Thomas Robert Benedict Hurd, CB, OBE, is a British public servant and expert in homeland security, diplomacy, and artificial intelligence. Since 2021, he has headed Zeki Data, a company he founded to advise governments and corporations on AI strategy.

From 2016 to 2021, Hurd served as the United Kingdom’s senior advisor on homeland security, and in 2020 he founded and led the Joint Biosecurity Centre, which played a key role in the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Earlier in his career, he held senior positions at the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Cabinet Office, and served as a diplomat in Jordan, Poland, Jerusalem, and at the United Nations in New York. Before entering public service, he worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston.

Hurd has been awarded the Order of the Bath (CB) and the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Parviz Shahbazov was born in Baku on November 24, 1969. He studied at Azerbaijan State Oil Academy, 1986-1992, and did military service in 1988-1989.He worked as an attaché in the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Federal Republic of Germany during the period of 1992-1996 and served as the Second Secretary, First Secretary, Head of Division for Europe, and Deputy Head of the Department for Europe, United States of America and Canada of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan during the period 1996-2001. He then served as Advisor and Chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Austria during the period 2001-2005. He was the Chairman of the Security Cooperation Forum of the OSCE in 2005. After that, he was appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Federal Republic of Germany in 2005 and served in this position till 2016. He served as the Ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan during the period 2016-2017. He was appointed as the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 12, 2017. He is fluent in Azerbaijani (native), Russian, English and German. He is married and has two children.

Dr. Viriato Luís Soares Cassamá is a distinguished leader in environmental governance and climate policy, currently serving as the Minister of Environment, Biodiversity, and Climate Action of Guinea-Bissau since December 2023. Prior to this role, he was the Counselor to the President of the Republic for Environmental and Climate Affairs, following a successful tenure as Minister of Environment and Biodiversity from 2020 to 2023. Earlier, he held the position of General Director of Environment from 2016 to 2020.

Dr. Cassamá holds a Ph.D. in Global Studies from the Open University of Lisbon (Portugal), a Master of Science in Geo-resources with a specialization in Natural Resources Management from the Technical University of Lisbon, and a Licenciatura (five-year degree) in Environmental Engineering from the New University of Lisbon. He also pursued studies in Chemistry and Petroleum Engineering at the Petroleum Academy of Baku (Azerbaijan).

Throughout his career, Dr. Cassamá has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing sustainable development and climate resilience. His extensive experience includes serving as Guinea-Bissau’s Focal Point and Chief Negotiator to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Coordinator of the REDD Working Group, and Focal Point for several key climate finance mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund, and the Climate Investment Fund.

He has led multiple national projects focused on environmental management and climate adaptation, including the UNDP/GEF-supported initiative to strengthen resilience in agricultural and water sectors. Dr. Cassamá has also represented Guinea-Bissau in the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and has been actively engaged as a researcher and representative for PALOPS (Portuguese-speaking African countries) on environmental issues.

With over two decades of high-level leadership and diplomatic engagement in environmental policy, Dr. Cassamá continues to play a pivotal role in shaping Guinea-Bissau’s sustainable future.

In the period 2000-2009 Iva Petrova worked at the Ministry of Energy, where in 2008 she became Director of Energy Markets and Restructuring Directorate. She was responsible for managing and monitoring energy projects financed under bilateral and multilateral programs, as well as for activities in the field of the establishment of efficient energy markets. Then, since February 2009 until the end of June 2010, she took the position of Director of Projects and Investment in the Bulgarian Energy Holding. Petrova has also worked as an independent evaluator of project proposals.

She is also a part-time assistant at the Faculty of Economics of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". Petrova graduated with Master’s degree in "Economics and Management" from the University of Sofia. She also graduated from the University of Birmingham, the United Kingdom. She has completed a number of specialized trainings in Japan, Belgium and Britain. She has been a partner in 3B Advisory Ltd., a company focused on management consulting in the energy sector.

Fluent in English, has good knowledge of Italian language.

