Meet the Leaders of Iraq's Oil & Gas Industry
Former Minister of Oil Federal Government of Iraq Joined Iraq National Oil Company – Basra in 1973, acquiring rich experience in areas of wells drilling workovers, petroleum engineering, oil export, oil production, gas production, water injection, planning-follow up, projects planning and implementation, maintenance, fire-safety, pipeline operations. Key positions held include: oil export terminals, oil production, gas processing, water injection, oil storage pipelines, oil operations, project planning and implementation, Director General at the South Oil Company from 2009 to 2010 and Adviser to the Minister of Oil from 2003 to 2009. Prime Minister’s Senior Economic Adviser for Oil, Gas & Infrastructure Federal Government of Iraq H.E. Kadhim Mohammed Jawad has been the Economic Adviser to Iraq's Prime Minister since 2014. He is a member of many committees at the prime minister's office including the economic committee, the power committee and Japanese loan supervising committee. He was previously an Adviser at the Ministry of Trade from 2009-2014, and has worked in contracting and general trade since 1987. He has been an adviser in investment management (including trade, naval and real estate) in UAE and Jordan and has 21 years of experience in forming credits and investing banking facilities. He has provided a study to some Iraqi and foreign banks concerning the role of Iraqi and foreign banks in investment in Iraq. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in electrical engineering. Director Office of Middle East and Asia, Bureau of Energy Affairs, U.S. Department of State Mr Eyre is the Director of Middle East and Asia Office for the State Department’s Energy Bureau, where he ensures strategic energy considerations are integrated into U.S. policy for these regions. In over 30 years of government service Mr. Eyre’s major professional focus has been on the Middle East. He is widely acknowledged as one of the U.S. Government’s foremost experts on Iran, and was a member of the U.S. Government team who negotiated the July 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. He has served in Nigeria, Syria, UAE, Azerbaijan and the UK, and speaks Farsi, Dari, Azeri and limited Arabic. Ambassador / Head of Delegation Delegation of the European Union to Iraq Ambassador Ramon Blecua has held several postings in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassies of Spain in Ghana, Indonesia, Egypt and Guatemala from 1988 to 1996. He was Spanish Representative to the Palestinian/Israeli peace negotiations in Cairo from 1992 to 1995. He participated in the International Commission Security Sector Reform of Guatemala as Cooperation Aid Coordinator for implementation of the peace agreements. In 1997, he was appointed Head of Office of the Director of the Institute for Cooperation with Latin America in the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Adviser of the Deputy Minister for International Cooperation and Latin America. Subsequent postings include Chief of Cabinet of the Director of the Cervantes Institute, Deputy Head of Mission in Teheran, Deputy Consul General in Buenos Aires and Cultural Counsellor in Cairo. He was Adviser for the International Centre Oscar Niemeyer in Aviles for Cultural Diplomacy Projects, Deputy Head of Mission in the Spanish Embassy in New Delhi from 2011 to 2014 and since 2014 Head of Political Section of the EU Delegation in Sana. He has been invited to lecture by International IDEA, the Latin American Centre of Administration for Development, Argentinian Centre for Foreign Relations, Aspen Institute, universities and research centres on issues of international cooperation, democratic governance and international relations. Ambassador Blecua Casas holds a M.A in history from Madrid Complutense University, and has studied international cooperation, foreign relations and cultural management. He has also published articles and essays on international relations, development cooperation and cultural diplomacy. He speaks English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Persian and Arabic. Deputy Minister Ministry of Construction, Housing & General Municipalities, Federal Government of Iraq H.E. Dara Hassan Reshid is the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities and General Works and Vice President of REFAATO. He was previously Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs from 2010 to 2013 and a Special Adviser to the President of KRG on development, construction and investment from 2005 to 2010. MR Reshid holds a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering and an M.Sc. in Highway & Traffic Engineering. Chairman of the Integrity Committee Federal Parliament of Iraq Director General of DhiQar Oil Company Ministry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq Director General of the Upstream Oil Contracts & Licensing Rounds Ministry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq Deputy Director General and Director of Crude Oil SOMO, Ministry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq Ali Nazar Faeq Al-Shatari is the Deputy Director General and Director of Crude Oil and Gas Marketing for SOMO. He was previously held several senior positions within SOMO including Head of the Asia Department of the Crude Oil and Marketing Division, Head of North and South America Department and Head of Far East Department. He holds an M.Sc. in Energy Economic and Policy from the university of Surrey, UK, and a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Baghdad. Director General of the South Refineries Ministry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq Deputy Minister of Environment Ministry of Environment, Federal Government of Iraq Dr Kameran Ali Hasan holds a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Law, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Jules