Jean Abiteboul has been elected at the new president of the International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers (GIIGNL).
LNG industry retiree Abiteboul, takes over from Jean-Marie Dauger, who has headed Paris-headquartered GIIGNL since 2016.
Abiteboul said: “I look forward to serving GIIGNL, which plays a key role in advancing the LNG industry and in promoting LNG as a responsible solution for a sustainable energy future.”
Before he retired in 2016, Abiteboul was president of Cheniere Marketing, the sales arm of US LNG producer Cheniere Energy.
In the interim, he has worked as a senior advisor to would-be US LNG producer Tellurian and has also founded his own consultancy JA Energy Consulting.
Abiteboul kicked off his career at what was then French utility Gaz de France in 1975. He went on to hold many different positions at the company, working in supply, trading and international business.
He joined Cheniere Energy as senior vice president international and went on to conclude the long-term LNG sales deals that secured the financing of the company’s Sabine Pass LNG project in Louisiana, and Corpus Christi LNG plant in Texas.
Abiteboul moved on to become president of Cheniere Marketing in 2010.
GIIGNL, which was founded in 1971, boasts 86 member companies headquartered in 27 countries
The association said its members handle more than 90% of LNG imports worldwide.
In its April annual report, outgoing president Dauger warned that for gas to penetrate new markets, prices need to remain competitive with alternative fuels and the industry will need to demonstrate its efforts to detect and reduce methane emissions.
