Siddik Bakir
Turkey
MPhil Modern Middle Eastern Studies, 2011
St Antony's College
Funding: Weidenfeld
Siddik Bakir is currently the Director of the Oil and Gas Division of the Ministry of Energy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is led by His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman. Siddik is responsible for the short-term and long-term oil strategy of the Kingdom and analyzes energy transition trends, macroeconomic shocks and geopolitical shifts. As such, Siddik works on the intersection of energy supply security, energy demand needs and energy sustainability and how these evolve over the next 20 years. He is also an Angel investor in the UAE and KSA working with co-investors and start-ups in the world of ventures and private equity. Siddik is based in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. He holds three academic degrees: the MPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies, St Antony's College, University of Oxford; a GDL Law Degree, BPP Law School, and a B.A. in Political Science and in Oriental Studies with Economics from the Ruhr University Bochum.
The most memorable aspect during my Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarship was being surrounded by the most inspirational and enriching fellow scholars, professors and leaders who filled the programme with life. Spending many evenings with Lord Weidenfeld and his remarkable circle of friends and listening to their fascinating life stories are memories I shall always cherish. Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholars come from all over the world and it seems we all have one thing in common: ‘One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.’
