Board Members

Mr. Ahmed Al-Zahrani joined the TAQA Board in October 2020. He was voted by the Board of Directors to carry the Chairmanship position. He is also the Chairman of the Executive Committee. A seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the oil & gas sector, as well as the broader energy industry, he currently serves as Assistant Minister for Development and Excellence Affairs at the Ministry of Energy. Since 1995, Mr. Al-Zahrani has held multiple engineering and leadership positions in the oil & gas sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States. Following a 17-year career with Saudi Aramco, Mr. Al Zahrani took on Saudi Arabia’s energy efficiency initiatives, leading the design and implementation of numerous strategies and programs for the Saudi Energy Efficiency Program between 2012 and 2018, and serving as the General Manager of the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center until 2019. Mr. Al Zahrani holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and a Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, US. Mr. Al Zahrani serves on several other Boards of Directors, including as Chairman of the National Investment Promotion Committee – Energy Sector, and as a Member of the Boards of Directors for Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, Saudi Food and Drug Authority, National Competitiveness Center and the National Energy Services Company (Tarshid).

Mr. Al-Nughaimish joined TAQA as Vice-Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee in November 2020, and Chairman of Nomination & Remuneration Committee in November 2023. He currently serves as Vice President & Chief Petroleum Engineer at Saudi Aramco, overseeing reservoir management, reservoir simulation and description, reserves and reservoir planning, in addition to production and facility development. His experience spans over 20 years and cover the fields of project management, operational excellence, strategy development, and execution in the oil and gas industry.  He has held various leadership positions within drilling & workover, reservoir management, production engineering, well services, and offshore producing, during which he delivered multiple mega projects. He is an active Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) member, participating in the international committees of several technical publications, inventions, and awards. He completed the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program. He received an MSc degree in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University, UK, in 2005 and a BSc degree in Chemical Engineering with Cum Laude Honors from Arizona State University, USA, in 2001. Mr. Al-Nughaimish is also a board member on Aramco Rowan Drilling Company (ARO Drilling), Saudi Aramco Upstream Technologies Company (SAUTC) and Al-Qadsiah Sport Club. He previously served on the Board of the Society of Petroleum Engineers International.

Mr. Sultan Alhomaidhi joined TAQA as a Member of the Board of Directors in October 2023. He currently serves as a Corporate Governance Head for the Saudi Public Investment Fund Responsible for all Governance matters of PIF subsidiaries (PIF’s portfolio companies) and Support board Secretaries of PIF’s portfolio companies in all matter related to board governance.
Prior to joining PIF, Mr. Sultan multiple positions at the CAPITAL MARKET AUTHORITY in Riyadh between 2009 and 2018 and at SAUDI INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND between 2003-2006. He has more than 20 years of experience in risks and governance. Mr. Sultan holds an MBA from Middle Tennessee State University, as well as a Diploma in Advanced Compliance and Financial Crimes from Henley Business School and a Bachelor degree in Accounting from King Saud University.

Mr. Michael Queen joined TAQA as a Member of the Board of Directors and a Member of the Executive Committee in November 2017. He has over 35 years of international experience, serving as the Chief Executive of 3i Group plc, a global investment company, where over the course of 25 years he developed 3i’s activities in the infrastructure sector. In 1994 he was seconded to Her Majesty’s Treasury to help develop the potential for the Private Finance Initiative at the UK’s National Health Services (NHS) as Head of the NHS Private Finance Unit. Between 2010 and 2012 he was a Member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group. Mr. Queen holds a Bachelor’s (honors) in Industrial Economics from Nottingham University in the UK and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (FCA). Additionally, he is Pro-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, Chairman of Coller Capital, Chairman of Enterprise M3 and is a Member of the Board of Tideway – a major UK Infrastructure project.

Mr. Anoop Poddar joined TAQA as a Member of the Board of Directors and a Member of the Executive Committee in October 2020. He currently serves as a Senior Managing Director at Eversource Capital, a leading climate impact investment firm. Prior to joining Eversource, Mr. Poddar was Senior Partner at EV Private Equity and CEO of First Reserve Momentum, both mid-market private equity firms focused on Europe and North America. He has more than 25 years of operational, M&A transactional and investment experience in the energy sector and has helped build strategic value at many technologies rich companies. He has also been an Associate Senior Lecturer at the Aberdeen Business School and a Member of the R&D Committee at the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Mr. Poddar holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, as well as a Master’s in Offshore Engineering from the Robert Gordon University and a Bachelor’s in Petroleum Engineering from the Indian School of Mines. Additionally, Mr. Poddar serves as Board Director of EverEnviro.

