Dr. Fatih Birol took office on Sept. 1 as the new executive director of
the International Energy Agency (IEA), ushering in a new era for the
global energy authority, the IEA said in a written statement.
“Having
worked at the IEA for 20 years, he started the job with an intimate
knowledge of where its strengths lie and where – and how – it can
improve its ability to effectively respond to the changes taking place
in the global energy landscape,” said the organization.
Dr.
Birol’s selection as the IEA’s executive director marks one of the rare
occasions the head of an international organization has been selected
from within its ranks.
“It is the privilege of a lifetime to be
chosen to run the IEA, and I am deeply honored by the trust that each
one of our 29 member countries has placed in me,” he said.
Well
known and respected internationally for his work in the energy field,
Dr. Birol joined the IEA in 1995 and most recently held the positions of
chief economist and director of global energy economics, with
responsibilities that included directing the flagship World Energy
Outlook publication. He is also the founder and chair of the IEA Energy
Business Council, which provides a forum to enhance co-operation between
decision-makers in the highest levels of government and industry.
Earlier
in his career, Dr. Birol served in the Secretariat of the Organization
of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), an experience which gives
him a perspective on the producer-consumer relationship. He has also
been a member of the U.N. Secretary-General’s High-Level Group on
Sustainable Energy for All and was named by Forbes magazine among the
most influential people on the world’s energy scene. He is the recipient
of numerous awards from governments from all parts of the world,
according to the statement.
A Turkish citizen, Dr. Birol was born in
Ankara
in 1958. After initially studying power engineering at the University
of Istanbul, he went on to receive an MSc and PhD in energy economics
from the Technical University of Vienna and a Doctorate honoris causa
from Imperial College London.
(Hurriyet, 1 September, 2015)