Speakers’ Biographies
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TIM DoDSoN
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, EXPLoRATIoN, STAToIL
Tim Dodson is a UK citizen and has 38 years’ industry experience, whereof nearly 33 from Statoil. He
has a BSc in Geology from the University of Keele in the UK. Tim started his career in the oil and gas
industry in 1980 with an oil and gas service company and worked for 5 years in South America and
Middle East. Tim joined Statoil’s Exploration and Production Norway unit in 1985. He has held various
management positions within exploration, production and technology and HR. From 2004 – 2008 he
held the position as Senior Vice President for Exploration in Norway and in 2008 he was appointed as
Senior Vice President for Global Exploration in Statoil’s business area for international operations. As
of 1st January 2011, Tim leads the Exploration business area in Statoil as Executive Vice President and
is a member of the Corporate Executive Committee.
BERNARD CLEMENT
VICE PRESIDENT CoNTINENTAL EURoPE & CASPIAN AT THE EXPLoRATIoN &
PRoDUCTIoN DIVISIoN, ToTAL
Bernard CLEMENT, 58, graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique of Paris and from the Ecole Nationale
Supérieure du Pétrole et des Moteurs with a specialty in geophysics. He first joined the Exploration
Division of Total in 1983 before becoming Head of Project in the R&D Department. He then held
successive responsibilities at the Group’s Strategic Planning Division and the Natural Gas Division
where he was in charge of the midstream business development. In 1996, he joined the Africa
Division as Vice President Congo. In 2000, he was appointed President & General Manager of Total
E&P Thailand following which he became in 2003 Vice President Middle East with responsibility for
Yemen, Syria & Oman. In 2010, he was appointed Senior Vice President in charge of gas infrastructures,
technology and R&D at the Gas and Power Division. In July 2012, he became Senior Vice President
Business & Operations of the New Energies Division of Total. From 2011 to 2016, he was member of
the Board of SunPower, a Nasdaq listed 60% affiliate of Total. In January 2017, he was appointed Vice
President Continental Europe & Caspian at the Exploration & Production division of Total.
ELSHAD NASSIRoV
VICE PRESIDENT foR INVESTMENTS AND MARKETINg, SoCAR
Elshad Mustafa Nassirov was born in 1960 in Baku. In 1982 he graduated from the Moscow State
Institute of International Relations. He worked from 1981 to 1982 at the USSR’s embassy in Afghanistan,
from 1982 to 1985 at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the USSR Academy of Sciences, and between
1985 and 1989 in various roles in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. From 1989 to 1992 he
worked at the USSR’s embassy in India. As Azerbaijan gained its independence, from 1992 to 1995 Mr
Nassirov worked in the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN, and in 1995 was promoted to the
position of head of department in the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic
of Azerbaijan. From 1997 to 2003, Mr Nassirov worked as head of the Foreign Economic Operations
Department, and from 2003 to 2005 as head of the Marketing and Operations Department of SOCAR.
By Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on 28 December 2005, he was appointed
as vice-president of SOCAR for investments and marketing. Since 2003 Elshad Nassirov has also been
the Vice President of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan. In 2010, he was made a
member of the Shohrat (Glory) Order by Decree of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. He speaks
Russian, English, Persian and Hindi.
Mr Nassirov is a member of the New Azerbaijan Party.