Hiroki Sato

Hiroki Sato began his business career at Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. in 1985. Over the years, he has held a number of distinctive roles that span both corporate and diplomatic spheres. Early in his career, he was seconded to PERTAMINA, Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas company, as a trainee. He later joined Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served as Second Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in the United Arab Emirates. In 2015, he became one of the founding members of JERA Co., Inc., a landmark joint venture between Chubu Electric and Tokyo Electric Power Company. Mr. Sato is recognized as a pioneering figure in the LNG industry. He has played a key role in negotiating several innovative and first-of-their-kind agreements. These include a time-swap deal between Chubu and CPC Taiwan, a tripartite agreement with Qatargas and Shizuoka Gas, an LNG tolling agreement with Freeport LNG, a JKM-linked short-term contract with TotalEnergies, and a joint purchasing arrangement involving ENI, KOGAS, and Chubu. His leadership and vision in the global energy space earned him the title “Mr. LNG” by the Financial Times in 2017. Since April 2022, he has served as Senior Managing Executive Officer and CEO of Global Business at Chubu. He also contributes to academic and policy discussions as an advisory board member of Wakayama University and the Institute of Energy Economics Japan, and as a member of the Energy Policy Club at the University of Oxford. He is a graduate of Wakayama University.