8. WPC Energy Youth Forum & Committee Meetings

In October 2023, Kuwait hosted the meetings of the WPC Energy Executive Committee, the Congress Program Committee (CPC), and the Young Professional Committee (YPC), as well as the Council meetings and the 8th WPC Energy Youth Forum. The event brought together young professionals, academics, and industry leaders to collaborate for a week and discuss future topics. These meetings took place in the lead-up to the 25th WPC Energy Congress in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which will be held from April 26 to 30, 2026.

Update on the YPC Meeting

The WPC YPC meeting took place on October 19 at the Ahmed Al-Jaber Oil and Gas Exhibition. The session focused on the YPC’s status reports in general, as well as the committee’s four key ongoing initiatives: the YPC Magazine, the Youth Survey, the Mentorship Program, and the social media campaigns. The YPC Magazine is a publication that showcases insights, research, and achievements of young professionals in the global energy sector and is scheduled to be released prior to next year’s WPC Congress. The editors are currently working intensively on preparing the issue. The Youth Survey, with the theme „Empowering the Future: The Energy of Tomorrow Starts with Us,“ is an international survey designed to capture the perspectives, concerns, and aspirations of students and early-career professionals. The survey is currently open and can be found here: https://www.wpcenergy.org/index.php/youth/youth-surveys. The YPC continues to work on expanding its reach through its social media campaigns, where it is active on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. The mentorship program is an initiative that connects young professionals with industry leaders to foster intergenerational knowledge transfer through networking and monthly meetings. The next cycle of the program will begin with the WPC Congress in Riyadh. Together, these initiatives reflect WPC Energy’s broader mission to empower future leaders and foster meaningful collaboration across generations.

WPC Energy Youth Forum:

The 8th WPC Energy Youth Forum took place October 22–23 at the Jumeirah Messila Beach Hotel. The forum’s theme was „Empowering the Future: Connecting Young Professionals, Ideas, and Knowledge.“.

It brought together young professionals and students to discuss critical issues related to access to energy, as well as the security and sustainability of the energy supply. The international event drew more than 800 registrations from 44 countries.

The forum comprised 23 sessions focused on three thematic pillars: Sustainable Transformation, Impactful Innovation, and Strategic Leadership. Together, these sessions provided a platform for knowledge exchange and capacity building, and underscored the importance of young people’s engagement in the future of the energy sector. The sessions took three formats: panel discussions, roundtables, and workshops, all of which encouraged discussion and interaction with the audience.

A highlight of the forum was the Women in Industry Breakfast, which featured an interview with keynote speaker Sara H. Akbar, known as the „Firefighter of Kuwait.“ Akbar spoke about her groundbreaking work during the Kuwaiti oil field fires, during which she worked in a profession that was off-limits to women at the time, and shared her success in founding and leading two companies in the oil sector. Her story was a powerful example of resilience, leadership, and innovation.

Two members of the WPC Energy German National Committee (GNC) contributed to the „Effective Innovation“ sessions during the forum. Prof. Frank Behrendt, a member of the GNC and the CPC, participated as a panelist in the session „Smart Energy: How Digital Technologies Are Transforming the Industry“ and shared his views on how AI should be used as a tool in conjunction with critical thinking. Sydney Riegert, a member of the GNC and the YPC, moderated the session „Bridging the Gap: From the Classroom to a Career—How to Apply Academic Knowledge in the Real World.“ The roundtable discussion addressed how students can effectively translate academic knowledge into professional value within their organizations. The discussion underscored the importance of internships, mentoring, and interdisciplinary collaboration in preparing the next generation of leaders in the energy sector.

Outlook:

The week’s discussions, initiatives, and collaborations underscored a clear message: The future of the energy sector will be shaped by dedicated, well-informed, and capable young professionals. As WPC Energy continues to strengthen the bridge between academia and industry, the momentum generated in Kuwait represents a significant step toward a more sustainable, innovative, and inclusive energy future.

Preparations for the 2026 WPC Energy Congress in Saudi Arabia are already in full swing, and the outcomes of this year's sessions and the Youth Forum are expected to play a crucial role in shaping the global dialogue in the coming years.