--- description: Find out why Fatih Birol is one of the 100 most influential people of 2026. title: Fatih Birol: The 100 Most Influential People of 2026 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79afef36dbe50d91/69dfb012063f5d84e3cafe6f/T100-2026-Web-Fatih-Birol-235.png?branch=production --- Apr 15, 2026 # Fatih Birol by Jason Bordoff  Joel Saget—AFP/Getty Images I have known [Fatih Birol](https://time.com/collections/time100-climate/6333048/fatih-birol-leaders/ "undefined") for nearly two decades, as a colleague and mentor. The world is fortunate to have him at the helm of the International Energy Agency (IEA) at a moment when energy has returned to center stage. Fatih has worked to keep countries aligned even as the world fragments, ensuring the IEA remains true to its founding mission of energy security and cooperation. During the war in Iran, he has helped coordinate a collective release of strategic oil reserves to alleviate a moment of crisis. He has also expanded the IEA’s reach, deepening engagement with emerging economies. What sets Fatih apart is not only his commitment to facts and data, but his ability to anticipate new challenges while emphasizing the importance of abundant energy for development in the Global South and the need to address energy’s role in climate change. Energy sits at the intersection of prosperity, security, and sustainability. Navigating these competing demands requires trusted voices, leadership, and the ability to forge cooperation amid geopolitical tensions. I have seen firsthand how indispensable Fatih’s steady hand is. _Bordoff is the director of the Center on Global Energy Policy_ Fatih Birol Is on the 2026 TIME100 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/fatih-birol/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/fatih-birol/"},"headline":"Fatih Birol","datePublished":"2026-04-15T11:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:21:51.192Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/fatih-birol/","keywords":["TIME 100","list","franchise","Accolades"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79afef36dbe50d91/69dfb012063f5d84e3cafe6f/T100-2026-Web-Fatih-Birol-235.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jason Bordoff"}],"creator":"Jason Bordoff","articleSection":"TIME100","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79afef36dbe50d91/69dfb012063f5d84e3cafe6f/T100-2026-Web-Fatih-Birol-235.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/time100/","name":"TIME100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-100/","name":"TIME 100"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/fatih-birol/","name":"Fatih Birol"}}]}] ```