• 2017–2018: Master’s degree in Political and European Governance Studies, College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium
• 2014–2016: Master’s degree in Diplomatic Techniques, University of Bucharest
• 2011–2014: Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and European Studies, University of Bucharest
• 2015: Erasmus semester at the University of Warsaw 

• Feb 2022 – Feb 2023: Energy Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Cabinet of the Republic of Moldova
• Nov 2020 – Jan 2022: Manager for European Policy and Legislation at National Grid, UK
• 2019 – 2020: Policy Advisor at ENTSOG (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas), Brussels
• 2018: Trainee in the Energy Team for EU Public Affairs at Weber Shandwick Public Affairs Consultancy, Brussels
• 2017: Blue Book Trainee at the European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, Innovation Unit, Brussels
• 2016 – 2017: Editor at Rompres News Agency, International News Department
• 2015 – 2016: Assistant Analyst at the Embassy of Denmark in Romania
• 2014 – 2015: Junior Analyst at Energy Policy Group, a think-tank in Bucharest 

• Renewable Energy Auctions: Spearheaded Moldova’s first renewable energy auction, offering 60 MW for solar and 105 MW for wind power, aiming to attract €190 million in private investment and increase the share of renewables in the national electricity mix by nearly 8%.
• Cross-Border Energy Integration: Advocated for the construction of the Suceava–Bălți 400 kV transmission line to connect Moldova’s grid with Romania’s, enhancing energy security and facilitating integration into the European power grid.
• Energy Efficiency Reforms: Implemented legislative changes to enable residents and local authorities to install solar panels, promoting decentralized renewable energy generation and improving energy efficiency in the residential sector.
• EU Energy Market Reform Collaboration: Collaborated with Ukraine to reform the EU electricity market, emphasizing joint efforts in decarbonization and energy security. 

• Romanian (native)
• English (TOEFL certified)
• French (DELF B2)
• Russian 

Ms. Atsuko Hirose became Deputy Secretary General of the Energy Charter Secretariat in September 2021. 

Ms. Hirose has over 30 years of international work experience in the government, the private sector and international organisations - in particular, she has 20 years of experience working at four international development financial institutions.

Most recently, Ms. Hirose was the Secretary and the Director, Office of the Secretary at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a United Nations agency headquartered in Rome, Italy. She was responsible for the relationship between IFAD and its member states, as well as the management and the operation of governance matters of IFAD's supervisory organs.

Prior to commencing her work at IFAD, Ms. Hirose worked at the legal department of many international financial institutions. She was Advisor at the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) based in Manila, the Philippines, where she initially joined as the Assistant General Counsel for Private Sector Operations. She also served briefly as a Senior Legal Consultant at the OGC of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Beijing, China.

Prior to joining ADB, Ms. Hirose worked at the Hong Kong office of Conyers Dill & Pearman, an offshore law firm, where she was involved in corporate and financing transactions in Asia, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, public listings, and investment funds.

Ms. Hirose was a Senior Counsel in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, where she acted as Team Leader in OGC. She was the lead counsel for numerous projects, with extensive involvement in structuring, negotiating and exiting loan and equity transactions.

Ms. Hirose worked as Senior Associate in Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP based in the New York, London and Tokyo offices and as Associate in O’Melveny & Myers LLP, USA, in the New York office.

Earlier in her career, she worked as Vice Consul in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in New York, USA, and as Government Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in Tokyo, Japan.

Ms. Hirose obtained her Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, from Harvard Law School, USA. She obtained her Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, USA; and her Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from Ochanomizu University, Japan.

Ms. Hirose is qualified as Attorney in the State of New York and as Solicitor in England and Wales. She is also a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London.

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

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

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

He has coordinated Bahrain's participation in a number of energy organizations, including WPC (now WPC Energy), the International Gas Union (IGU), the IEF, and OPEC.

With seven years of experience as Bahrain's representative on the Executive Board and nine years on the International Support Group of the International Energy Forum, Mr. Alshirawi brings in-depth knowledge of the organization he now leads.

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

Rebecca Fitz is a founding member of Boston Consulting Group’s Center for Energy Impact. She has advised major oil, gas, and other energy companies on various corporate and portfolio strategy, shareholder return, and investor strategy topics.

Rebecca’s work focuses on performance and sustainability issues in the energy sector, and competitive benchmarking in an evolving global energy system. She is deeply involved in the Energy practice’s total shareholder return and ESG (environment, social, and governance) engagements, and has worked with companies around the world on these issues.

