Former energy technology executive joins IEA

Kamel Ben Naceur, a former Schlumberger executive with extensive experience in technology and clean energy, joined the International Energy Agency (IEA) this month as Director for Sustainable Energy Policy and Technology. In his new role, Mr. Ben Naceur will lead efforts to modernise the IEA's approach to energy technology and guide IEA outlooks while strengthening the role of the Agency as the leading organisation for advanced energy technologies.

Mr. Ben Naceur has nearly 35 years of experience in the global energy sector. He is one of the only individuals in the world to hold degrees from two of France's top educational institutions, the École Polytechnique and the École Normale Supérieure.

"Mr. Ben Naceur is eminently qualified to modernise the IEA's approach to energy technology, and I am delighted he has joined us," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. "His considerable experience in clean energy, accumulated during a long and distinguished career in the energy industry and in government, will be invaluable as we work to further promote the critical importance of innovation and technology in solving the world's current and future energy challenges."

After finishing his education in 1979, Mr. Ben Naceur joined the prestigious École des Mines in Paris as a research engineer. In 1981 he joined the research and development division of the energy multinational Schlumberger, where he took charge of developing several key technologies in the upstream sector. He then moved to management roles in Africa, North and South America, Europe, Russia, and the Middle East and North Africa in the oil and gas sectors. In 2004, he started the first business unit developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) prospects, working extensively with regulators and policy makers.

In 2009, he became the Chief Economist at Schlumberger in Paris, responsible for the strategic outlook of the world's largest oil and gas services company. In 2011, he was named President of Schlumberger's technology operation in Rio de Janeiro, handling challenging technology and solutions development for the offshore sectors, especially deepwater/pre-salt exploration, and other South America-specific issues.

Mr. Ben Naceur is a national of both France and Tunisia. In 2014, he became Tunisia's Minister for Industry, Energy and Mines in a government tasked to lead the country's first fully democratic elections and to restore its economic fundamentals. During his tenure, he implemented new policies for energy subsidies rationalisation, as well as having a law passed on renewable energy development, including wind and solar PV. Following his government service, he returned to Schlumberger as Senior Advisor and Vice President for technology, based in Paris.

Mr. Ben Naceur has served on several boards of international businesses and organisations, and has received numerous medals and recognitions. He is the co-author of 13 books and more than 120 articles. 

About the IEA

The International Energy Agency is an autonomous organisation that works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 29 member countries and beyond. Founded in response to the 1973/4 oil crisis, the IEA’s initial role was to help countries co-ordinate a collective response to major disruptions in oil supply. While this remains a key aspect of its work, the IEA has evolved and expanded. It is at the heart of global dialogue on energy, providing authoritative research, statistics, analysis and recommendations.