Charles has over 35 years experience in the oil & gas sector in senior management positions. Currently CEO of e-CNHC (E-C Cyprus Natural Hydrocarbons Company Ltd), providing management and advisory services in the oil & gas and energy sectors in Cyprus and the region. A lot needs to be done and the aim of the company is to contribute to the successful development of these sectors for the future of Cyprus. Prior to this, as CEO of KRETYK, Cyprus’ national hydrocarbons company, he was responsible for implementing Cyprus government’s strategy for the development of its hydrocarbons sector.

Until 2012 he was a Director of Mott MacDonald for 25 years and the Managing Director of Mott MacDonald’s Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals business world-wide.

Prof. Samuel Furfari holds a degree in chemical engineering from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (UL😎. He received his PhD in applied sciences from the same university with a thesis in the field of energy. He worked as a senior European official for 36 years in the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission. He designed and implemented various energy and sustainable development policies. He headed the units dealing with renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate change. He ended his career as an advisor to the Director General. He has also worked with the European Energy Forum, a forum of Members of the European Parliament.

Samuel teaches the geopolitics of energy at various universities, currently at ESCP London and is an honorary professor at the Polytechnic School of the University of Madrid. He taught energy politics and geopolitics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles from 2003 to 2021.

He is regularly invited to speak at conferences throughout Europe and in the media.

He is the author of 18 books on energy and sustainable development and numerous articles. He has published with Cambridge Scholar Publishing "Energy and geopolitics. Volume 1. Fundamentals". His reference textbook is in 2 volumes "The changing world of energy and the geopolitical challenges" (February 2017) of over 1200 pages (link here). Recently, he published a book on the hydrogen illusion. His latest book in English is "Energy insecurity | The organised destruction of the EU's competitiveness."

He was President of the European Society of Engineers and Industrialists between 2019 and 2022.

Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, September 2017, by the President of the Republic of Poland.

An Italian citizen, Dr Samuel Furfari was born in Charleroi in 1953.