Vernier-Picardy University, France. He also holds a PhD in Management of Institutions. Dr Kameran has experience in the management of government institutions and the development of annual budgets of ministries and how to implement them and the development of public administrative policies and deal with the challenges facing the implementation of these policies. He has also held the following positions: Director General of Planning in the Ministry of Health in the Kurdistan Region and Director General of Social Welfare Director of Relief and Reconstruction Organisation funded by the United Nations. Political Adviser to H.E. the President of Iraq Dr Fuad Massoum Federal Government of Iraq Farhad is the Political Adviser to H.E. President of Iraq, prior to which he was the Chief of Staff of KRG Prime Minister from 2009 to 2011 and then senior adviser to the KRG Prime Minister from 2011 to 2012. Farhad is a writer and observer on current political affairs in Iraq and Kurdistan and holds a Master’s Degree in Leading Innovation and Change from York St. John University. Managing Director, Head of Structured Trade & Export Finance Deutsche Bank AG Werner Schmidt was appointed Managing Director and Head of Structured Trade & Export Finance Germany for Deutsche Bank in April 2011. He re-joined Deutsche Bank from UniCredit Group where his most recent appointment was Regional Head of Financial Institutions for Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa. Throughout his 37 years of experience within the banking industry he has performed senior roles in corporate and institutional client coverage, investment banking and structured trade and export finance in Europe and Asia. Among other assignments, Werner was responsible for UniCredit Bank AG’s (HVB) Structured Trade and Export Finance business, including origination, structuring, distribution and loan administration and agency functions. He is a member of the supervisory board of AKA Bank, a specialised German export finance institution and Chairman of the Export Finance Working Committee at the Association of German Banks (BdB). Iraq Development & Joint Venture Manager Shell Dr Mark Wharton is the Development and Joint Ventures Manager for Shell in Iraq and is responsible for the technical and investment planning of Shell’s portfolio of oil and gas projects that are contributing to Iraq’s development and reconstruction. Mark has extensive industry experience across the oil and gas sector having held prior technical and management positions with Royal Dutch Shell operating units in The Netherlands, Oman, Malaysia, Nigeria and Kazakhstan. In his current role in Iraq he contributes to safe and reliable operations at the Shell-operated Majnoon field in the Basrah province and provides shareholder governance and support to the non-operated West Qurna 1 venture, the midstream gas joint venture Basrah Gas Company and the world-scale Nebras petrochemicals joint venture. Mark holds a PhD in Geology and Geochemistry from Durham University and a Bachelor of Sciences in Geology from Imperial College, London. His work in Iraq enables him to pursue the wider societal benefits of capturing gas that is otherwise flared into a useful source of power for Iraq industrial and domestic use, providing employment opportunities for local Iraqi companies and communities and enabling technical and managerial training for Iraqi colleagues within the Shell participating ventures. Head of Oil & Gas Middle East & Asia-Pacific Siemens Martin Sinkuler is currently the Head of Siemens Oil & Gas Middle East and Asia Pacific where he manages twelve oil & gas corporate accounts and corporate account managers (CAM) for Siemens. These accounts supply between $1 billion and $1.5 billion of equipment, solutions and services each year into the oil & gas industry. He is currently based in Abu Dhabi. For the six years before moving to Abu Dhabi, Martin was the Corporate Account Manager for Saudi Aramco working in Al-Khobar, KSA. Martin received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 1976. Former Minister's Adviser Ministry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq Dr Falah Jassim Alamri holds a PhD titled “Marine and Transporting of Oil Cargo” from the College of Law at Dundee University in Scotland. He also holds a Master’s Degree in International Cargoes Transportation Conventions from Salford University, UK. In 1977, he graduated with a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Basrah’s College of Administration and Economics. Previous appointments include Iraq’s Governor for Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Director General of Oil Marketing Company (SOMO), Ministry of Oil since 2006, and Director General of the Iraqi Oil Tankers Company (IOTC) from 2004 to 2006 and from 2009 to early 2015. He is a member of the National Committee at the World Trade Organization (WTO), and member of a team responsible for developing the Iraqi Gas Sector. First Deputy Governor of Basra Governorate of Basra, Federal Government of Iraq Mohammed Taher Al-Tamimi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Basra University and a Master's degree in Business Administration. He was responsible for a number of sections in the Directorate of the distribution of electricity in the north of Basra and the Directorate of Electricity Distribution south of Basra before his election to the post of First Deputy Governor of Basra. Mohammed Al-Tamimi has attended a number of international conferences outside Iraq, including representing the Basra province in a workshop with the Federal Republic of Germany on the matter of benefiting from the experience of Germany in the transfer of authorities and industrial development of industrial cities by UNIDO, the United Nations in Italy and a number of conferences in Turkey, Arabic states, Lebanon and Iran. He has dealt with several projects in the