Energy Advisor

Allison Fedirka, director of analysis at the consultancy firm Geopolitical Futures: “Petrobras finds itself at the intersection of economic and political crises that strike at the core of the company’s mandate to both pursue profitability and serve the public interest. On the one hand, the company needs to maintain prices at international parity to sell fuel without assuming losses. On the other, the higher fuel prices put heavy burdens on consumers, dampen economic activity and create sociopolitical strife. In fact, political motivations, namely the need to show opposition to high fuel prices, drove Bolsonaro to dismiss former Petrobras CEO Joaquim Silva e Luna. Global energy markets are in crisis. They face an obscene amount of volatility and uncertainty, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Navigating this storm requires immense expertise and, as a technocrat with extensive subject-matter proficiency, new chief executive José Mauro Coelho has the necessary skill set to head the state oil firm given…”