Speakers

Speakers include industry, IHS, Jane's, Herold and CERA experts.


	IAN HISLOP Ian has edited Private Eye since 1986, taking over the helm from Richard Ingrams and steering it to ever greater commercial and satirical success. He is also known to millions as team captain on Have I Got News For You, which has won numerous awards, including a BAFTA for Best Light Entertainment. Ian has made countless television and radio appearances as panellist, essayist and presenter. Credits range from Newsnight Review, Question Time and University Challenge (‘The Professionals’), to series on the history of tax, the Victorians and Middle England. He has also taken part in Who Do You Think You Are? and presented The Lost Generation. As a writer, Ian progressed from Spitting Image to sketches for Harry Enfield and television plays for Maureen Lipman and Dawn French. He also co-wrote the family sitcom, My Dad’s The Prime Minister. Ian Hislop was honoured to receive the British Society of Magazine Editor’s highest award, The Editor’s Editor.

	LORD NICHOLAS STERN of Brentford, Kt, FBA Lord Nicholas Stern made headline news around the world and became an instant household name when he published his critically acclaimed and long awaited 700 page ground breaking ‘Stern Review’ into the economic impact of climate change. A former chief economic advisor to the UK government he was also the chief economist and Senior Vice-President of the World Bank from 2000 to 2003. He also played a key role in Europe’s economic development as the chief economist and senior advisor to the Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Lord Stern was a lecturer at Cambridge University from 1970 to 1977, and served as a Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick from 1978 to 1987. He taught from 1986 to 1993 at the London School of Economics, becoming the Sir John Hicks Professor of Economics, a role which he still occupies to this day.

	JON HUTTON — Director of the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre Professor Jon Hutton is Director of the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre based in Cambridge, UK. In this position, which is the most senior biodiversity post within the UN, Jon has executive authority for the Centre and its 50 staff. Jon has wide experience in many aspects of international wildlife conservation, including CITES and wildlife trade, protected area management, community-based conservation, the sustainable use of natural resources and the relationship between conservation and poverty. In recognition of this he is a member of the Steering Committee of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission and for more than three years chairs its Sustainable Use Specialist Group. Jon lived and worked in Zimbabwe from 1977 until 1998. After receiving his doctorate from the University of Zimbabwe in 1984 he held a number of senior management positions in Zimbabwe, encompassing the government, NGO and private sectors. During this period he gained important professional experience, ranging from the management of zoological collections through field ecology, practical wildlife management and conservation policy to integrated land-use planning, institution-building, programme management, public awareness and fund-raising. From 1998 until 2005 he was head of Fauna & Flora International's Africa Programme and Director of ResourceAfrica. During his career, Jon has published over 50 scientific and technical papers, including work on sustainable use, land use and planning, institutional issues, and conservation policy. Jon retains strong academic interests and is currently a Senior Member of Hughes Hall College, University of Cambridge and carries the title of Honorary Professor of Sustainable Resource Use with the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology. By balancing his management duties and policy interests he continues to make an important contribution to biodiversity conservation in general, as well as to conservation practice in Africa in particular.

	IVAN SANDREA Ivan is the Head of Strategy for International Exploration & Production (E&P) in StatoilHydro. Prior to this he was the principal oil supply and industry analyst for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna. Past positions include Vice President of Oil and Gas Research for Merrill Lynch in London and exploration geologist for British Petroleum International in Venezuela, Norway, and Egypt. Mr. Sandrea is the author of several publications, regularly collaborates with various international institutions in oil and gas research, and has represented OPEC in the UN in efforts to reclassify global oil and gas resources. He holds a BS in geology from Baylor University, an MS in petroleum geology, and an MBA from Edinburgh University. Mr. Sandrea was born in Venezuela.

