Distinguished Speakers To Date Include
Herman Franssen, President, International Energy Associates Inc
Dr Herman Franssen is President of International Energy Associates, an energy consulting company which provides energy economic analysis; conducts political risk assessments; assist companies in establishing relationships with NOC’s and governments in particular in the Middle East. He is a Senior Fellow with the energy program at CSIS, a Distinguished Advisor with the FACTS group in London and Singapore, GDP Associates in New York, as well as with MEC and the Yamani Centre (CGES) in London. He is also an Adjunct Scholar with the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC. Dr Franssen is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Energy and Development, European Energy review and the Geopolitics of Oil and serves on the International Advisory Board of the Energy Intelligence Group and Energy Policy Research Foundation in Washington, DC.
Prior to establishing IEA inc in 1996, Dr Franssen was the Senior Economic Advisor of H.E, the Minister of Petroleum and Minerals of Oman (1985-1996), advising the Minister on a wide range of domestic and international energy issues. He helped originate the formation of the group of Independent Petroleum Exporting Countries (IPEC) in 1986 and acted as the liaison of the Ministry of Petroleum with the OPEC Secretariat as well as with governments and international institutions of major oil consuming countries.
Before joining the IEA, Dr Franssen was Director of the Office of International Market Analysis of the Department of Energy and, in the mid 1970’s worked closely with the energy committees of the US Congress on domestic and international energy policy issues.
He received a BA from Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota and an MA, MALD and PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Massachusetts.
Guy Caruso, Senior Advisor,
Center for Strategic & International Studies
Guy Caruso is Senior Advisor, Energy and National Security program, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC. Prior to joining CSIS, Mr Caruso served as Administrator, for the Energy Information Administration (EIA) from July 2002 to September 2008. EIA is the statistical agency within the United States Department of Energy (DOE) that provides policy-independent data, forecasts, and analyses regarding energy.
Before leading EIA, Mr Caruso acquired over 30 years of energy experience, emphasising topics relating to energy markets, policy, and security. Caruso held senior management positions in the US Department of Energy and the International Energy Agency in Paris, France.
Chris Theal, Managing Director, Macquarie Capital Markets Canada
Chris Theal, CFA, is Managing Director of oil & gas equity research at Macquarie Capital Markets Canada. Mr Theal joined Macquarie as part of the acquisition of Tristone Capital in September 2009. He has been advising institutional investors as an oil and gas analyst for 12 years and was in the oil and gas industry and Canadian Military prior to that. Mr Theal has a Bachelor's degree, with distinction, in Economics and Political Science from Royal Roads Military College and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. Mr Theal is a Chartered Financial Analyst and is decorated with the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal.
Raul Monteforte, Executive Coordinator, Fermaca Global LP
Raul Monteforte retired from Mexico´s Energy Regulatory Commission in 2007, where he was a commissioner in the natural gas, LPG, LNG, and electricity industries. He was responsible for gas pipelines, and coordinated Altamira and Costa Azul LNG permitting processes, as well as underground storage projects in Mexico. He was also the chairman of the National Gas Committee, where he enacted Mexico’s gas codes, including LNG terminals, gas quality, distribution systems, pipelines and end-use systems.
Raul obtained a BA in Social and Political Sciences from the National University of Mexico, a Master of Science (Energy Engineering and Economics) and a PhD in Development Studies from the University of Sussex in the UK.
Dr Monteforte is presently the Executive Coordinator of Fermaca Global, a joint venture between Ospraie Financial LLC in New York, and Fermaca Group, a Mexican energy company.
