The fracking revolution that began a decade ago has drastically altered the geography and economics of global energy supplies. This revolution has led to a renaissance in oil and gas/LNG investment that few could have foreseen. The COVID-19 crisis has presented another severe—and unpredictable—disruption that has led to an unprecedented drop in the global oil and gas/LNG market. A drop this precipitous and sudden is unprecedented in the history of the energy industry worldwide. Join Japan-America Society of Washington DC (JASWDC) for a moderated discussion with American and Japanese experts on energy business and governance.
This program is free for JASWDC members/ $10.00 for non-members.
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About the Speakers:
Hiroyuki Takai currently heads Sumitomo Corporation of Americas’ (SCOA) Washington, D.C., office, which is responsible for research, policy analysis, and government affairs. Prior to arriving in Washington, D.C., in April 2018, Mr. Takai served in multiple leadership roles with Sumitomo Corporation. Immediately prior to his arrival in Washington, Mr. Takai was Executive Officer of Sumitomo Corporation and President and CEO of Sumitomo Corporation Global Research Co. Ltd., which is responsible for Sumitomo's business intelligence and economic/political research activities. In 2011, he was appointed to head Sumitomo's Energy Division, where he was responsible for oil and gas trading and upstream investment. Prior to that position, he was assigned to head the newly created foreign exchange and commodity derivatives department within the Treasury Division. There, he expanded his career in financial markets, eventually becoming the corporate officer in charge of the Financial Business Division, with responsibilities for derivatives trading, private equity investment, asset management, and aircraft leasing business.
In 1988, Mr. Takai was transferred to Sumitomo’s London Office and expanded his trading sphere in metals, where he gained extensive experience and built a global network. In 1993, he was the first non-British board member elected to the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), and he still maintains close working relationships with the global bullion community. He is a regular contributor to the Nikkei Newspaper, Weekly Nikkei Veritas, Toyo Keizai and Economist magazines. In addition, he made regular appearances in “Morning Satellite” on TV Tokyo and “Market Analyze Plus” on BS12 while he was based in Tokyo. Mr. Takai joined Sumitomo Corporation in 1980 and began his career in the Non-Ferrous Metals Division, trading precious metals. He graduated from Kobe University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
Nobuo Tanaka is Chairman of The Sasakawa Peace Foundation. He is also Visiting Professor at Graduate School of Public Policy of the University of Tokyo, where he is teaching energy security. He is Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ) as well as Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. As Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) from 2007 to 2011, Mr. Tanaka oversaw a seminal period in the Agency’s work and direction. Under his leadership, the IEA initiated a collective release of oil stocks in June 2011, the third such collective action in the Agency’s history, opening new scope and a new era for IEA emergency action. He was responsible for pioneering the concept of ‘comprehensive energy security’ while also expanding the Agency’s focus on climate change, renewable energy and the transition to a lowcarbon energy economy. He also played a crucial and personal role in the strengthening of ties with major IEA non-Member energy players, including China, India, Russia, etc.
Mr. Tanaka began his career in 1973 in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in Tokyo, and has served in a number of high-ranking positions in METI, including Director-General of the Multilateral Trade System Department. In this capacity, he led many trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and for bilateral Free Trade Agreements. Mr. Tanaka was deeply engaged in a range of bilateral trade and economic issues with the US as Minister for Industry, Trade and Energy at the Embassy of Japan, Washington DC from 1998 to 2000, as well serving as the first secretary of the Embassy from 1982 to 1985. With a strong background in international affairs, He has served as both Deputy Director and Director for Science, Technology and Industry (DSTI) of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Samantha Gross is a fellow in the Cross-Brookings Initiative on Energy and Climate. Her work is focused on the intersection of energy, environment, and policy, including climate policy and international cooperation, energy efficiency, unconventional oil and gas development, regional and global natural gas trade, and the energy-water nexus.
Ms. Gross has more than 20 years of experience in energy and environmental affairs. She has been a visiting fellow at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, where she authored work on clean energy cooperation and on post-Paris climate policy. She was director of the Office of International Climate and Clean Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. In that role, she directed U.S. activities under the Clean Energy Ministerial, including the secretariat and initiatives focusing on clean energy implementation and access and energy efficiency. Prior to her time at the Department of Energy, Ms. Gross was director of integrated research at IHS CERA. She managed the IHS CERA Climate Change and Clean Energy forum and the IHS relationship with the World Economic Forum. She also authored numerous papers on energy and environment topics and was a frequent speaker on these topics. Ms. Gross has also worked at the Government Accountability Office on the Natural Resources and Environment team and as an engineer directing environmental assessment and remediation projects.
Ms. Gross holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois, a Master of Science in environmental engineering from Stanford, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley.
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