The Director General of the National Gas Transmission Company TRANSGAZ, Ion Sterian, is a renowned name in the energy sector of Romania and the European Union as well as worldwide.
He joined the company in 2007 as a representative of Transgaz’ major shareholder, the Romanian State by the Ministry of Economy in the General Shareholders Assembly and further on, in 2013, he was appointed Chairman of the company’s Board of Administration and since 2017 he has been Director-General.
Ion Sterian graduated the Oil and Gas University of Ploiești, being specialized in well drilling and exploitation of oil and gas fields, and the Faculty of Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture within the University of Bucharest. He received a Master’s degree in management and a Master’s degree in management and rural development and completed training courses in International Relations, all of which award him the perfect profile to run a company like Transgaz.
He has professional expertise and background in both energy and corporate management and has held positions of responsibility in different key institutions of Romania. He was Executive Director of the Technical Division within the Autonomous Administration of the Brăila Free Zone, Executive Director of Technical Division of the Autonomous Administration of State Protocol Patrimony; In 2010, Ion Sterian also held the position of State Under-Secretary within the Ministry for Regional Development and Tourism.
Throughout his career, Ion Sterian developed and perfected his professional knowledge on security and corporate governance, international and diplomatic relations and financial management, having a substantial contribution to the development of the performant company he runs and to the effective implementation of the strategic projects under the assumed Administration Plan.
Under the close coordination of Ion Sterian, Transgaz has been implementing one of the largest and most important natural gas transmission infrastructure development plans in Romania over the past 20 years, with investment projects estimated at over 3.4 billion euro.
A charismatic and committed leader, an effervescent and positive personality, Ion Sterian has won the trust and respect of his national and international peers, of the EU, international and Romanian authorities, of the mass-media and of his over 4,100 employees.
As a recognition of his professional merits and managerial qualities, Mr. Ion Sterian received on his own behalf and on behalf of Transgaz, numbers of awards, diplomas and accolades, being invited to deliver presentations/speeches on topics specific to the energy sector, management and corporate governance, negotiations and financing related to complex and large-scale investment projects in national and European energy infrastructure, and other topics related to the prospects for sustainable development of the energy sector in Romania and Europe, energy diversification in Europe, digitization of the energy sector, etc.
KEEP READINGGergely MOLNAR joined the International Energy Agency in August 2018, as a Gas Analyst in the Gas, Coal and Power Markets Division within the Directorate of Energy Markets and Security. The Division is responsible for the development of short- and medium-term market forecasts, and the publication of the Global Gas Security Review. Before joining the Agency, he held several positions in consulting and private research companies with a focus on European gas markets and gas infrastructure.
He holds a Master in International Energy from the Paris Institute of Political Sciences and graduated in International Affairs from the Corvinus University of Budapest.
KEEP READINGDr. Vitaliy Baylarbayov is the Deputy Vice-President of SOCAR. Dr. Baylarbayov has over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and holds a PhD in Economics. He is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators and has held executive positions in the negotiations and management of a number of major oil and gas projects, including the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oilfields, the Shah Deniz gas/condensate field, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, and the Southern Gas Corridor Projects – the expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline and the establishment of the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Dr. Baylarbayov heads the Southern Gas Corridor Gas Value Chain Integration Team, is a Chairman of the board of SOCAR-UNIPER LLC, Chairman of BoD of the South Caucasus Pipeline Company Ltd., Chairman of BoD of SOCAR Midstream Operations LLC, the International Pipeline Company Sarmatia, a board member at the AGRI LNG project and the Azerbaijan Gas Supply Company – AGSC, a marketing vehicle of the Shah Deniz Consortium.
KEEP READINGDanijela Šimović is Director of the Commercial and Financial Affairs Sector at LNG Croatia LLC. She joined the company in 2019 and first managed the Finance Sector, and in 2022, she also took over Commercial operations.
Before that, she worked at PBZ CARD Ltd., where, as Director of Accounting, she participated in developing numerous projects at the company level and PBZ Group. She has extensive experience in finance, accounting, and control and is constantly improving by participating in conferences and seminars in the country and abroad.
She graduated from the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb, in 2010 and obtained the title of Master of Science in Economics.
Since Mario Matković joined MET in 2015, the company made it from a small start-up to a large player in the market. The company has gone from being only a trader in wholesale to becoming one of the most well-known suppliers, with almost 2 billion euros of annual revenue.