Office of the province of Basra, including projects of electric power and projects services, such as municipalities, water and sewage, public administration. industry and agriculture. Chief Executive Officer Arab Petroleum Investment Corporation, APICORP Dr Attiga’s career and experience span over 25 years in investment management, development finance, private equity, research and teaching. He recently started his new role as CEO of APICORP. Before joining APICORP he was with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group and the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. He was responsible for investment and advisory services activities in the Middle East, overseeing an investment portfolio of over USD 2.7 billion and an advisory program of about USD 200 million. Dr Attiga has served at the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank Group in Washington, D.C., as well as a Manager of a Private Equity fund for the State of Wisconsin in the United States of America. He also advised Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) on privatization and restructuring strategies. In his early career, he held teaching and research positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research. Dr Attiga is a board member of the Emirates Development Bank and has served on the Royal International Commission to evaluate Jordan’s Privatization Program. He is a Trustee of the Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans, chaired by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, and a member of the Arab Thought Forum among many other various professional affiliations. Dr Attiga holds three graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison: a PhD in Finance & Development, an MBA, and a Master’s Degree in International Economies. He obtained his BA in Economics (Summa Cum laude) from Kuwait University. Former UK Ambassador to Iraq UK Embassy, Iraq Sir William Patey KCMG had a long and distinguished career with the British Diplomatic Service including four Ambassadorial postings, with a focus on the Middle East and Africa. Sir William has been the Government and International Affairs Adviser at Control Risks since July 2012. He is a Director at WCP Consultants and Partner at The Ambassador Partnership LLP. He was appointed Prime Minister’s Envoy for Aviation Security in September 2015. He advises businesses entering and operating in the Gulf region, in particular in the oil and gas sector and financial services and defence industries. He is a Non-Executive Director of HSBC Bank Middle East. He was British Ambassador to Afghanistan until his retirement from HM Diplomatic Service in April 2012. He also served as British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (2007-2010), Iraq (2005-2006) and Sudan (2002-2005). He was Head of the Middle East Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1998-2002. He has also had diplomatic postings in Tripoli, Abu Dhabi and Canberra and served as Deputy Head of the United Nations Department. He was also Non-Executive Chairman at Swindon Town Football Club from October 2012 to February 2013 until the sale of the club to Seebeck97 Ltd in February 2013. Former Senior American Diplomat Middle East, Turkey, Germany & the Balkans Ambassador James Franklin Jeffrey retired from the Foreign Service with the rank of Career Ambassador in June, 2012. At present he is the Philip Solondz distinguished visiting fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a Visiting Instructor at George Washington University, consultant, and member of the Central Intelligence Agency External Advisory Board. Ambassador Jeffrey has held a series of senior posts in Washington, D.C. and abroad. Prior to his service as Ambassador in Ankara (2008-2010), and Baghdad (2010-2012), he served as Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor in the George W. Bush Administration. Previously he served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State, where his responsibilities included leading the Iran policy team and coordinating public diplomacy. Earlier appointments included service as Senior Advisor on Iraq to the Secretary of State; Chargé d'affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission in Baghdad; Deputy Chief of Mission in Ankara and Kuwait; Ambassador to Albania, and Deputy Coordinator for Bosnia. A former infantry officer in the U.S. Army, Ambassador Jeffrey served in Germany and Vietnam from 1969 to 1976. His wife Gudrun and he have two children, Julia, and Jahn. Country Manager BP Iraq Zaid Elyaseri is Country Manager for BP Iraq and responsible for managing BP’s business integration in Iraq where BP is the lead contractor for developing the Rumaila oil field, Iraq’s largest field contributing over 40% of Iraq’s production. Zaid has an MBA in Oil & Gas Management from Aberdeen Business School. He specialises in commercial and is responsible for driving business agenda in the country and for working with key energy officials in Iraq. Zaid held various central and regional finance/commercial roles and was involved in starting up the Rumaila business. Prior to BP, Zaid worked for KPMG UK and has lead advisory and risk positions in the Middle East. In 2014, Zaid took on the position of BP Iraq Deputy Country Manager and in 2015 was appointed as BP Iraq Country Manager. Head of Economic & Finance LUKOIL Mid-East Limited Prior to joining LUKOIL Overseas Holding in 2006, Mr Petryaev worked in Nestle Russia. In 2010 he was appointed Manager for Economics and Planning for the West Qurna-2 project in Iraq. In 2010-2014 he was responsible for setup of economics and planning division, outlining of major business processes, technical and economic assessment of projects, planning and control of OPEX and G&A, negotiations with Iraqi authorities. In 2014 Mr Petryaev was appointed Head of Economic and Finance of LUKOIL Mid East Limited. Mr