Young Leaders Program

Dr Kang is currently the Vice President of IGU and will be taking over as President of IGU in June 2018 for the Triennium 2018-2021. In 2021, Dr Kang will be hosting the premier World Gas Conference 2021 in Daegu, Korea. 

In addition to his role as VP of IGU, Dr Kang is the Co-Chairman with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for the Committee on Overseas Resources Development National Companies Restructuring and he is also the current Advisor to Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS), a South Korean public natural gas company, where he had served as an independent Chairman in 2007-2010. 

Dr Kang has held numerous high profiled positions such as Civil Member of National Energy Council presided by President of Republic of Korea and from 2015 to 2016, served as Chairman in National Coordination Committee for Natural Gas Supply and Demand. Recently he has been engaging as a Co-Chair with Vice Minister in the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy in Special Committee for restructuring National Energy and Resources Development Companies including KOGAS, KNOC (Korea National Oil Company), and etc. 

Prior to appointment as VP of IGU in October 2017, Dr Kang was a professor at the Department of Energy System Engineering, College of Engineering at Seoul National University since 1986. He has published 51 professional papers in international technical journals and 41 in national journals and written more than 30 columns on national energy related issues in major newspapers in Korea. 

Dr Kang graduated in 1981 with a Ph.D in Petroleum Engineering from University of Oklahoma. 

Francisco has over 35 years’ experience in the energy and gas sectors, in several companies, areas and responsibilities. His main, and current, international positions are as Chair of the Group of Experts on Gas in the United Nations ECE, a member of the Executive Committee and Council of the International Gas Union, and member of the Board or Executive Board of ENTSOG, GIE, Marcogaz, and NGVA.

His education is in Chemical Engineering and Economic Science, and Business Administration.

After obtaining a master’s degree in Private and Corporate Law, Marcel held several positions in government and in international organizations (NATO, International Energy Agency). Subsequently, he spent his entire career in international energy companies on different continents.

Over the past 30 years, Marcel has held a range of senior executive positions in the international gas industry and has an extensive personal executive network in this field.

He currently works internationally as an independent consultant, company director and advisory board member on strategy, policy, and project management in the field of energy and infrastructure.

He is also President of the Energy Delta Institute, an international energy business school, which supports the development of young executives through a wide range of industry courses and networking events.

Marcel Kramer is a frequent public speaker on energy topics and lectures in several executive education programs associated with universities in Europe and Russia. He is an active longstanding member of the Council of the International Gas Union (IGU), for which he also reports to the IGU President as ‘Regional Coordinator’ for Russia, the Black Sea region, and the Caspian.

Terence (Terry) Thorn is a 45-year veteran of the domestic and international natural gas industry and has held a wide variety of senior positions including Chairman of Mojave Pipeline Company and President and CEO of Transwestern Pipeline Company. He has worked on design, development, and operation of gas projects throughout the world with a focus on managing risk and supporting commercial success.

As a Chief Environmental Officer, Terry wrote and had adopted companywide Environmental Health and Safety Management Standards and implemented the first environmental management plan for pipeline and power plant construction. Terry is currently focusing on international environmental policies and best practices to control methane emissions.

Residing in Houston, Terry is President of JKM Energy and Environmental Consulting and specializes in project development and management, environmental risk assessment and mitigation, business and policy development, regulatory and market analysis. He has done considerable work in the areas of developing and auditing Integrity management plans.

He serves as Senior Advisor to the President of the International Gas Union where he helps drive the technical, policy and analytical work product for the IGU and its 13 Committees and Task Forces with their 1000 members from 91 countries. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the North American Energy Standards Board where he co-chaired the gas electric harmonization task force and is currently involved in work on renewable natural gas, distributed energy resources and gas electric harmonization. Terry is also on the Board of Air Alliance Houston, an NGO focused on air quality issues in the Houston area. He has served on the California Council on Science and Technology’s for work on the Long-term Viability of Natural Gas Storage Facilities in California and the potential costs to the state of abandoned oil and gas wells. Terry has published numerous articles on energy, risk management and corporate governance.