The 6th Youth Forum of the World Petroleum Council – Future Leaders Forum worked in St. Petersburg on June 23-28, 2019. The Forum is the largest international platform for professional communication of young specialists in the oil and gas industry. The Forum was attended by more than 1300 representatives of the oil and gas industry from 62 countries. The organizer of the event is the Russian National Committee of the World Petroleum Council that has rich experience in organization of international high-level events.

The Gala Opening of the Forum took place on June 23, 2019, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Four representatives of the World Petroleum Council and the Organising Committee of the Forum held speeches on the ceremony: Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Future Leaders Forum Alexander Novak; President of the World Petroleum Council Tor Fjaeran; Director of the WPC Russian National Committee Vlada Streletskaya and Chairman of the WPC Young Professionals Committee Stephane Rousselet. The culmination of the celebration was the transfer of the old kerosene lamp by Mr. Novak and Mr. Fjaeran to young colleagues. This action was perceived as evidence of loyalty to traditions and continuity of generations.

The Opening Ceremony of the 6th WPC Youth Forum – Future Leaders Forum ended with the Giselle ballet performance, one of the most magnificent productions in the repertoire of the legendary Mariinsky Theatre.

The Technical Programme of the Forum was held at the sites of the Multifunctional Complex "Gorny", a well-equipped and hospitable modern complex owned by St. Petersburg Mining University.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants, organisers, and guests of the Forum. "It is on you, young leaders, on your readiness to make bold, non-standard decisions, to achieve your goals, to build up an equal and mutually beneficial partnership – the future of the oil and gas complex, its competitiveness and expansion of the resource base largely depend," - noted in the greeting of the head of the Russian state.

The high professional level of the discussions was predetermined by the unique composition of the speakers — most of the 235 speakers have extensive practical experience in leading oil and gas companies or are eminent experts. Ministerial delegations from five countries arrived to communicate with young professionals. Forum participants had the opportunity to discuss the full range of issues of the current state and future development of the global oil and gas industry, its role and place in the energy system of the planet.

Continuing the established tradition, youth technical sessions were included in the programme of the Future Leaders Forum. For the first time, the selection of young speakers was conducted as an open competition. Any young person had the opportunity to express the wish to share the results of personal scientific research, providing a brief description of the work done. 75 students and young professionals from different countries of the world, whose works were acknowledged as the best, received invitations to the Forum and made presentations at one of the nine youth technical sessions.

At the initiative of the administration of St. Petersburg Mining University, young participants of the competition have the opportunity to publish their scientific work in the collection indexed by Scopus, Web of Science.

In total, without taking into account Youth Technical Sessions, the Technical Programme of the Forum included 28 discussions on the most topical issues of the industry. They were held in different formats: plenary and panel sessions, round tables, forums, and open dialogues. The entire programme was structured in three main areas: Leadership, Innovation, Sustainable Development.

On the last day of the Forum, technical tours – educational trips to various objects of urban infrastructure and oil companies – were offered to the participants. Among the objects, there were “Gazprom Neft Science & Technology”, Multifunctional Complex “Lakhta Center” and other facilities.

An international group of the Forum participants took part in an environmental campaign: the installation of an artificial spawning ground in the Gulf of Finland. This project is aimed at improving the environmental situation in the waters of the Gulf of Finland.

In addition to a great Technical Programme, the participants of the Future Leaders Forum were offered a diverse Cultural Programme. In particular, it included a visit to the Hermitage, Neva Cruise, and bus city tours. In addition, a small football tournament was held among the participants of the Forum.

The Closing Ceremony of the Future Leaders Forum was held in Konstantinovsky Palace, located on the picturesque coast of the Gulf of Finland. In this residence, Russian leaders receive important guests.

The level of the Forum preparation and holding was highly appreciated by participants and guests of the Forum, as well as the leaders of the World Petroleum Council. “The event set new standards in terms of the quality level of the programme and speakers, excellent organisation and positive results that are important for the formation of future industry leaders,” said Tor Fjaeran, President of the World Petroleum Council, mentioning the main results of the Forum.

The success of the 6th WPC Youth Forum was the result of the hard work of a large number of people and organisations. The Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation and the Administration of St. Petersburg played an active role in organising the preparations for the Forum. The leaders of the Mining University took care of the comfortable conditions for all the participants of the Forum.

During the Forum, an important role in creating the atmosphere of hospitality was played by members of the international volunteers’ team. 200 volunteers, who were selected on a competitive basis and then trained, helped the organisers and guests of the Forum in solving everyday issues.

The modern oil and gas industry plays a core role in meeting global energy needs. The key conditions for its sustainable development are international cooperation, succession of generations, a high level of responsibility, professional knowledge and skills of young professionals. The Future Leaders Forum was a significant step towards these goals. Young delegates who arrived in St. Petersburg from all over the world got the opportunity to experience and make sure: “We are the future!”

Official website of the 6th Youth Forum of the World Petroleum Council – Future Leaders Forum

EVENT HISTORY