13 April 2015, 15:00-16:00
Royal United Services Institute, Whitehall, London SW1A 2ET
A lecture by Mehmet Ögütçü, an internationally recognised authority on energy, investment, finance and geopolitics, on the implications of the changing energy environment in Eurasia.
Recent shifts in the ever-evolving energy industry have demonstrated that not only the players, but the rules of the game, are changing. Investment levels have declined, price volatility has increased, advances in technology have revolutionised production and climate change has featured as an increasingly important part of the discussion.
Despite this, Eurasia still remains a major region for production and transit, presenting a range of investment opportunities. It is also a central arena for deep-seated geopolitical tensions, with Russia, China, the Caspian nations and Turkey emerging as dominant players in this changing energy environment. Recent global events, such as Russia’s cancellation of the South Stream project, have put the spotlight back on Turkey as a regional energy hub. China’s energy needs have meant Central Asia has rapidly grown in strategic importance, creating new dynamics in the region.
Given his thirty years’ experience in the energy sector, Mehmet Ögütçü will discuss the importance of Eurasia for global energy security, and the broad implications of the evolving energy landscape, particularly in light of recent geopolitical and economic events.
Mehmet Ögütçü is Chair of Global Resources Partnership, a board member of Genel Energy plc and the Sisecam Group, serves as Special Envoy of the Energy Charter for the MENA region and is Executive Chair of the Bosphorus Energy Club, an exclusive gathering of senior executives and leaders in finance, energy and politics across Turkey, Eurasia, the Middle East and Africa.
He provides strategic advice to large international groups on access to fundraising, investment, business growth in emerging market economies, mergers and acquisitions, commodity trading and risk mitigation.
He was a prominent diplomat, having worked on critical “economic and energy diplomacy” dossiers in Ankara, Beijing, Brussels and Paris, and as an advisor to the late Turkish Prime Minister, Turgut Ozal. He served for twelve years as a senior staffer at the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, managing energy security and international investment programs.
Until recently, he was director for BG Group’s international government affairs in London, managing high-level government engagements and new business development globally. He has been a board member of Yasar Holding Group and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Invensys plc.
