“I am a man who smells energy, lives energy. I cannot change!” – that has been the common refrain of HE Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah since he retired as Qatar’s Minister of Energy & Industry after two decades leading the charge. 
“His Excellency has utilised his time ever since to encourage and celebrate the highest standards and best practices in the industry,” according to The Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Foundation for Energy & Sustainable Development.
The Al-Attiyah Foundation was conceived in 2013 to provide robust and practical knowledge and insights on global energy and sustainable development topics and communicate these for the benefit of the foundation’s members and community.
On May 7, the Al-Attiyah Foundation will recognise and celebrate its sixth class of award winners for their lifetime achievement and contribution to the energy industry. This year’s distinguished group of exemplary individuals will include Lee Raymond, former chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, the world’s largest publicly traded energy company. 
The Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Energy Awards are given annually to individuals for their lifetime achievement in the advancement of the global energy industry in seven categories: Qatar energy industry; Opec; producer-consumer dialogue; education of future energy leaders; energy journalism; renewable energy and an honorary award for advancement of international energy policy and diplomacy. 
The nominees are selected and scored by an international group of industry leaders who choose candidates for an outstanding record of accomplishment over their decade-spanning careers. 
The 2018 Selection Committee was led by Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, the former CEO & chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group, and Nobuo Tanaka, the former executive director of the International Energy Agency, who themselves are former winners of the Al-Attiyah Award, which over five years has established itself as the pre-eminent international prize in recognising individuals for their lifetime achievements to the global energy industry.
“It is a great honour to be a recipient of this award from HE Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, who himself has made such a great contribution to his country and to the industry,” Sir Mark said in his acceptance speech last year.
Since its first unveiling in 2013, the Al-Attiyah Awards have recognised many of the world’s most respected energy leaders from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, US and Qatar. 
The Awards alumni group will rise to 38 after this year’s ceremony at the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, and includes a distinguished cross section of current industry leaders, such as Fatih Birol, executive director, International Energy Agency and Randa Takieddine, widely recognised as the world’s pre-eminent journalist covering Opec. 
This unique group of energy elders also includes former titans of industry such as late Christophe De Margerie, former CEO of Total and late Rilwanu Lukman, the former energy minister of Nigeria and Opec secretary-general.
As an independent non-government organisation, the Al-Attiyah Foundation offers platforms for open discussions on energy and sustainable development topics with key energy and sustainability influencers from governments and business including academia, research, science, and media. 
The foundation provides information, programmes, research and publications to highlight specific challenges, share learnings and influence public policy on energy and sustainable development.
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