Chairman of Libya National Oil Corp. (Libya NOC)

Shokri Ghanem, Chairman of Libya National Oil Corp. (Libya NOC).

Shokri Ghanem was singled out by his peers for his strong leadership in the revitalization of the Libyan petroleum industry and the expansion of international investment activities.

Ghanem received a bachelor's degree from the University of Libya at Benghazi in 1963. He worked in government for the next 14 years, including positions in Libya NOC and at the Oil Ministry. During this period, he also studied at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA, receiving a doctorate in International Economics in 1975. He then served as chief economist and directory of energy studies at the Arab Development Institute in Libya, while also holding various academic positions in Libya and the UK. From 1993 to 2001, Ghanem was director of research at the Opec secretariat in Vienna, Austria, also standing in for the secretary general at times.

In 2001, Ghanem returned to Libya to serve as minister of economy and trade. In 2003 he was named prime minister. He is credited with liberalizing the Libyan economy and accelerating the opening of the country to international petroleum investment. In 2006 he was named chairman of Libya NOC with full responsibility for all petroleum sector policies and operations.