Kevin Keenan, Partner, Baker Botts LLP
Kevin Keenan is a Partner in the Houston office of Baker Botts. His practice focuses on commercial transactions primarily related to the development, purchase, sale and transportation of hydrocarbons by public and private entities acting alone or as participants in various joint venture arrangements. Mr Keenan concentrates particularly on crude oil and natural gas and has played a key role in negotiating and documenting the long-term purchase and sale of crude oil, crude oil products, natural gas and LNG. His work also includes project development of crude oil refining and LNG-related (conventional and floating) infrastructure in the United States, Aruba, The Bahamas, Mexico and the United Kingdom. In addition, Mr Keenan has negotiated numerous time and voyage charters with respect to conventional LNG tankers and so-called shuttle and regasification vessels - or SRVs - as well as contracts for the construction of conventional LNG tankers and SRVs in South Korean shipyards. Mr Keenan was involved in the development of time charters for El Paso Corporation’s Energy Bridge vessels, now owned by Excelerate Energy, and was lead counsel to GDF Suez in acquiring, by long-term time charterparty from Höegh LNG, GDF Suez’s Neptune SRVs for use at the Neptune buoys in Massachusetts Bay.
David Steely, Director - LNG Marketing & Origination,
BP Energy Company
David joined BP in 1999 to initiate an Origination effort in conjunction with the Marketing function in North America. He has worked in various capacities on LNG projects in the United States and Canada while pursuing marketing opportunities in South America. David has over 30 years experience in the energy industry and held a variety of positions. He is a graduate from the University of Oklahoma with a BBA in Energy Management.
Joseph B’Oris, Vice President, Commercial, Jordan Cove Energy Project
Joseph B’Oris represents Jordan Cove Energy Project, LP, which is developing a state of the art liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon. Serving as Vice President Commercial, his responsibilities include securing and negotiating terminal service agreements and related contracts with potential LNG suppliers.
Mr B’Oris has been representing Jordan Cove Energy Project since January 2007. He has over 20 years of experience in energy related positions with companies including Anadarko Petroleum, Marathon Oil Company, Shell and El Paso. His career started 1983 with Getty Oil Company as a Marketing Representative and served in positions of increasing responsibilities with Getty and subsequently Texaco.
Joseph received a Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering in 1983 from the Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA. In addition he earned a Master of Business Administration degree in 1989 from the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Kevin Blount, Vice President Business Development,
Chart Energy & Chemicals
With almost 25 years of experience working for Chart and the former Marston Brazed Aluminum Heat Exchanger business in the UK which was acquired by Chart in 1998, Mr Blount has held senior management positions across a broad business spectrum including procurement, production control and scheduling, production management, operations management, project management, contracts, quality, mechanical engineering and sales and marketing.
Mr Blount took up his present position leading Chart Energy & Chemicals’ worldwide sales and marketing efforts in December 2004 and moved to the USA with his family in June 2005. He has an HND in mechanical engineering from Wulfrun College, Wolverhampton and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Wolverhampton University in the UK.
Steven Sparling, Partner, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
Steven Sparling chairs the LNG group at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, a US-based law firm with an extensive global energy practice. Steven has counselled multinational clients regarding projects throughout the LNG value chain, including siting and development of LNG import terminals, project development, safety and security issues, and stakeholder engagements. Steven has unique and inter-disciplinary experience in vessel movements and operations of regas facilities, particularly in the multi-user environment. He also has advised clients regarding LNG contracts and contractual risks, including negotiating agreements for LNG supply, terminal capacity use, multi-user terminal operations, and marine services. He writes and speaks frequently on these matters and contributes to Sutherland’s blog on LNG (www.LNGLawBlog.com). Steven's extensive LNG experience builds on his seven-year tenure with the US Navy, where he served as a Naval Officer aboard the USS Barry (DDG 52). Steven graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and magna cum laude from George Mason University School of Law (JD).
Marleen Lord-Lewis, Vice President, Business Development, National Energy Corporation of Trinidad & Tobago
Mrs Marleen Lord-Lewis has over 29 years’ experience in the oil and gas sector and was recently appointed Vice President, Business Development at the National Energy Corporation of Trinidad & Tobago Limited. Her professional career started with Texaco Trinidad Inc as a process engineer with the Refinery’s petrochemicals business team and advanced through several positions from Senior Business Analyst to Manager Strategy Development with successor companies Trinidad & Tobago Oil Company Limited (Trintoc) and Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Petrotrin) respectively.
Her foray into the natural gas business began in 2002 with a secondment to the LNG Expansion Committee and then onto the Government commissioned Natural Gas Export Force as Director – Commercial and Business Development.
