• CERAWeek
  • March 18 - 22, 2024

Brendan Bechtel

Bechtel

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Brendan Bechtel is chairman and chief executive officer of Bechtel Group, Inc. (Bechtel). Prior to being elected chairman in April 2017, Brendan was named Bechtel’s chief executive officer in September 2016. He was Bechtel’s president and chief operating officer from 2014–2016. Brendan first began working for the company during summer breaks in high school. After joining the company full time, he took on roles of increasing responsibility in field construction, project management, and executive leadership. Brendan is the 5th generation of the Bechtel family to lead the company. Brendan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in geography from Middlebury College. He also earned two master’s degrees from Stanford: an MBA and an MSE in construction engineering and management. Brendan serves on the board of directors of the Business Roundtable, where he chairs the Infrastructure Committee. Brendan is a trustee of the National Geographic Society and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and he serves on the board of advisors of Fremont Group. He is also a member of the American Society of Corporate Executives and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Sessions With Brendan Bechtel

Monday, 6 March

  • 12:00pm - 12:40pm (CST) / 06/mar/2023 06:00 pm - 06/mar/2023 06:40 pm

    Navigating the Trilemma: Security, sustainability and affordability
    Energy Transition/Climate & Sustainability
    Our global energy system, launched on a course of transition to a net-zero emissions world, has bumped against short-term energy security requirements as countries try to navigate numerous immediate crises. While the long-term transition continues to accelerate, the world remains on track to exceed the greenhouse gas emissions required to meet Paris Agreement climate change goals. The challenge of how to bridge this gap while also balancing the three goals of energy security, sustainability and affordability, is central to navigating the Energy “Trilemma.” When any solution targeting one of these elements must consider the ramifications for the other two, maintaining this balance will be challenging and risks passive trade-offs between equally critical priorities. How will our global energy system strike this balance effectively? How can the world meet growing demand for energy while reducing emissions? How will the application of digitalization, automation and artificial intelligence help solve the energy trilemma?
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