plenary Speakers
Aida Araissi
Aida Araissi is the Founder and CEO of the Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and the education foundation Teachers Educating Across Cultures in Harmony (TEACH).
The Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1997 to promote trade, investment, training and educational exchanges between the US and Arab World. Since its inception and under Araissi’s leadership, the mandate has evolved into a global mission focused on the energy and infrastructure portfolio of the companies represented on the board of advisors. The Bilateral is recognized as a cross industry expert resource for advancing collaborative economic, and education solutions founded on the principals of mutual respect and understanding. Stakeholders include Fortune 500 companies, academic and policy influencers, economic development boards, and city and state agencies.
For the last 22 years, Araissi has provided strategic planning, program management, and full life cycle advice on hundreds of multi-sector inbound and outbound business missions on behalf of public and private organizations. Her extensive experience in foreign direct investment consulting has ranged from developing roadshows for The Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Egypt, to name a few; to US government agencies such as the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and U.S. Department of State. She is a frequent speaker at the US Department of Commerce’s Discover Global Markets, the Africa Leaders Summit in London and ADIPEC’s Women in Energy Conference in Abu Dhabi and EGYPT.
She has received numerous international awards for business advocacy including the U.S. Commercial Service Award for Excellence in Export Promotion, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Trade & Commercial Office commendation for dedication and commitment to strengthening ties between the UAE and the US, the State of Georgia’s US Congress Commendation award as a Leading Women to Watch at the Amazons Watch Magazine’s conference highlighting her work in bridging US-MENA-Africa development.
Ms. Araissi speaks English, Arabic and French. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a minor in Political Science from the University of Houston. She serves on multiple civic and strategic boards including the U.S. Committee for the World Petroleum Congress, the Export Academy, the Nature Conservancy and the Yellowstone Park Foundation. Her work with TEACH has spanned over 18 states in the United States touched thousands of students with global awareness programming aimed at inspiring American teachers to empower the next generation to learn about the world and appreciate diversity.
Susan Dio
Susan Dio is chairman and president of BP America, providing leadership and oversight to BP’s US businesses, which employ around 14,000 people. These businesses include oil and gas exploration and production, refining, petrochemicals, supply and trading, pipeline operations, shipping, retail, and alternative energy.
Since joining the company in 1984, she has held key operational and executive positions in the US, UK, and Australia. Before assuming her current role, Susan served as chief executive officer of BP shipping, where she managed the fleet of BP-operated and chartered vessels that move more than 200 million tonnes of products across the globe each year.
She also previously served as head of audit for BP’s downstream segment, as business unit leader of the Bulwer Island refinery, and as plant manager of Texas City chemicals.
Outside BP, Susan is a member of the American Petroleum Institute Board and Executive Committee, the Greater Houston Partnership Executive Committee, and the Ford’s Theatre Board of Trustees Executive Committee.
Linda DuCharme
In 2011, Ms. DuCharme transferred to London, England as Director of ExxonMobil International Limited for Europe, Russia and Caspian. She then assumed the role of Vice President of Americas, Africa and Asia Pacific New Markets in 2015. In August 2016, Ms. DuCharme was appointed President of ExxonMobil Global Services Company.
Effective April 2019, Ms. DuCharme was appointed President of ExxonMobil Upstream Integrated Solutions Company and a Vice President of Exxon Mobil Corporation.
Active in Houston area philanthropy, Ms. DuCharme serves on the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Board and the Executive Advisory Board for Houston Minority Supplier Development Council.
Ms. DuCharme is married and has two sons.
Stephen W. Green
Stephen W. (Steve) Green, is president of Chevron North America Exploration and Production, a position he has held since March 2019. In this role, he oversees Chevron’s exploration and production activities throughout North America, including the company’s significant portfolio of assets in Canada, California, the Gulf of Mexico, Pennsylvania and the Mid-Continent region of the United States. Green joined Chevron in 2005 upon the merger with Unocal Corporation. Since then, he has held upstream leadership positions in southeast Asia, and served as corporate vice president of Policy, Government and Public Affairs for Chevron.