Marleen holds a BSc degree in Chemical Engineering (Hons) and an MSc degree in Production Engineering and Management from the University of the West Indies. She also has a Masters in Business Administration from Andrews University in Michigan, USA (2000).
She has also been involved in pre-feasibility work for projects such as Ethylene and Methanol to Polypropylene and was also a member of the team for the development of an energy plan for the Caribbean. She sits on the Board of the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad & Tobago.
Guy Dayvault, Director Commercial Development & LNG Manager, Gazprom Marketing & Trading USA, Inc.
Guy Dayvault leads the LNG Commercial Development team for Gazprom Marketing & Trading USA, Inc., a subsidiary of OAO Gazprom. The LNG team in Houston is focused on North American LNG opportunities including regas capacity for the Shtokman LNG project and Sakhalin LNG.
Prior to joining Gazprom in February 2006, he was at Marathon four years as a Commercial Negotiator for various LNG and gas projects including the proposed North Sea Symphony gas pipeline. Previously he was at Enron seven years in various deal structuring and commercial roles on international power, gas and LNG developments, exploration and production, and domestic US retail power and gas. In the early 90’s he lived in London as commercial coordinator for a Russian joint venture steamflood in Timan Pechora, near the Arctic Circle. His career began with ten years at Chevron as a production/reservoir engineer in Southern California and in crude oil trading in Houston.
Guy has a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University, an MS in Petroleum Engineering from University of Southern California and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification.
Mohammed Buhari, General Manager, LNG, NNPC
Biography to follow
Serapio Sima Ntutumu, Deputy Director General, Sonagas GE
Serapio Sima Ntutumu obtained his scholarship from the Federal Government of Nigeria 1989. He graduated with BSc (Hons) Economics, from the University of Lagos in 1996 in 1997. He spent 18 months in banking training with CCEI Bank HQ Yaoundé, in Cameroon. In 1998, Mr Sima was acting as Head of Loan and Credit department CCEI Bank GE, Malabo Equatorial Guinea. He moved from this position to become Administrative and Finance H&P(Drilling Company) .
In 2000 Serapio, was designated Economist at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. He was nominated by Presidency to become a public servant of the Ministry of Mines . Here he was appointed the Chief of Financial Control of the national oil company of Equatorial, GEPetrol. His assignments included; controller of Zafiro Block B with Exxon Mobil in Houston in the Global Procurement.
More recently Mr Sima was appointed (by the Presidential Decree Number 126/2005), as the First Deputy Director General of the national Gas company of Equatorial Guinea, Sonagas GE. To date Serapio, has become one of the key players of the EG Gas Business development.
Jean-Pierre Cavé, Commercial & Shipping Manager, Yemen LNG Company Ltd
Jean-Pierre Cavé is a senior LNG industry professional with expertise in commercial and shipping business development and operations. Mr Cavé has been associated with major LNG projects in Indonesia, Nigeria and is currently working in Yemen. Prior to his assignments in the LNG business he was involved in global Total upstream activities, with duties covering exploration, development and production activities, in financial, commercial and senior management positions for over 30 years.
Joseph P Berno, Chief Executive Officer, TORP Terminal
Mr Berno is responsible for TORP Technology’s first LNG terminal company and the license application for the Bienville Offshore Energy Terminal, which will be located 63 miles south of Dauphin Island, Alabama. In addition to working with representatives of the federal and state agencies in the licensing process, he is involved with the upstream and downstream issues of obtaining LNG supply and developing contractual arrangements for pipeline takeaway, gas processing and gas storage.
Martin Hutchison, Managing Director, International Resources Consulting
Martin Hutchison has over 30 years of international oil and gas industry experience encompassing technical, commercial and executive management roles in Upstream and LNG. He began his career with Phillips Petroleum Company in London and worked in management positions in the UK and USA in Geophysics, R&D, Economics and Capital Budgeting, ICT, Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Risk Management, before being appointed as President and General Manager for company operations firstly in Venezuela, where he was also chairman of the International Oil Committee, and then President and GM in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Martin Hutchison has recently served as the Managing Director and board member for Brass LNG Ltd, Nigeria. He is now working as an independent consultant supplying strategic support to the global energy industry and also leads CWC School for Energy’s successful course Gas Monetisation in Nigeria, which is run twice a year in Nigeria.
