About

A perennial high-flyer, Rowan McBrien recently brought his considerable talents to bear on the Middle East energy market, having taken on the role of general counsel for Total E&P Qatar in September 2016. Beginning his career with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London, McBrien made the move to Russian energy firm Sibir Energy in an in-house role a year before moving back to private practice work for a seven-year stint with Clifford Chance in Moscow, where he was eventually made a senior associate. From here, McBrien moved back in-house with French oil supermajor Total in their Paris office as a lawyer in their E&P division, where he was for four years. Now with an immense level of experience in energy legal matters gleaned through both private practice and in-house work, McBrien was the ideal candidate to take over the general counsel for Total E&P Qatar. The role looks set to grow exponentially in the coming years: in June 2016, Total announced the signing of an agreement with Qatar Petroleum granting them a 30% concession in the Al-Shaheen oil field for a period of 25 years beginning July 14, 2017.