Mr. Fawaz Al-Fawaz joined TAQA as a Member of the Board of Directors in April 2015. He currently holds the EVP of Finance and Support Functions position at TASNEE. He has over 30 years of experience in the petrochemical industry, bringing strategic corporate finance experience and a people-centric approach to the business. He is focused on building a performance-driven culture that maximizes shareholder value. Before joining TASNEE, he held various senior positions at SABIC, including as Vice President of Corporate Finance, General Manager, Shared Services for Finance & Accounting, and Assistant Vice President of Finance – at SABIC Marketing LTD. Additionally, he previously served as Vice Chairman of the Board and the Audit Committee Chairman of Yanbu National Petrochemical Co. (YANSAB); Board member of SABIC Affiliates Ibn Baytar, Petrokemya, United Jubail, SABIC Capital at Amsterdam; Chairman, Saudia Air Cargo Company; Board member of Aluminum Bahrain (ALBA); Board Member and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Malath Insurance Company and board Member and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Rua Al Madinah Holding Company. He also served as member of the committees of Education & training and IFRS Transformation at Saudi Organization for Chartered and Professional Accountants and Consultancy Committee member of the Capital Market Authority. He currently serves as a Board Member and Chairman of the Audit Committee of TASNEE & Sahara Olefins Company; Chairman of Saudi Logistics Company (SAL); Board Member and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Saudi Chemical Holding Company; Chairman of Saudi Acrylic Acid Company and Chairman of the Audit Committee of oil park Development Company. He has proven leadership ability and a wealth of Leadership experience in Strategic Corporate Finance, Risk Management, Auditing, Treasury & Investment, Financial Shared Services, and Business Transformation, as well as in Corporate Functions (Procurement, IT ERP systems, and Human Resources). Mr. Al-Fawaz earned his bachelor’s degree in finance & accounting from King Saud University. He attended various international post-graduate courses, seminars, and conferences on Management Leadership, Strategic Finance, International Treasury Management, and Corporate Governance from prestigious Institutions.

Mr. Bader Al-Athel joined TAQA as a member of the Board of Directors in May 2014. He is Deputy Chairman of FAL Holdings Arabia Company Limited and General Manager of Saudi FAL Co. Ltd. Mr. Al-Athel has served as Senior Vice President & Deputy CEO at FAL Group of Companies. He has held several other leadership positions, including Assistant President for FAL Holdings and Executive Director for Arabian Medical Hospitality Supply Company Limited. Mr. Al-Athel holds a bachelor’s in business management from Portland State University, USA, and He serves on several other Boards, including as Chairman of the Board for FAL Group of Companies, Al Bilad Catalyst Company, Arab Medical Center (Jordan), Falcom Financial Services, and Al-Amthal Financing. Additionally, he was deputy chairman of FAL Real Estate Company and vice chairman of the board for Logistics Services Company (LSC), National Medical Care Company, and Falcom Holding Company, among others.

Mr. Dimitar Velikov joined TAQA as a Member of the Board of Directors in October 2023. He currently serves as a Director in the Industrials & Mining Team at the Public Investment Fund and as a Member of the Board of Directors of AMTPJ (OCTG producer) and Red Sea Gateway Terminal (port operator).
Before joining PIF, Mr. Dimitar worked for about 10 years in investment banking in London with experience in M&A (Barclays and Macquarie), Leveraged Finance (Jefferies), and Structured Finance (Lehman Brothers).
Mr. Dimitar holds a Master of Advanced Management from Yale University, a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD, and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics & Government) from St. Lawrence University.

Mr. Khalid Ali AlRuwaigh joined TAQA as a Member of the Board of Directors in October 2023. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP). Prior to joining APICORP he held several C-level positions including the post of CEO of Emirates NBD (ENBD) Capital in Riyadh where he led the successful transformation of the business and supporting product development, quadrupling revenue and turning it from a loss-making venture into profitability. Mr Khalid spent nearly 7 years with Naseel Holding, as Chief Investment Officer, where he oversaw international and regional portfolios covering multi asset classes including Equity, Fixed Income, Private Equity, & Hedge Funds. He also led couple of RE transactions including fund establishments and oversaw Direct Investments including the successful completion of several acquisitions. Mr. Khalid holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from King Saud University and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from California State University. In addition, he is an active member of several boards and executive committees.