• CERAWEEK 2025 | March 10-14, 2025
  • CERAWEEK
  • March 10 - 14, 2025

Luca Bertelli

Eni

Chief Exploration Officer

Luca Bertelli, Chief Exploration Officer, Eni, has held the position since 1 July 2014. In 1984 he joined Eni’s Geophysics division, working first as a Researcher in the development of 3D seismic prospecting technology and subsequently as a Manager of 3D Seismic Prospecting Programs, specializing in seismic-stratigraphy. In 1994 Mr. Bertelli was appointed Manager of Seismic-Stratigraphy Applications and in 1999 he increased the technical-managerial scope of his activities, becoming Manager of Geological and Geophysical Services at Eni. At the end of 2001, his career took a new international turn with appointments of increasing managerial complexity over a period of eight years, starting in Norway where he was Technical Director and Deputy Managing Director at Norsk Agip. In 2003 Mr. Bertelli was appointed Managing Director of Eni Indonesia, and in 2006 he moved to Egypt as General Manager and Managing Director, a position he also held at Eni Angola in 2007. In 2009 Mr. Bertelli returned to Eni’s headquarters as Senior Vice Chairman of Global Exploration. He was appointed Executive Vice President of Exploration and Unconventional at the beginning of 2010. Mr. Bertelli holds a degree from the University of Florence.

Sessions With Luca Bertelli

Tuesday, 10 March

  • 11:30am - 12:30pm (CST) / -

    Role of "E" in "E&P": The future of exploration
    Upstream Oil & Gas

    Globally, conventional exploration and discoveries are at the lowest level in seven decades—not from lack of resource potential, but from lack of investment by a financial market disenchanted by lower returns from North American unconventional production onshore. Larger operators are determining strategies that emphasize financial returns, but with lower growth; however, financial market distrust is driving investors out of the upstream sector altogether. Conventional NFW drilling has shifted towards maturing phase basins, close to infrastructure, and with faster cycle times. Could disenchantment with onshore NA production drive operators back to conventional exploration in the medium term? Will a push to generate value versus volume growth hurt conventional exploration or reward those companies that show that a relentless focus on exploration generates value? Will the role of future exploration programs be to find new, highly competitive basins or to improve the value of larger, maturing basins? In lower oil and natural gas demand scenarios, will investors still be interested in even highly successful exploration?