Interesting reading in today’s Sunday Times is an interview with Petrofac’s chief executive, Ayman Asfari.
The UK newspaper reports Asfari’s 16% stake in the oilfield services company to be worth more than US$800 million after the share price rose to over $15 a share from $4.64 last December.
Petrofac has been one of the oil and gas industry’s star performers in 2009 winning around $8 billion of new orders in the MENA region alone.
The Syrian-born Asfari’s extensive knowledge and contacts in the Middle East has been cited as a major factor in Petrofac’s success, but many industry insiders ArabianOilandGas.com has spoken to have said that it’s good old fashioned business acumen and a great team that is behind the oilfield services company’s recent surge.
However, it seems money isn’t the driving force for the Petrofac chief.
“It’s not the money that drives me now, I’ve got enough. I just want to build a company that’s the most admired in its sector,” The Sunday Times quotes Asfari as saying.
In the interview Asfari does admit to making one mistake – he sold a third of his Petrofac shares for $3.44.
“Worst mistake of my life. My financial advisers told me to diversify,” he said when questioned on the subject.
Here are some facts about the man with the golden touch:
- Asfari was born on July 8 1958 – the exact same day as Hollywood legend Kevin Bacon.
- His first job was as a site engineer in Oman.
- He gets paid $1.46 million per annum with bonus as well as a $11.2 million dividend.
- He has homes in St John’s Wood in London and Syria.
- Asfari’s favourite book is The Prize: The Epic Quest For Oil, Money & Power, by Daniel Yergin.
- His favourite film is Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin.
- Asfari owns a 99ft Sunseeker yacht moored at Antibes in France.
Source: Sunday Times
