International Business Congress holds Presiding Committee Meeting
RELEASE
Release
The International Business Congress (IBC) held its Presiding Committee Meeting today via a video link. The Meeting was moderated by Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and IBC President. The Meeting participants took stock of the IBC performance in the year 2020 and set out the priorities for the coming year.
During his speech, Alexey Miller stressed that “amid the current restrictions, the Congress continues to perform its mission by consolidating the international expert community in the energy industry.”
Based on the voting results, the proposals on the changes to the composition of the Presiding Committee were approved, and the decision was made to continue implementing and financing the working projects of the Congress in 2021.
The Presiding Committee resolved to hold the 24th annual IBC General Meeting in September 2021 in Singapore with options for personal or remote attendance. The Meeting’s central theme: “Challenges and Opportunities at the Growing Energy Markets in Asia.” Elena Burmistrova, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, made a report on this theme at the Presiding Committee Meeting.
She noted that “the transformation of the global energy industry cannot be successful without the countries of the Asian region, and in any foreseeable scenarios they will be the main driver behind the growth of the global demand for energy resources. At the same time, in order to secure reliable energy supplies and to phase out coal and oil products in energy generation to battle smog, most countries of the region are choosing to count on an eco-friendly, affordable and reliable fuel – natural gas.”
Background
The International Business Congress (IBC) is an international non-governmental and non-profit organization. The IBC consists of 112 members from 23 countries, among them Gazprom, OMV AG, Bank of China, China National Petroleum Corporation, Comita D. D., DNV GL AS, Ernst and Young BV, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd., Mitsubishi, Mizuho Bank, N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie, Pietro Fiorentini S.P.A., PetroVietnam, SAP LLC, Siemens, Shell, Schneider Electric, Schlumberger Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Europe, Total, Uniper, Wintershall Dea, Yokogava Electric, VTB, Sakhalin Energy, Srbijagas, and others.
The IBC’s supreme body is the General Meeting. The 50-member Presiding Committee exercises general management. The seven-member Board of Executive Directors is responsible for operational issues.
The Congress deals with the practical aspects of economic cooperation and brings forward proposals for debottlenecking and building a favorable environment for safe and efficient entrepreneurial activities. The IBC operates through eight Working Committees: Energy; Industry, Innovations and Prospective Development; Law, Banking and Finance; Information and Communications; Ecology and Healthcare; Modern Technologies and Prospective Oil and Gas Industry Projects; Human Resources; and Business Security.