Modiu Sanni is a distinguished oil and gas professional with over three decades of international experience across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. He has held various technical and leadership roles in the energy industry, where his multidisciplinary expertise in data analytics, reservoir engineering, and advanced research positioned him for strategic advisory and board-level decision-making responsibilities.

He has authored several conference papers and peer-reviewed journal publications in petrophysics, reservoir engineering, reservoir monitoring and surveillance, and enhanced oil recovery. He is also the holder of three granted patents.

Sanni began his oil and gas career with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Nigeria in January 1990 as a Wellsite Petroleum Engineer. He progressed to become Section Head (Petrophysics) and Studies Team Leader, with assignments in Europe and the Middle East. He played key roles in multiple field studies and development projects across several OMLs in the Niger Delta, supporting incremental oil production and gas development initiatives linked to the LNG project. He also contributed significantly to brownfield development and enhanced oil recovery projects in Oman.

In 2004, he joined Saudi Aramco as a Senior Petroleum Engineer at the Exploration and Production Advanced Research Centre. There, he led and supported research initiatives in reservoir engineering, enhanced oil recovery, nanotechnology, and carbon capture and sequestration.

Implementation of several research outcomes resulted in measurable production improvements. Until his retirement in 2018, he also played active roles in talent development, leadership mentoring, and strategic recruitment.

He holds a B.Eng (1987) and MSc (1990) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Benin and the University of Ibadan, respectively.

He is currently engaged in initiatives aimed at bridging the gap between renewable energy and the traditional energy mix.