Rebecca has over 15 years of energy industry experience. She previously worked at IHS and PFC Energy, where she led teams responsible for upstream strategy and competition research.

Rovshan Chingiz oglu Najaf was born on April 9, 1982 in Baku, Azerbaijan. In 1997, he went to the Faculty of International Economic Relations of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics. He graduated with honours from the bachelor’s program in 2001 and Master’s program in 2003. In 2007-2008 he successfully completed the Master’s program in Economic Policy Management / International Energy Management and Policy at Columbia University, USA within the framework of the SOCAR scholarship program.

He started his career in 2001 as a laboratory assistant at the Department of International Economic Relations and Marketing of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics. In 2003-2007, he worked as a consultant and senior adviser in the Investment Policy Unit of the Investment and International Economic Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In 2008-2009, he worked as the Head of the Investment Contracts Unit of the Investment Department of SOCAR. In 2009-2010, he was the Head of the Foreign Economic Relations Department and Assistant Minister of Economic Development at the Ministry of Economic Development. In 2010-2018, he worked as the Deputy Executive Director and Executive Director of “Azerbaijan Investment Company” OJSC.

He was appointed as the Head of the Innovative Development and e-Government Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Order issued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on May 11, 2018, as the Chairman of the Financial Monitoring Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Order issued on August 28, 2019, as the Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Order issued on February 11, 2020, as the First Deputy Minister of Economy by the Order issued on December 24, 2021. He was appointed as the First Vice President and Acting President of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Order issued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on February 10, 2022. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed an order on 21.07.22 on appointment of Rovshan Chingiz oglu Najaf as president of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR).

He holds a PhD in Economics, is the 3rd degree State Counsellor. Married, has two children.

Education:

Graduated from the Kazakh National Technical University named after Kanysh Satpayev with a degree in Oil and Gas Wells Drilling, and the University of International Business with a degree in Management.

Career:

Started his career in 2005 as a 3rd grade Oil and Gas Production Operator in Turgai Petroleum (Kyzylorda).

In 2006-2010 he worked in Main Dispatching Department of Oil and Gas Industry, where he was employed from Leading Specialist of Technical Regulation Department to the managerial position of Vice-President.

From 2010 - Principal Expert, Manager of State Control Monitoring and Analysis in the Technical Regulation and Metrology Committee of the RK Ministry of Industry and New Technologies.

In 2011 – 2019 he continued his career in the RK Ministry of Oil and Gas, where he was a Head of State Inspection and Permit Issuance Department in the Oil and Gas Industry State Inspection Committee, and later headed the Petrochemicals and Technical Regulation Department.

He then worked as a Managing Director in Oil Project Service (Almaty).

From 2019 to 2022, he held the post of Deputy CEO of KLPE (KazMunayGas Group).

In 2022 - 2024 – Vice Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

• Exploration and Production Executive Vice President
• Member of MOL Group’s Management Committee
• Member of the Management Board, INA

By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev dated July 28, 2023, Arzu Javadova was appointed as the vice president of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic.

In 1984, Arzu entered the Department of Geology and Exploration of the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemical Institute, which she graduated with honors in 1989. Javadova holds a PhD in geology/mineralogy. Javadova is author of more than 50 scientific publications and holds 2 patents from the Moscow State Institute of Crystallography on the subject of Hydrothermal methods of Crystal Growth..

Javadova’s career started at the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemical Institute in 1985 as a part-time laboratory assistant in the "General, Historical Geology and Hydrogeology" department of the Institute and followed in 1987-1988 in the "Geophysical prospecting methods" department, and then in 1989-1991 as an engineer at the "Oil and Gas Exploration" department. In 1990, Javadova started her postgraduate studies at the "Oil and Gas Exploration" department, which she graduated in 1994. In the same period until 1996, Javadova also worked as a full-time teacher at the "Oil and Gas Exploration" faculty of the same university. In 1996-1997, Javadova worked as an engineer at the "Azerineftinformatika" computing center of SOCAR, in 1997 as a geochemist-group lead at the central laboratory of the Offshore Oil and Gas Production Union. She then led Petroleum Geochemistry Group of the Offshore Oil and Gas Field Development Control Expedition.

