African Energy Veteran Tim O’Hanlon to Receive Mohammed S. Barkindo Lifetime Achievement Award at AEW 2026

Tim O’Hanlon, Senior Adviser at Panoro Energy and one of the African upstream industry’s most experienced executives, will receive the Mohammed S. Barkindo Lifetime Achievement Award at the African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 Conference and Exhibition. O’Hanlon is recognized for his decades-long commitment to Africa’s energy sector and his work in advancing some of the continent’s most impactful projects.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, O’Hanlon has worked across almost the entire continent, helping open frontier basins, negotiate licenses, build companies and establish relationships between investors and African governments. His dedication to the continent has not only resulted in major project advancements, but has reshaped energy systems continent-wide.

After beginning his career with Schlumberger – now SLB - and completing postgraduate studies in Reservoir Engineering at Imperial College London, O’Hanlon joined the founding team of Tullow Oil in the mid-1980s. Africa was central to the company from the outset, with O’Hanlon initially based in Senegal managing Tullow’s onshore oil and gas production business.

He subsequently became Vice President for Africa and played a central role in Tullow’s transformation from a small independent into one of the continent’s most recognizable exploration companies. His career encompassed ground-floor license negotiations, the acquisitions of Energy Africa and Hardman Resources and Tullow’s expansion into frontier basins across the continent.

Over 33 years at Tullow, O’Hanlon became known as Tullow’s Monsieur Afrique. He has visited 53 of Africa’s 54 countries and negotiated with dozens of African Heads of State – a record reflecting both the geographic scale of his career and his role in connecting African opportunities with international investment.

Since retiring from Tullow in 2020, O’Hanlon has continued that work as Senior Adviser to Panoro Energy, supporting the Africa-focused independent as it expands across the continent. Panoro is currently producing at record levels and in 2026 strengthened its position in Equatorial Guinea through the acquisition of Kosmos Energy’s interests in the Ceiba Field and Okume Complex. The company has also expanded into Ivory Coast, completing the acquisition of an interest in producing Block CI-27 in September.

In Gabon, Panoro is advancing the next growth phase at the Dussafu Marin Permit. The production sharing contract was extended in 2026 to potentially 2053, while further appraisal and development drilling is planned around the MaBoMo and Hibiscus areas. The company is also progressing opportunities around the Bourdon discovery and adjacent Niosi and Guduma exploration blocks. O’Hanlon also recently told delegates at a conference in Angola that the company is eyeing opportunities in Angola, highlighting favorable fiscal terms and increasing competition.

Beyond Panoro, O’Hanlon continues to support energy companies as they advance their African portfolios. In 2025, he joined the Supernova Strategic Advisory Board where he continues to assist the company expand its exploration opportunities in the Orange Basin. These moves demonstrate his commitment to opening new frontiers in Africa, paving the way for developments that could reshape the continent’s energy market for decades to come.  

“Tim O’Hanlon is one of those rare people whose career is inseparable from the story of modern African exploration,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “For decades, he has gone into frontier markets, built relationships, backed African potential and helped bring investors into places others overlooked. From the early growth of Tullow to the new generation of African independents he advises today, Tim has never stopped believing in this continent. Africa’s energy industry is stronger because people like him were willing to take the first step.”

O’Hanlon will received the Mohammed S. Barkindo Lifetime Achievement Award during this year’s AEW Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony, taking place during the conference from October 12-16. The ceremony recognizes the leaders and changemakers reshaping the continent’s energy sector.