Petryaev has a Master’s Degree in Financial Management (2002) and Executive MBA in Oil and Gas Business (2015). He is a certified Manager for Major Capital Projects in the Oil and Gas Industry (IPA Institute). Head of Communications LUKOIL Mid-East Limited Olga Mikhaylova was born is Moscow, Russia, and is the Head of Communications at LUKOIL Mid-East Limited. She joined LUKOIL in 1999. From 1999 – 2002 she was the Feature Editor, Deputy Editor-in-chief for the Magazine “Oil of Russia” and was appointed Media Relations Manager at PJSC LUKOIL in 2002. From 2004 to 2015 she worked as Speechwriter and Communications Manager for the LUKOIL President and CEO. Ms Mikhaylova holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the Russian State University for the Humanities and an MBA Finance from the Financial University under the Government of Russian Federation. Director EUCERS Prof. Dr Friedbert Pflüger is Director of EUCERS at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London and Senior Fellow of the Global Energy Centre of the Atlantic Council. He served from 1981 to 1989 as Speechwriter and Press Secretary to the former German President Richard von Weizsäcker. Friedbert Pflüger was a Member of the German Bundestag (1990-2006), Chairman of the Bundestag Committee on the Affairs of the European Union (1998-2004) and Deputy Minister of Defence in the first Merkel Government (2005/06). In September 2009, Friedbert Pflüger became Professor for International Relations at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. Friedbert Pflüger also has his own consultancies in Berlin and Erbil (Iraq) and is a Senior Adviser for Roland Berger. Friedbert Pflüger has written numerous books and articles and publishes frequently on energy issues. Director General of the Training & Development Office Ministry of Electricity, Federal Government of Iraq Mr Al-Hmidawi holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and attended a number of courses related to power and energy both in Iraq and abroad, the last in 2016 is the United States program (IVLP) entitled “Increasing Energy Efficiency”. He has held several posts including Director of the Rusafa operation department, Director of the control and communications department, Assistant General Manager of Baghdad Distribution, Director General of Baghdad Electricity Distribution, Director General of the Energy Distribution Office, and is currently Director General of the Training and Development Office. Director General of Electricity Distribution Ministry of Electricity, Federal Government of Iraq Mr Al-Araji gained a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering in 1977, and in 1979 became Assistant Engineer, Directorate of Electricity Distribution Maysan. Between 1979 and 2003 he held several positions including Engineer, Official Implementation of the Projects; Senior Engineer, Technical Officer; Chief Engineer, Deputy Director; Director; and Expert - Director. In 2006 he became Deputy Director for electricity distribution in the south, and in 2009, Director of Experts - General Directorate of Training and Development. In 2011, he was promoted to Director General of southern electricity distribution, in 2016 became Director General of The Electrical Energy Distribution Sector in Iraq's Ministry of Electricity. Some of Mr Al-Araji’s outstanding achievements include the design and implementation of the lines of modern lighting, electrical networks (0.4 ,11 and 33 K.V over-head & under-ground networks ) and the implementation of the lighting within the campaigns of modern reconstruction of the cities of Basra, Faw , Uzayr and Ali-alsharqi. Adviser to the Minister Ministry of Electricity, Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq Mr Hawramany graduated in Electrical Power Engineering from the University of Technology in Baghdad. He has been working for more than 20 years in power plants, and had been involved and experienced in power project operation & maintenance, planning and management, implementation of deferent power projects and utility infrastructure. In 2006, he was nominated for the Advisory Board for the Ministry of Electricity Kurdistan, and is Adviser to the Minister since May 2010. The majority of his experience has been in the deferent phases of power projects development and furthermore hydropower and renewable energy. International experience includes working as Expert with the United Nation Development Program (UNDP-ENRP) for the Electricity Northern Rehabilitation Program-Iraq as well as Lead Engineer for Washington Group International for the electricity sector infrastructure development. He has represented the sector in several international energy conferences as a speaker. He is a spokesperson for the Ministry, and since 2006, a member of the Higher Commission of Environmental Protection and Improvement Board of Kurdistan, as well as a consultant member of the Iraqi & Kurdistan Engineering Syndicate. Head of Studies Arab Petroleum Training Institute, OAPEC Mr Al-Khalisi is Head of Studies in the Arab Petroleum Training Institute of the Organization of the Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) and a private consultant on the Iraqi oil sector. Prior to this he was a senior consultant at the Iraqi Ministry of Oil. He has been involved in several high-profile committees, including the Iraqi Oil Sector Strategic Planning Committee and the Transfer of Technology in the Energy Sector Committee. Mr Al-Khalisi has also worked in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Vienna, where he was involved in crude oil evaluation and refining studies. He started his career in the Daura refinery in Baghdad where he worked as Refinery Manager. He then joined the State Industrial Design and Consultation Company which specializes in the design, implementation and management of refineries and petrochemical and fertilizer projects. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and a post-graduate diploma in Development Planning. Energy Economist, Energy Research Arab Petroleum Investment Corporation, APICORP Mustafa Ansari serves as an Energy Economist at APICORP, the Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation. He joined in May 2015 where he was responsible for the implementation of the strategy for the newly formed Energy Economics Unit and leading the work on the company’s monthly commentary as well as its Annual Energy Investment Outlook. Previously he was an Economist at the Department of Energy (UK), where he covered posts on energy efficiency, decarbonisation of the UK’s heat intensive industries and on international and domestic oil markets. He led the economic analysis for the business case to establish the Green Investment Bank - the primary source of funding for projects that mitigated climate change. In 2014 - during a period of rapid declines in energy prices – he provided regular advice to ministers and government that helped them reinforce the UK’s policy on decarbonisation. Mustafa is regularly invited as a keynote speaker and panellist at global forums and conferences to discuss critical challenges pertaining to the Middle East and North Africa, whilst his research is periodically cited in major media outlets including the Washington Post, Bloomberg, Reuters, Al-Arabiya and CNBC. His practical experience is underpinned by a strong academic background, including completion of a Degree in Economics followed by a Masters in Development Economics. His areas of specialisation are climate change strategy, energy economics and MENA policy. Head of the Energy Committee Basra Council, Federal Government of Iraq Mr Al Fares was Member of the Basra Provincial Council and Chairman of the Oil & Gas Committee for the elected Provincial Council from 2013 to 2017. He holds a University degree in Law from the University of Basra and has extensive experience exceeding 10 years in strategic planning and projects case studies with Iraqi international laws. He has extensive experience in dealing with the international oil and gas companies operating in Iraq. He has worked and helped the Basra community with several projects, participated in a number of workshops and training programmes both locally and internationality and has participated in local and international conferences. Before he joined Basra Provincial Council, his vision was that the sustainable development for his country will cover both agriculture and industry, for that he founded his own business which focuses on agriculture and industry projects after the change in Iraq. His investments begin in deserts then his business expands all over Basra and the south of Iraq. Adviser Iraq Presidency, Iraq National Security Advisory, Federal Government of Iraq Dr Khalid Al-Yaqoobi is General Director at the Iraqi Presidency Office. From 2008 to 2016 he was adviser at the Iraqi Presidency Office and between 2001 and 2008 he was Adviser for Regional Affairs at high level security committees at the Iraqi National Security Council. He has also worked as a consulting engineer and has over 14 years’ maritime experience at the Iraqi Trade Navy Fleet and international private companies. Dr Al-Yaqoobi frequently participates in conferences, summits, and political and security symposiums. He has studied Maritime Engineering at the Arabian Gulf Academy for Maritime Studies, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Baghdad, a Master’s degree in Strategic Planning for National Security from the National Defence College as well as a PhD in International and Diplomatic Relations. Managing Director MFL Finance Limited In 1990, Raed Hanna established Mutual Finance Ltd., a financial services group, to cater for corporates, project finance and infrastructure finance. Mutual Finance has quickly become the largest property / project finance intermediary in the sector, with lending of more than £2 billion per annum. It is typically involved in the financing of the most high profile properties and international projects worldwide. The company changed name to MFL Finance Limited. The team at Mutual Finance, under the leadership of Raed Hanna, have the ability to assist with the structuring and procure finance packages for varying infrastructure project types, among others: toll roads, toll bridges, tunnels, airports, ports, power production installations (including solar), parking areas, oil refineries, and oil & Gas project finance. These projects can be new, ground up developments or existing assets that are operating risks and generally involve long-term operating concessions. CIO AFC Iraq Fund Mr Tabaqchali is an experienced capital markets professional with over 25 years’ experiences in US and MENA markets. He is currently a Non-resident Fellow at the Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS) at the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani (AUIS) and a board member of the Credit Bank of Iraq. He is a former Executive Director of NBK Capital, the investment banking arm of the National Bank of Kuwait as head of Brokerage, prior to which he was a Managing Director and Head of International Institutional Sales at WR Hambrecht + Co, based in London, New York and San Francisco. This followed on from roles as a Managing Director at KeyBanc in London, charged with international sales, and before that Director & Head of Capital Markets & Institutional Sales at Jefferies International in London. He started his career at Dean Witter International in London. Mr Tabaqchali has a M.Sc. in Mathematics from Oxford University in the UK, a B.Sc. (Hons, 1st class) in Mathematics from Victoria University in New Zealand and a B.Sc. in Mathematics from Canterbury University in New Zealand. He is an Iraqi and British national. Head, Iraq / Kurdistan Programme Washington Institute for