Kenan Arkan, Managing Director - Commodities Origination, J.P. Morgan
Kenan is a Managing Director in Commodities Origination at J.P. Morgan, where he leads the firm’s Physical Energy and Global LNG businesses. His work focuses on global energy markets, including natural gas, power, and LNG, and the structuring of physical and financial commodity transactions with corporate, public-sector, and sovereign counterparties.

Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, he spent nearly two decades at Goldman Sachs in senior roles across energy markets and public sector facing businesses.
In parallel with his private sector responsibilities, Kenan has engaged with U.S. government agencies on energy security, maritime risk, and supply disruption scenarios, and has participated in tabletop exercises examining the resilience of critical energy systems.

He serves on the RAND Corporation National Security Advisory Board and on the Board of No One Left Behind. He holds a BA, magna cum laude, and an MBA from Vanderbilt University, where he was a varsity football player.

Gabriel Collins, Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs, Baker Institute
Gabriel Collins is the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. At Baker, he co-heads the Program on Energy & Geopolitics in Eurasia. He is also a water-energy nexus thrust leader at Rice’s WaTER Institute and an Editor Emeritus at the Texas Water Journal.
Gabe’s research focuses on energy, food, water, and national security. His work is regularly published in high-impact outlets such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Naval War College Review, and the Baker Institute itself. 

Gabe received his B.A. from Princeton University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. He was a member of the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute team and is still teased by his family for joining a commodity hedge fund right before the 2008 market crash. Gabe is a Permian Basin native, reads Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish well enough to use them in his research, speaks each just well enough to get himself in trouble, and is licensed to practice law in Texas.  

James Langlois, Associate, Latham & Watkins LLP
James Langlois is an associate in the Houston office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the firm’s Project Development & Finance Practice.

He advises sponsors, lenders, and investors on project finance and development matters involving energy and infrastructure projects across the United States, the Middle East, and other international markets. Before joining Latham, James practiced in the Riyadh, New York, and Houston offices of another international law firm.

Prior to practicing law, he served as a U.S. Army Cavalry Officer in the First Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas, during which time he led a combat arms platoon in Iraq. Afterwards, he served in various locations throughout Afghanistan in an advisory capacity with the U.S. Department of Defense. He continues to serve in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Civil Affairs Officer conducting advisory work on international energy and infrastructure development missions based at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Alycia Leatherby, Cross Book Analyst, Shell
Alycia is a Cross Book Analyst at Shell and covers market fundamentals of crude and chemical products.  She works extensively with Traders, Analysts, Refineries, Upstream and Govt Relations to develop a full picture of global oil market dynamics. Alycia has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M-Kingsville.  She has 20+ years’ experience working both technical and business roles with extensive background in Refinery and Chemical Plant optimization.  

Matthew McCauley, Global Co-Leader of Energy & Process Industries, Partner and Managing Director, AlixPartners
Matt McCauley is a senior leader and culture carrier at AlixPartners, where he co-leads the firm’s global Energy and Process Industries (EPI) practice. In this role, he helps shape the firm’s strategic direction and deepen its partnerships with global clients navigating complex operational and strategic transformations.

With a proven record of driving enterprise productivity and performance improvement, Matt has led large-scale initiatives across commercial, operational, organizational, and capital dimensions. His experience includes serving as interim Chief Operating Officer and industrial site leader for clients, where he delivered tangible results in efficiency, growth, and cultural alignment.

Recently, Matt has been at the forefront of applying digital and artificial intelligence technologies to accelerate transformation in industrial companies—helping clients capture measurable impact in areas such as financial forecasting, production optimization, logistics, and shared services efficiency.

Known for his collaborative leadership style and global mindset, Matt connects cross-disciplinary teams to solve high-impact challenges and mentor the next generation of leaders. His ability to align people, strategy, and performance continues to advance both client and firm-wide success.

Matt earned his MBA in Finance with honors from Columbia Business School and his BA in Economics from Yale University.