Active in the energy industry, Green is chair of the American Petroleum Institute’s Upstream Committee, serves on the board of trustees of The First Tee, the executive committee of the Greater Houston Partnership, and is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Texas A&M University in 1980 and completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program in 2003.
Greg Hill
Hess is a leading shale oil and gas producer, one of the largest producers in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico and a key natural gas producer and supplier to Peninsular Malaysia and Thailand. The company is also engaged in exploration and appraisal activities offshore Guyana, participating in one of the industry’s largest oil discoveries in the past decade, as well as in the Gulf of Mexico, Suriname and Newfoundland.
Prior to joining Hess in 2009, Mr. Hill spent 25 years at Shell in a variety of operations, engineering, technical and business leadership roles in Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States. This included serving as Executive Vice President – Exploration and Production of Singapore-based Shell Asia Pacific, Vice President of Production for Shell E&P Europe, and Senior Vice President of Aera Energy, a California-based joint venture affiliate of Shell and Mobil.
Mr. Hill holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wyoming. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Harbour Energy, a global private equity investment firm. He is Chair of the Wyoming Governor’s ENDOW initiative to develop a 20-year economic diversification plan for the state of Wyoming, Co-Chair of the Wyoming Governor’s Energy, Engineering, STEM Integration Task Force and Chairman of the University of Wyoming Foundation Board. Mr. Hill also is a Board Member of the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) and the Greater Houston Partnership, a founding member of CEO’s Against Cancer – Gulf Coast Chapter, Board Member of the Wyoming Business Council and a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources created in 2014 by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA).
Aida Araissi
Aida Araissi is the Founder and CEO of the Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and the education foundation Teachers Educating Across Cultures in Harmony (TEACH).
The Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1997 to promote trade, investment, training and educational exchanges between the US and Arab World. Since its inception and under Araissi’s leadership, the mandate has evolved into a global mission focused on the energy and infrastructure portfolio of the companies represented on the board of advisors. The Bilateral is recognized as a cross industry expert resource for advancing collaborative economic, and education solutions founded on the principals of mutual respect and understanding. Stakeholders include Fortune 500 companies, academic and policy influencers, economic development boards, and city and state agencies.
For the last 22 years, Araissi has provided strategic planning, program management, and full life cycle advice on hundreds of multi-sector inbound and outbound business missions on behalf of public and private organizations. Her extensive experience in foreign direct investment consulting has ranged from developing roadshows for The Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Egypt, to name a few; to US government agencies such as the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and U.S. Department of State. She is a frequent speaker at the US Department of Commerce’s Discover Global Markets, the Africa Leaders Summit in London and ADIPEC’s Women in Energy Conference in Abu Dhabi and EGYPT.
She has received numerous international awards for business advocacy including the U.S. Commercial Service Award for Excellence in Export Promotion, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Trade & Commercial Office commendation for dedication and commitment to strengthening ties between the UAE and the US, the State of Georgia’s US Congress Commendation award as a Leading Women to Watch at the Amazons Watch Magazine’s conference highlighting her work in bridging US-MENA-Africa development.
Ms. Araissi speaks English, Arabic and French. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a minor in Political Science from the University of Houston. She serves on multiple civic and strategic boards including the U.S. Committee for the World Petroleum Congress, the Export Academy, the Nature Conservancy and the Yellowstone Park Foundation. Her work with TEACH has spanned over 18 states in the United States touched thousands of students with global awareness programming aimed at inspiring American teachers to empower the next generation to learn about the world and appreciate diversity.
Jeff Miller
Jeff Miller is Chairman of the Board of Directors, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton, where he leads the Executive Committee
Since joining Halliburton in 1997, Mr. Miller has served in several roles, including Chief Operating Officer. In this capacity, he was responsible for developing and executing the Company’s operational strategy and aligning short- and long-term objectives with the Company’s overall strategy.
Mr. Miller holds a Bachelor of Science in agriculture and business from McNeese State University in Louisiana, and a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University. He is a certified public accountant and a member of the Advisory Council for Texas A&M University Dwight Look College of Engineering.