Mario started in MET Croatia Energy Trade Ltd. as a Key Account Manager in the Sales Department and, due to his results, was soon promoted to the Head of Sales. Since 2017, he has been the CEO and Member of the Management Board, overseeing some of the MET’s vital strategic resources, such as the KRK LNG Terminal which significantly helped the company’s overall growth.
Mario’s previous experience also includes posts in the biggest Croatian oil company, INA – Industrija nafte Ltd. where he worked his way up from Junior Trader to Feedstocks and Fuel Oils Desk Leader before joining MET Croatia Energy Trade Ltd.
KEEP READINGWorking in gas transport, distribution and storage for over 25 years, mainly in PGNiG and Gaz-System S.A., Poland, JSC Ukrtransgas and LLC Gas TSOUA, Ukraine.
Being an authorized representative of the Board in PGNiG, Poland (2003-2004), was responsible for unbundling of gas transmission system and foundation of independent Gas Transmission System Operator of Poland, Gaz-System S.A. Later, was a Board member and Technical Director at PGNiG Technologie S.A. in Krosno Poland (2004-2008).
In 2018-2019 was a Board Member of JSC Ukrtranszaz (Gas TSO of Ukraine before the unbundling). Was responsible for unbundling of gas transmission system and foundation of independent Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine, followed by the position of the Deputy CEO on Strategy and Transformation of LLC Gas TSO of Ukraine (2020) leading the integration of the GTSOUA into the European energy market.
From October of 2022 until March of 2023 was Acting CEO of LLC Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine. After appointment of the new CEO of Gas TSO of Ukraine in March in 2023, headed the Transformation and Development Division. Since October of 2023 is Advisor of CEO at Representation of GTSOU in the European Union.
Pawel Stanczak holds an MBA of the University of Bradford, Leon Kozminski Academy, Warsaw (2008), degree on Top-management of the Warsaw School of Economics (2000), Engineering and Technical degree of the Warsaw Polytechnic Institute (1991) and Emilian Konopczynsk Higher Technical School, Warsaw (1983).
KEEP READINGVeselin Sinabov is the CEO of Bulgargaz EAD. His career path began in 2012 as a Natural Gas Trading Expert at the company Overgas Inc. JSC. In 2015 Mr Sinabov continued his professional career at the natural gas transmission operator Bulgartransgaz EAD, rising from a specialist in the Gas Transmission Network Balancing Department to Director of the Commercial Services Directorate. In August 2022, he was appointed Director of Bulgargaz’s Gas Trading Directorate. Mr Sinabov was appointed CEO of Bulgargaz EAD in April 2024.
He has an MA degree in International Law from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). In 2013 he was awarded an MA degree in Management in the Oil and Gas Industry.
KEEP READINGViktória dr. Mészáros Kardosné has been the Manager of the Green Transition Office at the Hungarian Gas Transmission System Operator, FGSZ Ltd. since 1 May 2022. She joined FGSZ in 2020 as Internal Audit Manager. In her current role, she is responsible for the development and the representation of the Company’s strategic goals related to the green transition processes, such as the integration of hydrogen, biomethane and carbon transmission. Emission reduction strategies, sustainable development factors, energy efficiency actions, methane mitigation tasks and operational environmental protection are also part of her team’s work. She received her doctoral degree in Law at the Pázmány Peter Catholic University of Budapest.
KEEP READINGI have 11 years of experience in energy sector. I worked as Secretary General of Petroleum and Natural Gas Platform Association (“PETFORM”) which is the main industry association of upstream and wholesale gas companies in Turkey until August, 2021. In my previous role, I managed the PETFORM activities, assisted the PETFORM Board on their actions, analyzed the global market developments, presented the association as speaker in conferences and led the regulatory affairs of PETFORM. With the aim of contributing to the gas trading hub strategy of Turkey, I coordinated the EU funded- TRGas-Hub Project, which was awarded as the “Best Project of 2013”. I wrote a master thesis on “Turkey’s Natural Gas Market Liberalization Goal and Turkey – EU Relations”.
I have been working for MET Turkey as Chief Commercial Officer since August, 2021. I coordinate natural gas business operations&strategies, business development efforts and administrative affairs in MET Turkey.
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