Hilde Nafstad, President, Statoil Natural Gas LLC
Hilde Nafstad has held a variety of positions within the oil and gas industry since 1988. Prior to taking the position as President of Statoil Natural Gas LLC in Stamford, Connecticut in October 2007, she served as Vice President, Business Development at Hydro Gulf of Mexico in Houston, Texas. She has held various positions in Norsk Hydro and Saga Petroleum in Norway; head of Long-term Gas Sales in Saga Petroleum and Norsk Hydro, as well as head of Norsk Hydro's Market Analysis and Commercial Strategy departments. Hilde Nafstad has also worked several years for the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy as an Assistant Director General for oil field developments, and in corporate staff at the contractor AkerKvaerner. She has served in various functions, including chairman, on the boards of the Norwegian Polytechnical Society's oil division and the Norwegian Gas Association. She holds a Masters Degree in General Business from the Norwegian School of Management, Oslo.
Porter Bennett, Chief Executive Officer, Bentek Energy LLC
Porter Bennett is the President and CEO of Bentek Energy, LLC, which he founded in 1985. Over the past 24 years he has led the evolution of the company from an energy industry consulting firm specializing in market and customer analysis to today’s leading energy market information company. BENTEK Energy is located in Evergreen, Colorado.
In his early career, Mr Bennett held positions with consulting companies specializing in energy market analysis. He holds a MS Degree in Mineral Economics from the Colorado School of Mines, and a MA Degree in International Affairs from Columbia University. He received a BA Degree in History from Lewis & Clark College.
Dean Girdis, President, Downeast LNG
Dean Girdis is President of Downeast LNG, which he founded in the Spring of 2004. Mr Girdis has 20 years of experience in project development and finance and competitive strategy in the energy sector. He has worked with a range of entities, including multinational and national oil and gas companies, international financing institutions and Governments. Mr Girdis was also Director at PFC Energy focusing on strategy, competition and markets throughout the LNG/gas value chain. He also worked with the World Bank on energy project development and financing, energy reform and sector restructuring, and development of competitive markets in Africa and Asia.
Kirstin Gibbs, Partner, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
Kirstin Gibbs, a Partner with Sutherland's Energy and Environmental Practice, focuses her practice on advising international and US-based clients in connection with virtually every matter affecting the LNG industry including supply, siting, regulatory, maritime, commercial, and project development. She counsels LNG and natural gas marketer clients on a wide variety of transportation and storage issues related to natural gas before FERC, federal appellate courts and state utility commissions. Her practice also encompasses legislative matters affecting LNG and natural gas, as well as advising on FERC compliance and enforcement issues.
Matthew Arnold, Marketing Manager, RasGas Company Ltd
Biography to follow
François Borgida, Director, LNG, Logistics & Transportation, Total Gas & Power
Francois Borgida joined Total Gas & Power North America Inc in January 2008 as Director LNG, Transportation & Logistics - to further develop the LNG organization within TGPNA and more largely in North America. His primary responsibilities are in the design and implementation of commercial strategies relative to TOTAL LNG terminals and associated assets and activities including transportation, storage and LNG supply coordination. Francois was previously seconded to Qatargas Operating Company Ltd where he headed for 4 years the Business Scheduling Department in charge of overall production and sales planning & scheduling for Qatargas existing and future ventures. He also contributed to the overall preparedness of Qatargas to increase of LNG volumes through the design and implementation of various agreements relative to shared facilities and the project management of new supply chain and hydrocarbon accounting business systems. Prior to his temporary assignment to Qatargas, François was part of the strategy group of Total Gas & Power Division in Paris. Before joining Total Gas & Power Division, Francois held various positions in the energy industry including reservoir engineer for Total Exploration UK in Aberdeen and analyst for EDF Trading Ltd in London.
Clay Harris, President & Chief Executive Officer, GDF Suez North America LLC
Clay L Harris is President and Chief Executive Officer of GDF SUEZ Gas NA (GSGNA), the business unit of GDF SUEZ Energy North America, Inc., responsible for managing the company’s natural gas activities in North America which include LNG terminal operations, gas sales and marketing in North America and the Mexican gas distribution and pipeline transportation assets of GDF SUEZ.
