Meet the 2021 Winners and Finalists

Dr. Serene Lock Sow Mun, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia

Dr. Serene is a lecturer at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP). Her well-cited and award-winning computational invention has been commercialized to natural gas sweetening facilities in Southeast Asia since 2015. It is used to produce natural gas that is safe, clean, environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient for public use while meeting the stringent requirements for LNG facilities.

Serene is a multi-award-winning engineer, receiving international recognition from renowned professional bodies, such as EGYPS, ADIPEC, WWF and IChemE. Serene earned a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (Hons) from University of Toronto. Subsequently, she completed her master’s and PhD in Chemical Engineering from UTP.

Leilan Johnson, Sempra LNG, U.S.A.

Leilan Johnson is the Contracts & Procurement Manager for Sempra LNG, where she leads the contracts and procurement teams for the Energia Costa Azul (ECA) LNG project and is responsible for the administration of the approximately $1.5 billion lump sum EPC contract. ECA LNG was the only LNG export project in the world to have reached a final investment decision in 2020. Prior to her current role, Leilan was the procurement lead on Cameron LNG and later project manager for the estimate reviews on ECA LNG and Port Arthur LNG.

Leilan earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on finance and supply chain management from the University of San Diego.

Ling Shen, PetroChina International, China

Ling Shen is currently the Deal Lead in the LNG Origination and Deal Structuring team at PetroChina International (PCI). She is the lead commercial interface with external markets, negotiating and closing value-enhancing deals for PCI and its partners and customers. Since joining PCI in 2011, she has held various commercial, operational and trading positions across the pipeline gas and LNG businesses. She was deeply involved in the commercial structuring for the China-Myanmar Pipeline gas import, and has led several high-profile, long-term LNG supply deal negotiations.

Ling earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Thermal Engineering from Tsinghua University.

Amanda Duhon, The EIC (Energy Industries Council), U.S.A.

As part of the EIC’s Senior Management Team, Amanda Duhon plays an integral role in achieving the EIC’s strategic objectives across the North & Central America region. She adds value to EIC members by fostering key industry relationships, identifying business opportunities and promoting EIC members’ interests across the energy sector.

Prior to joining the EIC, Amanda served in the public sector with Trade & Investment Queensland, Australia and the Department for International Trade (DIT) as well as in the private sector as a senior paralegal and policy analyst.

Amanda holds a BA in International Studies and a MA in Political Science with a focus on Public Policy and Administration.

Sarah Behbhani, BEnergy Solutions Consultancy, UAE

Sarah Behbhani is a founder and managing director of BEnergy Solutions Consultancy.

Prior to starting BEnergy, she was Senior VP of LNG at Jera Global Market, where she created the joint venture’s LNG desk. In the process, she was responsible for building the overall desk structure, which included recruiting talent, leading the LNG growth strategy and oversight of trading, optimization and risk management.

For eight years, Sarah led Shell’s LNG trading business in the west where she oversaw the integration of Repsol and BG’s LNG portfolio, growing Shell’s trading activities in the Middle East and Atlantic Basin. Sarah has more than 20 years of experience, serving oil and LNG roles in Kuwait, London, Dubai and Singapore.

She graduated with a degree of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Dayton and an MBA from London Business School.

Talumba Katawala, Technip Energies, Mozambique

Talumba Katawala is the Local Content & Public Affairs Manager for Technip Energies in Mozambique. She is responsible for implementing sustainable, long-term investments in local content, corporate social responsibility and stakeholder engagement. She manages and advises on the implementation of National Content Development requirements.

She is also the cofounder of Mozambican Women of Energy, a group driven to empower women and men in Mozambique and across Africa to become leaders of the energy transition. Targeting gender equality and sustainable development, the organization builds capacity, connects players and develops leaders to become future makers and contributors to the energy transition in Mozambique.

Talumba earned a BBA from University of St. Thomas in Mozambique.