Near East Policy Dr Michael Knights heads the Iraq/KRG programme at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Focusing on Iraq and the KRG, he has worked as an adviser to government, the oil and gas sector and the military for the last fifteen years. He has spent significant amounts of his career forward-deployed in Iraq, working in most of the country’s hundred districts and engaging with local stakeholders to understand their priorities. Partner Vinson & Elkins LLP Ahmed is the Managing Partner of the Dubai office of Vinson & Elkins, an international law firm that is consistently recognized as “the World’s Leading Energy Law Firm” by Euromoney, 1995-Present. He has substantial experience advising on complex energy project finance and development matters in the Middle East and Caspian, including the multi-sourced financings of Yemen LNG, the Dolphin Pipeline and the BTC Pipeline. He also advises several governments in the Middle East on large scale energy projects and energy legislation. In addition, Ahmed represents clients on complex cross-border, private and public M&A and joint venture transactions in the Middle East, Europe and the U.S. His M&A experience includes previously working at Morgan Stanley’s Global Energy Group in New York. Ahmed has extensive knowledge of the Middle East, particularly Iraq, having advised numerous clients in the country including the Ministry of Oil in connection with the US$17 billion Basrah Gas Project and on the multi-billion dollar Iraq-Jordan Export Pipeline Project; additionally he has advised two leading U.S. private equity firms in connection with two potential acquisitions in Iraq. He is recognized in the 2016 and 2017 editions of Chambers and Partners list of legal experts on Iraq. Prior to joining V&E, Ahmed was resident in the London office of another leading law firm. Ahmed, a native Arabic speaker, is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School and is admitted to practice in the State of New York. Chief of Experts Iraq National Security Advisory Federal Government of Iraq Aamer Al Moswi holds a Master of Law, General Section, and Constitutional Law from the College of Law at Al-Mustansiriyah University. He also holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Planning from the National Defense College in Iraq as well as a Bachelor of law from the College of Law at Al-Turath College in Baghdad, Iraq. From 2006 to 2009 Mr Al Moswi was the Chief of Staff and National Security Advisory in Iraq as well as a Member of the committee that wrote the Iraqi National Security Strategy from 2007 to 2014. From 2010 to present he has been the Chief of Experts and National Security Advisory in Iraq. In February 2015 he became a Member of the Scientific Committee at the AL-Nahrain Centre for Strategic Studies and National Security Advisory in Iraq. In July this year Mr Al Moswi became a member of the security team responsible for the preparation and comprehensive reform of the national strategy of the security sector in Iraq and has conducted extensive research papers covering Iraq’s defense plans. Director RSK Environment LLC Ian is Operations Director within RSK’s Global Division and has over 20 years of varied research, environmental consulting and management experience. He specialises in environmental due diligence, risk assessment, soil and groundwater remediation and waste management. For the last five years, Ian has worked in the Middle East, mainly in Iraq, overseeing RSK’s business operations and managing environmental and geotechnical projects for numerous international oil companies. A highly experienced project director, Ian has managed projects and portfolios for clients including DuPont, GlaxoSmithKline, National Grid, Shell, Basrah Gas, Lukoil, Gazprom, PetroChina, TTOPCo and BP/ROO. Ian was the European programme manager for RSK’s pan-European Shell GESS contract from 2010 to 2012 and now manages a number of RSK’s key accounts in Iraq, including Shell and Basrah Gas. Former Director General South Gas Company, Basrah, Ministry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq Ali Khudier Al Saady is Chairman of the Joint Management Committee Meeting, with over 40 years of extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, responsible for approving the BGC annual production plans and signing for approval on tenders and purchase orders of $5 million, nominating the BGC Deputy Manager and the O&M Committee Managers from SGC share. As the Director General of the South Gas Company – Ministry of Oil he represents the Ministry of Oil at international meetings, approving the company annual plan for OLM and directing the SGC production activities. Major achievements include the re-starting of the KAZ LPG/NGL plant after 5 years of it being closed, increasing the daily rate of LPG production from 900 to 2600 ton per day. Refurbishment and starting the dry gas compressor at KAZ after 27 years of its being closed, this compressor added 100 ton per day of LPG and 65 MMSCF/D of dry gas to the network, establishing Basra Gas Co. with Shell and Mitsubishi and West Qurna Oil Fields, recruiting more than 2000 Iraqi nationals, put the plans for the gas utilization project and minimizing new NGL plant in the North Rumail Artawi field. Vice President GardaWorld Andy Edwards is Vice President, Strategic Clients for GardaWorld International Protective Services. In this role he focuses on the development and management of relationships with clients working in the oil and gas sector. He previously held the position of Managing Director of GardaWorld Iraq. After leaving the British Special Forces in 2001, Andy worked as the primary security consultant to a number of blue-chip companies, news networks and international development agencies around the world, including the World Bank Group, USAID, CBS and the BBC. In 2003, he was appointed as Security Director for Orascom