	ROBERT GILLON — Senior Vice President, Co-Director of Equity Research, Herold Bob co-manages Herold's Equity Research group. He is responsible for Herold Oil & Gas Perspectives and is the editor of the Herold Energy Investment Outlook. Bob also covers a number of North American companies. His prior experience includes six years in exploration geology and geophysics with Phillips Petroleum and seventeen years as a geological and financial consultant to investment and exploration institutions and companies. Prior to rejoining Herold in 1995, Bob was editor and publisher of Exploration Monthly. Bob is a member of Herold's Management Team. Bob holds a B.S., geology, from the California Institute of Tech. and M.B.A., finance, from the Wharton School, Univ. of Penn. He has been with Herold since 1994.

	DR. NICK JOHNSON — Head of Exploration and New Ventures, Afren plc Dr. Johnson is a Geologist with over twenty-five years experience in oil and gas exploration and production. He is currently Head of Exploration and New Ventures at Afren plc, a role he took up in September 2005, soon after the listing on the London Stock Exchange. He has full technical responsibility for the development and management of Afren’s portfolio which has grown rapidly since March 2005. He began his oil industry career in 1981 as an Exploration Geologist with BP where he worked on a variety of global supervisory and technical roles. He joined OMV in 1991, working in both London and Vienna, and ultimately became Head of Global Exploration and Reservoir responsible for the technical quality and development of OMV’s global portfolio. Dr. Johnson graduated with a degree in Geology in 1976 from Bristol University and a Ph.D. from University College London in 1980.

	GERARD McCLOSKEY — Chairman and Founder of The McCloskey Group The McCloskey Group specialises in news, data and analysis on the international coal markets. The group has an extensive publication and consultancy divisions and organises conferences throughout the world. McCloskey has been accepted for two decades as a world authority on his subject area and has advised numerous banks, power, steel and coal companies globally as well as addressing European and British parliamentary assemblies and specialist committees. McCloskey studied economics at the London School of Economics in its distant disruptive period of the 1960s before working as a journalist - initially in the UK’s Midlands and West Country before joining the department of energy as press advisor to a series of ministers in the late Jim Callaghan government (Tony Benn) or early Margaret Thatcher governments (David Howell). He then decided to return to journalism and was recruited to the Financial Times to run their growing number of newsletters. In 1987 the first of the McCloskey Group Companies – McCloskey Coal Information Services Ltd - was established, initially working with the Financial Times before breaking with them at the end of December 2000, having by that time been editor of International Coal Report for 20 years. The McCloskey Group now publishes five regular coal newsletters, including the industry leader McCloskey Coal Report, and stages 14 annual conferences around the world and is planning extension in both these and all the company’s other activities.

	ELIZABETH “LIBBY” L. CHENEY — Vice President of Corporate Support, Shell Exploration and Production Libby Cheney is Vice President of Corporate Support for Shell Exploration and Production in the Americas Region, which includes assets and ventures in North, Central, and South America. Mrs. Cheney’s responsibilities include Strategy, Economics & Business Support (SEBS), Contracts and Joint Ventures (C/JV), Health, Safety, Security, and Environment (HSSE), Sustainable Development (SD), and Communications and Government Relations (CXGR). Before coming to Shell, Libby had 24 years of industry experience with another major oil and gas company, including technical roles in reservoir engineering and management of domestic assets and international projects. Mrs. Cheney is Chairperson of the newly formed North America Carbon Capture and Sequestration Association (NACCSA), an Advisory Board Member for the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan, and a Director At-Large for the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Libby graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.E. in Chemical Engineering. She is married to Mitch Cheney, and they have three children, all in college.

	RICHARD WALKER — Executive Director, ABN AMRO Bank NV Richard is head of ABN AMRO's London-based Oil & Gas Corporate Finance team which provides strategic and corporate finance advice to clients operating around the world including national oil companies, majors, independents and private equity firms. The team's assignments include mergers and acquisitions advice, structured financial solutions and equity capital raising.

