NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Vitol Group President and CEO Ian Taylor will deliver the keynote address at the 2014 Platts Global Energy Outlook Forum on Thursday, December 11, in New York City, event host Platts announced today.

"We're pleased to welcome Ian Taylor to the keynote podium and look forward to his insights," said Larry Neal, president of Platts, a leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals and metals information. "As head of one of the world's largest privately held energy companies with a focus on arbitrage and moving energy commodities from surplus to deficit locations, Taylor will bring a special vantage point to discussions on the U.S. shale boom, changing trade flows and the evolving energy landscape."

The Platts Global Energy Outlook Forum, now in its eighth year, brings together energy executives, government officials, investors and academics to debate and discuss the challenges, opportunities and issues facing energy companies and policymakers. See the full agenda here.

At Vitol's helm for nearly two decades, Taylor has overseen the company's global expansion and shepherded the Swiss-based multinational to revenues of $307 billion in 2013 and shipments of 276 million tons of crude oil and refined products. Prior to joining Vitol Group in 1985, Taylor held various leadership positions across eight years at Royal Dutch Shell. Taylor holds a MA in politics, philosophy and economics from Merton College, University of Oxford.

In addition to Taylor's keynote address, the Platts Global Energy Outlook Forum will feature remarks from Breitling Energy Corporation President and CEO Chris Faulkner and Exxon Mobil Corporation Vice President of Corporate Strategic Planning Bill Colton. This year's panel discussion, "Energy Infrastructure Beckons Investments: 360-degree Perspective," will feature:

    --  Kurt Krieger, member of U.S. law firm Steptoe & Johnson PLLC (Moderator)
    --  Tony Clark, commissioner, U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
    --  Greg Ebel, chairman, president and CEO, Spectra Energy, a leading North
        America pipeline and midstream company
    --  David Foley, CEO, Blackstone Energy Partners, an energy sector buyout
        and investment specialist
    --  William Brilliant, senior partner, Global Infrastructure Partners, a
        leading global independent infrastructure investor

Attendance at the Forum is open to corporate and industry executives with advance registration: general registration link. Accredited media may attend as Platts guests by pre-registering at this media registration link. Television cameras are welcome.

Breitling Energy Corporation, a large U.S.-based independent oil and natural gas company, is principal sponsor of the Forum, participating for a second year. Co-sponsor of the Forum is Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, a U.S. law firm with core strengths in energy, labor and employment, litigation, and transactional law, and the lunch sponsor is Fortune, a global leader in business journalism and owned by Time, Inc. Additional sponsorship opportunities and information are available through Robert.Bothelo@platts.com at +1 720-264-6618.

Following the Platts Global Energy Outlook Forum, some 500 energy executives and other guests are expected to attend an associated event, the annual black-tie dinner gala for the unveiling of the 2014 Platts Global Energy Awards. The Awards program, now in its 16(th) year, recognizes exemplary performance in 18 award categories for strategic vision, industry leadership, leading technologies, premier projects and stewardship.

About Platts: Founded in 1909, Platts is a leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals, metals and agriculture information and a premier source of benchmark prices for the physical and futures markets. Platts' news, pricing, analytics, commentary and conferences help customers make better-informed trading and business decisions and help the markets operate with greater transparency and efficiency. Customers in more than 150 countries benefit from Platts' coverage of the biofuels, carbon emissions, coal, electricity, oil, natural gas, metals, nuclear power, petrochemical, shipping and sugar markets. A division of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI), Platts is based in London with more than 1000 employees in more than 15 offices worldwide. Additional information is available at www.platts.com.

About McGraw Hill Financial: McGraw Hill Financial is a leading financial intelligence company providing the global capital and commodity markets with independent benchmarks, credit ratings, portfolio and enterprise risk solutions, and analytics. The Company's iconic brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL, and J.D. Power. The Company has approximately 18,000 employees in 30 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

SOURCE Platts

SOURCE: Platts