Colby Connelly is an Energy Intelligence Research Analyst. Key focus areas of Energy Intelligence Research include the energy transition, corporate strategy and competitor intelligence, oil and gas/LNG markets, and aboveground risk.

Colby works primarily on regional macroeconomics, operating conditions and political trends in the Middle East and North Africa, including oil markets, Opec-plus, geopolitics and the regional effects of the energy transition. He also contributes to Competitive Intelligence Research by examining corporate strategies and developments in this region.

Prior to joining Energy Intelligence, Colby worked as a Research Associate at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, where he focused on the economies of the Gulf Cooperation Council region, with special attention to national oil companies and domestic energy markets. He spent several years working as a contractor in Saudi Arabia in support of workforce nationalization projects established as part of the government’s Saudization initiative. He designed, managed and supported multiple training programs tailored for new employees of Saudi energy and critical infrastructure companies. He also has over seven years’ experience serving as a contributor to IHS Markit’s Middle East and North Africa country risk product.

Colby holds an MA in global security studies from the Center for Advanced Governmental Studies at Johns Hopkins University and a BA in international affairs from James Madison University.