Dr. Sara Vakhshouri is founder and president of SVB Energy International, a strategic energy consulting firm with offices in Washington DC and Dubai. She is also founder of SVB Green Access, a non-profit organization that promotes and provides affordable and inclusive energy program to areas in which energy poverty exists, and safe water access is either poor or would be in great need in the future.
Dr. Vakhshouri has two decades of experience of working in the energy industry with extensive experience in energy strategy, energy security and geopolitical risk and global energy market studies. She has consulted numerous governments on their energy roadmap strategy, public and private entities, and international organizations like IMF, World Bank. She is also Professor of Energy Security at the Institute of World Politics.
Dr. Vakhshouri has advised various governments, energy companies, investment banks, financial institutions, law firms and international corporations on energy security strategies and energy transition, energy markets, trading and the geopolitics of energy, and investment patterns. She is also a member of the Energy Task Force of the Cyprus Climate Initiative which was launched and initiated by the President of the Republic of Cyprus. She has published articles in numerous journals including The Economist, Middle East Economic Survey, and Oil and Gas Journal. Dr. Vakhshouri has also contributed to different energy research works and studies at the International Energy Agency (IEA), Harvard University’s Kennedy School, Oxford Energy Institute, CEDIGAZ, Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University and The Economist’s Energy Intelligence Unit.
Dr. Vakhshouri has been a keynote speaker at prestigious energy conferences including the World Energy Congress, Chatham House Middle East & Energy Conference, Platts Oil and Middle East conferences and the Global LNG Congress. She has also been a keynote speaker at Duke University, Sciences Po university in Paris and Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Vakhshouri is frequently quoted and has appeared on Bloomberg, the BBC, The Financial Times, Reuters, Platts, The Wall Street Journal, Energy Intelligence, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post and Voice of America. She is the author of The Marketing and Sale of Iranian Export Crude Oil since the Islamic Revolution. Dr. Vakhshouri has also contributed chapters in different books and energy reports including World Energy Outlook 2018, published by the International Energy Agency. She regularly briefs energy think tanks and agencies including the International Energy Administration (IEA) & Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Dr. Vakhshouri has a PhD in Energy Security and Middle Eastern Studies. She has an MA in Business Management (International Marketing) and another MA in International Relations. She has been a Senior Energy Fellow at the Atlantic Council and at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.