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

Hon. Dr. Leila Benali

Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Kingdom of Morocco

Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development

Dr. Leila Benali is the Chief Economist and head of Strategy, Energy Economics, and Sustainability at the Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP). With over 20 years of specialized experience in strategy, finance and engineering. She joined APICORP in 2018 from Saudi Aramco where she was responsible for energy policy and the company’s international gas strategy. Throughout her career, she successfully managed high-value projects, and spearheaded strategy and policy formulation for governments, energy companies, industrials and institutional investors. She was a Director at IHS CERA and worked for Schlumberger. She taught energy courses in universities and is an active member of several leading energy associations. An engineer turned economist, with a stint in political science, she has published numerous papers and books on energy, reforms and sustainable wealth. She was recently appointed by Morocco’s King HRH Mohamed VI in the Special Committee for the Development Model. She was named as “Future Leader 2016” by Petroleum Economist, recognizing individuals who are most likely to shape the industry’s future. She holds a PhD in Economics and MsC in Political Science from Institut d’Etudes Politique (Science-Po), Paris; and MSc degres in Industrial Engineering from Ecole Centrale Paris and Ecole Mohammadia d’Ingenieurs in Rabat, Morocco. 

Sessions With Hon. Dr. Leila Benali

Tuesday, 10 March

  • 11:30am - 12:30pm (CST) / -

    Energy Investment: Where's the money flowing?
    Markets Investment & Trading

    In the past two years, decapitalization of the oil and gas industry has accelerated, creating new challenges for investors: stranded assets, relative value of assets, and most importantly, energy transition investment opportunities. With the shale business model pivoting to returns rather than growth, can new private and public energy investments provide the type of growth that shales promised? What strategies are investors implementing to capture value in the energy sector? What are the implications of oil and gas sector decapitalization and energy transition capitalization? How should investors compare investments in different energy sectors, such as higher, more volatile oil and gas investments versus lower, guaranteed returns on renewable/utility investments? Is there enough capital and returns available for the decarbonization agenda? Which emerging energy technologies have the most promise and appeal to investors? Where is the money flowing? Is the current trend inevitable or cyclical? What could catalyze acceleration, deceleration, or reversals? How will private markets and capital respond to what is happening in the public investing world?