The forum’s secretariat came under new leadership on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.

Mshelbila was unanimously elected as the GECF’s fifth secretary-general at the forum’s 27th ministerial meeting on Oct. 23. He is now responsible for overseeing the secretariat and advancing the organization’s broad policy agenda.

Born Jan. 2, 1967, in Garikida, Nigeria, Mshelbila replaces Hamel, who served as secretary-general from 2022 through the end of 2025. With the start of Mshelbila’s term, Hamel’s tenure at the helm of the GECF has concluded.

Since its establishment, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum has had five secretary-generals. Before Hamel, the post was held by Yury Sentyurin of Russia from 2018 to 2022, Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli of Iran from 2014 to 2018, and Leonid Bokhanovsky of Russia from 2010 to 2014.