By an OGJ correspondent
PARIS, Jan. 20 -- The International Energy Agency's governing board elected Claude Mandil of France as the agency's new executive director, effective Feb. 1, to replace Robert Priddle, who retired last year after 8 years in the post.
The Paris-based IEA is the energy watchdog of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a group of the world's major oil importers.
The IEA governing board met Jan. 17 and is slated to meet again Feb. 20. Despite some media reports to the contrary, the January agenda did not include discussion about the strategic reserves of any of IEA's 26 member countries, a source at IEA told OGJ.
Such an issue could be put on IEA's governing board agenda if member governments were to request discussion of this topic. However, the decision of delving into strategic oil reserves is up to the governments of the countries concerned rather than IEA.
Mandil's background
Mandil has more than 30 years experience in energy policy, both at national and international levels. He is leaving his post as CEO of France's Institut Français du Pétrole (French Petroleum Institute), a job he has held since April 2000.
Mandil was chairman of the IEA Governing Board from October 1997 to October 1998 when he was appointed managing director of Gaz de France.
While working as director general for Energy and Raw Materials at the Ministry of Industry, Mandil was instrumental in convincing a previously reluctant France to become a member of IEA in 1991. IEA was established in 1974.