Linda DuCharme
Ms. DuCharme joined Exxon Company U.S.A. in 1986 after graduating from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering. She spent her early career gaining experience in engineering and project management for production operations in the Gulf of Mexico and subsequently had assignments in the U.S. and Europe to gain experience in business development and marketing.
In 2011, Ms. DuCharme transferred to London, England as Director of ExxonMobil International Limited for Europe, Russia and Caspian. She then assumed the role of Vice President of Americas, Africa and Asia Pacific New Markets in 2015. In August 2016, Ms. DuCharme was appointed President of ExxonMobil Global Services Company.
Effective April 2019, Ms. DuCharme was appointed President of ExxonMobil Upstream Integrated Solutions Company and a Vice President of Exxon Mobil Corporation.
Active in Houston area philanthropy, Ms. DuCharme serves on the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Board and the Executive Advisory Board for Houston Minority Supplier Development Council.
Ms. DuCharme is married and has two sons.
Uwem Ukpong
Uwem Ukpong is Chief Global Operations Officer at Baker Hughes. A 25-year oil and gas industry veteran, Uwem has managed operations across multiple regions, including North America, Europe, North Africa and Latin America. Previously, as Chief Integration Officer, Uwem oversaw the successful integration of the $32 billion merger between GE Oil & Gas and Baker Hughes.
Uwem began his career at Schlumberger, holding multiple oilfield services operating roles, including wireline field engineer, petrophysicist and reservoir engineer. He later managed oilfield operations, covering Drilling, Wireline, Pressure Pumping, Completions and Well Testing across different geographies. Uwem was promoted to increasingly more senior roles within Schlumberger, including regional operations, geosciences, digital, HR and product line management. In January 2016, Uwem joined GE Oil and Gas as CEO of a global product company.
Uwem holds advanced degrees in mathematics, computer science and petroleum engineering. In 2018, he was named one of the 300 most powerful executives in corporate America by Black Enterprise magazine.
Khalid Mohammed Al Hitmi
Khalid Mohammed Al Hitmi is the Chief Subsurface Officer of the new Qatargas Operating Company Limited (Qatargas).
With over 25 years of experience in the Oil and Gas sector, Khalid held numerous technical and leadership positions in the areas of drilling, reservoir management and production operations in Qatar Petroleum. In his earlier role as the North Field Development Manager, Khalid had been responsible for the development and management of the North Field, the largest single non-associated gas field in the World since 2006.
Seconded to Qatargas in 2018 to take over as Chief Subsurface Officer, Khalid is now responsible for directing and managing all aspects of hydrocarbon production; well construction, well intervention, reservoir/well surveillance and production optimization. This is to ensure sustainable production and maximize the value from the North Field. In addition, he manages the development planning activities associated with the North Field Production Sustainability and the North Field Expansion projects.
Khalid also plays a major role as a valued member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and is a recipient of the Mobil Award for Reservoir Engineering.
Khalid holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia and a Master of Business Administration from Hull University, UK.
W. L. (Bill) Bullock, Jr.
W. L. (Bill) Bullock, Jr. is President of the ConcoPhillips Asia Pacific & Middle East. In this capacity, he oversees the company’s operations in Australia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Qatar, Malaysia and China.
Bullock has more than 30 years of oil and natural gas experience. He previously served in leadership roles as President, Asia Pacific & Middle East; Vice President, Corporate Planning and Development; President, Global Gas and Power; President, Middle East & North Africa; and President and General Manager, ConocoPhillips Indonesia.
He joined ConocoPhillips in 1986 and worked in various engineering, operations, commercial and business development assignments.
Bullock is a board member of Australia Pacific LNG Pty Limited. Additionally, he serves on the Engineering Advisory Council at Texas A&M University.
He received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University in 1986 and a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance from Oklahoma City University in 1996.
Aida Araissi
Aida Araissi is the Founder and CEO of the Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and the education foundation Teachers Educating Across Cultures in Harmony (TEACH).
The Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1997 to promote trade, investment, training and educational exchanges between the US and Arab World. Since its inception and under Araissi’s leadership, the mandate has evolved into a global mission focused on the energy and infrastructure portfolio of the companies represented on the board of advisors. The Bilateral is recognized as a cross industry expert resource for advancing collaborative economic, and education solutions founded on the principals of mutual respect and understanding. Stakeholders include Fortune 500 companies, academic and policy influencers, economic development boards, and city and state agencies.
For the last 22 years, Araissi has provided strategic planning, program management, and full life cycle advice on hundreds of multi-sector inbound and outbound business missions on behalf of public and private organizations. Her extensive experience in foreign direct investment consulting has ranged from developing roadshows for The Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Egypt, to name a few; to US government agencies such as the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and U.S. Department of State. She is a frequent speaker at the US Department of Commerce’s Discover Global Markets, the Africa Leaders Summit in London and ADIPEC’s Women in Energy Conference in Abu Dhabi and EGYPT.
She has received numerous international awards for business advocacy including the U.S. Commercial Service Award for Excellence in Export Promotion, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Trade & Commercial Office commendation for dedication and commitment to strengthening ties between the UAE and the US, the State of Georgia’s US Congress Commendation award as a Leading Women to Watch at the Amazons Watch Magazine’s conference highlighting her work in bridging US-MENA-Africa development.
Ms. Araissi speaks English, Arabic and French. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a minor in Political Science from the University of Houston. She serves on multiple civic and strategic boards including the U.S. Committee for the World Petroleum Congress, the Export Academy, the Nature Conservancy and the Yellowstone Park Foundation. Her work with TEACH has spanned over 18 states in the United States touched thousands of students with global awareness programming aimed at inspiring American teachers to empower the next generation to learn about the world and appreciate diversity.
Aida Araissi
Aida Araissi is the Founder and CEO of the Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and the education foundation Teachers Educating Across Cultures in Harmony (TEACH).
The Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1997 to promote trade, investment, training and educational exchanges between the US and Arab World. Since its inception and under Araissi’s leadership, the mandate has evolved into a global mission focused on the energy and infrastructure portfolio of the companies represented on the board of advisors. The Bilateral is recognized as a cross industry expert resource for advancing collaborative economic, and education solutions founded on the principals of mutual respect and understanding. Stakeholders include Fortune 500 companies, academic and policy influencers, economic development boards, and city and state agencies.
For the last 22 years, Araissi has provided strategic planning, program management, and full life cycle advice on hundreds of multi-sector inbound and outbound business missions on behalf of public and private organizations. Her extensive experience in foreign direct investment consulting has ranged from developing roadshows for The Kingdom of Bahrain, State of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Egypt, to name a few; to US government agencies such as the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and U.S. Department of State. She is a frequent speaker at the US Department of Commerce’s Discover Global Markets, the Africa Leaders Summit in London and ADIPEC’s Women in Energy Conference in Abu Dhabi and EGYPT.
She has received numerous international awards for business advocacy including the U.S. Commercial Service Award for Excellence in Export Promotion, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Trade & Commercial Office commendation for dedication and commitment to strengthening ties between the UAE and the US, the State of Georgia’s US Congress Commendation award as a Leading Women to Watch at the Amazons Watch Magazine’s conference highlighting her work in bridging US-MENA-Africa development.
Ms. Araissi speaks English, Arabic and French. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a minor in Political Science from the University of Houston. She serves on multiple civic and strategic boards including the U.S. Committee for the World Petroleum Congress, the Export Academy, the Nature Conservancy and the Yellowstone Park Foundation. Her work with TEACH has spanned over 18 states in the United States touched thousands of students with global awareness programming aimed at inspiring American teachers to empower the next generation to learn about the world and appreciate diversity.
Plenary Topics
- Innovative Energy Solutions: The U.S. Perspective
- Innovative Energy Solutions: The International Perspective
- Shaping the Energy Future
- Transformation of the Downstream Business
- Building Partnerships
- IEA/OPEC: A Consumer/Producer Dialogue
- Leading a Responsible Energy Business
- The Future with Big Data: The New Business Model
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