Double Italian trophy on American territory. The CEO of Eni, Claudio Descalzi received the “Business Leadership” award at the “Distinguished Leadership Awards 2022” ceremony fromAtlantic Council of Washington, a highly prestigious, non-partisan organization whose mission is to "shape the global future together", and promotes US leadership and engagement in the world, in collaboration with allies and partners, to shape the solutions to global challenges. In the same evening the president of the council Mario Draghi received the Distinguished International Leadership Award from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
It is the first time that an Italian has been awarded in the Business Leadership category. It is not just an award, but – as the company explains in a note – a recognition for the "extraordinary" role assumed in the Italian and international energy sector. Descalzi also had the merit of technologically transforming the Eni company which today is oriented towards decarbonisation by 2050.
Descalzi: "Pursuing the goal of a fair energy transition"
Claudio Descalzi, introduced by Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Representative on Climate Change and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and in the presence of the echelons of the American political, economic and financial community, said, “I am honored to receive the award right after the President of the advice, Mario Draghi, and I want to share it with all the people of Eni who are dedicating a great deal of effort with me to contribute, in the moment of great crisis we are experiencing, to the energy security of Italy and Europe". But “this is the moment in which with equal efforts we must pursue the vital objective of a fair energy transition towards a zero-emissions world. A path in which the challenges linked to climate change will have to be faced, while guaranteeing widespread access to energy and the economic and social development of the communities. This is the just transition we believe in.”
“Washington is just a stage in the journey that Prime Minister Draghi has undertaken to accompany Italy, and Europe, on the road to reducing the dependence on Russian supplies“. And "together with our colleagues at Eni we are proud to contribute to this process", continued Eni's number one. “The heartbreaking images we saw after the invasion gave everyone an unprecedented sense of urgency. We all stand by the Ukrainian people."
The essence of Eni's 'double flag' approach
Descalzi then continued recalling the words of Enrico Mattei, the founder of the six-legged dog while presenting the latest natural gas discoveries to the local population in Sicily: “The real treasure is not in the gold coins that we can produce, but in the resources that we can make available for human development. This is the essence of Eni's 'double flag' approach: contributing to the development of local energy markets, belonging to local communities, preserving the environment and promoting human development and peace. In a word, this is the 'just transition' we believe in”.
According to the Italian top manager, “there is no sustainable economic future for the industry without the transition. However, it is also true that there isn't one sustainable energy transition without the energy industry and its customers being fully involved”.
Furthermore, “the current scenario – he continued – has placed a new and dramatic emphasis on energy security, increasing the complexity of the energy transition. This has made us even more determined to work for the security and sustainability of the energy system, maintaining a particular focus on a just energy transition". And, to achieve this goal, "we need, especially now, to exploit all the technologies and solutions available", and "today our portfolio ranges from carbon capture and storage, to biorefineries and the circular economy, up to renewables ” and other innovative solutions.
All firsts from the Atlantic Council
Eni's Chief Executive Officer collected the award in the presence of Prime Minister Mario Draghi. During the ceremony, two further awards were presented: to the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova who accepted the Distinguished Leadership Award – for the first time ever given to an entire nation, honoring the Ukrainian people for their extraordinary courage and resilience – and the Ukrainian singer Jamal, representative of all Ukrainian artists affected by Putin's invasion.
