Attending the Fuellers' Master installation dinner

The Oilholic joined friends and colleagues from across the energy spectrum for a very special occasion last Wednesday - the installation ceremony and dinner of his good friend and fellow industry analyst Ashutosh Shastri as the Master of The Worshipful Company of Fuellers, one of the livery companies of the City of London. 

The company has its historic roots in coal and the earliest known references to it appear in 1376, according to national archives. 

Its origins can be traced backed to the Worshipful Company of Woodmongers & Coal Sellers, commonly known as the Fuellers. Some other fun facts at a glance include being granted City Status in 1981, Livery Status in 1984, and (another) Royal Charter in 2014. It had a Royal charter previously, but surrendered it not so long ago in 1667! The Fuellers are now associated with the entire energy sector. 

For the next year, Shastri will have the privilege and pleasure of leading the Company that is a powerful voice across the industry with members representing oil, gas, renewables, nuclear, hydrogen segments, and more. 

They engage in a range of activities from production, supply and distribution to research and analysis, finance and education to energy procurement. 

As for the Master Fueller Ashutosh "Ash" Shastri himself, yours truly first met him some 15 years ago at an energy conference in Istanbul. A sparring match on a panel over the future of LNG and role of natural gas in the energy mix subsequently led to a friendship that's stood the test of time. 

In his address, the Master Fueller spoke of the need for collaboration, listening and engaging when it comes to dealing with the pressing issue of our age - energy security and competitive pricing. It was great joining him on this momentous occasion, and to meet so many familiar faces and friends from the industry. 

In particular, it was great to catch up with the inimitable Neil Atkinson, a voice of reason in the world of energy analysis and Court Assistant to The Fuellers, in-person for a change after ages (rather than via a video call), and raise a glass (make that two) of bubbly. 

Also met Valerie Ducrot, Executive Director of the Global Gas Centre, for the very first time and heard about the Centre's sterling work. 

Along with the installation of Shastri as the Master, came the appointments of Louise Thompson as Senior Warden, and Dr Tom James, Junior Warden, as officers of the company. The Oilholic's sincere congratulations to the Worshipful Company of Fuellers for putting on a splendid event, and to Shastri, Thompson and James for their installation as current officers of the Company. 

Last, but certainly not the least, sincere congratulations also to Elena Oderstone, the immediate past Master who handed over Shastri, for her sterling work for the Company over the last 12 months, and her longstanding engagement with it through various offices.

Well that's all for the moment folks. More musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'!

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© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Photo I: Installation ceremony of Ashutosh Shastri as the Master of The Worshipful Company of Fuellers on October 8, 2025. Photo II: Master Ashutosh Shastri addresses he Worshipful Company of Fuellers' dinner attendees. Photo III: © Gaurav Sharma (left) with fellow independent energy analyst, and court assistant to the Fuellers Neil Atkinson. October, 2025.

Gastech Days III & IV: The natural gas-AI nexus & more

As Gastech 2025 entered Days III and IV, and the finish line approached, conversations and dialogues at the event slightly turned from how natural gas would power an AI driven future to how AI itself would serve as an efficiency and decarbonisation enabler for the energy sector, and by extension to hard-to-abate heavy industry segments. 

To this effect, for the past three years, the event's AI-Energy, Climatetech and Hydrogen content streams have been steadily growing alongside signature plenaries. 

The Oilholic is happy to report that this trend continues. Additionally, this year also saw an even higher number of AI exhibitors. And leading global experts also showcased the impacts of new energy solutions such as methane abatement technologies and AI-driven optimisation, while addressing their impacts on rising energy demand and increased electricity consumption.

Yours truly got into the thick of the action via three panels on equally profound subjects on Day III. The first panel was on the topic of decarbonising heavy industrial sectors with e-fuels. 

Fellow panellists included Marco Àlvera, CEO & Co-Founder of TES, Alessandro Bernini, CEO of Maire, Dr Andrew Wood, CEO & Co-Founder of CATAGEN and Steve Esau, Chief Operating Officer of SEA-LNG. We discussed how with the right policies, collaborations and workforce support, sustainable fuels can contribute significantly to building a resilient, low carbon future. While there will be challenges along the way, there will also be opportunities. 

The second panel's topic was all about the unlocking the potential of low consumption AI technologies to accelerate energy transition goals. 

Panellists who joined yours truly for this panel included Uwa Airhiavbere, CCO - Worldwide Energy & Resources at Microsoft, Henri Domenach, Global Head - Energy Management of ENGIE, Parisa Bardouni, SVP & CTO of Aker Solutions, and Manoj Narender Madnani, MD - International at MARA.

Over an engaging and lively post-lunch exchange, we discussed how to activate low energy consumption, high impact AI technologies to deliver on the decarbonisation promise of generative AI.

And third and final panel that brought Day III's proceedings to a close for both the wider event, and this blogger, was on fostering full value chain collaboration to strengthen the market for scalable climate technologies. 

The panellists for this one included Guido D'Aloisio, CCO of Saipem, Yair Reem, Co-Founder & Partner at Extantia Capital, Charlie Sanchez, President - Infrastructure Advisory at Black & Veatch, and Dr. Ahmed El Sherbiny, VP - Energy Transition Fund at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. 

This one dear readers was all about plotting a roadmap for fostering the very sort of collaboration that translates ambition into tangible market impact.

Moving on from the penultimate day to the final morning - on Day IV - it was revealed that this year's Gastech saw nearly 50,000 visitors and attendees from over 150 countries, as this international event grows bigger by the year.

Additionally, next year's host city would be Bangkok, Thailand, as the event rotates back from Europe to Asia, the continent with a burgeoning natural gas demand. Well that's a wrap from Gastech 2025. It's been a memorable, insightful and engaging week out here in Milan. To be continued in Bangkok in 2026. Arrivederci for now. More musings to follow. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025.