PRESS RELEASE
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient: Luis Cabra
Published 1st October 2026
The World Refining Association is proud to announce Luis Cabra, Executive Managing Director and Deputy CEO at Repsol, and President of FuelsEurope and Concawe, as the recipient of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, as a recognition of his contribution to the refining industry.
A chemical engineer and Ph.D. by training with over 40 years of experience spanning oil refining and the global oil & gas industry, Luis has contributed to making Repsol a relevant energy player from his managerial positions in Refining, Technology, Upstream and Corporate functions in his mother company. Since 2018, he has played a prominent role in shaping the energy transition strategy for Repsol, undergoing a profound transformation from pure oil & gas to become a multi-energy company expanding its activity to renewable fuels and electricity.
Specific to oil refining and since starting his career as a process engineer at La Coruña refinery, Luis has led a wide range of teams and activities including R&D, process engineering, and investment planning and execution. More recently, he is integrating the refinery transformation towards decarbonization and renewable fuels into the wider energy transition strategy of Repsol. He is also leading the company’s institutional advocacy, with a focus on promoting regulation as synchronized with technology progress and business reality.
Since 2021, Luis has acted as President of FuelsEurope and Concawe, associations that represent the European refining industry, thus expanding his reach on advocacy matters. From this position, Luis has become a relevant voice of the industry, conveying clear messages about the strategic importance of refining for Europe, and the need to preserve a competitive refining industry that can invest for the future along the energy transition. Luis is a great advocate of technology neutrality as a principle for policymaking that should be written on stone.
Beyond these credentials, Luis is a believer in the critical importance of learning and sharing knowledge. As such, he has been a part-time professor and lecturer at Universities and Business Schools and enjoys participating as a speaker at professional events.
Luis Cabra’s work is inspired by respectful leadership, the role of technology as a key business engine, and collective achievement. As a relevant contributor to shaping the future of refining, we are honored to celebrate his career at ERTC’s Industry Awards where Luis will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, on Wednesday 2 December in Madrid, as part of ERTC 2026.
In addition, on day three of our 30th anniversary edition of ERTC, Luis will feature in the live launch of the World Refining Association’s ‘Wine & Refine’ podcast. This special recording will celebrate his career and contribution to the industry, while giving Luis the opportunity to share his perspective on the changing European refining landscape over a glass of fine wine.
“There are people who matter, who are always there when it matters, adding value quietly and consistently. Luis Cabra is certainly one of them. He is an outstanding professional: rigorous, thoughtful, and clear in his judgement. His contribution has helped shape the Repsol of today, while also helping us prepare for the company we need to become. At a particularly demanding time for European refining, his leadership at FuelsEurope is all the more valuable. And those of us who have had the opportunity to work closely with him also know that he is an honest, approachable while excellent professional, and a deeply committed person. Congratulations, Luis”
“A Lifetime Achievement Award could not have found a more deserving recipient than Luis Cabra. The Association, its member companies and I are privileged to benefit from his outstanding leadership over the past six years as President of the Association. His deep expertise and strategic vision for our sector, combined with his exceptional ability to bring people together, build consensus and navigate complex challenges, will leave a lasting mark on our industry. It is a privilege to work alongside him during a period of profound transformation, and we warmly congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition”.
30 Nov – 3 Dec | Madrid, Spain
FUTURE-PROOFING REFINING’S ROLE IN THE ENERGY MIX