Fatih Birol

Dr. Fatih Birol is the Chief Economist and the Director of the office responsible for the economic analysis of energy policy at the Paris-based International Energy Agency. He oversees the World Energy Outlook series which is the flagship publication of the IEA and is recognised as the most authoritative source for energy analysis and projections. Dr. Birol is a key adviser to IEA Member Countries on energy security and climate change issues.  He recently founded the IEA’s Energy Business Council which draws together leaders from the world’s foremost energy corporations to provide a business perspective on a broad range of energy market challenges. He is a frequent contributor to print and electronic media and delivers numerous speeches each year at major international summits and conferences.

Dr. Birol received awards from the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2002 and from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2004 in recognition of his contribution to energy policy formulation. He received the annual award of the International Association of Energy Economics for 'Outstanding Contributions to the Profession' in 2005.  In 2006, Dr. Birol was made a Chevalier dans l'ordre des Palmes Academique by the French Government for distinguished services to the field of international energy economics. He received the Golden Honour Medal of the Austrian Republic in 2007 for his contribution to the understanding of global energy issues.

Prior to joining the IEA in 1995, Dr. Birol worked for six years at the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna