Claudio Descalzi

Claudio Descalzi
Claudio Descalzi
Born	27 2, 1955
Birthplace	Milan, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Occupation	Businessman, energy executive
Title	Chief Executive Officer, Eni
Known for	Leading Eni as CEO since 2014
Education	University of Milan (Physics)
Website	[http://www.claudiodescalzi.com/ Official site]

Claudio Descalzi (born 27 February 1955) is an Italian businessman and energy executive who has served as the chief executive officer of Eni, one of Italy's largest companies and a major international oil and gas corporation, since May 2014. Trained as a physicist at the University of Milan, Descalzi joined Eni in 1981 and spent more than three decades rising through the company's exploration and production divisions before being appointed to its top leadership position. Over the course of his career, Descalzi has overseen operations across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, and has been credited with directing the company's strategy toward diversification in energy sources and international expansion. As CEO, he has maintained a prominent role in global energy diplomacy, regularly engaging with heads of state across multiple continents to advance Eni's business interests and partnerships. His tenure has been marked by significant exploration discoveries, the development of new gas projects, and efforts to position Eni within the evolving global energy landscape.

Early Life

Claudio Descalzi was born on 27 February 1955 in Milan, Italy. Details about his family background and upbringing are not extensively documented in public sources. He grew up in Milan, one of Italy's principal economic and industrial centres, during a period of rapid post-war economic growth in the country.

Education

Descalzi studied physics at the University of Milan, where he obtained his degree. His scientific training in physics provided the technical foundation for his subsequent career in the oil and gas industry, particularly in exploration and production. In December 2016, Descalzi received an honorary degree (laurea honoris causa) in Environmental Engineering, recognizing his contributions to the energy sector and environmental sustainability.

Career

Early Career at Eni

Descalzi joined Eni in 1981, beginning his career in the company's exploration and production segment. Over the following decades, he gained extensive operational experience across multiple countries and regions, particularly in Africa and the Mediterranean. His early assignments involved technical and managerial roles in Eni's upstream operations, where he developed expertise in the geosciences and reservoir engineering that underpin oil and gas exploration.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Descalzi held positions of increasing responsibility within Eni's exploration and production division. He was involved in the company's activities in several African nations, including Congo, Nigeria, and Libya, which were among Eni's most significant operational territories on the continent. These experiences abroad placed him at the centre of Eni's international expansion strategy, giving him direct involvement in negotiating with host governments and managing complex upstream projects in challenging environments.

Senior Leadership in Exploration and Production

Prior to his appointment as CEO, Descalzi rose to become the head of Eni's Exploration and Production division, one of the most strategically important units within the company. In this capacity, he was responsible for overseeing Eni's global upstream portfolio, which included operations in dozens of countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Under his leadership of the exploration and production division, Eni made several notable discoveries and advanced key development projects. Among these was the Western Libya Gas Project (WLGP), a major infrastructure project designed to bring Libyan natural gas to market through a subsea pipeline to Italy. Descalzi also oversaw the development of the West Hub project offshore Angola, a significant deepwater development that underscored Eni's technical capabilities in complex offshore environments.

Another major milestone during this period was Eni's large-scale gas discovery offshore Mozambique, one of the most significant finds in East Africa. The discovery positioned Eni as a major player in the emerging Mozambican gas sector and opened the prospect of a large-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) development.

In the Arctic, Descalzi's upstream division was responsible for the Goliat field development in Norway's Barents Sea, which began production in March 2016 and represented the first oil production from Norway's Arctic waters in approximately two decades.

CEO of Eni (2014–present)

In May 2014, Descalzi was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Eni, succeeding Paolo Scaroni. His appointment came at a time of significant change in the global energy industry, with oil prices entering a period of steep decline later that year and the broader sector facing increasing pressure from environmental concerns and the transition toward lower-carbon energy sources.

As CEO, Descalzi has articulated a strategy that acknowledges Eni's relatively smaller size compared to other international oil majors. In a 2025 interview with the Financial Times, Descalzi stated that the company's smaller scale relative to competitors has compelled him to take more risks and pursue innovative approaches to remain competitive. He has directed the company toward a dual strategy that maintains its traditional oil and gas exploration and production business while investing in new energy technologies and lower-carbon solutions.

Descalzi has also been a member of the National Petroleum Council in the United States, reflecting his standing within the international energy industry.

International Diplomacy and Partnerships

A prominent aspect of Descalzi's tenure as CEO has been his extensive engagement with heads of state and senior government officials around the world, reflecting Eni's strategy of developing close relationships with the governments of countries where it operates. These meetings have spanned multiple continents and have addressed a range of topics including energy investment, exploration agreements, and cooperation on energy transition initiatives.

In Africa, Descalzi has maintained regular contact with political leaders in countries where Eni has significant operations. In September 2025, the President of Angola, João Lourenço, met with Descalzi in Luanda to discuss Eni's ongoing and future activities in the country. In July 2025, the President of the Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, met with Descalzi in Brazzaville to discuss Eni's diverse activities in the country. In November 2025, the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, met with Descalzi in Cairo to discuss the company's projects and investments in Egypt, where Eni has been a major operator following the discovery of the giant Zohr gas field.

In the Middle East and Mediterranean region, Descalzi met with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in Ankara in October 2025, underscoring Eni's interest in energy cooperation with Turkey.

In Europe, Descalzi met with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, in Tirana in January 2026, where the two discussed Eni's activities and investments in Albania.

In the Americas, Descalzi expanded Eni's engagement in South America. In October 2025, the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, met with Descalzi, during which Eni's CEO also met with YPF President and CEO Horacio Marin. The two executives signed a preliminary agreement related to energy cooperation. In the United States, Descalzi met with a high-level delegation in September 2025 that included US Ambassador Tilman Fertitta, the US Secretary of the Interior, and other senior officials, reflecting Eni's expanding interests in the American energy market.

OPL 245 Case

Descalzi's tenure as CEO has also been marked by legal scrutiny related to the OPL 245 oil block deal in Nigeria, one of the most prominent corruption cases in the international energy sector. The case involved the acquisition of the OPL 245 offshore exploration licence by Eni and Royal Dutch Shell in 2011. Descalzi, along with other Eni and Shell executives, faced trial in Milan on allegations related to the transaction. In March 2021, a Milan court acquitted all defendants in the case. The case attracted significant media and public attention in Italy and internationally throughout its proceedings.

Personal Life

Descalzi is a private individual whose personal life is not extensively documented in public sources. He maintains a personal website that provides information about his professional activities and perspectives on energy matters. He is based in Italy, where Eni's headquarters are located in San Donato Milanese, near Milan.

Recognition

In February 2015, Descalzi was named "Man of the Year" by the energy publication About Energy in recognition of his leadership at Eni. Upon receiving the award, Descalzi dedicated it to the employees of Eni.

In December 2016, he received an honorary degree in Environmental Engineering, acknowledging his role in advancing environmental considerations within the energy industry.

His membership in the National Petroleum Council, an advisory body to the United States Secretary of Energy, reflects his standing among international energy industry leaders.

Legacy

Descalzi's career at Eni, spanning over four decades, has been closely linked to the company's evolution from a primarily Italian energy company into a diversified international oil and gas major with operations on multiple continents. His long tenure in the exploration and production division, culminating in his appointment as CEO, gave him direct involvement in some of the company's most significant discoveries and development projects, including major finds in Mozambique and Egypt.

As CEO, Descalzi has navigated Eni through a period of considerable change in the global energy sector, including the oil price collapse of 2014–2016, growing demands for climate action, and the geopolitical disruptions affecting energy markets in the 2020s. His approach, as described in his own words to the Financial Times, has emphasised willingness to take calculated risks and to pursue unconventional strategies suited to a company of Eni's relative scale.

His extensive diplomatic engagements with heads of state and senior government officials across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas reflect the deeply intertwined relationship between major energy companies and the governments of resource-rich nations. These relationships have been central to Eni's ability to secure and maintain access to exploration and production opportunities in competitive international markets.