Media releases

The EI President’s Award is to be awarded to Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy.

She will receive the prestigious award and speak as guest of honour at the dinner concluding International Energy Week 2023, taking place 28 February – 2 March.

Energy Institute President Juliet Davenport OBE HonFEI said:

“The President’s Award builds on its precursors’ 90-year legacy of recognition for the very best leadership and achievement in our field.

“As a leader who has contributed to combatting climate change and improving access to energy, Damilola is a tireless campaigner for change in the industry.

“From her role leading Sustainable Energy for All to work furthering the pace of SDG7 on behalf of the UN Secretary General; her efforts improving energy access on and off grid in her native Nigeria to mentoring and empowering young people to be involved in clean energy, Damilola is truly worthy of this important award.”

Damilola Ogunbiyi commented:

“It is an honour to be awarded the Energy Institute President’s Award. As the world faces ongoing development challenges and the negative effects of climate change, energy remains key to the solution.

“We must go over and above to ensure that every man, woman, and child globally has access to reliable, affordable, and clean energy. We must also tackle climate change and help reach net-zero by or before 2050, through the decarbonization of energy systems.”

The President’s Award is the most prestigious award made by the EI’s President in the name of its global membership, it succeeds the Cadman and Melchett Awards, dating back to 1946 and 1930 respectively, and is awarded to an outstanding individual who has contributed to addressing solutions relevant to global energy challenges, in particular combatting climate change and opening up access to energy.

International Energy Week 2023 is a hybrid conference taking place 28 February-2 March focused on ‘transitioning out of crisis’. The conference speaker programme brings together:

• Juliet Davenport OBE HonFEI, President, Energy Institute
• Bernard Looney FREng FEI, Chief Executive Officer, bp
• Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer, Masdar
• Professor Jim Skea CBE FEI, Imperial College London; IPCC Working Group II
• Dr Pratima Rangarajan, Chief Executive Officer, OGCI Climate Investments
• Dev Sanyal FEI, Chief Executive Officer, Varo Energy
• Dr Carole Nakhle, Chief Executive Officer, Crystol Energy
• Luis Henrique Guimarães, Chief Executive Officer, Cosan
• Michael Liebreich HonFEI, Chairman & Chief Executive, Liebreich Associates
• Monica Collings, Chief Executive Officer, So Energy
• Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive Officer, Carbon Capture and Storage Association
• Lindsay McQuade, Director of Energy, EMEA, Amazon Web Services
• Grete Tveit, Senior Vice President for Low Carbon Solutions, Equinor
• Hugues Bourgogne, Executive Vice President for Safety, Environment & Asset Management, Shell
• Stuart Payne, Chief Executive Officer, North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA)
• Mark Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, Nogaholding
• Chris Kelsall, Chief Executive Officer, Tokamak
• Monica Spada, Head of R&D, Eni
• Bjørn Otto Sverdrup, Chairman of the Executive Committee, OGCI
• Catherine Raw, Managing Director, SSE Thermal

Notes for editors

1. International Energy Week takes place 22-24 February 2022. Full information is at www.ieweek.co.uk.
   For conference media accreditation and any other enquiries, contact Neil Michie on 020 7467 7132 or nmichie@energyinst.org
2. Damilola Ogunbiyi biography:
   Damilola Ogunbiyi is the CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (UN SRSG) for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy. With Mrs. Ogunbiyi at the helm, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) has entered into working relationships with over 200 partners, supported over 90 countries globally, and secured commitments of more than $600 billion in energy finance. This has been achieved through programmes such as Universal Energy Facility, Powering Healthcare, Women and Youth at the Forefront, Cooling for All, and Clean Cooking; and innovative initiatives such as UN Energy Compacts, Energy Transition Plans, Universal Integrated Energy Plans, the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI), and the Africa Renewable Energy Manufacturing Initiative (AREMI) among many others. Through her leadership, SEforALL has grown its global influence and country support providing clear pathways to accelerate progress towards universal energy access, ending energy poverty, and advancing the global just and equitable energy transition.
   Prior to joining SEforALL, Mrs. Ogunbiyi was the first female Managing Director of the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency where she initiated the Nigerian Electrification Project, a USD 550 million facility which is a joint World Bank and African Development Bank programme that to date provided energy access to over 5 million people across Nigeria. She also conceptualised the Energizing Economies Initiative, estimated to impact 1.2 million SMEs.
   Before joining the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), Mrs. Ogunbiyi was the first female General Manager of the Lagos State Electricity Board. Under her leadership, five independent power projects were completed to deliver over 55 megawatts of power to Lagos State hospitals, schools, and government facilities.
   Mrs. Ogunbiyi is a member of the Global Leadership Council (GLC) of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), an Advisory Board member of the Center on Global Energy Policy, a member of the Development Advisory Council of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), a member of the Clean Cooking Alliance Advisory Board, a member of the Advisory Board of University of Oxford’s Future of Cooling Programme, and Co-Chair of UN–Energy.
   She is a global leader and advocate for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on SDG7, which calls for access to reliable, affordable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030.
3. More information about the criteria and history of the President’s Award is at www.energyinst.org/whats-on/search/presidents-award
4. The Energy Institute (EI) is the chartered professional membership body for people who work across the world of energy.
   Our purpose is to create a better energy future for our members and society by accelerating a just global energy transition to net zero.
   We do this by attracting, developing and equipping the diverse future energy workforce; informing energy decision-making through convening expertise and advice; and enabling industry and consumers to make energy lower carbon, safer and more efficient.
   @EnergyInstitute #IEWeek