Mr Harris holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Geology from the University of Oklahoma. He is the Vice Chairman of the Board of the Center for LNG (CLNG) the trade association representing the LNG industry in the United States and a Director of the Natural Gas Supply Association.
Rosemary Boulton, President, Kitimat LNG
With more than 20 years of energy industry experience, Rosemary Boulton has gained comprehensive knowledge of, and experience in, providing strategic direction for the upstream petroleum, LNG, natural gas pipeline industry and energy deregulation in Canada, the United States and Australia. Ms Boulton has international energy experience having successfully launched PG&E Queensland Pipeline by drawing on her project management skills and expertise in establishing relationships with governments, customers and financial institutions. Rosemary was also Managing Director of the Houston Energy Group, for six years before becoming President of Kitimat LNG in 2004.
Alberto Alvarez, Commercial Director, Repsol Gas Natural LNG SL (STREAM)
Alberto Alvarez is Commercial Director at Repsol Gas Natural LNG (Stream), the equally owned joint venture company incorporated in 2005 by Repsol and Gas Natural to manage both companies LNG portfolio and related business worldwide.
He joined the Repsol Group in 1982 and has been deeply involved in the global LNG business since 2002. Formerly he amassed a varied international carrier in the oil and gas industry with the group living in Spain, UK and South America and including experience as a senior officer in the areas of administration and finance, marketing, project development, mergers and acquisitions, gas and electricity distribution and power generation.
He has a degree in Economy from the University of Rosario and an MBA from the Institute of the Development of Entrepreneurs, both in Argentina where he was born.
He settled in Europe in the early seventies working several years for Coopers & Lybrand in Spain and in the UK as external auditor and consultant before joining the Repsol Group.
Rodrigo Vilanova, Gas & Power Trading Manager, Petrobras America Inc
Mr Rodrigo Vilanova is currently the Gas & Power Trading Manager of Petrobras, the Brazilian integrated national energy company which is present in more than 28 countries, on four continents, and is the global leader in deepwater oil exploration and production. He is based in Houston, USA, in charge of Petrobras’ worldwide LNG Spot and Short Term Trading and the Natural Gas & Power Trading activities in the USA. Mr Vilanova holds a Master degree in Economics and a Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering. He has been working in the energy sector since 1997, acting mainly in the integration of Natural Gas and Electricity markets in Brazil. He has worked for several years for the Brazilian National Electricity company and in 2004 Mr Vilanova joined Petrobras, where he has worked as a power trader, gas and power marketing coordinator and natural gas reliability manager.
Silvia de Marucci, Leader, Liquid Bulk Segment, "
Panama Canal Authority
Ms Marucci graduated in economics with a minor in marketing research from Concordia University, Canada, in 1989. She received a Masters in Business Administration from NOVA University, Panama Branch in 1992. As leader of the Liquid Bulk Segment at ACP, her responsibilities include the development of market demand forecasts, pricing strategies, identification of market opportunities, and the analysis of the competition that the Panama Canal route faces, with emphasis in the oil sector.
Before joining the Panama Canal in 1995, Silvia worked for Samsung Latin America developing corporate intelligence systems, and at the Embassy of Japan as economic advisor. Ms Marucci has published papers in international professional forums, and teaches at the International Maritime University of Panama.
Laurent Poidevin, President & General Manager, FMC Technologies Loading Systems
Laurent Poidevin has spent most of his career at FMC Technologies SA, the Worldwide Loading Systems Headquarters, located in Sens (France), where he acquired a great international experience holding various positions in engineering, sales and product line management. Mr Poidevin has contributed to the development and sales of one of the FMC Product Lines, Piggable Systems, and has also successfully managed the North American Loading Systems Operation in Houston, supervising manufacturing and engineering units and covering the both the North and South American markets. After returning to France in 2000, Laurent Poidevin assumed the position of sales and after sales director for loading systems and, in 2007, the position of vice president sales and marketing, loading systems. In January 2010, Mr Laurent Poidevin was promoted to President and General Manager, Loading Systems.
