Secretariat

François-Régis Mouton

François-Régis Mouton

Managing Director - IOGP Europe
LinkedIn Biography
François-Régis Mouton
Managing Director - IOGP Europe

François-Régis joined IOGP in January 2018. He has around 30 years of international experience in the oil and gas industry. He is seconded to IOGP from TotalEnergies, where he was Vice President for Oil and Gas Advocacy. His career has taken him from reservoir engineering to business development, working in Europe and Africa. He has also served in senior advisory roles at the World Bank’s Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership and to TotalEnergies’ European Affairs office in Brussels.

In 2011, Francois-Regis founded GasNaturally, a Brussels-based partnership representing the entire European gas value chain. He served four terms as Chairman of GasNaturally and was instrumental in formulating the industry’s position on the future of gas in a post-COP21 environment. 

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Policy

Maria Karagiannidou-Rosiek

Maria Karagiannidou-Rosiek

Head of Policy - Europe
LinkedIn Biography
Maria Karagiannidou-Rosiek
Head of Policy - Europe

Maria Karagiannidou-Rosiek joined IOGP in February 2020 where she started as IOGP, Head of Sustainable Finance & Environmental Policy. In 2024, she became Head of Policy Europe. She has 10 years of international experience in the oil and gas industry. She started her career working for the EU institutions in Brussels and then for the refining industry association. For more than 6 years she was managing the EU regulatory affairs within MOL Group in Budapest working on various public affairs and business projects.

Maria is fluent in English, Polish and Greek, and holds a Master’s degree in EU International Relations and Diplomacy from College of Europe. 

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Caterina De Matteis

Caterina De Matteis

Senior Policy Manager Energy & Climate Policy
LinkedIn Biography
Caterina De Matteis
Senior Policy Manager Energy & Climate Policy

Caterina De Matteis is a Senior Policy Manager at IOGP Europe. She has over 10 years of experience with EU energy policies, with a core focus on CCS and Hydrogen. Caterina is Co-Chair European Commission’s CCUS Forum Working Group on CO2 infrastructure, and holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs from the University of Bologna.

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Gabrielle van Melkebeke

Gabrielle van Melkebeke

Senior Policy Manager, ESG and Environment
Biography
Gabrielle van Melkebeke
Senior Policy Manager, ESG and Environment

With over 14 years of experience in the field, Gabrielle brings her expertise in sustainability and EU policy making to IOGP Europe, where, since joining us in July 2023, she leads the ESG and Environment team of IOGP Europe on several high level topics such as PFAS and CSRD. 

In addition to her hands-on experience in the field, she possesses a deep understanding of ESG principles, sustainable finance frameworks, and the complexities of EU policy making.
This knowledge, combined with her extensive network within the industry, enables her to navigate the evolving landscape of sustainability and contribute to effective policy implementation. 

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Emils Lagzdins

Emils Lagzdins

Senior Policy Officer
LinkedIn Biography
Emils Lagzdins
Senior Policy Officer

Emils has a background in policy analysis and advocacy in the field of European and international energy and climate policies. Emils joined IOGP Europe from the European Commission where he focused on EU’s external energy policy.

Prior to that Emils acquired a Master of Science degree in Energy Security and Strategic Studies. At IOGP Europe, Emils focuses on policies and regulations related to upstream O&G sector, including methane emissions mitigation, EU energy markets (incl. SoS, LNG), carbon markets (EU ETS, CBAM, CDRs). 

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Catarina Santos

Catarina Santos

Senior Policy officer
LinkedIn Biography
Catarina Santos
Senior Policy officer

Catarina Santos is a Senior Policy Officer at the IOGP Europe in Brussels, specializing in Energy and Climate policies. She focuses on key regulatory frameworks, including the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), as well as policies on carbon removals.

