Abdullah Qassim al-Emir

Position: Oil consultant to the Prime Minister’s office

Biography: Abdullah Qassim al-Emir advises Prime Minister Al-Maliki on oil policy and has emerged as a key figure mediating between the Oil Ministry and the prime minister on energy policy - besides having a strong influence on the negotiations with foreign oil majors.

Another experienced industry hand, and a graduate from Birmingham University in the UK with a degree in petroleum production engineering, he has held various positions with the Oil Ministry, and has been a deputy director at State Company for Oil Projects (Scop).

Al-Emir has largely taken over Thamer al-Ghadhban’s role as the prime minister’s main adviser on oil matters, and is set to remain a key figure in the formulation of government strategy. A former adviser on foreign relations to previous Iraqi oil minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Ulloum, he has successfully moved up the chain of command.

Contact: www.cabinet.iq