The Team
Symon Rubens
Chief Executive Officer
Symon Rubens has two decades experience in managing and growing business conference organisations across 5 continents. His conference career commenced at Terrapinn where he held production, sales and general management positions in the Australian and Singapore offices, before being promoted to Managing Director of the Australasian operations in 2003. In 2007 he opened Terrapinn’s Middle East operations, before becoming Regional Managing Director of IQPC Middle East, Africa and India. In 5 years at IQPC he opened offices in South Africa, India, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, growing the business by 300%. In 2014 Symon left IQPC to start The Rubens Group, a consulting and trading company based in Dubai. In 2015 he moved to Houston to start the Energy Conference Network, which has quickly grown to be the preeminent energy conference company in the world.
Team Members
Laura Oppermann
Project Manager
Born and raised in Texas, Laura Oppermann graduated from Houston’s own University of St. Thomas with a Bachelor’s in Communication. She also served as a student investigator for the Innocence Project where she investigated possible wrongful conviction cases. True to Texan form, she loves the outdoors, nature and wide open … read full profile
William Winkler
Research and Content Director
William Winkler is a Texas native born in Dallas that grew in the great state of Wyoming.
While attending the University of Wyoming, William was a sports writer for the university student publication. He also had the honor of playing for the university’s rugby team. After graduating from the University majoring … read full profile
Phelim Rowe
Research and Content Director
Phelim Rowe is a conference consultant with over nine years in the public and private sectors. He has organised conferences in the US, Europe, Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America on a variety of topics. Prior to joining conferencing he held Policy Advisor positions in the UK Department of … read full profile
Melissa Zerber
Research and Content Director
Melissa Zerber brings twelve years of experience to her role at the Energy Conference Network. After college, Melissa began her career in the entertainment industry, first as an intern and ultimately working her way to a paid position as artist manager. In 2006 she made the move to television where she … read full profile
Kyle Cornish
Marketing Manager
A Kansas native, Kyle Cornish joined the Energy Conference Network Team as a Marketing Manager. A lifelong fan of the Jayhawks, Kyle’s dream was to play basketball at the University of Kansas – however, the lack of a required growth spurt and general skill thwarted his plans.
Kyle graduated from KU with a degree … read full profile