Dr Fatih Birol has served as Executive Director of the International Energy Agency since 2015. Under his leadership, the IEA has moved to the forefront of global efforts to reach international climate goals, safeguard energy security and manage the social and economic impacts of clean energy transitions. Dr Birol took up his current position after rising through the ranks of the IEA, starting as a junior analyst in the mid-1990s and eventually serving as Chief Economist responsible for the IEA's flagship World Energy Outlook. Dr Birol has been named in the TIME100, TIME's annual list of the world's most influential people. He has also been named by Forbes as one of the most influential people in the world of energy and by the Financial Times as the Energy Personality of the Year. He chairs the World Economic Forum's (Davos) Energy Advisory Board. Before the IEA, Dr Birol worked at the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna. He earned a BSc degree in power engineering from the Technical University of Istanbul and received an MSc and PhD in energy economics from the Technical University of Vienna. He is an honorary life member of Galatasaray Football Club.