Energy has increasingly become about “transition” as a consequence of material impacts of climate change. A lower carbon emitting global economy is being cemented into the energy dialogue and the resultant policy frameworks. But improving the emissions efficiency of fossil fuels and reducing their share of the overall energy mix creates a new often divisive politics of energy use and energy policy.
The purpose of this session is to help recognize the parameters of the inescapable debate between various constituencies based on geographic differences in consumption patterns, resource endowments and levels of economic development. First, hydrocarbon producing nations have an inherently different view than hydrocarbon consuming countries. Second, economic development differences create competing importance of energy equity considerations. Third, even within countries that are both major producers and major consumers of fossil fuels, regional debates are gaining prominence.
We are joined by two keynote speakers: Rick Duke, Senior Director and White House Liaison for Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, and Fahad Alajlan, president of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). Please note Dr. Jonathan Pershing, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate at the U.S. Department of State, cannot join us. We will then follow with a panel discussion for more regional perspectives. Louise Burke, president of The Energy Forum board of directors, will moderate the discussion.
This event will be a virtual session via Zoom from 12:00 until 1:30 PM EST. Additional details will be provided to registered attendees prior to the session.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Richard (Rick) Duke
Rick Duke serves as a Senior Director and White House Liaison for Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. He was recently a consultant and Brookings senior fellow. He served as Special Assistant to President Obama, helping to craft and implement the Climate Action Plan, including defining the 2025 emissions reduction target for the Paris Agreement, spearheading an interagency push for the Kigali Amendment on HFCs to the Montreal Protocol, and authoring the U.S. Mid-Century Strategy for deep decarbonization.
Previously, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Energy and worked at NRDC and McKinsey. He holds a Ph.D. from Princeton.
Fahad Alajlan
Engineer 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.
PANELISTS
Philippe Roos
Philippe Roos is a Senior Reporter for Energy Intelligence. He also maintains the EI’s energy transition data, focusing on the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and power markets. As the Subject Matter Specialist for Alternative Energy, Mr. Roos’ specific areas of energy expertise lie within power and power marketing, including both renewables and conventional fuels such as gas and coal. Mr. Roos has spent most of his career within the energy and financial sectors. Prior to joining Energy Intelligence, he served as an Energy and Finance Specialist at the World Bank where he worked on a solar scale-up investment program in the Middle East and North Africa, including the preparation of the landmark Noor 1 project in Morocco. Mr. Roos also worked as Senior Energy and Industry Specialist at Crédit Agricole, serving as a primary internal expert on the global power sector, and as a researcher at the Paris School of Mines. Mr. Roos holds an MSc in Engineering, an MSc in Metallurgy and Materials Science and a PhD in Industrial Economics, all from the Paris School of Mines.
Victor Gao
Victor Gao is Chair Professor of Soochow University, Chairman of China Energy Security Institute; Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization; a member of the Beijing Energy Club; a Member of the Global Counsel of Asia Society in New York City; a member of the International Advisory Board of the Energy Intelligence Group in London; an advisor to Saudi Aramco and a member of the Board of Directors of several listed companies in Hong Kong.
Victor Gao has extensive experience in government, diplomacy, securities regulation, legal, investment banking, PE, corporate management and media. Victor was Deng Xiaoping’s English interpreter in the 1980s. Victor served as the China Policy Advisor at the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission in 1999 and 2000. Victor’s prior investment banking experience included senior positions with Morgan Stanley (Vice President of Morgan Stanley Asia, in the Merger, Acquisition and Restructuring Department), CICC (General Manager of the Investment Banking Department, Head of M&A Practice, and Head of CICC Hong Kong Investment Banking Department) and Daiwa Securities (Co-Chairman of China, Executive Vice President and Managing Director). Victor’s corporate management experience included senior positions with CNOOC Limited as its Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Company Secretary, Member of the Investment Committee, and Director of CNOOC International and with major Hong Kong companies including PCCW and Henderson Land Group.
Over the years, Victor Gao worked on many major M&A, IPO, CB, Bond Issues and other corporate advisory assignments with a combined value in excess of US$100 billion, including in TMT, oil and gas, automobile, banking, insurance, building materials, consumer goods, aviation, satellite communications, and new and renewable energy.
Victor holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, a M.A. in International Relations from the Political Science Department of Yale Graduate School, an M.A. in English from Beijing University of Foreign Studies, and a B.A. in English from Suzhou University, and is a licensed attorney-at-law in the State of New York. Since 2004, Victor has been the Chairman of the Yale Law School Association of China.
MODERATOR
Louise Burke
Louise Burke is President, Energy Forum Advisory Board and is currently working for Argus Media on strategic business initiatives for the company. Prior to this, Ms. Burke was Executive Director of the Energy Forum, and president of J.C. Energy, an energy consulting firm. She has worked extensively in the energy sector analyzing pricing and markets for Mobil Oil Canada, Alberta Energy Company and Petroleos DeVenezuela. In addition, as Vice-President, Marketing for the New York Mercantile Exchange, she supervised major energy and metals futures and options product launches and was closely involved in the successful growth of energy commodity markets. Ms Burke has also been affiliated with the SIPA energy program at Columbia University, New York as an instructor in the area of petroleum markets trading since 2008. Ms. Burke holds a BA honors economics degree from the University of Alberta and an MBA from New York University.
PROGRAM
12:00 - 12:30 PM: Keynote Speakers
12:30 - 1:30 PM: Panel Discussion and Q&A
COST
This session is complimentary for all registrants. Registration is required for event link details.
QUESTIONS
We would be pleased to answer any questions you might have about The Energy Forum, Inc. or about this session. For updates, follow us on twitter @NYEnergyForum