31. Eldar Sætre, CEO, Statoil
Statoil is involved in the exploration, production, and transportation of oil and natural gas. Being present in more than 30 countries, the company’s aim has been to further grow its global portfolio. According to the company’s official website, its international oil and gas production has increased sevenfold since 2000. In the Middle East, Statoil has developed the Sonatrach-operated Salah and Amenas, Algeria’s largest gas fields, and participates in production activities in Libya’s Mabruk field and Murzuq basin. Given this profile, Eldar Sætre joined the company in 1980 and served in leadership roles including executive vice president and chief executive officer starting from 2003 until 2010, and executive president for marketing, processing and renewable energy from 2011 until 2014.
32. Igor Sechin, CEO, Rosneft
Not only is Rosneft at the forefront of Russia’s petroleum industry, it is also the world’s largest publically traded oil and gas company with oil and natural gas exploration and production as well as refining activities. More than 50% of the company is owned by the state-run Rosneftgas, 19.75% by BP, and 19.5% by Glencore Qatar. During the low oil prices, the company had enough reserve to overcome the downturn, with approximately 34.5bn boe proven hydrocarbon reserves in 2015. In line with Rosneft’s key priorities to increase reserves, the company increased its production drilling rate by 36% to 6.9mn and started up 1839 new wells. In the Middle East, it operates in Algeria and the UAE. Having been CEO since 2013, Sechin is to credit for such success and perseverance.
33. Bijan Mossavar Rahmani, Chairman, RAK Petroleum
Having been in this role since 2010, Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani managed RAK Petroleum through the downturn. RAK Petroleum’s principle holdings are 40.45% of DNO and 33.33% of Foxtrot International LDC. The Ras Al- Khaimah Free Trade Zone company was founded in 2005 based on the vision of HH Sheikh Saud Bin Sqr Al Qasimi, member of the UAE Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, taking its name from the north-eastern Emirate bordering Oman.
34. Bjørn Dale, Managing Director, DNO
The publicly held Norwegian DNO focusses on exploration and production activities in the MENA region. Some of the blocks that it holds stake in are located in Kurdistan, where it was one of the first IOCs to enter in 2004. As of 2010, the company holds two offshore licences in Tunisia. In Oman, DNO has been operating the country’s only producing offshore fields since 2012.
35. Saeed Mubarak Al-Hajeri, Chairman, Taqa
Taqa is aligned with the Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030, which promotes sustainability and diversity. It carries out exploration and production activities with assets in Iraq, Morocco, Oman, KSA, and the UAE. According to its website, Taqa has proven and probable reserves of 485mn boe, a total average of 145,300 bpd, and underground gas storage capacity of 4.7bn cubic metres.
36. Mario Mehren, CEO, Wintershall
With a workforce of about 2,000 employees, Wintershall has been producing and exploring oil and gas at every corner of the world. In the Middle East, the company has been closely working with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) in the technical evaluation of the Shuwaihat sour gas and condensate field since 2012. In addition to this, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding chemical EOR research for mature fields. Serving this purpose, it opened representative offices in Abu Dhabi in 2010. CEO Mario Mehren, who was appointed in 2015, is a strong believer in Wintershall’s initiatives in the Middle East.
37. Gretchen Watkins, CEO, Maersk Oil
Committed to develop oil and gas fields to the full extent of their potential, Maersk Oil spent the last 40 years finding hydrocarbon products with partners. It has more than 500,000 boepd of production. Operating in oil rich regions like Qatar, Algeria, and Iraq, forming partnerships with local players, the company has overcome the downturn relatively smoothly. This is thanks to CEO Gretchen Watkins, one of the few female leaders on our Power 50 list for this year.
38. Ryan M. Lance, Chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips
Chairman and CEO Ryan M Lance has been leading ConocoPhillips since April 2012, having previously served as senior VP of international E&P from 2009. His career with the company, however, goes further back to 2005. Based on production and proven reserves, the company is considered to be the world’s largest independent exploration and production company. In 2003, it started work on the Qatargas 3 LNG project that is located in Ras Laffan Industrial City.
39. Hamid Reza Araghi, Managing Director, NIGC
Having been working in the industry since the mid-1980s, Hamid Reza Araghi knows the ins and outs of the Iranian market, which will come in handy in the post-sanction period. As the industry picks up momentum, most of the weight will fall on companies like NIGC. With 44 subsidiaries, the company is responsible for natural gas treatment, transmission and distribution within Iranian territories. The activities that it is currently engaged in include the Nabucco Gas Pipeline and Iran Gas Trunkline.
40. Ha Young-Bong, CEO, GS Energy
Shortly after its establishment in 2012, GS Energy started participating in exploration work in the UAE. Among other things, it was the company’s strategic vision that led to its acquisition of 3% of a UAE onshore concession in 2015. This was the same year that saw Ha Young-Bong promoted to the CEO role, a move that came as a part of a major leadership reshuffle during which 45 executives were appointed to new jobs. GS Energy is actively eyeing opportunities in the region, and the deal with ADNOC to buy 3% of the ADCO stake puts the company on a solid ground.
