Fatih Birol is a Turkish economist and energy expert, who has been the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency since 1 September 2015. He previously served as the Chief Economist and Director of Global Energy Economics at the IEA in Paris. He is responsible for the IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook publication, which is recognised as the most authoritative source for strategic analysis of global energy markets. He is founder and chair of the IEA Energy Business Council which provides a forum for cooperation between the energy industry and policymakers. Birol has been named by Forbes magazine among the most powerful people in terms of influence on the world’s energy scene. He is the Chairman of the World Economic Forum Energy Advisory Board and a member of the UN Secretary-General's 'High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All.' He is a frequent contributor to print and electronic media and delivers numerous speeches each year at major international summits and conferences.
IEA's World Energy Outlook
Birol designs and directs the IEA's annual World Energy Outlook. On 15 December 2008, George Monbiot, described Birol as one of the most powerful men on earth whose words are considered as the "petroleum gospel" by world governments. Monbiot interviewed Birol on the day the 2008 annual report was published and challenged the research conclusions regarding major changes in the global petroleum sector outlook. , Davos, 2012. World Economic Forum
Paul Bulteel, Eurelectric Electricity Ambassador announced at the Eurelectric Annual Convention in Bologna on 4 June 2013, that the Eurelectric Award went to Birol for "his outstanding contribution to improving understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the power sector." Buleel added that Birol in his 'unique position" raised awareness of power sector among policymakers, the financial community and other stakeholders. "Under Dr Fatih Birol's direction, the IEA's World Energy Outlook has become the most authoritative source of forward-looking energy market analysis. It has drawn attention to the huge challenges that will need to be overcome to maintain electricity supply in the decades ahead. Its finding that 2.6 trillion USD needs to be invested in the EU's power sector through to 2035 has become an iconic figure for the industry. Fatih Birol has made a unique contribution to raising awareness among policymakers, the financial community and other stakeholders of the issues the power sector has to deal with".
''Forbes'' magazine
In an published in Forbes magazine in 2009, T. Boone Pickens, American financier and Chairman and CEO of BP Capital, selected Birol as number four of seven most influential people in the world's energy sector. According to oil tycoon turned wind advocate Pickens, "When he says things like, 'the world would need to find the equivalent of four times the crude oil reserves now held by Saudi Arabia to maintain current production plus six Saudi Arabias if it is to keep up with the expected increase in demand between now and 2030,' the world sits up and takes notice."
