Plenary
Speakers

HE Dr. Majid Al-Moneef is the former Secretary General of the Supreme Economic Council of Saudi Arabia, Governor of Saudi Arabia in the Board of Governors of OPEC, and its representative its Economic Commission Board.

He was the Chairman of the International Advisory Group of the King Abdullah Center for Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), president of the Saudi Economic Association, the Arab Energy Forum, and the Energy Group of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

He was also vice-dean and professor of economics at King Saud University, member of Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council, the Board of Directors of Saudi Aramco, and the Board of Trustees of the Economic Research Forum (ERF).

Her Highness Princess Noura bint Turki Al-Saud is the Founding Partner of AEON strategy, an integrated sustainable development advisory firm that focuses on developing and delivering holistic approaches to development through environmentally and socio-economically conscious approaches. She is also a Co-Founder of AEON COLLECTIVE, a cross disciplinary Waqf (non profit endowment) that advocates sustainable practices for inclusive and equitable development. Princess Noura’s experience spans over 15 years with expertise in energy and climate policy, corporate sustainability as well as social and economic development. She actively leads and direct many projects at Aeon. Her non profit work focus on a human centric approach to development, with a specific focus on environmental conservation and cultural preservation. She holds a masters degree in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) where she took an interdisciplinary approach to development and international cooperation. She focused on Urban & social development, as well as Energy systems, earth sciences and energy and climate policy with an emphasis on the intersection between science, policy and markets. She has previously held the role of assistant director at The King Faisal Center for Research (KFCRIS) , a think tank based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she also headed the Unit on Energy Studies, focusing on the geopolitics of energy and energy markets. She is a Founding Board Member of Albaydah Development Society and an advisory board member of the King Abdullah University for Science and technology’s (KAUST) Circular Carbon Initiative. She also served as a member of the IEA’s Energy Efficiency Industry Advisory Board. 

HH Prince Sultan bin Khaled Al Saud is the Chief Executive Officer, The Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF). In his role Sultan sits on a number of the fund’s committees including the executive, credit, and risk committees. Prince Sultan is also a member of the board of directors of the SME Authority and the Chairman of its board governance, risk, and compliance committee. Prince Sultan holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering from Texas Tech University.

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

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

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

Dr. Abdulla Al-Abbasi is the Director of the Energy and environmental studies program at Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat). His area of focus is the forms and dynamics of renewable energy and machine learning applications.

A chartered engineer with over 10 years of experience, he regularly publishes in international peer-reviewed journals. His professional and research memberships and affiliations include several global organizations and think tanks, among which are the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CIGRE), the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Dr. Abdulla holds a PhD and MSc in Renewable Energy from the University of Surrey, UK. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the King Fahad University for Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Noura currently serves as a Senior International Policy Analyst in climate change and sustainability matters at the Ministry of Energy in Saudi Arabia. She is an international climate negotiator in various multilateral forums including, but not limited to, the United Nations and UNFCCC, covering matters related to mitigation, raising ambition and other cross-cutting topics. At the ministry, she also works on coordinating the national-level efforts pertaining to energy, climate and emissions reduction under the umbrella of the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives. She has previous experience in G20 policy support during the Saudi presidency, strategy and policy consulting in labor market solutions, and political and foreign affairs.
Noura holds an MSc in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a BASc in Arts and Sciences: Societies with a focus on Politics & International Relations, and Psychology from University College London (UCL).

Raja M. Almarzoqi is the Chief Economic Advisor at the Ministry of Economic and Planning, faculty member in Economic Division at Prince Saud Alfaisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies,and Expert at the IMF. He was a president of Gulf Monetary Council (GMCO); prior to GMCO he was an Advisor at the IMF, Washington, DC. In addition, Raja worked as a consultant to many government, private organizations, Regional and International Organizations(World Bank, ARAMCO, General Investment Authority (SAGIA), Supreme Commission for Tourism, Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), Alkhabeer Capital and KACST…etc). He has teaching/lecturing experience at (King Saud University; MIT Sloan Management School; International Monetary Fund; Thunderbird Global Business School) in several subjects in economics. Also, he was a board member in several organizations and Funds. Mr.Almarzoqi is specialized in policy modeling for macroeconomic impact assessment, Money and Banking, international finance, and Finance. He presented research papers at major local and international conferences and published papers in major Middle East journals and book and chapter in books. Mr. Almarzoqi holds a B.A. from King Saud University in economics, M.A. from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in Quantitative economics and Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater in economics and finance.

Ibrahim A. Almuhanna is an energy and media advisor and author. He served as an advisor to four Saudi energy ministers since 1989. His recent book, which has been highly praised, is Oil Leaders: An Inside Account of Four Decades of Saudi Arabia and OPEC’s Global Energy Policy (Columbia University Press 2022). He is the vice chairman of Saudi Association of Energy Economics. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Arab Gulf States’ Institute at Washington (AGSIW) and vice chairman of the World Energy Council for the Gulf States and the Middle East. He received his PhD in International Relations from the American University in Washington and was a professor of Media and Communications at King Saud University.

Completed her degree in Physics with a minor in Geology at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Oman. She has a master’s degree in Science and Engineering with honors (IGSES Awards) and, in 2013, completed her Doctor of Science in Applied Science for Electronics and Materials at Kyushu University, Japan by two and half year with honors. She served as a guest researcher at the Institute for Materials Research, Belgium, during which time she expanded her knowledge of CVD applications. Sausan worked at GUTech as an assistant professor before joining The Research Council (TRC) in Oman as a Renewable Energy Researcher in 2015. From 2016-2018, she was a guest researcher as a project manager at both Helmholtz Centre Berlin (HZB), Berlin and German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) Potsdam, Germany. She has occupied a Senior Expert position since 2019 at TRC and was assigned to be EJAAD Director at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation from March 2021 till Feb.2022. From February 2022 she was hired to be Director of Oman Hydrogen Centre. Sausan has received several outstanding awards and a few outstanding research fund grants from Japan and has published more than 25 scientific papers and articles in scientific journals, energy magazines, and newspapers. She also serves as a scientific reviewer in several journals. She was selected to Lindau Alumni Peer Reviewer after she was selected to join one of high prestigious event in science “the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting” dedicated to physics in Germany and been selected among 200 applicants to join Baden-Württemberg Post Conference Programme for Young Researcher of the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, taking place in Baden-Württemberg. She was invited as an expert representing the Sultanate to several scientific events such as Hydrogen Energy Ministerial Meeting in 2019, Tokyo, and moderate the International Energy Agency (IAE) session for (Oman: promising destination for clean energy) that focus on Hydrogen as new economy in Oman. She initiated “Oman Hydrogen Feasibility study”. She was assigned by Ministry of Energy and Minerals to lead the study as project manager in February 2020 and she submitted it in February 2021. Since that time, she frequently invited to various international, regional, and local events to represent the Sultanate for Energy transition related topics including Hydrogen. Her recent focus includes Scientific Management, Material Science, and Applied Nanotechnology for PV, Renewable Energy, Solar Thermal Technologies, Hydrogen as new Alternative Economy, and topics related to Energy Transition. She also supervises students’ theses with cooperation from local and international universities.

Nouf N. Alsharif is a senior economist and a managing director in the Research Department at Jadwa Investment, where she covers various aspects in the Saudi economy and aids in forecasting key macroeconomic variables. Nouf holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Sussex, with a focus on growth and economic diversification in resource-rich countries, and authored several articles published in international academic journals. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors at the Saudi Economic Association. In 2016, she received the “Outstanding Article Award” from the Saudi Association for Energy Economics “SAEE”.

Fahad Al-Sherehy obtained his doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia in Canada and completed Harvard business school Advanced Management Program (AMP). He joined SABIC in 1990. In 2016, he was promoted to be SABIC VP- Technology & Innovation. Since 2019, he is VP Energy Efficiency and Carbon Management. Al-Sherehy has contributed to the development & commercialization of five technologies. He is the inventor and co-inventor of three patents and has been a Board Member of several Companies and government organizations.

Fahad Alturki is Vice President of Knowledge & Analysis at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). In this role he oversees KAPSARC’s research programs and priorities, ensuring that these are strategically focused on impacts within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both regionally and globally. Fahad interacts with key stakeholder groups within the Kingdom and internationally, in the private, academic, and government sectors. Moreover, he is responsible for setting the overall directions and parameters for collaboration with KAPSARC’s partners and affiliates.

Externally, Fahad is an independent board member of the General Authority of Statistics Board of Directors and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD). He frequently presents papers at a number of high profile local, regional, and international conferences, participates in roundtable discussions and is a well-known media figure in Saudi Arabia and overseas.

Prior to joining KAPSARC, Fahad was the chief economist and head of research at Jadwa Investment Company in Riyadh, where he managed the economic research department and published regular reports on issues related to the Saudi and global economies and the world oil market.

He was also the chairperson of the Public Funds Board, a board member of the Jadwa REIT Al Haramain Fund and Jadwa REIT Saudi Fund, and a member of Jadwa’s executive management committee.

Fahad has a proven track record in economics, with more than 20 years of experience in the field. Before joining Jadwa, Fahad was the chief economist at Barclays, Saudi Arabia. Prior to his time at Barclays, Fahad was an economic specialist at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, where he worked for 11 years in the Economic Research and Statistics Department. Fahad has also worked as an economist at the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the International Monetary Fund.

Fahad holds a B.A. in Business Administration from King Saud University in Saudi Arabia and Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in economics from the University of Oregon (Eugene, United States).

With over 25 years of broad experience in the transport and oil industries and academia, Dr. Amer brings a successful track record of mobilizing a significant number of global stakeholders around the need to use a mix of transport solutions and energy vectors to ensure an objective, orderly and resilient impact on GHGs. Dr. Amer spent the earlier part of his career with the automotive industry as an engine development specialist. Dr. Amer has co-authored many journal articles and patents. He was named amongst the 10 recipients of the 2020 FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership in 2020 and was elected to SAE Fellow grade of membership (2021 Cohort).

20 years of international experience in the Energy & ICT sector across business development, sales and technology. Ayad has been working at ACWA Power since January 2015, were he started as a Business Development Director for Saudi Arabia market. He played a key role to manage governmental stackholders such as Ministry of EnergyIndustry and Mineral Resource advocating for the renewable program and contributed to its inclusion and target setting in theNational Transformation Plan and subsequently vision 2030 which lead to the establishment of the Renewable Program under Renewable Energy Program Development Office (REPDO). Ayad also worked closely with Ministry of Environment Water and Agriculture to support there activation of the water privatization program which lead to the restructuring of WEC (Water Electricity Company) and the initiation of the Water Procumbent program. He supported the company to secure the first projects across Water and Power sectors, namely Shuaiba expansion II desalination project and SAKAKA Solar Project . Other major achievements was the selection of ACWA Power as National Champion company in the energy sector by the Government of Saudi Aribia. The program lead by several Saudi Authorities including the investment Authority (SAGIA), Ministry of Economy and Planning and Ministry of Commerce and Investment. After that, Ayad role extended to establish the company in new markets supported by the National Champion Program where he lead the company establishment in Central Asia mainly in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Since January 2019, Ayad was prompted as an Executive Director to lead the establishment and business development of Gas to Power initiatives and growth into selected markets in East Asia and Middle East. Ayad holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia, and took various business and leadership courses from global leading institutes. Prior to ACWA Power, Ayad worked for over 14 years at Ericsson with focus on Sales and business development, 11 years of which were from 2003 till 2013 at Ericsson Headquarters in Stockholm Sweden.

Anvita is an architect and transport planner whose current areas of research at KAPSARC include smart cities, electric vehicles, and freight mobility. Before joining the Center in February 2018, she was the managing director and CEO of Innovative Transport Solutions (iTrans), an incubator company of IIT Delhi, where she led over 40 applied research and planning projects for 10 years for clients ranging from city level and country level authorities to funding agencies including the UNEP, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and DFID. Supporting cities to become sustainable, inclusive and climate resilient was the primary focus of the work. She was also the India Resident Representative for the Bicycle Partnership Program of the Interface for Cycling Expertise (I-CE), the Netherlands, for four years.

Anvita has been teaching transport planning in the Urban Design Department of the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi for the past 12 years and was visiting faculty at the TERI University, Delhi. She was also associated with the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Program (TRIPP) at IIT Delhi, a Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) Centre of Excellence, for nearly 12 years.

Javier Blas is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy and commodities, based in London. Previously, he was the chief energy correspondent at Bloomberg News, and before he was the Africa editor and the commodities Editor at the Financial Times, also in London. Blas is co-author of the bestseller “The World for Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources.” A Spanish national, he studied at the University of Navarra and Sheffield University.

Christophe Bonnery is President of the French Association for Energy since 2009. He has also been elected in 2019 President of the International Association for Energy Economics. He is Programme Director of Paris School of Economics. Previously he was Vice President, Economics & Prospective, Enedis, the French power distribution company. He created the French Circle of Energy Economists, to promote energy economics to energy policy makers; the Marcel Boiteux Award, which recognizes the best book on energy economics; and was also Vice President, Energy Policy for the AREVA Group. His role consisted in understanding current energy policies and promoting acceptable evolutions for all stakeholders. He also led for a program aiming to define potential synergies between nuclear and oil industries for heavy oil production.
Bonnery received his M.Sc in General Engineering from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France, and MBA in Petroleum Economics and Management from the Center for Economics and Management, IFP School, Paris, France. His former affiliations include: Head of the Economics Department, NUSYS consulting company, Paris, France; Project-consultant, Shell, Paris, France; Research Assistant, Economic and Industrial Research Division, University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Christophe Bonnery has been awarded the Knighthood of the National Order of Merit.

Jeff is global head of Commodities Research in Global Investment Research (GIR). He is responsible for conducting research on commodity market dynamics in the context of corporate risk management programs, short and longterm commodity investment strategies and asset allocation. Jeff is also a member of the GIR Client and Business Standards Committee, Growth Markets Executive Group and Macro Executive Committee. Jeff was European co-head of Economics, Commodities and Strategy Research from 2010 to 2012. He was based in London from 2003 until 2012, when he moved to New York. He has since returned to London. Over the years, the commodities research team has consistently been ranked number one under Jeff’s direction, and in 2011, he was named CNBC Analyst of the Year by City A.M. Jeff joined Goldman Sachs in 1996 and was named managing director in 2002 and partner in 2008. Prior to joining the firm, Jeff taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in microeconomics and econometrics at The University of Chicago and served as the associate editor of Resource and Energy Economics. Jeff also worked as a consulting economist, specializing in energy and other microeconomic issues, at Ernst and Young, LLP and Economic Insight, Inc. In addition, he has advised government agencies in the US, European Union and Russia. Jeff earned a PhD in Economics from The University of Chicago in 1996.

Radoslaw Czapski is a Senior Infrastructure and Transport Specialist at the World Bank and Program Manager for GRSF Multi-Donor Trust-Funds. He has over twenty five years of experience in large infrastructure investments, technical assistance and consultancy projects in developing countries. In the last several years he has been involved in a variety of donor funded projects in transport sector focusing on road safety, roads and railways, urban infrastructure and transport services, but involving also public private partnerships and project finance mechanisms. During his professional career he was managing and contributing to numerous global, regional and country specific studies, advisory and technical assistance projects, particularly in Europe and Central Asia, but also in Africa and Asia.

Ms. Dashti is a leading Kuwaiti economist and long-time champion of women’s rights, gender equality and democratic reform. She served as member of the Supreme Planning Council in Kuwait. From 2012 to 2014, she was Minister for Planning and Development and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs. Ms. Dashti played a pivotal role in advocating for a decree to allow Kuwaiti women to vote and run for parliamentary elections. In May 2009, she and three others became the first women to be elected to the Kuwait parliament. She has held key positions in research and development institutions, such as the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, and has worked for major national and international financial and development institutions, such as the National Bank of Kuwait and the World Bank. She also managed contracts for the Kuwaiti Emergency and Reconstruction Program during the invasionto- post liberation period. She is a regular contributor to regional and international policy forums on global governance, economic development and integration, democratization, and women’s empowerment in the MENA region. She has served as chairperson for the Arab Planning Institute, and for the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council for the MENA region. She was a member of the advisory panel for the World Bank on Middle East political and economic transition, of the advisory council for the Arab Human Development Report 2009, of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development in Kuwait, and of the Executive Committee of Young Arab Leaders- Kuwait Chapter. She served on the executive board of the Pan-Arab Women Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Violence against Women, and on the board of the Arab Women Parliamentarians Network for Equality (Ra’edat). She won the North-South Prize of the Council of Europe for 2010 together with Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev. She also received the Clinton Global Citizens Award for 2009, the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award for 2006, and the King Hussein Humanitarian award for 2005. She is listed among the top 150 women leaders by Business Week, among the top 20 businesswomen in the Arab region by the Financial Times, and among the world’s 100 most powerful Arabs by Arabian Business. She was featured in The Next Founders: Voices of Democracy in the Middle East as a leader and a champion for women’s rights from Kuwait. Ms. Dashti holds a doctorate degree in population dynamics from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, a master’s degree in economics and finance from California State University in Sacramento, and a bachelor of science in agriculture economics from California State University in Chico. She speaks Arabic and English fluently.

Kaushik Deb is a Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where his research focuses on policies to achieve a just and efficient energy transition in developing countries, especially the role of oil and gas markets. Prior to joining the Center, Kaushik led the Markets and Industrial Development Program at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Riyadh, managing the Center’s engagement with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy in supporting the development of short and long term strategies for oil and gas markets to achieve the Kingdom’s energy sector objectives.

Before this, Kaushik was the Head, Global Gas Markets in Group Economics in BP overseeing analysis that formed the basis for the investment and trading strategy of the company in natural gas. He also led the gas sections of BP’s flagship publications, the Statistical Review of World Energy and the Energy Outlook. Prior to BP, at IDFC (now IDFC Bank), his portfolio included policy research and advocacy on infrastructure and environmental economics issues such as low carbon infrastructure, decentralized electricity services in rural areas, and organized intermediate public transport systems for small towns. He has also guided and implemented research in applied economics in TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) and was the Programme Director of the MBA Programmes at TERI University.

Kaushik has a Doctor of Science degree from ETH Zürich and a Master of Arts in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics.

John Defterios, senior advisor and International Advisory Council member, is a veteran, award winning journalist and economic analyst with more than 35 years of experience at CNN, Reuters and PBS Television in the United States.

Mr. Defterios retired as CNN Business emerging markets editor and anchor in 2021. Based in the network’s Abu Dhabi bureau since 2011, his reporting focused on the top business stories from emerging economies, with a specialty in trade, geo-politics and energy. He has covered landmark events during his career, including the Gulf War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the World Trade Centre bombings, G8/G20 summits and the L.A. Riots from his postings in London, Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Rome and the U.A.E. Mr. Defterios built a long-standing reputation for securing exclusive interviews with high-level figures during breaking news situations, including HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rachid, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; King Abdullah II of Jordan; and Ali Al Naimi and Khalid Al Falih, Energy Ministers of Saudi Arabia. He received The Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Foundation award for the Advancement of Energy Journalism.

He remains a sought after fixture at high-level global events as both a speaker and moderator. He has chaired sessions at the World Economic Forum, the OPEC Seminar, the IMF Roundtable, St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Atlantic Council Energy Forum, U.A.E. World Government Summit, U.S.-Saudi Arabia Investment Summit, Islamic Development Bank Annual Meeting, Global Women’s Forum, World Energy Council and Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative.

Mr. Defterios is a World Economic Forum media leader and member of the Global Agenda Council on the Arab World and serves on the board of the Stern Stewart Institute in Germany, a non-for-profit group promoting leadership and entrepreneurship.

Prior to CNN, Defterios worked for Reuters Television as European Correspondent, U.S. West Coast Correspondent and special series producer in a joint-venture with The Nightly Business Report on PBS-TV. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in Journalism and Political Economics and was a fellow at the USC’s Institute of Politics and Government in Washington, D.C.

 Carlos M. Duarte is the Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and Executive Director of the Global Coral R&D Accelerator Platform. He held academic positions in Spain, Australia, Norway and Denmark, and served as President of the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (2007-2010). Author of over 900 scientific papers, Duarte develops ocean-based solutions to global challenges, including climate change, and rebuild the abundance of marine life. He has been ranked as the top marine biologist and the 12th most influential climate scientist in the world. 

Shihab Elborai is a Partner with Strategy& and a member of the Energy, Chemicals, and Utilities practice.
He serves major energy industry players across the Middle East and North Africa by redesigning strategy, policies, governance structures, and regulatory frameworks to navigate the shift from fossil fuels to renewables and to help build sustainable energy delivery systems. Shihab co-leads the firm’s cross-industry platform on Sustainability in the Middle East.
Shihab received a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was the recipient of the Raymie Stata fellowship and the Carlton E. Tucker award for excellence in teaching undergraduates. He holds a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT.

Elshurafa is a Fellow in King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and possesses 20 years of experience in energy and technology garnered on three continents. His research interests lie in renewable energy policy, power systems modeling, and hybrid microgrid design and optimization. He has led and executed several national modeling initiatives both at the distributed- and utility-scales. Some aspects of his research have been adopted by BP in creating their seminal annual statistical review. Credited with 50+ papers and patents, Elshurafa holds a PhD in electrical engineering complemented thereafter with an MBA in finance.

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

Michelle Michot Foss, Ph.D., is the fellow in energy, minerals and materials at Rice University’s Baker Institute, developing policies and conducting research to help build capacity on non-fuel minerals supply chains. She has nearly 40 years of experience in senior positions in energy (oil, gas/LNG, electric power) and environmental research, consulting and investment banking, with early career exposure to mining and mined land reclamation.
Over the past three decades, Michot Foss developed and directed research on energy value chain economics and commercial frameworks to support worldwide investment while serving in several positions at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston. She previously served as the chief energy economist and head of the Bureau of Economic Geology’s Center for Energy Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. She was also a UH Shell Interdisciplinary Scholar with grants on North American gas and power integration and national oil companies. Her career research highlights include reviewing oil, gas and minerals markets for local, national and international government bodies, including the Texas Comptroller, U.S. Energy Information Agency, U.S. Department of Energy, World Bank, Japan’s External Trade Organization and other institutions.
Michot Foss also led a university-based LNG industry consortium for North America. In addition, she implemented energy development assistance and engagement programs sponsored by USAID and the Department of State’s Bureau of Energy Resources in more than 20 countries and regions, including Central Asia, Ukraine, West Africa, Uganda, India, Bangladesh and Mexico. She built and led the New Era in Oil, Gas & Power Value Creation program for energy sector professionals from more than 40 countries. She also was previously a director of research at Simmons & Company International and at Rice Center.
Michot Foss remains an executive instructor for the Texas Executive Education program at UT’s McCombs School of Business, and she was named an Exxon Mobil Instructor of Excellence. She has served on the advisory committees for the UTA Jackson School of Geosciences Energy & Earth Resources graduate program and Jackson School Endowment.
She is a member of the advisory boards for Haddington Ventures LLC and Energy Intelligence Group. She is past president of the International Association for Energy Economics; past president of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics; and was named USAEE Senior Fellow for service. Michot Foss is a partner in Harvest Gas Management LLC, and she created and leads a nonprofit organization, Friends of Briargrove Park Green Space LLC, to coordinate activities with Harris County Flood Control District for post-Harvey rehabilitation.
Michot Foss received her B.S. from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, an M.S. from Colorado School of Mines and a Ph.D. from the University of Houston.

Dr. Yasser Gado is APICORP’s Treasurer with a wealth of knowledge in the banking sector that was accumulated over 24 years of experience across Europe and the MENA region. Throughout his career, Dr. Gado held several senior roles, most recently as Treasurer at: the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), National Bank of Kuwait (International) PLC, GHIB Bank, QIB (UK) PLC, and European Finance House in the United Kingdom. Formerly, he held Senior Treasury positions and worked with Qatar Islamic Bank in Doha as well as Banque Misr in France and Egypt. He joined APICORP in 2021 to lead the Treasury and Capital Markets function.

Dr. Gado acquired his PhD in Finance from The University of Liverpool, and is also a holder of a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Bangor University and Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Ain Shams University. Dr Gado is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Chartered Banker (MCBI), as well as a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (MCSI) in the United Kingdom.

An engineer by training, Karthik is a Fellow and Director, Research Coordination, at The Council. As Director, he has a bird’s eye view of CEEW’s ongoing and planned research and ensures cross-team coherence for CEEW’s research direction and imperatives. He also dons the hat of an internal adviser across research teams, creates institutional platforms that spur innovation and, in partnership with other senior researchers, continues to strengthen CEEW’s foundation for world-class research.

He has played a pivotal role in conceptualising and executing some of CEEW’s biggest successes and collaborative efforts such as the ACCESS and IRES surveys and the associated studies, the GHG Platform Initiative and the first full fledged office programme office based out of Lucknow. He continues to be an active researcher with the power sector and air pollution work programmes.

Karthik holds a Masters degree in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He also holds an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering and an M.Tech in Infrastructure Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

Roberta Gatti is currently the Chief Economist of the Middle East and North Africa region of the World Bank. In her previous capacity of Chief Economist for Human Development, Roberta co-led the conceptualization and release of the Human Capital Index and oversaw the Service Delivery Indicators data initiative. Roberta is the author of numerous flagship reports and her research, spanning topics in health, labor markets, and growth, is published in top field journals. Roberta holds a B.A. from Università Bocconi and a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. She has taught at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities.

Mr. Nasser Al-ghamdi is the current Director General of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center (SEEC). Mr. Al-ghamdi has over 15 years of experience in investment, credit, financial risk management, incentive programs, as well as energy efficiency in the buildings, industrial, and transportation sectors. Since 2017, he serves as the General Coordinator of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Program.

Over the past 9 years, Mr. Al-ghamdi has played an instrumental role in developing Energy Efficiency in Saudi Arabia. Under his leadership, significant progress has been made in the field, as he oversaw the development and implementation of a large number of Energy Efficiency initiatives, as well as the first incentive program in energy efficiency in the Kingdom (High Efficient Air Conditioners Initiative).

Mr. Al-ghamdi holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Webster University, USA and a BS. in Finance from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia.

Yousef AlGhamdi leads the corporate & strategic planning for the company. In his capacity, he is leading SEC Corporate Strategy, setting the objectives to improve performance in alignment with the kingdom’s energy sector objectives set by the ministry of energy. Part of his mandate is to lead the ESG in the company and align the strategy with different stakeholders to position the company to lead the energy transition in the kingdom with various initiatives.

Yousef has more than 15 years in the energy sector working with leading international companies in the oil and gas and power sector in Saudi Arabia and USA.

Before joining SEC, Yousef was leading the energy sector in SDIAI (Saudi Authority for Data and AI) where he was collaborating with various stakeholders to deploy artificial Intelligence applications in the energy domain. Prior to that, he was working at GE where he worked on many initiatives including localization, energy efficiency, and the energy mix across Saudi Arabia.

Yousef holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd of Petroleum and Minerals University, Dhahran.

Ashraf A. Al Ghazzawi was appointed as the vice president of Strategy & Market Analysis on April 1, 2022, following his assignment as executive director of Strategy & Market Analysis since July 2021. Prior to joining Strategy & Market Analysis, Al Ghazzawi was Group Treasurer since January 2020.
Al Ghazzawi began his career with Aramco in 1995 at the Riyadh Refinery, where he worked at various engineering and operations organizations in the refinery organization. In 2001, Al Ghazzawi moved to the Process & Control Systems Department where he assumed various supervisory and division head positions. In 2012, Al Ghazzawi became the manager of Aramco’s Research & Development Center.
Between the years 2014 and 2018, Al Ghazzawi returned to Technical Services as manager of the Consulting Services Department, manager of the Process & Control Systems Department, and manager of the Facilities Planning Department.
In March 2018, he moved to Finance, Strategy & Development as the general manager of the Planning Budgeting & Performance Management organization where he played a leading role in the development of Saudi Aramco’s IPO, as well as Saudi Aramco’s inaugural corporate bond program that represented the company’s first ever entrance to debt capital markets.
Al Ghazzawi is the chairman of the Board for both the Saudi Aramco Entrepreneurship Company Limited (Wa’ed), and the Finance and Accounting Excellence Academy (Al-Tamayyuz). He is also a Board director in Aramco Ventures, the Sadara Chemicals Company, and Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH).
Al Ghazzawi holds a Ph.D. degree in Engineering from the University of Manchester in the U.K., and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Program for Leadership Development.

Jean-Michel Glachant is the Director of the Florence School of Regulation and the Holder of the Loyola de Palacio Chair. Glachant took his Ph.D. in economics at La Sorbonne in France. He worked in the industry and private sector before becoming a professor at La Sorbonne. He has been advisor of DG TREN, DG COMP, and DG RESEARCH at the European Commission and of the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE). He has been the coordinator and scientific advisor of several European research projects. Jean-Michel Glachant has been editor-in-chief of EEEP: “Economics of Energy and Environmental Policy” (an IAEE journal) and he is vice-president of the International Association for Energy Economics. Over the past years, Professor Glachant has been leading the transformation of The Florence School of Regulation into a Europe-based, forward-looking knowledge hub for the Energy Transition with a global reach. Following his vision, today the FSR delivers high-quality research, training, and policy dialogue to a community of energy experts worldwide.

Steven Griffiths is Senior Vice President for Research and Development and Professor of Practice at the Khalifa University of Science and Technology. At Khalifa University, he oversees the development and implementation of the university’s research strategy and operations. In addition to his executive management role at Khalifa University, Griffiths is a member of the Emirates Research and Development Council, a member of the Dubai Future Council on Energy, a member of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Expert Group Subcommittee of the UAE Council for AI & Blockchain, an elected member of the Global Energy Prize International Award Committee, a Zayed Sustainability Prize Selection Committee member, a Governing Board member of the Graphene Engineering Innovation Center at the University of Manchester, advisor to the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, and a board member of the Microsoft Energy Core. He is also a non-resident Fellow of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines and a research affiliate at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Griffiths holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Ibrahim Hamidaddin accomplished 20+ years’ experience in industrial mining and metals through working in capital investment institute, giant mining organization, private business and government. The achieved industrial experience gives holistic view of the business to create vision and strategy to be converted into investment opportunities. Therefore, conducting research was essential to presents sound market insights to fully inform industry to create value and competitive advantage while minimizing risk exposure. Through the years a vast range of projects were developed, vertically from conception to pre-commissioning, across the supply chain from exploration through midstream manufacturing to downstream, and horizontally in different sectors e.g., metals, petrochemicals, and others.

Peter Hartley is the George A. Peterkin Professor in the Economics Department, a Rice Scholar in Energy Studies in the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, and Co-Director of the Masters of Energy Economics program at Rice University. He also is 2022 President of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), having previously served in that role in 2015. He also was President of the US Association for Energy Economics (USAEE) in 2012. Professor Hartley was previously an Assistant Professor at Princeton University and has also held visiting positions at several Australian universities. He has undergraduate and Masters degrees from the Australian National University and a PhD from the University of Chicago.

Fuad Hasanov is a Senior Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and an Adjunct Professor of Economics at Georgetown University. Since joining the IMF in 2007, he has worked as an economist for several emerging countries and natural resource producers and conducted training of IMF staff and government officials. Before joining the IMF, Fuad was an Assistant Professor of Economics at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan in 2004-2007. He has written articles on consumption and saving, real estate returns, growth and inequality, fiscal policy and debt, and natural resources. His recent research focuses on growth, innovation, and state policies. He is the co-editor, with Reda Cherif and Min Zhu, of Breaking the Oil Spell that examines economic diversification in oil-exporting countries. Fuad received a PhD in economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mohamad Hejazi is the Acting Program Director for the Climate and Sustainability Program at KAPSARC. He also leads the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Partnership (CAMP) project, and his work focuses on integrated assessment modeling, energy-water-land nexus, and climate change research. Prior to joining KAPSARC, Mohamad worked as a senior research scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where he served as the principal investigator for the Global Change Intersectoral Modeling System project, a multi-million-dollar project that includes over 40 interdisciplinary researchers across many institutions. He has also led and contributed to projects with the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, US-AID, US-EPA, USGS, NASA, and NSF-INFEWS. Mohamad has authored over 100 journal publications, and he has also served as a contributing author to the Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessment, and the AR6 IPCC WG III report on the mitigation of climate change. Mohamad holds a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Eunnyeong Heo is Professor of Energy and Resource Economics at the College of Engineering, and Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering Practice at Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea. Professor Eunnyeong Heo received his Ph.D. in Mineral Economics from the Pennsylvania State University, USA, and has been working as a faculty member of Seoul National University, Korea, since 1996. Currently, He is serving as the Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering Practice. Professor Heo is currently a member of editorial board of The Energy Journal and the president of the Korea Energy Law Institution (KELI). He had served as a vice president of the International Association of Energy Economics (IAEE), president of Korean Resource Economics Association (KREA) and president of the Korea Society of Innovation (KSOI). He is an outside director of Samsung Electronics Co., and had served as an outside director of LG International Co. Professor Heo has served as a member of many government committees such as National Economic Advisory Council to the President, National Committee on Green Growth, National Committee on Energy Policy and PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Khalid M. Kisswani is Associate Professor of Economics at the Gulf University of Science & Technology (GUST), Kuwait. He received higher education training at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), receiving his Master degree with distinction in Economics, and at the University of Connecticut (UCONN), receiving his Ph.D. degree in Applied & Resource Economics. He previously was a faculty member at the University of Quinnipiac from September 2008 to August 2009. He has held visiting positions with the Eastern Connecticut State University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), University of Connecticut (UCONN), and University of Hartford from August 15, 2005 through July 30, 2019. His research interests span Energy Economics, Economic Development, and Tourism Economics. The author of over 30 journal articles and several book chapters, his research has appeared in a variety of journals, including Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Resources Policy, Energies, The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Current Issues in Tourism, Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Tourism Analysis, Applied Economics, Applied Economics Letters, The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, OPEC Energy Review, Economic Change and Restructuring, Bulletin of Economic Research, Journal of Economic Research, and Journal of Economics and Finance. He recently developed and established the Center for Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) at the Gulf University of Science & Technology (GUST). Moreover, he refereed nearly 100 papers for over 50 different journals, with double-digit reviews for Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Resources Policy, the Energy Journal, and Applied Economics.

Ken KOYAMA is Chief Economist and Senior Managing Director at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ). He also takes a position of Visiting Professor at Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo and Adjunct Professor at Institute of Innovative Research at Tokyo Institute of Technology. He was awarded the degree of: (1) B.A. in Economics in 1982 from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan; (2) M.A. in Economics in 1986 from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan; and (3) PhD in 2001 from University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland. His specialized field of research is: energy security and geopolitics of energy; and analysis for global energy market and policy issues with emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region. He has served as a member of energy policy related advisory councils and committees of Japanese government in many occasions. He also plays a role as: International Advisor (Chair in Energy Economics) at Energy Commission of Tenaga Nasional University (Malaysia) and Visiting Senior Fellow at Institute for International Economic Studies. He was awarded the BrandLaureate’s “Brand Personality Award 2016”.

Prior to the founding of Gateway House, Kripalani was India Bureau chief of Businessweek magazine from 1996 to 2009. During her extensive career in journalism (Businessweek, Worth and Forbes magazines, New York), she has won several awards, including the Gerald Loeb Award, the George Polk Award, Overseas Press Club and Daniel Pearl Awards. Kripalani was the 2006-07 Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, which inspired her to found Gateway House. Her political career spans being the deputy press secretary to Steve Forbes during his first run in 1995-96 as Republican candidate for U.S. President in New Jersey, to being press secretary for the Lok Sabha campaign for independent candidate Meera Sanyal in 2008 and 2014 in Mumbai. Kripalani holds two bachelor’s degrees from Bombay University (Bachelor of Law, Bachelor of Arts in English and History) and a master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, New York. She sits on the executive board of Gateway House and is a member of the Rotary Club of Bombay.

Professor Gürkan Kumbaroğlu holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Türkiye. He is Vice Rector for Research and Professor of Industrial Engineering at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. His research focus is on energy economics, energy and environmental policy modeling, sustainable energy technology, real options theory. He was awarded the Energy Oscar Award for Scientific Contribution to Energy Markets at the 17th ICCI Conference. He has further received the Senior International Scientist Award from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is an Editorial Board member of the journals Sustainability, Innovative Energy Policies, and Journal of Self-Governance and Management Economics. Dr. Kumbaroğlu is Executive Director of the Turkish national network for the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network hosted at Boğaziçi University. Dr. Kumbaroğlu is President of the Turkish Association for Energy Economics, and Past President of the IAEE.

Ian Lange is the Director of the Mineral and Energy Economics program and Faculty Fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. He served as Senior Economist for Energy at the Council of Economic Advisers for both the Biden and Trump administrations. Other previously held positions include the US Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Energy, and University of Stirling in the UK.

Coby van der Linde is currently director of the Clingendael International Energy Programme (CIEP) in The Hague, The Netherlands, a non-executive director in three energy companies, a member of the KAPSARC International Advisory Council and, since 2004, an IGU wise person. Coby van der Linde started working as an assistant professor on International Economic Relations at the University of Leiden in 1984. After finishing her PhD-thesis – Dynamic International Oil markets, Oil market development and structure 1860-1990 (Kluwer, 1991) – she became associate professor. From 2000-2005 she was professor International Political Economy and International Oil Markets at the University of Leiden and from 2004 to 2015 and from 2018 onward, she was part-time professor of Geopolitics and Energy Management at the University of Groningen. Since September 2001 she is director of the Clingendael International Energy Programme (CIEP). She is managing various studies on European and international energy markets, security of oil and gas supply and energy system transition. From 2004-2014 she was a member of the Dutch Energy Council (AER). She is a columnist on energy.

Chairman, Global Resources Partnership, UK and The London Energy Club/The Bosphorus Energy Club A prominent businessman, strategist, writer, Mehmet is seen as an internationally recognized authority in the fields of energy, geopolitics, investment and economic diplomacy. He has significant knowledge, experience and network of relations on Europe, Turkey, Central Asia, Russia, Africa, the Middle East and China. Working from London, Brussels, Nice and Istanbul, Mehmet stands out with his senior government, business and public diplomacy engagements in his professional career of 35 years. Graduated from Ankara University, London School of Economics, COI and College d’Europe, he commands a broad portfolio of senior executives and non-executives in the energy, glass, food and beverage, investment and mining industries. He is currently chairman of Global Resources Partnership, a UK strategic investment advisory group. He is also the chairman of the advisory board of the Middle East Institute (Washington DC). Non-executive director of Trinus Capital (Dublin). Founding President of The Bosphorus Energy Club and The London Energy Club. EUFocus (Brussels) partner and advisory board member of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (Beijing). Previously, he worked as an adviser to the Turkish prime minister, a career diplomat in Ankara, Beijing, Brussels, and a senior executive at the International Energy Agency and OECD in Paris. He then joined BG Group (now part of Shell) as a director. Until recently, he served as an independent director on the boards of Genel Energy plc, Yaşar Holding and Şişecam Group. He also worked on the advisory boards of multinational energy, high technology, high-speed rail, cyber security, strategic communications and financial services companies such as Invensys, Dimetronics, Windsor Energy Group and KCS Security. Mehmet is a regular contributor to Gulf Intelligence, Dünya, Bloomberg, CNBC, Hürriyet Daily News, Euroactiv, Moscow Times, Capital, CEOLIFE and OECD Observer. He regularly comments on EkoTurk, France-24, Israel’s i24NEWS, BBC, NTV, CNNTurk, Moscow Times, Tehran Times, Romania’s Diplomatic Passport, BloombergHT. He has published more than a dozen books, including: “Is Our Future in Asia?”, “New Economic and Commercial Diplomacy Strategy”, “2023 Turkey Roadmap”, “New Great Game”, “New Geopolitical and Economic Journey: Turkey’s Next 10 Years”, “Life is a Journey: Traveler Diplomat”, “Contrarian Minds, Strange Liasons”, “Secret Codes of the New World: A Realistic 2030 Vision for Turkey”, “The World of Diplomats is completely Different”.

Robert (Bob) McNally is the founder and president of Rapidan Energy Group, an energy market, policy, and geopolitical consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Bob has over 30 years of government and market experience as an energy analyst and is the author of the award-winning book Crude Volatility: The History and the Future of Boom-Bust Oil Prices (Columbia University Press, 2017). From 2001 to 2003, Bob served in the George W. Bush White House as Special Assistant to the President on the White House National Economic Council and, in 2003, as Senior Director for International Energy on the National Security Council.

Kenneth B. Medlock III, Ph.D., is the James A. Baker, III, and Susan G. Baker Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics at the Baker Institute and the senior director of the Center for Energy Studies. He is also the director of the Masters of Energy Economics program, and holds adjunct professor appointments in the Department of Economics and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University. Medlock is also a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Payne Institute at Colorado School of Mines. In 2012-2013, Medlock held the prestigious Haydn Williams Fellowship at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. He teaches advanced courses in energy economics and supervises Ph.D. students in the energy economics field. Medlock has published numerous scholarly articles in his primary areas of interest, which include: natural gas markets, electricity markets, energy commodity price relationships, transportation, national oil company behavior, economic development and energy demand, energy use and the environment, and various energy transitions topics ranging from engineered and nature-based carbon capture to hydrogen to the economic drivers of technology adoption. He has testified multiple times on Capitol Hill on U.S. energy exports and electricity market evolution, has spoken at OPEC, and is frequently asked to speak about global and domestic energy issues. Medlock is the past vice president for conferences for the United States Association for Energy Economics (USAEE), and previously served as vice president for academic affairs. In 2001, he won (joint with Ron Soligo) the International Association for Energy Economics Award for Best Paper of the Year in the Energy Journal. In 2011, he was given the USAEE’s Senior Fellow Award, and in 2013 he accepted on behalf of the Center for Energy Studies the USAEE’s Adelman-Frankel Award. In 2019, Medlock was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Advancement of the Education of Future Energy Leaders by the Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Foundation. He is also an active member of the American Economic Association and is an academic member of the National Petroleum Council. Medlock has served as an advisor to the U.S. Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission in their respective energy modeling efforts. Medlock received his Ph.D. in economics from Rice University in May 2000.

Robin Mills established Qamar Energy in Dubai in 2015 to meet the need for regionally-based Middle East energy insight and project delivery. He is an expert on energy strategy and economics. He has led major consulting assignments for a variety of international energy companies and governments on energy policy, renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, oil and gas upstream and LNG. Robin worked for a decade for Shell, concentrating on new business development in the Middle East. He subsequently worked for six years with Dubai Holding and the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), where he advanced business development efforts in the Middle East energy sector. He is non-resident fellow at the Columbia University SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy, the author of two books, The Myth of the Oil Crisis, and Capturing Carbon and co-editor of Low Carbon Energy in the Middle East and North Africa. He holds a first-class degree in Geology from the University of Cambridge, and speaks five languages including Arabic.

Dominique van der Mensbrugghe is Research Professor and Director of the Center for Global Trade Analysis (GTAP) at Purdue University. As Director of GTAP he has responsibility for overall management of the development of the GTAP Data Base and Model, working with the GTAP Advisory Board, supervising the Center’s short courses, and organizing the annual GTAP Conference. His research focuses in analyzing economic policies of a global nature such as multilateral trade agreements and climate change and is an expert on global computable general equilibrium modeling. Prior to joining Purdue University in 2014, he worked at the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (1988-1998), the World Bank (1998-2011), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2011-2014). He has an undergraduate degree in mathematics from l’Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium and a PhD in economics from the University of California at Berkeley.

Sarah Najm is an Assistant Professor of Economics at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia and a Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Reading, United Kingdom. She is an economist working on energy, the environment, and social policy. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Reading and an M.Sc. Economics from the University of York. Her research interests include the role of institutions in generating unequal and paradoxical outcomes, whether environmental, social or fiscal. Her work appears in peer-reviewed journals, including Energy Economics and Energy Policy. Sarah’s current work extends to attitudes and well-being outcomes. 

Axel joined KAPSARC in 2011 after spending 15 years at IFP Energies Nouvelles. He has served in various positions at KAPSARC, including as program director and interim Vice President for Research. Axel has a proven track record of methodological innovations with around 50 journal papers to his name. His work has been published in the Energy Journal, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy, International Journal of Forecasting, Applied Economics, Economic Modelling, Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, European Journal of Operations Research, Journal of Alternative Investments, Resources Policy, OPEC Energy Review, and Applied Financial Economics.

Industrial Engineer, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, (1982). MofSc Energy Economics Institut d’Energie et de Politique de l’Energie (I.E.P.E.) of the University of Social Sciences of Grenoble, France (1987). Vice President of the Argentine Institute of Energy “General Mosconi”. President of the Latin American Association of Energy Economists (ALADEE). Associate Member of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) and former member of the Editorial Board of the IAEE Energy Journal. Energy specialist researcher at the Center for Global Climate Change Studies of the Torcuato Di Tella Institute (ITDT). Director of the Mendoza Energy Company (EMESA).

Andreas W. Schäfer is a Professor of Energy and Transport at the UCL Energy Institute, University College London, where he is also Director of the Air Transportation Systems Laboratory (ATSLab.org). Previously with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and the University of Cambridge. Advisory roles include the UK Airports Commission, the Aerospace Technology Institute, and the Industrial Strategy Challenge on Future Flight, among others. Schäfer holds a MSc in Aerospace Engineering and a PhD in Energy Systems Analysis / Energy Economics, both from the University of Stuttgart, Germany.

Ms. Radia Sedaoui is the Chief of Section, Economic Affairs, in the Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability Cluster of the UN Economic Social Commission of West Asia (ESCWA) since 2016. Ms. Radia is the President of the “Arab Energy Club”. Ms. Radia is an internationally recognized expert who bring more than 22 years of experience in oil and gas value chains and markets, carbon management, water-energy-food nexus, circular carbon economy, energy and economic policies, renewable energy and energy efficiency, energy modeling, economic diversification and climate change policies and technologies. Radia has a track record of technical and policy papers on energy market dynamics, climate change and sustainability. She also led numerous projects on sustainable energy and climate change. Ms. Radia previously served as Head Statistics and Gas Modeling Department at the Intergovernmental Organization of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Qatar and previously held several senior positions in Algeria with “Sonatrach” as Director of Strategy and Corporate, Head Portfolio management and member of the Board of Directors of Sonatrach affiliates in Upstream, Midstream and Trading.

Clay Seigle is the Director of Global Oil Service, Rapidan Energy Group. Clay has over 23 years’ experience in the energy industry. He most recently held senior management roles at energy intelligence firms Vortexa and Genscape. Previously, he was Energy Segment Lead at Maxar and served in several roles at IHS, including Director of its Global Oil Service. Prior to IHS, Clay was Senior Oil Market Analyst at Enron and an Analyst at the US Department of Energy.

Amrita Sen is the Founder and Director of Research at Energy Aspects, a global research house that advises over 500 companies globally on energy markets and geopolitics. Amrita leads Energy Aspects’ forecasts and analysis of crude and oil products markets, and she also delivers expertise in natural gas and energy transition analytics. Amrita’s deep understanding of the complex relationships within the global energy sector, her wealth of industry contacts, and nearly 15 years of market experience enable her to have a unique perspective on international energy markets. She advises central bankers, OPEC+ oil ministers with close relations to the GCC, and CEOs of oil companies around the world. She holds a PhD from the University of London, an MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University, and a BSc in Economics from the University of Warwick. She was formerly Chief Oil Analyst for Barclays Capital and is frequently featured in leading media outlets. She has served as a research fellow at both the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies and the Atlantic Council and is currently a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Amrita is regarded as a leading authority on oil markets and is a sought-after speaker for top industry conferences.

Adnan Shihab-Eldin, Senior Visiting Research Fellow -OIES, is a member of the Board of Directors of Kearney Energy Transition Institute (Nederland) and Gulf Bank. Adnan Shihab-Eldin is former Director General of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (2011-2021) and former Acting Secretary General and Director of Research at OPEC. He held earlier senior Director positions at both UNESCO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In Kuwait, he served as Director General of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and Vice President, academic Affairs, and faculty member at Kuwait University. He continues to teach, and publish research papers and articles in the physical and engineering sciences, as well as energy policy, technology and economics. He is a member of many International Boards of Directors and intern Advisory Councils (IAC), including, recently, the IAC of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KASPARC), the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Georgetown University, Qatar (GU-Q) as well as a member of the Standing Advisory Group on Nuclear Applications (SAGNA), IAEA. He is a recipient of many prestigious international awards and honors.

Adam Sieminski was appointed Senior Advisor to the KAPSARC Board of Trustees in August 2021. Prior to this, he was the president of KAPSARC for three years. Before joining KAPSARC, Mr. Sieminski held the James R. Schlesinger Chair for Energy and Geopolitics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Prior to that, he was a non-resident senior advisor to the CSIS Energy and National Security Program. He also served as the administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) from 2012 to 2017 and was the senior director for energy and environment on the staff of the United States National Security Council.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Sieminski was Deutsche Bank’s chief energy economist and the senior energy analyst for NatWest Securities. In 2006, he was appointed to the National Petroleum Council (NPC), where he helped co-author NPC’s global oil and gas study.

Mr. Sieminski’s membership of leading policy and research organizations includes the roles of senior fellow and former president of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics, and president of the U.S. National Association of Petroleum Investment Analysts.

He formerly served as an advisory board member of the Global Energy and Environment Initiative at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, as chairman of the Supply-Demand Committee of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, and as a member of the Strategic Energy Task Force of the Council on Foreign Relations.

He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and holds both an undergraduate degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in public administration from Cornell University.

James Smith, Executive Vice President, IAEE, has specialized in energy studies since receiving his PhD in economics from Harvard University in 1977 and has published many scholarly articles on the oil and gas industry. Smith currently serves as co-editor of The Energy Journal – the flagship journal of the International Association for Energy Economics, and as President of the International Association for Energy Economics. In addition to the academic services he provided to the students at Southern Methodist University, Smith frequently provides consulting services to energy companies, regulatory agencies, and government officials, in the US and abroad.

Mr. Terazawa was appointed as Chairman and CEO of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan in July 2021. Before joining IEEJ, he supported the then Minister Yasutoshi NISHIMURA as the Senior Advisor of the Cabinet Office between January and June 2021 to assist the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the formulation of the Growth Strategy including the Japanese “Green New Deal”. Earlier, he served at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan where he held leading positions including the Vice-Minister for International Affairs. In this role, he assisted the then Prime Minister Shinzo ABE, participating in many of the meetings with the leaders of the world. He also played a crucial role in the coordination for the 2019 G20 Osaka Summit. Through June 2011 to December 2012, he served as the Executive Secretary to the then Prime Minister Yoshihiko NODA. During this period, he assisted the Prime Minister on the Government’s multiple challenges to deal with the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. He is the Senior Specially Appointed Professor at the Tokyo University of Science, teaching international negotiations. He is a graduate of the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law. He also studied at Harvard University in the United States, where he earned MBA in 1990.

Geetam Tiwari is the MoUD Chair Professor for Transport Planning at the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Delhi. She obtained a Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy, and a Ph.D. in Transport Planning and Policy, from the University of Illinois, Chicago. She has received the degree of Doctor of Technology honoris causa from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden in 2012. She has been Adlerbretska Guest Professor for sustainable urban transport at the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden 2007-2010. She has been working in the area of traffic and transport planning and traffic safety focusing on pedestrians, bicycles and bus systems. Tiwari has worked with city, state and national government in India on public transport and road safety projects. Her work has been supported by Volvo research and Education Foundations, International Association of Traffic Safety Sciences, Japan, and European Union and National Institute of Health, USA. She continues to collaborate with Cambridge University, University of Chicago, Capetown University, IFSTTAR, France. She has over 100 publications in peer reviewed journals, has co-edited four books on transport planning and safety. She is editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion since 2009. She is on the editorial board of Journal of Transport and Health, Journal of Safety Research. She is on the board of SLoCAT, an international NGO promoting low carbon transport systems, IATSS forum and LEAD India promoting leadership in sustainable development. She chairs subcommittee in Indian Roads congress, independent director on the board of Urban Mass Transit Company, India and Innovative Transport Solutions (ITRANS), India.

Daniel Yergin is a highly respected authority on energy, international politics, and economics, and a Pulitzer Prize winner. He is Vice Chairman of S&P Global, with 35,000 employees around the world, and is chairman of S&P Global’s CERAWeek conference, which CNBC has called “the Super Bowl of energy”. Time Magazine said, “If there is one man whose opinion matters more than any other on global energy markets, it’s Daniel Yergin.” The New York Times described Daniel Yergin as “America’s most influential energy pundit.” Yergin’s new book The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations is described by NPR as “a master class on how the world works”, by the London Sunday Times as a “wonderful book” and, in The Washington Post, as “a tour de force of geopolitical understanding.”. It is a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Yergin is the author of the bestseller The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World, described as “a fantastic book” by Bill Gates in his review. Yergin’s book The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil Money and Power was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, was a number one New York Times bestseller, and has been translated into 20 languages. He co-authored Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy, of which the Wall Street Journal said “No one could ask for a better account of the world’s political and economic destiny since World War II.” Both The Prize and The Commanding Heights were made into multi-hour television series for PBS and BBC. Yergin is a member of the board of the Council on Foreign Relations, a senior trustee of the Brookings Institution, and a member of the Dallas Federal Reserve’s Energy Advisory Council and of the Energy Think Tank of the government of India. of India. He served on the U.S. Secretary of Energy Advisory Board under four presidents and, for a decade, was a member of the Singapore International Energy Panel. He holds a BA from Yale University and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University, where he was a Marshall Scholar.