Andrew Walker, Head of LNG Supply, BG Group
Biography to follow
Jay Copan, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, American Gas Association
Jay A Copan is Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs for the American Gas Association, and Executive Director of the American Gas Foundation.
Mr Copan has been with AGA since 1982. He has served in a variety of capacities with the association.
At AGA, he is the senior association executive responsible for AGA’s financial community outreach activities, its membership operations, meeting services business unit, and its international activities. He also serves on the International Gas Union and for over 25 years he has presented the natural gas industry outlook to a variety of audiences worldwide.
As Executive Director of the Foundation, Mr Copan is responsible for research and programs on energy and environmental issues that affect public policy, with a particular emphasis on natural gas.
Pat Roberts, Managing Director, LNG Worldwide Ltd
Since 2005 Pat has been the Managing Director of LNG-Worldwide Ltd, a consulting company offering advice, support and training in all areas of the LNG commercial supply chain. Previous to that Pat has 24 years of experience with the Shell Group of companies both in Oil and Natural Gas. Her direct experience in LNG is in the area of developing and implementing LNG strategies for new market entrants and companies seeking to strengthen partnerships with LNG producers. This includes working in all commercial areas across the LNG value chain . Her work has included working with governments, NOCs, IOCs and utilities and she has advised on structuring and optimizing LNG supply portfolios. Coupled with her commercial experience is also a strong grounding in fundamental market analysis and strategic planning.
Bill Cooper, President, The Center for Liquefied Natural Gas
Bill Cooper is the president of the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas (CLNG). Bill has two decades of experience in various aspects of the energy industry, having served in both the public and private sectors. Prior to serving in his full-time capacity as president of CLNG, Bill was a partner at the law office of Hunton & Williams LLP. Prior to joining Hunton & Williams, he served as counsel to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. Bill was a drafter and lead negotiator for the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 and was also a lead negotiator for the House on several provisions of the national energy policy bills in the 107th and 108th Congresses. Earlier in his career, he was general counsel for a natural gas utility company. In addition, Bill is a well-known and frequent speaker on energy and natural gas issues.
Rudolf Araneda, Chief Executive Officer, GasAtacama Chile SA
Biography to follow
Mitchell Baer, Director, Office of Oil & Gas Analysis, US Department of Energy
Dr Baer is the Director of Office of Oil and Gas Analysis, within the Office of Policy and International Affairs at the Department of Energy. He has been with the Department of Energy for over 10 years. The Office of Oil and Gas Analysis is responsible for the review and analysis of legislative initiatives and enacted bills, regulatory rulemakings, and implementation program plans related to the energy sector, including oil, natural gas, LNG, refined petroleum products and alternative and renewable energy resources. The Office is also responsible for policy reviews and analysis concerning environmental legislation and regulations that impact the energy resource sectors and facilities. The Office works closely with other DOE program offices, including the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the Office of Fossil Energy, as well as other Federal and State agencies and industry organisations.
Prior to his tenure with the Department of Energy, Dr Baer held positions with the American Petroleum Institute, several environmental consulting companies and with the Department of the Interior. His undergraduate degree is in Chemistry, he has a Master’s Degree in Atmospheric Sciences, Meteorology and his PhD was awarded in Environmental Science and Public Policy.
Alexandre Eykerman, Sales Director, LNG/CNG Ship Power, Wärtsila Switzerland Ltd
Alexandre Eykerman graduated as a Mechanical engineer from the University of Coburg in Germany and joined Wärtsilä in 1997. After assignments in Finland, he led the US sales activities of Wärtsilä Ship Power from Houston. He currently leads the LNG/CNG sales activities of Wärtsilä Ship Power worldwide.
Wärtsilä Ship Power Solutions takes a holistic approach in engineering, marketing, selling and delivering machinery installations to the marine industry. Machinery installations for LNG carriers are one of the cornerstones of Wärtsilä Ship Power Solutions.
Each Wärtsilä division employs a holistic approach to provide solutions for its customers from concept to construction, and beyond.
