Green hydrogen is in its infancy now, but it has an important role to play in reaching net zero

Executive Director of the IEA since 2015. Under his leadership, the Agency has moved to the forefront of global efforts to reach international climate goals while ensuring that the social and economic impacts of clean energy transitions are at the heart of policy-making and energy security is safeguarded. Dr Birol led the IEA in its first comprehensive modernisation programme, focusing on “opening the doors” of the Agency to major emerging economies including Brazil, China, India and South Africa; making the IEA the global hub for clean energy transitions; and broadening the IEA’s energy security focus beyond oil to also cover electricity, natural gas, renewables and the critical minerals needed in many of today’s clean energy technologies. He has been named in the TIME100, TIME’s annual list of the world’s most influential people, 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 Energy Advisory Board, and he’s the recipient of numerous state decorations. Dr Birol earned a BSc degree in power engineering from the Technical University of Istanbul and an MSc and PhD in energy economics from the Technical University of Vienna. He was awarded a Doctorate of Science honoris causa from Imperial College London in 2013.