Dr. Gates is an economist with extensive experience in energy industry research. His principal interests are political and economic risk and the relationships between economic growth, energy, the environment, and the effects of public policy. Prior to becoming a consultant, first for PFC Energy and then for IHS Markit, he was an executive with Exxon Corporation and its affiliates, where for 32 years he served in a range of economics, energy analysis, planning, and financial operations positions, most of which involved the corporation's interests in the Asia Pacific region. This included nine years resident in Tokyo, and later, extensive work on economic, energy, and business opportunities in China. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University, US, where his focus was public finance.