German Castro, Project Development Manager,
Höegh LNG - Port Dolphin Energy LLC
Mr Castro has managed LNG infrastructure projects (including planning/feasibility studies and development) throughout south Florida, New England, the Caribbean, and Latin America. His expertise includes siting, formulation/implementation of valid strategies to expedite project permitting, and formulation/implementation of marketing strategies. He has also provided formal consultation with representatives of federal, state, and local government agencies throughout the region to ensure that projects met all regulatory/permitting requirements.
For Höegh LNG, Mr Castro is currently managing and providing QA/QC of commercial, legal, engineering and environmental activities related to this project. Under his leadership, the project team has worked under an expedited schedule to adopt and submit project design changes required to address issues of concern that were identified during the NEPA review process. As of December of 2009, a corresponding Final EIS has been issued, the FL Governor has approved the project, and MARAD issued the corresponding Record of Decision. The project is currently moving towards completing other federal/state permitting, as well as to achieving key commercial milestones.
John Fahy, Managing Director, ERAS Consulting Ltd
John Fahy is an economist by training and the Managing Director of ERAS energy consultants who developed the emPower energy modelling platform. He has over 20 years’ experience in the energy sectors as an investment banker, analyst, project director, industry consultant and public policy advisor. He specialises in are market deregulation, investment strategy, financial modelling, contract pricing and asset valuation. He has undertaken numerous gas and power projects worldwide for all of the major oil, gas & power companies.
Keith Bainbridge, Partner, RS Platou LLP
Keith Bainbridge spent 15 years at sea with BP Shipping before BP left him in 1986! His career path then took him into the “sleuth world” of tracing oil losses on behalf of Lloyds’ Underwriters before attaining a steady job with French Oil major Elf (now Total). Sleuthing still continued but concentrating then on ship quality before secondment to Nigeria LNG in 1995. Keith was Shipping Manager for Nigeria LNG from July 1995 to November 1997 where he joined the Paris brokerage firm Barry Rogliano Salles concentrating on LNG commercial development. In January 2001 Keith joined LNG Shipping Solutions as a Director: LNG Shipping Solutions was created by a merger of LNG departments of BRS in Paris and Clarksons of London. In July 2005 he was Managing Director and in May 2007 he was appointed Managing Director of LNG Division in Clarksons. In August 2009 he left Clarksons to become a partner in the newly formed company RS Platou LLP in London.
Steven Miles, Partner, Baker Botts LLP
Steven Miles is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Baker Botts LLP, where he is head of the firmwide Project Development & Finance Section and the LNG Practice. His practice focuses on project development and finance in the US and internationally, particularly in the LNG, natural gas, electric power, and renewable energy industries. He has worked on some 50 LNG projects worldwide and currently co-chairs the LNG committee of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN), which is in the process of drafting model form agreements for LNG spot and short-term sales. He is listed in the Chambers USA Guide America's Leading Business Lawyers, 2005 - 2009, and The Best Lawyers in America, 2006- 2010. He has been selected five times as one of the leading project finance attorneys worldwide by the editors of the International Financial Law Review. Mr Miles holds a BA (summa cum laude; 1980) from Union College, an MBA (1984) from Cornell University, and a JD (1984) from the Cornell Law School where he was editor of the Cornell Law Review.
Jim Trifon, Vice President LNG Supply & Opportunity,Repsol
Biography to follow
Todd Peterson, Advisor LNG Projects, CIECO Energy (US) Limited
Todd Peterson was born and raised in Venezuela. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree (Accounting and Political Economics) in the USA. Mr Peterson began his career in the LPG business in Miami with Tropigas International. He then moved into crude oil, refined products, E&P, natural gas marketing and most recently LNG. His experience working for several major energy companies including Gulf Oil, Coastal Corporation, Enron and Suez have taken him all over the world. Mr Peterson has worked on numerous LNG projects including: EcoElectrica in Puerto Rico, Dabhol Power Company in India, Elba Island in USA, Jose in Venezuela, and the Bahamas to Florida project. In addition he supervised various shipping projects such as the building of “Lakshmi” and “Excalibur” and the rebuilding of “Hoegh Galleon”. In 2002 he worked as part of the start up team to form Suez Global LNG in London. By chartering numerous LNG ships and finalising several short term SPA’s in Qatar and Oman he established Suez as one of the major traders in the Middle East and Far East. He negotiated and signed many MAs/HoAs with most of the leading LNG companies in the world. Mr Peterson was instrumental in placing the first 2 LNG cargos from Trinidad and Tobago to Japan along with negotiating numerous cargo diversions to Korea and Europe. As Country Manager for GDF SUEZ he was responsible for managing their investment in Atlantic LNG and scouting new business opportunities. In 2009 Mr Peterson joined Itochu Group to help grow their LNG business worldwide. In the last few years he has been a featured speaker at conferences such as Gastech in Doha, LNG North America in Houston, and LNG World Summit in Rome among others.