With seven years of experience in EU policy and regulatory affairs, Catarina joined IOGP Europe in 2024 after working at Galp, where she was involved in external affairs and policy advocacy. Before that, she worked at the Portuguese Energy Regulator, developing expertise in energy markets and regulation.

She holds a Law Degree and a Master’s in European Legal Practice, complemented by specialized training in energy regulation.

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Lennart Paetz

Lennart Paetz

Policy Officer
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Octav Baciu

Octav Baciu

Policy Officer, Energy Climate and Hydrogen
LinkedIn Biography
Octav Baciu
Policy Officer, Energy Climate and Hydrogen

Octav Baciu is a Policy Officer at the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP Europe) in Brussels, focusing on Energy and Climate policies, specifically Hydrogen, National Energy and Climate Plan, and CCS. With five years of experience in the energy sector, he joined IOGP Europe in 2023 after working for ENGIE Romania.

Octav is completing an MBA in Energy at the University of Economic Studies in Bucharest and holds two master’s degrees in EU Law and EU Governance, alongside a bachelor’s degree in administrative sciences.

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Lucy Coombe

Lucy Coombe

Junior Policy Officer
LinkedIn Biography
Lucy Coombe
Junior Policy Officer

Lucy, originally from New Zealand, joined IOGP Europe in November 2024 and is now based in Brussels. She holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology, and has been admitted to the New Zealand legal profession, completing her professional legal studies. Prior to joining IOGP Europe, Lucy worked as a Business Consultant at Ernst & Young for nearly two years, where she gained experience in strategic consulting and industry analysis.

At IOGP Europe, Lucy focuses on ESG topics and related initiatives. Passionate about continuous learning and growth, Lucy is eager to contribute to IOGP Europe’s success and looks forward to collaborating with colleagues and learning from their expertise. Outside of work, Lucy enjoys traveling and playing tennis socially.

 

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Enea Belardinelli

Enea Belardinelli

Policy Officer
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communications

Nareg Terzian

Nareg Terzian

Head of Strategy & Communications - Europe
LinkedIn Biography
Nareg Terzian
Head of Strategy & Communications - Europe

Nareg leads IOGP Europe’s Strategy and Communications work and serves as Secretary of the IOGP European Board and Manager of the IOGP European Committee. His role is to help design IOGP Europe’s overall public affairs strategy, tactics and positioning, and to coordinate the roll-out of advocacy activities in support of IOGP Europe’s regulatory work.  

Nareg has 10 years of European public affairs experience in service of the oil and gas industry. He previously worked as a consultant in a leading European public affairs consultancy’s energy team and in TotalEnergies’ European Affairs division in Brussels. 

Nareg is fluent in French, English, Armenian and Italian, and holds a Master’s degree in European Studies. 

 

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Gabrielle Lelièvre

Gabrielle Lelièvre

Communications Manager
LinkedIn Biography
Gabrielle Lelièvre
Communications Manager

Gabrielle is a public affairs professional with a focus on strategic communications in the European energy sector. She currently serves at IOGP Europe, which she joined in September 2024, where she facilitates dialogue between industry leaders and institutional stakeholders to shape informed energy policy.

Prior to this, Gabrielle spent more than four years at Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), where she led narrative development to elevate the profile of the industry in EU policy discourse, emphasizing its critical role in the energy transition.

Her earlier experience includes serving in the European Parliament under MEP Jerzy Buzek, where she managed stakeholder engagement and policy exchange within the framework of the European Energy Forum (EEF). In this capacity, she curated and executed cross-institutional initiatives that brought together Members of the European Parliament, European Commission officials, regulators, and senior industry figures to foster evidence-based policy discussions.

 

 

 

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Beri Retief

Beri Retief

Junior Officer Marketing and Communications
LinkedIn Biography
Beri Retief
Junior Officer Marketing and Communications

Beri is a South African Junior officer of Marketing & Communications at IOGP Europe since November 2024. He completed a Bachelor’s of Social Sciences and a Master’s of Journalism and Media in Europe at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Since graduating he has specialized in digital marketing, content creation and copywriting while. He strives to create a mix of algorithmic understanding and evocative storytelling in both his professional and personal projects. 

