Exxon is in Kurdistan. Pearl GTL opened in Qatar. Tony Hayward is back. Libya is liberated. From Egypt to Yemen, the old order is changing, and industry must change with it. Recessions have roiled markets, but the oil price is high. 2011 has been one of the most significant years for the regional oil and gas industry in living memory.
For the first time, Oil & Gas Middle East profiles the 50 ministers, moguls and managers who have shaped the region’s upstream landscape more than anyone else. In a sector where the distinctions between a CEO and a politician can blur, there are a few surprises in the mix.
Some may argue that a Saudi Arabian should top the rankings, but power is not all about barrels per day. Iraq’s upstream sector is estimated to receive foreign direct investment of $200 billion in the next six years, more than any single industrial sector in any country on earth. The sheer potential of Iraq’s oil and sector, if realised, will alter OPEC, the Middle East, and the world’s energy future.
1-10Â – Hussain al-Aharistani, Al Al-Naimi, Abdullah Nasser Al-Suwaidi, Khalid Al-Falih, Mohammed Al-Sada, Ashti Hawrami, Abdul Al-Kindy, Tony Hayward, Ali Al-Jarwan, Abdullah El-Nasri
11-20Â – Sheikh Khali bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Saif Al-Ghafli, Hamid Al Mohannadi, Andy Brown, Ahmad Qalebani, Raoul Restucci, Ahmed Al-Sayegh, Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, Abdul Al-Khalifa, Badr Jafar
21-30Â – Farouq Al-Zanki, Mark Carne, Arnaud Breulliac, Ahmed AL-Arbeed, David Cook, Maurizio la Noce, Sami Al-Rushaid, Dimitry Timoshenko, Sheikh Faisal Al-Thani, Khadem Al-Qubasi
31-40Â – Abdul-Huaain bin Al-Mirza, Khalid Megarbel, Rami Qasem, Ahmed AL-Zayyat, Nouri Berrouin, Hong-Pyo Kong, David J Lesar, Khaled Nouh, Todd F Kozel, Ahmed H Nasser
41-50Â – Ayman Asfari, Hosnia Hashem, Dave Tredinnick, Bjarte Pedersen, Ahmed Al-Omer, Abdullah Al-Suwaidi, Nabil Al Alawi, Fatima Al Jaber, Khamis Buamim, Faisal Al-Mahroos
Â