Haitham Al Ghais of Kuwait started his role Monday as Secretary-General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at the Secretariat in Vienna, Austria.
Appointed to the post for a three-year term at an OPEC special meeting on Jan. 3, Al-Ghais succeeded Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo who unexpectedly died on July 6.
“It is a great honour for me to be at the helm of an Organization that has been instrumental in supporting a stable and sustainable supply of oil to the world for more than 61 years,” Al-Ghais was quoted as saying in an OPEC statement.
With his 30-year service in the oil sector, Al Ghais advised six Kuwaiti oil ministers and also served at the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)’s offices in Kuwait, Beijing, China and London. Before taking the position of OPEC Secretary-General, he was the deputy managing director for International Marketing at KPC.
Al Ghais was formally a member of the OPEC’s Internal Audit Committee.
By Sibel Morrow
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr