Speakers
H.E. Dr Abdul-Hussain Bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Oil & Gas Affairs, Chairman,National Oil & Gas Authority, Bahrain
H.E. Dr Abdul-Hussain Bin Ali Mirza is the Minister of Oil & Gas Affairs and Chairman of The National Oil and Gas Authority. Prior to his post, he served as Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of State. His Excellency is the chairman of The Oil & Gas Holding Company, Bapco Board and Tatweer Petroleum. His experience in the oil industry and The Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) spans over 47 years entrusted with many executive positions such as General Manager Administration, General Manager Services, Corporate Secretary to the Board of Directors and Acting Chief Executive. For more than 25 years, Dr Mirza had been a member of Bapco’s Executive Committee, playing a vital role in articulating the Bapco’s strategies. His Excellency was appointed previously by His Majesty the King as a member of the 2001/2002 Shura Council. He was a member of the Supreme Oil Council which was chaired by H.H. the Prime Minister. Dr Mirza was awarded a PhD Doctorate in Management Change from Middlesex University in London.
John Kilani, Director, Sustainable Development Mechanisms Programme, UNFCCC Secretariat
Dr John Kilani joined the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC) as Director of the Sustainable Development Mechanisms (SDM) Programme in August 2008. He joined the UNFCCC from Qatar Petroleum, bringing with him over 28 years of professional working experience in academic and industry. Dr Kilani was actively involved in climate change negotiations from 1988 to 2008, mainly as part of the South African delegation. In 2001, Dr Kilani was elected, to serve in the CDM Executive Board. During his 5-year membership of the Board, he served as Chairman for one year. Dr Kilani has also held some high profile appointments, such as non Executive Director in the Board of Johannesburg Water, Chairman of the first Provincial Environmental Council in South Africa (the Mpumalanga Environmental Council); and member of the Gauteng Development Tribunal.
Massamba Thioye, Manager of the Standard Setting Unit, UNFCCC
Mr Thioye is a Senior Energy and Environmental Specialist and is currently the Manager of the Standard Setting Unit, Sustainable Development Mechanisms (SDM) Programme, UNFCCC. His previous experiences within the energy sector include, Director of Operations and Industrial Director, Methodology Panel member, The CDM EB, Accreditation Panel member, CDM EB, Accreditation Panel member, JISC, World Bank Consultant on CDM-related studies. Mr Thioye is the co-author of World Bank edited book, “Low-carbon Energy Projects for Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Unveiling the Potential, Addressing the Barriers”. His past papers contributed to ‘National Policies and Their Linkages to Negotiations over a Future International Climate Change Agreement’. Mr Thioye is a Graduate Process Engineer and PhD on Energy (France).
Mohammed Hamel, Senior Advisor, OPEC
Mohamed Hamel is currently Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He was Head, Energy Studies Department, from May 2002 to May 2009. Before joining OPEC, he was with Sonatrach, the Algerian National Oil and Gas Company, where he spent most of his career. He started in 1983 as an engineer within the production division. He moved in 1988 to the exploration division, as Director in charge of geology, geophysics and well evaluation. In 1993, he joined the corporate centre, as Director Economics and Planning. In 1998, he became Vice-President in charge of Strategy, Planning and Economics. Mohammed Hamel graduated from the “Ecole Polytechnique” of Paris, France, in 1979 and from the “Ecole des Mines de Paris” in 1981.
H.E. Abbas Ali Naqi, Secretary General, OAPEC
H.E Abbas Ali Naqi, OAPEC Secretary General since March 2008 till now, has an extensive background in the field of energy policy. Major positions previously held by H.E prior to joining OAPEC included: Undersecretary, Ministry of Oil, Assistant Undersecretary for Economic Affairs, and Vice-President of UNFCCC (COP 2) – representing Asia. Other positions held by H.E, were: Head, the Joint Executive Committee (Al-Khafji Joint Operations JEC), Kuwait’s representative on OAPEC’s Executive Bureau, Head of Kuwaiti National Committee on Climate Change, Member of the Kuwaiti delegation to the Ministerial OPEC, OAPEC and GCC Conferences, Head of the Kuwaiti delegation to the OPEC long-term strategy committee, Member of the Kuwaiti delegation to the U.N. Committee for Sustainable Development (CSD) and WTO. H.E was on the board of directors of several Kuwaiti oil companies and institutions, namely, KPC, KNPC, KOC, KGOC and KISR. He was also on the board of the following Pan Arab institutions APICORP, AMPTC. He is currently a member of the Arab Energy Club (AEC), and on the Board of Governors of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and Vice Chair special responsibility for Gulf States & Middle East World Energy Council (WEC) as well as a member of the Kuwait – Japan businessmen dialogue.
Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Yvo de Boer has been the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC since 2006. Before joining the UNFCCC, he was Director for International Affairs of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment of the Netherlands. Prior to his position as Executive Secretary, Mr de Boer has served as Vice-President of the Conference of Parties to UNFCCC and as Vice-Chair of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
Dr Abdullah M Al-Shehri, Governor & Former Vice Governor for Regulatory Affairs,Electricity & Co-Generation Regulatory Authority
Dr Al-Shehri is an ex-Member of the Shura Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and ex-Dean of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM). Dr Al-Sheri received his PhD Degree from Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA, in 1985, in the area of power systems. He obtained his MSC and BSc degrees in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, in 1980 and 1978 respectively. Dr Al-Shehri has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in electrical power systems analysis and planning and has been actively involved in both basic and applied research in the area of power systems. He was a member in the research team which conducted the "Feasibility Study for Interconnecting the Electric Power Systems in the GCC States" and the "Feasibility of Interconnecting the Power Systems in the Mashreq Arab Countries". In addition, he was the principal investigator of several studies in the fields of Power System Analysis, Electric Energy Conservation, Power Quality, Renewable Energy and Co-generation. Dr Al-Shehri published more than 80 papers and articles in international and local scientific journals and conference proceedings.
Dr Eion Turnbull, Deputy Chief Executive (Refining & Marketing), The Bahrain Petroleum Company BSC
Dr Eion Turnbull is the Deputy Chief Executive, Refining and Marketing for Bapco, the national oil company of Bahrain. He is a chemical engineer who, over the span of his 30-year career, has worked in a variety of capital and energy intensive industries from iron and steel through to petrochemicals and hydrocarbons. Dr Eion Turnbull has also had the privilege of working in a variety of cultural settings and has observed the universal concern for minimising our impact on the environment.
Bernie Patterson, General Manager Middle East, AES International Consultants
Mr Patterson is the General Manager Middle East of AES International Consultants. He is a graduate from the University of Calgary, Alberta Canada and holds a BSc in Biology. Mr Patterson has over twenty nine years of experience in the Canadian and International oil and gas operations. He has a broad set of science skills in environmental, safety/risk management, emergency response, regulatory, public/community relations and corrosion control/mitigation. He has developed risk management programs in identifying issues and managing operational HSE and emergency response programs. He has extensive experience in developing, implementing and participating in public and community communication programs. Mr Patterson has participated and provided multi-discipline expert testimony in defence of corporate programs on Emergency Response, Corrosion, Risk, Environment, and Community Consultation Programs during four separate Alberta Energy and Utility Board Hearings involving controversial sour gas developments in populated areas in Alberta Canada. He has resided in Qatar for the last 6 years, employed by Qatar Petroleum and most recently with AES.
Dr Fareed M Al-Yagout, President, National Power Company
Dr Fareed graduated at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) with a BSc degree in Applied Mechanical Engineering and master Degree in Business Administration, also enrolled for PhD Program in University of Science in Malaysia. In a career spanning more than 25 years in the Power and Desalination Sector, he has worked in the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) before assuming his present position as the President of the National Power Company (NPC) since 2003. Dr Fareed is a Board Member for the National Power Company (NPC), Jubail Energy Company (JEC) and Industrial Gases Company (IGC), and is also a technical advisor for Al-Zamil Group Holding Company. Dr Fareed is active of various social activities, both national and international; Executive Director for Al Basar International Foundation (the World Health Organisation programs for Blindness prevention in Asia and Africa), Board member for Isra University in Pakistan and Al-Ihsan University in Bangladesh, and Board member for Makkah Ophthalmology College in Sudan.
Andrew Newbery, Partner, Herbert Smith LLP
Andrew established the firm’s climate change and sustainable development group, C2SD. He is recognised as a leading renewable energy expert and project finance lawyer. Andrew's involvement in the renewable energy sector began in the early nineties when he advised on the development and financing of wind farms and landfill gas projects in the UK. He subsequently advised on standardising the UK offshore wind farm documentation, as well as advising on major wind farm and other renewable energy projects across Europe. Andrew recently advised Hydrogen Energy on plans to build a hydrogen fired power plant with associated carbon capture and storage facilities as part of Abu Dhabi's multi-billion dollar Masdar initiative; and on a number of solar projects in Europe.
Adel Ahmed Albuainain, General Manager, Dolphin Energy – Qatar
With over 30 years experience in the oil and gas industry, Adel was appointed General Manager Dolphin Energy Qatar in August 2007. He oversees all of Dolphin Energy’s activities in the State of Qatar, including the offshore gas wells and twin production platforms, and the Dolphin Gas Processing Plant at Ras Laffan Industrial City. Prior to his appointment, Adel served as Vice President – Projects and Site Support in Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge), having been seconded from ADNOC. Mr Albuainain has held various project, engineering, safety, operations, and senior management positions in that time. He has also held a number of senior positions in the operations of ADNOC refineries between 1980 and 1998.
Ahmad O Al-Khowaiter, Director of New Business Evaluation Development, Saudi Aramco
Mr Ahmad Al Khowaiter is Director of New Business Evaluation Development at Saudi Aramco. Prior to this he was Interim Vice President for Economic Development at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Mr Al-Khowaiter has received a BSc and Masters in Chemical Engineering and an MBA as a Sloan Fellow from MIT in 2005. He joined Saudi Aramco in 1984, and worked for the company in various technical roles in the oil and gas production organizations, ranging from design, project management, commissioning, to operation. He has served on the board of directors of the Petron Corporation, the largest oil company in the Philippines.
Johann Van Aartsen, Senior Process Engineer, Veolia - VWS Oil & Gas
Johann Van Aartsen started his career in 1994 as a Consulting Engineer in municipal and industrial water treatment processes. During the last 13 years he has specialised in the design, construction and commissioning of industrial waste water, re-use water and process water treatment plants. Johann graduated as a Chemical Engineer from the University of Pretoria in South Africa and has a post-graduate degree in Water Utilisation from the same academic institution.
Willy H Olsen, Senior Advisor, INTSOK & The CWC Group Limited
Mr Olsen joined Statoil in 1980 after 15 years in journalism. During his time at Statoil he held a number of senior positions, including Managing Director of Statoil UK and Head of Statoil's activities in the former Soviet Union. Willy Olsen has an in-depth knowledge of the role of NOCs. He has been a member of various advisory boards on Caspian and Russia, and a Governor in the Board of Oxford Energy Institute. Mr Olsen is now the Senior Advisor to INTSOK, a foundation owned by the Norwegian government and Norwegian oil industry. INTSOK is coordinating the efforts of expanding the internationalisation of the Norwegian petroleum cluster. He is an Associate Fellow of Chatham House in London and member of the Governing Board of Revenue Watch Institute in New York and has in recent years worked with Governments and national oil companies in several oil producing countries.
Dr Sabeur Mansar, General Manager, CO2, Qatar Shell Service Company
Sabeur Mansar is an Oil and Gas professional with 16 years experience within the industry split between technical and commercial roles. He worked in France, The Netherlands, the UK, the UAE and Qatar where he is currently located. Sabeur started his oil business career in 1994 with Total in France. He later joined Shell in 1997 as a Geophysicist. After 4 years spent in technical roles, he took on more commercial and business roles dealing with strategy and business development activities. He was a key contributor to Shell’s return to Libya through a major integrated gas project that was signed in May 2005. Over the past 3 years, Sabeur was mainly involved with CO2 management activities as a response to the Energy Challenge and to mitigate Climate Change. Sabeur was educated in France and holds a PhD in Geophysics and Signal Processing. He is an alumnus of London Business School and Windsor Leadership Trust.
Paul Bryant, Director Hydrogen Power Abu Dhabi (HPAD), BP Hydrogen Power
Paul is the senior BP leader accountable for delivery of the HPAD project in Abu Dhabi. Prior to this was a Director at Hydrogen Energy where he was responsible for all business and project development in the Eastern Hemisphere having originated the JV in 2007. Paul first got involved in CCS as a founding member of the BP Decarbonised Fuels Business in 2005 and has played a leading role in all projects since, including; Peterhead, Bakersfield and Kwinana.Paul joined BP in 1980 and spent his early career developing as a professional engineer through key project roles supporting BP’s E&P and Chemical businesses. Paul has an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering and became a Chartered Mechanical Engineer in 1991. Prior to transitioning into commercial, Paul was the Senior Engineering Manager at Sunbury Research Centre responsible for all of BP Chemicals research activities globally. Since 1994, Paul has occupied senior commercial and leadership roles in BP, including; Commercial Manager - Alliance Gas (London), Senior Gas Negotiator (Aberdeen), Country Manager (Saudi Arabia), Commercial Manager Gas & Power (London), Upstream Marketing Manager (London) and Strategy & Planning Manager (London).
Khalid Abuleif, Coordinator – Environmental Coordination Division, Saudi Aramco
Mr Khalid Abuleif studied Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering at the University of Houston where he obtained his BS in 1986 and MS in 1988. In 1989, he joined the presidency for Meteorology and Environment (PME) as an environmental engineer. During his stay in PME, he directed the Pollution Control Department, developed the institutional framework for the Ministerial Committee on Environment and participated actively in the international environmental processes including the negotiations of the climate change convention and the preparations for the Earth Summit. In 1997, Mr Abuleif joined Saudi Aramco where he currently works as an engineering Consultant in the Environmental Coordination Division/Environmental Protection Department. During his stay with Saudi Aramco, Khalid continued to follow the negotiations on international environmental agreements as a member of the Kingdom’s delegation to the climate change regime and the UN Commission for Sustainable Development.
Christophe Mariot, Regional Head of Structure Finance, BNP Paribas
Mr Mariot is the Regional Head of Structured Finance BNP Paribas-GCC. Mr Mariot got involved in high profile projects in the Gulf over the past 10 years. Among his successful transactions: Al Hidd II first ECA/Islamic and Dolphin US $1bn Islamic tranche (lead and documentation bank), US $1bn refinery revamp financing for Bapco (structurer, Euromoney Project Finance Islamic Deal of the Year Award in 2006), the 1,000MW IPP program for the Bahraini government: Al Ezzel, Al Hidd IWPP and Al Dur IWPP (co-team leader on the advisory mandate). Mr Mariot is part of the Management Executive Committee in BNP Paribas GCC.
Dr Charles F M Kingdon, Director, Research Park & Industry Collaboration, Economic Development, KAUST
Five years as Assoc VP for Technology Partnerships at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, Dr Kingdon was responsible for fostering research partnerships among the University and academic, corporate, public, government, and venture communities. Dr Kingdon focused on intellectual property and technology-related partnerships that furthered the societal impact and reach of the university's research. Research partners included the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, the local hospital network, Rhode Island research centres, and the local business community in New England. Significant areas of research interest include alternative and green energy, life sciences, marine biology, and metrology. Five years of international consultancy with Arthur D Little.
Rob Ruse, Resident Director, Atkins
Rob is the Resident Director of Atkins in Bahrain and currently manages design and engineering activity in the Northern Gulf, a business that has been responsible for some of the region’s most prestigious projects including the Durrat Al Bahrain development, the Bahrain Bay Development and the award-winning Bahrain World Trade Center. A chartered engineer with over 20 years experience in mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) design and project management, Rob has an international portfolio across a broad range of built environment sectors. He was part of the project team behind the Bahrain World Trade Center, the world’s first example of industrial turbines incorporated into a commercial building, producing 11-15% of the towers’ energy.
Vahid Fotuhi, Director, BP Solar Middle East
Vahid Fotuhi is BP Solar’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa region. Based in the UAE, Vahid is accountable for developing solar power partnerships with governments in the MENA region. He is also the primary point of contact for corporate clients in the region. From 2004-07, Vahid was based in Algeria where he was in charge of government and public affairs (GPA). With the help of his team and a budget of $1 million, Vahid put in place a sustainable development program based on BP’s ‘win-win’ policy. One of the projects involved a world-scale carbon capture initiative at BP’s gas production facility in the Saharan Desert. The scheme not only provided Algeria with valuable carbon credits but also had immense environmental benefits. The CO2 being removed was equivalent to taking 250,000 cars off the road every year. Over the past decade, Vahid has also held managerial roles with Energy Intelligence, World Economic Forum in Davos and Transparency International. Vahid holds an MS in Energy Economics from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and BA in Economics and Political Science from McGill University. He is a Founding Member of the Middle East Renewable Energy Forum (MEREF) and the Emirates Solar Industry Association (ESIA).
Awf M Salie, Advisor, Privatization & Outsourcing Directorate, Ministry of Finance
Mr Salie is a very senior person at the Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Bahrain. Currently he works in the Privatization and Outsourcing Directorate, as a Senior Advisor. The Privatization and Outsourcing Directorate deals with all privatizations in the Kingdom and implements all privatizations, and works towards making the private sector the engine of growth in the Kingdom. He is an Economist, a Chartered Banker, a Chartered Management Accountant, and Chartered Marketer. His long association with the Ministry of Finance has enabled him to work on strategic choices for the economy, creation of strategic institutions, Strategic Project development and financing. He has also worked with International institutions, and been involved in Government Bond issues etc. Current privatization projects relate to all sectors, and include sale of Government projects, Private Public Partnerships and Private Finance Initiatives.