused on the planning, design, and construction of power, natural gas, and water infrastructure projects. Twenty years of that experience was in key management positions at investor-owned utilities, where he was responsible for complex engineering projects and programs. Mr. Winebrenner has played an active role in the assessment of energy and water efficiency and the development of demand-side management programs to reduce demand and consumption. He has earned both a BA and MA in engineering, has completed numerous post-graduate courses in business and law, and is a registered professional engineer in several US states. Back to speakers list

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