Anan Abdullatif, Oman Shipping Company, Oman

Anan Abdullatif is a Senior Commercial Manager with Oman Shipping Company and is responsible for managing the company's fleet of LNG vessels. She is a full-fledged chartering executive with 16 years in the LNG business dealing in the international market. Her experience includes negotiating the terms and conditions of commercial/shipping agreements and securing long-term charters for the company's LNG vessels with major gas companies worldwide. Anan manages contracts that generate more than $150 million in revenues annually.

Anan holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Royal Holloway University of London.

Melissa Lindsay, Emstream & Emsurge, UK

Melissa Lindsay is Founder and CEO of tech startup Emsurge, a blockchain-ready marketplace for trading bespoke commodities and tools for traders. She also founded Emstream, a tech-enabled LNG and carbon brokerage, and is an angel investor in an AI startup.

Formerly the Global Head of LNG at Tullett Prebon, she brokered more than 100 cargoes and designed the JKM futures contract. She now assists new entrants into the JKM market via a collaboration with Evolution Markets.

Melissa is a member of the Taskforce for Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets and recently founded the Clean LNG Trader’s Forum with DMG Events.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and International Development from the University of Bath, UK.

Yanyan Zhu, CNOOC, China

Yanyan Zhu serves as VP of CNOOC Gas and Power Trading & Marketing. She is responsible for the management and optimization of the organization’s LNG portfolio. Yanyan has deep experience in LNG procurement, international business development, contract management, LNG trading, commercial and legal negotiation of LNG projects and LNG policy and regulations.

She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature from Peking University, China and is qualified as an Enterprise Legal Counsel.

Charlotte Raggett, Rockies LNG, Canada

Charlotte Raggett is the President & CEO of Rockies LNG, a partnership of Canadian natural gas producers, working with the Nisga’a Nation and Western LNG to advance an LNG project in northwest British Columbia.

Charlotte has worked in the natural gas and midstream businesses for more than 25 years, serving in positions at Seven Generations Energy, the Canadian Energy Research Institute, Dow Chemical Canada, Williams Energy Canada, TransCanada Midstream and Inter Pipeline Fund. Her experience is both broad and deep, with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, marketing, business development, strategy and planning, regulatory affairs and utility supply.

Charlotte earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics from Queens University and a Master of Arts, Economics from the University of Calgary. She is a Past President of the Economics Society of Calgary and Past Treasurer and Board Member of the Industrial Gas Consumers Association of Alberta.

Elena Berman, Kairos Aerospace, U.S.A.

Dr. Elena Berman is the Chief Science Officer of Kairos Aerospace, an emissions management company. Elena oversees all aspects of Kairos’ hyperspectral data, from hardware through analysis of raw data into actionable, geolocated methane emissions. In 2020, this data helped oil and natural gas companies eliminate 14.4 billion cubic feet of methane emissions, the equivalent of removing 1.6 million cars from the road. Elena and her teams are also responsible for using Kairos’ basin-wide natural gas leak surveys to gain a deeper understanding of emissions across oil and gas basins.

Elena earned her PhD from Stanford University and completed postdoctoral research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Rosario Osobase, Tenaris, Nigeria

Rosario Osobase leads the commercial and institutional businesses for Tenaris in Nigeria. Tenaris is a global leader in the manufacture of steel pipes and services. In her role, she manages the company’s commercial agenda, defines engagement with government and industry stakeholders and executes long-term sustainability strategies. She has been instrumental in helping Tenaris increase its human capacity development and local infrastructural deployment for Nigeria’s economic advancement.

Rosario also serves as Executive Secretary and a director on the board for the Petroleum Contractors Trade Section (PCTS.) She is a nominee for the Nigerian Content Research & Development Council of the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board, which works to advance research and development across the energy value chain in Nigeria.

She earned a first-class degree in computing from the University of Bradford and is currently finishing her Executive MBA at IMD in Switzerland.