H.E Tarek El Molla

Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources

Eng. Alaa Hagar

Undersecretary for Technical office-Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources

H.E Catherine Colonna

Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs

• Catherine Colonna was born on 16 April 1956 in Tours (Indre-et-Loire). Catherine Colonna holds a master’s degree in Public Law (1977) and a postgraduate in Public Law (1978). She holds a degree from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) (Public Service Section, 1980) and is a graduate of the National School of Administration (ENA) (“Solidarité” year, 1981-1983).

• She started her diplomatic career in 1983 at the French Embassy in Washington (1983-1986), then was responsible for European issues and economic law in the Legal Affairs Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1986-1988).

• From 1988 to 1989, Catherine Colonna was an adviser in the Private Office of the Ministre d’Etat, Minister of Public Works and Housing, and from 1989 to 1990, a special assistant for European Affairs in the Policy Planning Centre at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• From 1990 to 1993, she was head of the Press Department in the Press, Information and Communication Directorate, then from 1993 to 1995, deputy spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• From 1995 to 2004, she was spokesperson for the Presidency of the Republic.

• From 2004 to 2005, she was director-general of the French National Centre for Cinematography (CNC) and vice-president of the Cannes Film Festival.

• From 2005 to 2007, Catherine Colonna was Minister Delegate for European Affairs.

• From 2008 to 2010, she was Permanent Delegate of France to UNESCO.

• From 2010 to 2014, she worked as a managing partner in the Paris Office of the Brunswick Group.

• From 2014 to 2017, Catherine Colonna was French Ambassador to Italy and San Marino.

• From 2017 to 2019, she was the Permanent Representative of France to UNESCO.

• From September 2019 to May 2022, Catherine Colonna was French Ambassador to the United Kingdom before being appointed Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs on 20 May 2022.

• Catherine Colonna is an Officier of the Légion d’Honneur, Officier of the Ordre du Mérite, and Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et Lettres. She was elevated to the rank of Ambassadrice de France in November 2020.

Ms. Hélène DANTOINE

Director for economic diplomacy with the French Europe and Foreign Ministry.

• Hélène Dantoine is currently director for economic diplomacy with the French Europe and Foreign Ministry.

• As a diplomat, she worked at the directorate for United Nations (1995-1998) and at the French Mission to the UN in New York (1998-2001). She was also an advisor for global issues to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (2009-2010). A member of the French General Finance Inspectorate (IGF) since 2005, she has been Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the French Shareholdings Agency (2019-2020) and a board member of Safran, Orange and SNCF.

• In 2011, Hélène Dantoine joined the Total group, where she served in various management positions for seven years (New Business Project Director; Logistics and Support to Operations Vice President for the exploration and production division; Vice President, Africa for the exploration subsidiaries; and Group Government and Public Affairs Senior Vice President).

H.E Theodoros Skylakakis

Minister of Environment and Energy

• He was born in 1959 in Athens. He is an economist. Member of Parliament for New Democracy (2022-2023). Minister of Environment and Energy from June 2023. Alternate Minister of Finance, responsible for Fiscal Policy and responsible for preparing and coordinating the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan "Greece 2.0" (2020-2023).

• Deputy Minister of Fiscal Policy (2019-2020), Member of the European Parliament (2009-2014), Secretary General for International Economic Relations and Development Cooperation (2006-2009), Municipal Councilor, Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Athens (2003-2006), responsible for preparing for the 2004 Olympic Games. From 1990 to 1993 he served as Advisor to Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis and Head of the Prime Minister's Planning and Communication Office.

• He also served as President and Director General of the E21 Research Centre (1994-2001). He was the last President of Drasi (2014-2019), which suspended its activity to support New Democracy.

• He has worked in advertising and communication since 1985 and he has founded four companies in the fields of communication (1994-1999), crisis management (2000-2006) and agricultural production & processing (2014-2019).

• He studied economics in Greece (University of Athens) and business administration (MBA) in England (City University, London) and received a master's degree from the British Market Research Society in Market Research. He has received a PhD from the Department of History and Philosophy of Science of the University of Athens, entitled: "Social tolerance to corruption".

• He is married to Eleni Papapanou, has two daughters, Marianna and Irene and four granddaughters.

Ms. Alexandra Sdoukou

Secretary General for Energy & Mineral Resources

H.E. Eli Cohen

Minister of Energy and Infrastructure

• Eli (Eliyahu) Cohen is the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of the State of Israel, since January 2024. Before that, he held the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, appointed by Prime Minister Netanyahu in December 2022. Mr. Cohen also serves as a member of the Security Cabinet of the government of Israel, and of the Twenty-fifth Knesset representing the Likud party, being the third on the party's list. Before the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Cohen was the Minister of the Economy and Industry (2017-2020), Minister of Intelligence (2020-2021), there, among other things, held negotiations with Sudan, towards normalization, and was a member of the Security Cabinet.

• Prior to his appointment as Minister of the Economy and Industry, Mr. Cohen chaired the Reform Committee of the parliament. As chairman of this committee, Cohen led the parliamentary work related to several major reforms inter alia the banking system in Israel, technical standards, capital market, pension, housing and real-estate. In addition to his capacity as chairman of the Reform Committee, Mr. Cohen has promoted various private bills mainly in the pension and housing fields.

• Before joining politics, Mr. Cohen held various positions in major Israeli Financial Companies. Cohen headed the Economic sector of the accounting and consulting firm- BDO Ziv Haft, then he moved to the credit rating company “S&P” where he headed its Corporate division. Cohen’s last position in the private sector was Senior Vice President of the Israeli Insurance Company ILDC (The Israel Land Development Company). In the latter, Cohen was responsible for the ongoing management of the group’s companies and served as a member of the board in all the companies within the group.

• Mr. Cohen, CPA, holds an MBA degree majoring in accounting and finance from the Tel Aviv University, a BA in Accounting from the Tel Aviv University and a BA in Management and Economics from the Open University of Israel, later served as a lecturer at Tel Aviv University in the fields of management, finance and accounting.

• Mr. Cohen completed his military service in the Air Force and was discharged with the rank of Major.

• Born in 1972, in the city of Holon, Mr. Cohen is married and has four children.

Mr. Mr. Yossi Dayan

Director General, Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure

• Yossi (Yosef) Dayan was born on 26th of July, 1975 and currently serves as the Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. prior to assuming his current position in February 2024, he held the position of Deputy Director General of the Israeli Minstry of Foreign Affairs.

• Dayan is a licensed attorney and has served in several senior positions in the business and private sectors.

• He enlisted in the IDF as a military student, completed his law degree with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and then served in several positions in the Military Advocate Generals unit. After completeing his Bachelor's degree in Law, he pursued a Masters degree in Business Administration (specialized in Integrative Management) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as an additional MA in Law (specializing in real estate).

• Following his army service, Dayan became a partner at the private law firm Akiva-Nino-Dayan and Partners. In the year 2000, established an indepenendent law firm primarily dealing with civil and commercial law.

• Dayan has held senior positions, including CEO and partner, in various companies within the real estate sector. Furthermore, he has served as CEO of both the Eilat and Ashkelon Economic Corporations.

• In January 2023, Dayan was appointed Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen. Minister Cohen later chose to appoint Dayan as Director General of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure when he assumed his position as Minister in early 2024.

H.E Gilberto Pichetto Fratin

Minister for the Environment and Energy Security

H.E. Saleh A. Al-Kharabsheh

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources in Jordan

Ms. Amani Al Azam

Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources​

H.E. Zafer Milhem

Chairman of the Palestinian Energy & Natural Resources Authority

• Born in Jerusalem - Palestine 1965

• Lives in Ramallah

• Zafer Milhem is the Chairman of the Palestinian Energy & Natural Resources Authority (PENRA) since 01/2017, and one of the founders of PENRA in 1995.

• For many years he worked as Deputy Chairman and Projects General Manager at PENRA, during which he bore primary responsibility for overall management of all project and defined the main objectives and strategies.

• Also, he was the founder and CEO of the Palestinian Electricity Regulatory Council (PERC) from 2010 to 2013 during which he had developed PERC’s by law and other energy regulatory regulations and instructions. During his term the first unified tariff was issued.

• In 1999, he worked as Project Technical Director for the energy efficiency improvement and greenhouse gas reduction project funded by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Global Environmental Facility (GEF).

• This project had contributed to transform the Palestinian market to be more efficient by marketing energy efficient appliances and lighting fixtures. In 1993 he worked in Dubai, UAE as Electrical Engineer / Head of Maintenance and Workshop Section at Dubai Municipality.

• In 1992 Zafer Milhem Graduated from California State University Sacramento, USA, Masters of Science / Electrical Engineering.

Eng. Abdul Hadi Barakat

Director of the Regulatory and Policy Unit at the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority

• Having more than 20 years of experience project management, policy making and leadership roles in the Energy and Telecom and Energy, coupled with my unwavering commitment to driving sustainable development and positive change.

• Working since 2017 up to now as the Director of PENRA's Projects Management Unit, I manage a diverse portfolio of energy sector projects, fostering valuable relationships with donors, ensuring meticulous project planning and execution, and effectively navigating regulatory landscapes. Worked in the Telecom Sector in big firms in Palestine, Jawwal, Paltel and BCI in senior positions.

• Furthermore, my experience extends to governance and regional cooperation, where I currently serve as a Board Member of the Northen Electricity Distribution Company the Liquidity Support Fund and as EB member of the EMGF representing Palestine.