Davis Thames, President, Cheniere Marketing
Mr Davis Thames has served as President of Cheniere Marketing, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, since November 2007. Mr Thames worked for several years at CrossCountry Energy, serving as Director of Finance, Risk Management and Credit for Transwestern Pipeline, Florida Gas Transmission, and Northern Border Partners, before the time of CrossCountry’s acquisition by Southern Union and General Electric. Mr Thames also served as President of Citrus Trading Corp. Mr Thames earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Gordon Shearer, President, Hess LNG
Gordon Shearer is President and Chief Executive Officer of HESS LNG LLC, a joint venture of Poten & Partners and Hess Corporation which was established in June 2004. He joined Poten & Partners in January 2001 in the Project Development & Finance group. Prior to joining Poten, Gordon was employed by Cabot Corporation from 1978 until 2001, with numerous assignments in the Corporation’s energy businesses. He was a Vice President of Cabot Corporation from 1991-2001. From 1981 until 1987 he worked at Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation where he was a Vice President, responsible for exploration, production, gas transmission and marketing in the Appalachian Basin. From 1987 until 2000 he was Chief Executive Officer of Cabot LNG Corporation which owned and operated the LNG import terminal in Boston Harbor and the LNG carrier "Matthew". During his time with Cabot LNG, he was heavily involved in the creation of the Atlantic LNG project in Trinidad and Tobago. He received a BSc in Geophysics from Edinburgh University in 1976, and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1978. He was appointed to the National Petroleum Council in May 2005. He is the co-author of the book "LNG: A Nontechnical Guide".
Pascale Grieve, Sales Manager Subsea Cryogenic Pipeline & Gas Storage Applications, Gaztransport & Technigaz
Pascale Grieve graduated in 1978 from Ecole Polytechnique Féminine, in Paris. She started her professional life in the oil industry, with Schlumberger as a Field Engineer and went on to become a Project Manager with Statoil. She acquired international and technical experience in offshore fields such as, Brunei and the North Sea, then developed sales competences with CEGELEC, as an Offshore Project Manager.
Pascale graduated from IAE in 2001 with a Masters in Business Management and has now worked for some years in the Mechanical and Civil Engineering Industries.
She joined GTT Marketing team in 2008 as Sales Manager for LNG Storage Tanks and Subsea Cryogenic Pipeline.
Keith Barnett, Director - Long-term & Strategic Analysis Group, Merrill Lynch Commodities
Keith Barnett is Director, Strategic Analysis for Merrill Lynch Global Commodities. He is responsible for the longer term fundamental analysis of global energy commodities and their markets for Merrill Lynch’s global commodity trading platform. He has more than 25 years experience in energy analysis, marketing, trading, production, drilling and other aspects of the energy business. Keith has worked for Brown & Root, Chevron, Columbia Gas, and most recently with American Electric Power. Keith led the natural gas task force for Edison Electric Institute for several years and testified before FERC and the US Senate Energy Sub-Committee on natural gas and power related matters. He also was the Power Generation Lead on the National Petroleum Council 2003 Natural Gas Study in addition to serving on the Coordinating Sub-Committee and other sub-groups of that study. Keith was also serving on the NPC’s current Global Oil & Gas study prior to joining Merrill Lynch in early 2007. Keith also served as a board advisor to a private E&P company prior to joining MLCI.