	CYNTHIA POYNTER — Senior Manager Midstream Databases, IHS Cynthia Poynter, IHS Midstream Database, is a recognized expert on oil & gas infrastructure globally. She joined IHS in 1998 to develop its global Midstream Database, providing key information on the location, capacity and ownership of oil & gas transportation, processing and primary market facilities. Under Ms. Poynter’s direction, the Midstream Database has grown to a multi-million dollar business area for IHS with staff members in Geneva, Singapore, Paris, Tetbury (UK), Dallas and Houston. Most of the majors and large oil companies are subscribers to the database. Before joining IHS, Ms. Poynter was Vice President International Business Development for Bonner & Moore Management Science and served as Director of European Petroleum Market Consulting in their Wiesbaden, Germany office. During her tenure at Bonner & Moore, Ms. Poynter was the architect of the Gasflow System which was implemented by U.S. gas pipeline companies to optimize their supply contract mix post deregulation. She also designed Bonner & Moore’s Global Energy Modelling System utilized by international oil companies to forecast crude oil and refined product trade movements and price arbitrages. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and started her professional career in DuPont’s Engineering Services Division.

	ROBERT (Bob) FRYKLUND — Vice President of Industry Relations, IHS Bob joined IHS in July 2006, after serving as Libya President and Brazil Country Manager for ConocoPhillips. With more than 26 years of both international and domestic industry experience, Bob has also held senior leadership positions with British Borneo, Union Texas and Amerada Hess. A frequent speaker on global topics, Bob’s expertise extends to the changing role of national oil companies, energy security, unconventionals and E&P strategies and performance. His international outlook has been strengthened by terms in both Brazil and Libya, and time on boards such as the IBP (a Brazilian oil and gas association), the Libyan-U.S. Council (a bilateral trade association), the SPE-Libya and the American School of Tripoli. Bob has also written numerous articles in several languages and regularly contributes to leading industry publications. Based in Houston, Bob leads the Expert Source Program for IHS, which is designed to promote IHS strategic thought leadership via external communications. He devotes much of his time to client relations and helping to bring solutions to their problems via IHS products and insight. Bob holds an AB from Hamilton College and an advanced certificate in management. He has also completed advanced studies in business and geology from the University of Houston and the University of Tulsa, respectively. Bob is a member of the Houston Geological Society and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese.

	RON MOBED — Co-President & Co-COO, IHS Ron Mobed is Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of IHS. Ron has a history of success in growing and transitioning businesses through innovation and by focusing on customer needs. He has a wide range of U.S. and international experience in the energy industry with a diverse background in operations, product management, software development, marketing, professional services and information technology. Ron has been instrumental in helping the company transition its offerings and expanding its services to meet the evolving needs of the industry. Prior to joining IHS, Mobed was with Schlumberger for 22 years. During his career with Schlumberger, he served in multiple executive leadership roles including Vice President of GeoQuest Asia and Vice President and General Manager of Information Management for Schlumberger GeoQuest, as well as other sales, marketing, consulting and management positions. Ron speaks several languages, including English, French and Malaysian/Indonesian. He is a frequent speaker and presenter and has authored papers on subjects including gas exploration technologies, petrophysical interpretation, data management and knowledge management in oil & gas, business continuity and disaster recovery planning. Mobed received his bachelor's degree in Engineering from Trinity College at the University of Cambridge in 1980, and was awarded his master's in Petroleum Engineering with distinction from Imperial College at the University of London in 1987. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA).

	ROBERT LaCOUNT — Senior Director, CERA Mr. LaCount is a Senior Director and Head of CERA’s Climate Change and Clean Energy Group. He is an authority on environmental policy and strategy, climate change legislation and regulations, and emissions trading. Mr. LaCount recently managed the environmental analysis for the CERA Multiclient Studies Crossing the Divide: The Future of Clean Energy and Dawn of a New Age: Global Energy Scenarios for Strategic Decision Making—The Energy Future to 2030. He was also the project director for the CERA Special Report Design Issues for Market-based Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies and the CERA Special Study Clearing the Air: Scenarios for the Future of US Emissions Markets. Mr. LaCount joined CERA from PG&E National Energy Group where he was Director of Environmental Policy and Strategy. He has managed the design and implementation of numerous environmental regulations and emissions trading programs in previous positions with the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland Department of the Environment. Mr. LaCount holds a BA from Wittenberg University, an MS from the University of Pennsylvania and the French Petroleum Institute, and an MBA from the University of Maryland.

	CHRISTIAN LeMIERE — Managing Editor, Jane’s Country Risk Christian has been with Jane's Country Risk as Asia editor since August 2004 and was recently appointed Managing Editor. His areas of specialisation include regional conflict, Asian geo-strategic policy, and the effects of Chinese development on international relations. Christian regularly authors and edits articles on Asian security issues for a range of Jane's publications, including Jane's Intelligence Review, Foreign Report, and Jane's Sentinel Security Assessments. He graduated from King's College London and the University of Oxford.

	OLIVIER ABADIE — CERA Director Downstream Strategy Based in Paris, Olivier focuses on short- and long-term analysis of crude oil and refined products markets, transportation, and refinery investment. His expertise covers analysis of economic conditions, global oil demand and supply trends, their influence on oil and product prices, and the implied strategic challenges. Prior to joining CERA, Mr. Abadie was Trading Manager with Perenco, in charge of optimizing crude and gas sales in Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Previously, with ELF, he was International Aviation Development manager, Director of the company’s crude/products trading office in Moscow, and held operational jobs in crude and products trading. He also held positions in MOBIL refining, supply and retail. Mr. Abadie graduated from two famous French “grandes écoles”: Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées.

	SIMON PUGH — Head of Process Engineering Technology, IHS Based in London, Simon manages the process equipment design work for the ESDU group at IHS, under the guidance of international independent committees composed of experts from industry and universities. Simon’s career began developing engineering methods and software for use by engineers in design projects worldwide. Simon is an expert on fouling, which relates specifically to the heat exchangers found in oil refineries that can become dirty and clogged. Fouled exchangers reduce refinery output and can lead to unplanned, costly downtime. As the world’s supply of crude oils requires more processing, the issue of exchanger fouling is becoming increasingly critical to refining companies. In 1999, Simon founded the IHS Oil Industry Fouling Working Party, a group of engineers representing approximately 70 percent of the world’s refining capacity. Under the guidance of the Working Party, he leads a group of engineers working on a range of best practice guides to oil industry fouling problems and computer programmes for better selection and design, resulting in cleaner heat exchange operation, especially in oil refineries. He was recently selected to be part of the IHS Expert Source Programme, which focuses on strategic-thought leadership and the elevation of the company’s international presence. Simon holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Brunel University.

	AMANDA WOODBINE — Senior Vice President & Managing Director of International Energy, IHS Since joining the company in 2006, Amanda has successfully developed and managed high performing teams to deliver profitable revenue growth, acting as a catalyst for transformational change consistent with the company’s aggressive growth ambitions. Amanda has over 20 years of extensive commercial and consulting experience in the UK and international energy sectors, including roles in commodity trading, operations, project management, sales, marketing, business development and product management. Prior to joining IHS, Amanda spent 7 years at PwC Consulting / IBM where she advised leading energy companies on a variety of strategy assignments encompassing the whole energy value chain, with particular focus on developing new strategies and objectives in response to changing market needs. Amanda has also held a number of commercial roles at Peugeot, Conoco, Du Pont and Amoco, negotiating a wide variety of high value commercial deals as well as managing major commercial projects and leading large internal and joint venture teams. Amanda speaks several languages including English, French, Russian and German. She holds degrees in Managerial Sciences and French and in Russian and is professionally qualified in Marketing. Amanda is a Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing and a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.