Samir Bekhti is the President of ALNAFT, the regulatory authority overseeing Algeria’s upstream hydrocarbons sector. With 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, he has played a pivotal role in shaping Algeria’s regulatory landscape and structuring major hydrocarbons contracts. Most recently, Mr. Bekhti launched an ambitious and innovative program at ALNAFT to reassess all E&P data, aiming to increase industry knowledge and unlock Algeria's full hydrocarbon potential.

Mustapha MEGHRAOUI (PhD in 1988 at University Paris XI-Orsay) is a senior research scientist and Emeritus Professor at the ITES – CNRS-UMR 7063 and EOST-University of Strasbourg (France). He supervised more than 16 PhD. He has been Principal Investigator in scientific projects in Europe and Mediterrnean (EC funded PALEOSIS ENV4-CT97-0578; SAFE EVG1-2000-22005, RELIEF EVG1-2002-00069, APAME ICA-CT-2002-10024, TRANSFER EC GOCE, FP7- ENV.2013.6.4-3-ASTARTE), and in Africa (UNESCO-IGCP-601, IGCP-659). He was the elected President of the African Seismological Commission (2018 – 2022), Freeman of the city of Chlef (ex-El Asnam, Mw 7.1 earthquake in 1980, Algeria), Merit Medalist of the Italian Ministry of Interior, Honor Medalist of Aristoteles University (Thessaloniki, Greece), Honor Medalist of the Geol. Society of Belgium, and Honor Medalist of the Turkish Geol. Society. He is a founding member of the Algerian Academy of Science and Technology, and author of more than 99 peer-reviewed scientific publications in international journals.

Mohamed Arab is a Senior Staff Geoscientist at Sonatrach/Exploration, Algeria’s National Oil Company, and a former Head of Department. His current work focuses on the structural and stratigraphy of the northern Algerian complex basins as well as the offshore domain. He also serves as a seasonal lecturer at the Algerian Petroleum Institute in Boumerdès. He holds a Ph.D. in Marine Geosciences from IUEM–UBO (Brest University, in collaboration with IFPEN) and brings more than 30 years of experience in hydrocarbon exploration. His expertise includes play evaluation, petroleum systems modeling, seismic stratigraphy, and the assessment of unconventional resources. He has also contributed to international exploration initiatives, including studies of the eastern Tunisian offshore margin and the Libyan Ghadames and Sirte basins, and has participated in the technical oversight of partnership projects with companies such as BHP Billiton, Amerada Hess, and Shell. He is widely recognized for integrating advanced geoscientific research with applied exploration, supporting Sonatrach’s efforts to evaluate and develop Algeria’s energy resources. Throughout his career, he has been involved in numerous geological and geophysical studies as well as international academic and industry collaborations.

He is a professional petroleum explorationist, specializing in conventional and unconventional reservoirs, as well as carbon capture and sequestration. He has over 35 years of experience in exploration and development projects, working with major international companies including Repsol, British Gas, and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation. He has extensive expertise across the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, and East Africa. His work spans the full exploration and production cycle, from regional evaluation and exploration to appraisal and field development, across both onshore and offshore environments.

Jugurta Abizar is an engineer and researcher in geology, currently working at Alnaft in the field of exploration of unconventional resources and frontier basins. He is engaged in a research project focused on stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and Neogene paleoenvironmental studies of the Neogene basins bordering the Algerian coast.In parallel, he also works on the exploration, exploitation, and protection of aquifer levels in Algeria.His expertise bridges applied geological research with practical resource management, contributing to both academic knowledge and sustainable development initiatives.