Dr Fatih Birol, Chief Economist of the International Energy Agency (IEA) will present a public lecture on " A Glimpse into the Energy Future" at the second Distinguished Speaker Programme. The session takes place on 21 June 2011, 9am-10.30am. Registration starts at 8:00 and the lecture will be held at the Carlton Hotel.
Dr Birol oversees the annual World Energy Outlook, which is the flagship publication of the IEA and recognised as the most authoritative source for energy analysis and projections. Dr Birol will examine the key factors that could secure a more prominent role for natural gas in the global energy mix, and the implications for other fuels and climate change. He will also touch on topics such as the impact of high energy prices on economic recovery, geopolitical unrest, price volatility and energy security, uncertainty surrounding the role of nuclear power, as well as the situation between climate actions and climate goals.
As Chief Economist at IEA, Dr Birol is charged with the overall responsibility of the organisation's economic analysis of energy and climate change policy.
Dr Birol has been named by Forbes Magazine as the world's fourth most powerful person in terms of influence on the world's energy scene. He was appointed Chairman of the World Economic Forum's Energy Advisory Board in 2010.
A Turkish citizen, he was born in Ankara in 1958 and earned a BSc degree in power engineering from the Technical University of Istanbul. He received his MSc and PhD in energy economics from the Technical University of Vienna.
Moderator: Ms Vandana Hari is the Asia Editorial Director of Platts, based in Singapore. In her current position, which she assumed in June 2010, shesupervises the news and price assessment teams covering the regionaloil and gas, petrochemicals and metals markets. Prior to that, Ms Hari was the Asia News Director, directing Platts' oil and gas sector news coverage in Asia.
She is a science graduate, with post-graduate degrees in mass communication and journalism. She has worked with a variety of print and electronic media in India, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Ms Hari is a regular commentator on energy sector issues on CNBC, BBC, several Indian TV news channels, as well as the print media.