Telecom Iraq (Iraqna) and in this capacity managed the security operations for the rollout of the country’s first GSM mobile phone network. In 2005, Andy founded the private security company Consilium Risk Strategies (CRS) and served as Managing Director until GardaWorld acquired the company in August 2012. Energy Advisor Bureau of Energy Resources, Department of State, US Government Mr Wecker is an Advisor in the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources, specialising in U.S. strategic and economic interests in the Iraqi energy sector. He has been a member of the APEC Energy Working Group and the IEA’s Standing Group on Emergency Questions. Prior assignments include Deputy Director of the Near Eastern Bureau’s Office of Regional and Multilateral Affairs, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Global Affairs, and Economic Unit Chief in the Office of Chinese Affairs. He has served in Malaysia, Japan, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Partner, Civil Economics, Energy & Infrastructure Roland Berger Stefan Haid is a Partner in Roland Berger's Competence Center 'Civil Economics, Energy & Infrastructure'. He studied Business/Economics and Political Science at the Universities of Passau, Mannheim, and ESSEC (Paris) as well as International Relations/Economics at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) in Washington and Bologna. Stefan has more than fifteen years of experience in consulting at the interface of the public and private sphere. The focus of his work is public sector modernization and capacity building, energy sector, and strategic infrastructure projects. His clients comprise government institutions, international organisations, public & private companies and NGOs with a special focus on Iraq. Partner Infrastructure Development Partnership LLP Thomas Dimitroff has over 20 years’ experience in the energy sector. He has functioned as a core member of multiple negotiating teams that have delivered globally significant energy projects, including the one million bbl/day Baku-Tbilisi- Ceyhan oil pipeline, the 10 billion cm/year South Caucasus gas pipeline, the 6.8 bcma gas sales agreement between Turkey and Azerbaijan and the 10 bcma Trans-Adriatic Pipeline Company. He has advised governments including the Azerbaijan Republic during its multilateral Energy Charter Transit Protocol negotiations, and he has led cross-functional teams in delivering multiple feasibility studies and strategy advice to governments and developers for conventional and renewable projects in the former Soviet Union (FSU), Africa, the Middle East, Asia and North America. Tom has also developed and negotiated arrangements for the acquisition and sale of upstream oil and gas assets in the FSU and the Middle East on behalf of oil and gas companies and private equity funds. Prior to joining the Infrastructure Development Partnership, he was regional advisor to BP plc for Africa, the Middle East, Russia, the Caspian and Turkey, advising on non-technical risks posed to new ventures and existing operations across the region. Chief Executive Officer RPSG - Remote Project Services Group LLC Andrew Martin has been the CEO of Remote Project Services Group (RPSG) since 2010 and has helped guide the company’s transition from a primarily governmental and defence services provider to a leading supplier of facilities management and life support services to the rehabilitated oil & gas sector in Iraq. He has extensive previous experience in the UK outsourced facilities management sector where he was involved with several county level full suite FM contracts, national highways and rail maintenance projects. Managing Director ILF Consulting Engineers Klaus Schick is Managing Director of ILF Consulting Engineers located in Abu Dhabi and responsible for ILF in Iraq. Klaus Schick has spent his career in Upstream Project Development and Execution for Oil and Gas having worked for Bilfinger Berger, OMV and DNO in various countries and positions. His industry experience spans from Pipeline Project Execution in the Nigerian swamps, Oil and Gas Facility project maturation and delivery to Field Development planning and execution to Managing a Business Unit. He has a strong emphasis on Oil & Gas Field Concept Development & Assessment, creating business opportunities along the hydro carbon value chain. He has lead large multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural teams in project definition and project execution and has been working in the Middle East since 2010. Principal Analyst, Middle East Upstream Wood Mackenzie Since joining Wood Mackenzie in 2005, Ian has been involved in analysing the oil and gas industries of the Middle East, UK, Russia and Caspian regions. Ian is currently responsible for Wood Mackenzie's Iraq upstream analysis. Ian is widely involved in regional oil and gas sector consulting projects, including opportunity screening studies, asset valuations, regional overviews, regional strategy studies and a number of major gas marketing projects. Ian's previous positions included a role as a Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews. Ian graduated from St Andrews University, in 2004, with a PhD in Physical Chemistry. Independent Energy Consultant London, UK Alessandro Bacci is an independent energy consultant in relation to business strategy and corporate diplomacy (policy, government, and public affairs). Much of his activity is linked to the MENA region, an area where he lived for four years. Alessandro is now based in London, United Kingdom (www.alessandrobacci.com), and he is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (A.I.P.N.). A multilingual professional, Alessandro holds a Bachelor of Law and Master of Law from the University of Florence, Italy, a Master in Public Affairs from Sciences Po, France, and a Master in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore.
