Mehmet Oguctu

Chairman, The Bosphorus Energy Club,

An internationally recognized authority on energy, investment, finance and geopolitics over the past 35 years, Mehmet Öğütçü has built significant knowledge and experience on policy and business matters, with a particular geographic focus on Europe, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and China.

Currently, Mr. Öğütçü chairs Global Resources Partnership, UK, sits on the boards of Genel Energy plc, Sisecam Group plc and Saudi Crown Holding, serves as Special Envoy of the Energy Charter for MENA region, and as Executive Chair of the Bosphorus Energy Club, an exclusive gathering of the senior executives and leaders in finance, energy and politics across Turkey, Eurasia, the Middle East and Africa.

An effective convener and doer, he provides strategic advice to large international groups on access to fund-raising, investment, business growth in emerging market economies, M&A deals, commodity trading and risk mitigation.

In his early career, Mr. Öğütçü worked as deputy inspector on the board of Is Bankasi, Turkey’s largest private bank, and undertook projects as a NATO Research Fellow and one of the EU’s Jean Monnet fellows. He was a prominent diplomat, having worked on critical “economic and energy diplomacy” dossiers in Ankara, Beijing, Brussels and Paris, and later as an advisor to the late Turkish Prime Minister Turgut Ozal.

Following diplomatic assignments in Ankara, Beijing, Brussels and Paris, Mr. Öğütçü served for 12 years as a senior staffer at the International Energy Agency and OECD in Paris, managing energy security and international investment programs. Until 2011, he was director of BG Group’s international government affairs in London, managing high-level government engagements and new business development around the world. He also worked as a board member of Yasar Holding Group, and Chairman of the Advisory Board of Invensys.

Mr. Öğütçü is a graduate of Turkey’s School of Political Sciences, London School of Economics (MSc) and College d’Europe (MA), Bruges. He is an occasional lecturer at London School of Economics’ Enterprise Executive Programme, Harvard University, Dundee University, University of Reading and Peking University’s School of Government since 2005. He writes and lectures extensively around the world on energy, investment and geopolitical matters.

Mr. Öğütçü is fluent in Turkish, English, French and Chinese Mandarin (conversational).