In 1997-1999, Javadova was appointed as the chief geologist at the US "Frontera Resources" Oil Company, and in 1999-2003, she joined "Salyan Oil" LLC as the Senior/Development geologist, and in 2003-2007 "Delta Hess ACG" LLC as the senior geoscientist. Between 2007-2022, Javadova worked in the exploration department of "BP Exploration" (Caspian Sea Ltd.) as a senior geologist, group leader, geological exploration manager, hydrocarbon systems analyst.

Between 2022-2023, Javadova joined SOCAR as the chief geologist.

Dan has 25 years of industry experience, most of it in subsurface, focusing on unlocking difficult-to-extract resources. His experience includes assignments in production operations, wells, and subsurface, including offshore and other field sites in countries such as Canada, Brazil, the US, the UK, Norway, Indonesia, Australia, and India. His most recent role was vice president subsurface for the Asia-Pacific and India regions.

Dan holds a degree in petroleum engineering and is a professional engineer licensed in Alberta, Canada.

Stuart joined bp in 1998 and has since held a variety of operational and base production management roles across the North Sea, Alaska and Egypt.

Stuart has also led strategic transformation programmes and overseen the safe and efficient start-up of several bp major projects in the North Sea and Egypt.
Stuart has a master’s degree from the University of Manchester. 

Emmanuel de Guillebon has been working with TotalEnergies since 1992. He has a finance background. He held several position in corporate finance and projects financing in the Finance Division of the Company until 2001.

In 2001 he moved to the Exploration and Production branch in the New Ventures Division. He then held business and assets leadership positions in Venezuela and Indonesia.

In 2012 he was appointed Managing Director of TOTAL E&P Iraq.

In 2015 he continued hies carrier as deputy Vice President New Ventures for E&P and then Vice President South America Southern Cone.

In 2017, he took a position as Vice President in the Strategy and Innovation division of the Company.

In 2023 he was appointed Country Chair of TotalEnergies in Azerbaijan.

Stanislav Yankelevich is a Managing Director and Partner at the Boston Consulting Group’s Baku office. He joined BCG in 2016 and currently leads the firm’s climate and sustainability work for the energy sector in the Caspian region.

In addition to his deep expertise in climate and sustainability, Stanislav has advised leading energy companies on a broad range of topics, including strategy development, operational efficiency, large-scale corporate transformations, capital project management, and the creation of new business ventures.

His recent work in climate and sustainability has focused on supporting clients with green business model innovation, the development of decarbonization strategies, and the implementation of operational initiatives. This includes crafting long-term visions, designing asset and portfolio decarbonization plans, enabling growth through innovation, transforming operating models, and integrating new energy sources such as wind, solar, storage, and hydrogen.

Before joining BCG, Stanislav served as Head of Financial Control at a manufacturing plant and previously held various roles in financial advisory.

1993-1998: He held various positions at the American humanitarian organization Relief International.

1998: He worked as a coordinator for special projects in the oil company Unocal Khazar Ltd.

1998-1999: He worked as a manager at Mobile Exploration & Producing Azerbaijan Inc.

1999-2006: He worked as a deputy director and then director of the Azerbaijani Representation of the American humanitarian organization Relief International.

2006: He was appointed as the head of the management group of the “Program for providing secondary schools of the Republic of Azerbaijan with information and communication technologies” in the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

2008-2017: He worked as the head of the Department of Informatization of the Education System of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

2017-2019: He worked at Baku Engineering University

2019: He worked as a director at Enginet Invest LLC.

2021: He was appointed Acting Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies.

2022: He was appointed deputy minister of digital development and transport by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated May 24, 2022.

Elmir Musayev is a dynamic, results-oriented leader with over a decade of experience in the energy sector. As the General Director of SOCAR Green, he leads sustainable energy initiatives and drives their strategic growth across Azerbaijan.

Previously, Elmir served as the Head of Corporate Finance at Southern Gas Corridor CJSC (a SOCAR affiliate), where he oversaw the implementation of strategically significant projects for nearly nine years. His professional experience also includes roles at international companies, such as Holcim Azerbaijan, as well as international experience in the United States.

Elmir holds an MBA from Old Dominion University, where he also worked as a Graduate Assistant, and a Bachelor’s degree from the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy. Additionally, he studied Economics at Hochschule Bremen and is a CFA Charter holder.