He speaks English and Afrikaans fluently and also speaks Dutch. During his free time he writes fantasy adventures for Dungeons and Dragons and puts his film school knowledge to use in personal video projects. 

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outreach

Iskren Kirilov

Iskren Kirilov

Head of Institutional Relations - Europe
LinkedIn Biography
Iskren Kirilov
Head of Institutional Relations - Europe

Iskren Kirilov is the Head of Institutional Relations at IOGP Europe, bringing with him a wealth of experience and expertise in public diplomacy and policy advising. With a bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from the University of Sofia, a master’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from the Diplomatic School of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and a recently completed PhD in Science and Technology for Innovation from the University of Cagliari, Iskren Kirilov possesses a strong academic background.

His career spans pivotal roles, including Policy Officer at the European Commission, Expert at the European Economic and Social Committee, Senior Policy Advisor at EURASHE, and Director of International Affairs at Fundación San Pablo Andalucía CEU, before assuming his current position at IOGP Europe. 

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Maxime Abou Tara

Maxime Abou Tara

Senior Institutional Relations Officer
LinkedIn Biography
Maxime Abou Tara
Senior Institutional Relations Officer

Before joining IOGP Europe, Maxime completed a Bluebook Traineeship in the Cabinet of VP Maroš Šefčovič at the European Commission, gaining hands-on experience in governmental affairs, energy policy, and legislative processes. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences from the European School of Political and Social Sciences (ESPOL), complementing his Master’s degree in International and European Studies held at Sciences Po Strasbourg. Additionally, Maxime has held trainee roles at GardaWorld, focusing on private security business activities, and at the Embassy of Belgium in Lebanon, where he engaged in political and economic analysis. 

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Admin

Catherine Bacho

Catherine Bacho

Executive Assistant
LinkedIn Biography
Catherine Bacho
Executive Assistant

Catherine is an experienced executive assistant from Sweden who joined IOGP Europe in January this year. She has for the past 13 years been working for the Swedish Ambassador to NATO and acted as Liaison Officer during NATO Summits and Ministerial meetings. Furthermore Catherine is not completely unfamiliar with the EU as her career started at the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU, followed by 10 years at the EU lobbying office of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. She has also worked in EU civilian crisis management during a time when there was a need for rule of law support to Iraq.

Outside of work Catherine enjoys travelling, reading historical novels and going for long walks with friends. She is married with two teenage children.

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Pierre-Henri van de Putte

Pierre-Henri van de Putte

Head of Finance & Administration - Europe
LinkedIn Biography
Pierre-Henri van de Putte
Head of Finance & Administration - Europe

Pierre-Henri van de Putte, is Head of Finance and Administration, IOGP Europe. With over 30 years experience in management with both large Belgian banks and associations, Pierre-Henri’s expertise has been acquired within financial and administration environments in various responsibilities ranging from finances, sales, marketing, communication and project management. Enthusiastic and empathetic, Pierre-Henri is a problem solver, loving to take up challenges with the team, sharing what he has learned and looking for continuous improvements. He also is a happy father of 4. 

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Nathalie Ballaux

Nathalie Ballaux

Administration Manager
LinkedIn Biography
Nathalie Ballaux
Administration Manager

With 27 years of experience mainly in accounting and HR in both private and non-profit organizations, Nathalie joined IOGP Europe back in November 2023 as an Admin Manager. With expertise in Belgian personal income tax legal audit and counselling, she is a certified member of the European Register of Tax Advisors. Nathalie holds a master’s degree in law from KU Leuven, with a specialization in fiscal law from the ICHEC Brussels School of Management. She is fluent in Dutch, English, French, and German. She is also the happy mother of two and has been a 4 times Belgian tennis champion. 

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