For Programme & Speaker enquiries, please contact Nawar Abdulhadi on +44 20 7978 0093 For Sponsorship & Attending enquiries, please contact Phillip Clarke on +44 20 7978 0056 or email IraqPetroleum@thecwcgroup.com
H.E. Jabbar Al LiabiFormer Minister of OilFederal Government of Iraq
H.E. Jabbar Al Liabi
H.E. Kadhim Mohammed Jawad HassanPrime Minister’s Senior Economic Adviser for Oil, Gas & Infrastructure Federal Government of Iraq
H.E. Kadhim Mohammed Jawad Hassan
Alan EyreDirectorOffice of Middle East and Asia, Bureau of Energy Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Alan Eyre
Ambassador Ramon BlecuaAmbassador / Head of DelegationDelegation of the European Union to Iraq
Ambassador Ramon Blecua
H.E. Dara ReshidDeputy MinisterMinistry of Construction, Housing & General Municipalities, Federal Government of IraqVice PresidentREFAATO
H.E. Dara Reshid
MP Talal Al ZobaieChairman of the Integrity CommitteeFederal Parliament of Iraq
MP Talal Al Zobaie
Ali Warid HammoodDirector General of DhiQar Oil CompanyMinistry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq
Ali Warid Hammood
Abdulmahdy Hameed Hussain Al AmeediDirector General of the Upstream Oil Contracts & Licensing RoundsMinistry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq
Abdulmahdy Hameed Hussain Al Ameedi
Ali Nazar Faeq Al-ShatariDeputy Director General and Director of Crude Oil SOMO, Ministry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq
Ali Nazar Faeq Al-Shatari
Husam WeliDirector General of the South RefineriesMinistry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq
Husam Weli
H.E. Kameran Ali HasanDeputy Minister of EnvironmentMinistry of Environment, Federal Government of Iraq
H.E. Kameran Ali Hasan
Farhad AlaaldinPolitical Adviser to H.E. the President of Iraq Dr Fuad MassoumFederal Government of Iraq
Farhad Alaaldin
Werner SchmidtManaging Director, Head of Structured Trade & Export FinanceDeutsche Bank AG
Werner Schmidt
Dr Mark WhartonIraq Development & Joint Venture ManagerShell
Dr Mark Wharton
Martin SinkulerHead of Oil & Gas Middle East & Asia-PacificSiemens
Martin Sinkuler
Dr Falah Jassim AlamriFormer Minister's AdviserMinistry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq
Dr Falah Jassim Alamri
Mohammed Taher Al-TamimiFirst Deputy Governor of Basra Governorate of Basra, Federal Government of Iraq
Mohammed Taher Al-Tamimi
Dr Ahmed Ali AttigaChief Executive OfficerArab Petroleum Investment Corporation, APICORP
Dr Ahmed Ali Attiga
Sir William PateyFormer UK Ambassador to Iraq UK Embassy, Iraq
Sir William Patey
Ambassador James Franklin JeffreyFormer Senior American Diplomat Middle East, Turkey, Germany & the Balkans
Ambassador James Franklin Jeffrey
Zaid ElyaseriCountry ManagerBP Iraq
Zaid Elyaseri
Alexander PetryaevHead of Economic & FinanceLUKOIL Mid-East Limited
Alexander Petryaev
Olga MikhaylovaHead of CommunicationsLUKOIL Mid-East Limited
Olga Mikhaylova
Prof. Dr Friedbert PflügerDirectorEUCERSCEOPflüger International Consulting & KGE
Prof. Dr Friedbert Pflüger
Nafaa Abdulsada Ali Al-HmidawiDirector General of the Training & Development OfficeMinistry of Electricity, Federal Government of Iraq
Nafaa Abdulsada Ali Al-Hmidawi
Mohammed Hashim Jaafar Al-ArajiDirector General of Electricity DistributionMinistry of Electricity, Federal Government of Iraq
Mohammed Hashim Jaafar Al-Araji
Hama-Ameen Hasan Hawramany Adviser to the MinisterMinistry of Electricity, Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq
Hama-Ameen Hasan Hawramany
Shawki Al-KhalisiHead of StudiesArab Petroleum Training Institute, OAPEC
Shawki Al-Khalisi
Mustafa AnsariEnergy Economist, Energy ResearchArab Petroleum Investment Corporation, APICORP
Mustafa Ansari
Ali Shadad Al FaresHead of the Energy CommitteeBasra Council, Federal Government of Iraq
Ali Shadad Al Fares
Dr Khalid Al-YaqoobiAdviserIraq Presidency, Iraq National Security Advisory, Federal Government of Iraq
Dr Khalid Al-Yaqoobi
Raed HannaManaging DirectorMFL Finance Limited
Raed Hanna
Ahmed TabaqchaliCIOAFC Iraq Fund
Ahmed Tabaqchali
Dr Michael KnightsHead, Iraq / Kurdistan Programme Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Dr Michael Knights
Ahmed el-GailiPartnerVinson & Elkins LLP
Ahmed el-Gaili
Aamer Al MoswiChief of Experts Iraq National Security AdvisoryFederal Government of Iraq
Aamer Al Moswi
Dr Ian GoodacreDirectorRSK Environment LLC
Dr Ian Goodacre
Ali H. Khudhier Al-SaadyFormer Director GeneralSouth Gas Company, Basrah, Ministry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq
Ali H. Khudhier Al-Saady
Andy EdwardsVice PresidentGardaWorld
Andy Edwards
John A. WeckerEnergy Advisor Bureau of Energy Resources, Department of State, US Government
John A. Wecker
Stefan HaidPartner, Civil Economics, Energy & InfrastructureRoland Berger
Stefan Haid
Thomas DimitroffPartnerInfrastructure Development Partnership LLPSenior AdviserRoland Berger
Thomas Dimitroff
Andrew MartinChief Executive OfficerRPSG - Remote Project Services Group LLC
Andrew Martin
Klaus SchickManaging DirectorILF Consulting Engineers
Klaus Schick
Ian ThomPrincipal Analyst, Middle East UpstreamWood Mackenzie
Ian Thom
Alessandro BacciIndependent Energy ConsultantLondon, UK
Alessandro Bacci
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