SPEAKERS
Tania Constable PSM
Chief Executive Officer
Minerals Council of Australia
Dr Faith Birol
Executive Director
International Energy Agency
Tania Constable PSM
Tania Constable PSM joined the Minerals Council of Australia in July 2018 where she is proud to promote and advocate for a strong, vibrant and innovative minerals industry in Australia.
Prior to joining the MCA, Tania was Chief Executive Officer of the CO2CRC (Collaborative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies) a leading global research organisation testing carbon capture and storage low emission technologies in Australia.
Tania previously worked as chief advisor in the Personal and Retirement Income Division of Treasury, working on tax-related matters, and has had a long association with resources and energy, holding various senior executive roles in the Australian Government. Tania had responsibility for policy advice to the Minister for Industry on oil and gas regulation, exploration and development, and sustainable mining activities.
During this time Ms Constable also had the privlege of being the Australian Joint Commissioner and Sunrise Commissioner for Australia and Timor Leste, leading joint activities on the development of the Joint Petroleum Development Area and Greater Sunrise Project. She was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2014 for outstanding public service in the development of Australia's liquefied natural gas and other resource and energy industries.
Dr Faith Birol
As the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Dr Fatih Birol (@fbirol) has moved the Agency to the forefront of global efforts to shape a secure and affordable energy future while ensuring climate objectives are met. After taking office, Dr Birol led the IEA in its first modernisation programme since its creation in 1974. These efforts focused on broadening the IEA’s energy security focus beyond oil to also cover electricity, natural gas, renewables and critical minerals; making the IEA the global hub for advanced energy technologies; and “opening the doors” of the IEA to major emerging economies. These efforts have seen new governments join the IEA Family, resulting in the IEA’s share of global energy
consumption rising from 40% to over 80%.
Dr Birol took up his position after rising through the ranks of the IEA over two decades. He joined as a junior analyst in the mid-1990s and rose to the position of Chief Economist responsible for the IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook among other topics. Throughout his career, Dr Birol has pioneered and passionately supported efforts to expand access to electricity and to clean cooking technologies
and fuels in Africa and beyond.
Dr Birol has been included in the TIME100, TIME’s annual list of the world’s most influential people, and named by Forbes as one of the most influential people in the world of energy. He is the recipient of numerous decorations, including
the French Legion of Honour bestowed by the President of France, the Japanese Emperor’s Order of the Rising Sun, the highest Presidential decorations from Germany, Italy and Austria, the Order of the Polar Star from the King of Sweden and the highest Emirati decoration bestowed by the President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh bin Zayed.
Prior to joining the IEA, Dr Birol worked at the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He earned a BSc degree in power engineering from the Technical University of Istanbul and received an MSc and PhD in energy economics from the Technical University of Vienna. He has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science from Imperial College London. He chairs the World Economic Forum’s (Davos) Energy Advisory Board and is an honorary life member of Galatasaray Football Club.