Who coined the term 'Seven Sisters' for the dominant mid-20th-century oil companies?

Enrico Mattei coined the term “Seven Sisters” for the dominant mid-20th-century oil companies.

Mattei was an Italian industrialist and head of Eni, Italy’s state energy company. He used the phrase critically for the powerful international oil companies that controlled much of global petroleum production, reserves and trade from the 1940s into the 1970s.

The group traditionally included Exxon, Mobil, Gulf Oil, Texaco, Standard Oil of California—later Chevron—British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell. Several were linked through the Consortium for Iran, formed after Iran’s oil industry was nationalized in 1951 and Western governments sought to restore exports.

Mattei wanted Eni to gain a place in that established consortium, but his request was rejected. He responded by pursuing independent deals, including a major agreement with Iran in 1957 that offered the producing country a larger share of profits than the traditional concession system. The phrase later became widely known through Anthony Sampson’s 1975 book, but its origin is credited to Mattei.