Six individuals spearheading the development of the regions fertilisers industry: Khalifa Abdullah al-Sowaidi, Ayed al-Mutairi, Abdulnasser al-Babtain, Magdy Mohamed Ali Hassan, Charlotte Hebebrand and Mohamed al-Mady
Khalifa Abdullah al-Sowaidi
Position: Chief executive officer (CEO), Qatar Fertiliser Company (Qafco)
Biography: Khalifa Abdullah al-Sowaidi joined Qafco in 1985 after graduating as a chemical engineer from Arizona State University in the US. After four years service, he was appointed plant engineer and, two years later, became head of section on Qafcos ammonia 1 plant. In 1992, Al-Sowaidi was promoted to deputy production manager and, in 1996, became coordination manager. He was appointed production manager in 1997, becoming managing director later that year, and vice-chairman and CEO in 2011. Al-Sowaidi is also chairman of both the technical committee for the International Fertiliser Industry Association and the fertiliser committee at the Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association. He holds directorships at the Arab Fertiliser Association, Qatar Petroleum, Industries Qatar and Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company.
Contact Tel: (+974) 422 8888
Ayed al-Mutairi
Position: Director, marketing and logistics, Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden)
Biography: Ayed al-Mutairi is marketing and logistics director of the phosphate special business unit at Maaden, the firm driving the development of the kingdoms fertiliser and aluminium industries. He started his career as a marketing executive at Saudi Arabias Gulf Hygienic Industries Company in 1994 and worked for Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) from 1995 until 2009. At Sabic, Al-Mutairi held several positions, including international sales executive, fertiliser sales manager, and sales and distribution team member of the Sabic Business Transformation Project; he also worked overseas. Al-Mutairi joined Maaden in January 2010, where his roles have included phosphate sales manager. He is also a board member of Maaden Industrial Minerals Company. Al-Mutairi has a degree in marketing from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals in Dhahran.
Contact Tel: (+966) 1 874 8000
Abdulnasser al-Babtain
Position: General manager, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic)
Biography: Abdulnasser al-Babtain is currently heading the urea business unit at Sabic. He joined the company in 1988 as a technical services engineer for polyethylene, covering moulding applications. In 1993, Al-Babtain also took responsibility for polypropylene. He was later transferred to the marketing department and became assistant product manager and acting product manager for high-density polyethylene. In 1998, Al-Babtain took over as polypropylene product manager and, in 2007, was promoted to general manager of marketing, responsible for polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene and melamine products. In August 2012, he moved to join the fertiliser special business unit at Sabic. Al-Babtain graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from King Saud University in Riyadh in 1988.
Contact Tel: (+966) 1 225 8000
Magdy Mohamed Ali Hassan
Position: Senior process engineer, Fertil
Biography: Magdy Mohamed Ali Hassan is senior process engineer at the UAEs Fertil, where he has worked for three years. Previously, he has held positions as process engineer at Agiba Petroleum Company in Egypt, and process engineer, ammonia and utility production engineer, shift supervisor, plant superintendent, and assistant ammonia and utility production manager at Egyptian Fertiliser Company. He then became a process consultant at Italfluid Egypt, before taking up his current role. Major projects Hassan has worked on include the Agiba production facilities optimisation scheme, the EFC-2 ammonia plant commissioning, the EFC-1 ammonia urea troubleshooting programme, and the Fairoz raw gas treatment plant basic design. At Fertil, he has been involved with the Fertil-1 sustainable ammonia flare and the Fertil-1 energy conservation study. Hassan has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Cairo.
Contact Tel: (+971) 2 602 1111
Charlotte Hebebrand
Position: Director-general, International Fertiliser Industry Association (IFA)
Biography: Charlotte Hebebrand was appointed director-general of the IFA in January 2013. Before joining the IFA, she served as chief executive of the Washington-based International Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council from 2006-12, where she led efforts to promote a more sustainable global food system. Hebebrand has also worked with the European Commission, serving as a special advisor in its Washington delegation, and with the Brookings Institutes foreign policy division. She has a degree from the US Georgetown University and a masters in international relations and economics from Johns Hopkins Universitys School of Advanced International Studies, also in the US. Hebebrand is also a member of the International Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council and a member of the UN Forum on Sustainability Standards advisory panel.
Contact Tel: (+33) 1 5393 0500
Mohamed al-Mady
Position: Managing director, Saudi Arabian Fertiliser Company (SAFCO)
Biography: Mohamed al-Mady has been vice-chairman and chief executive officer of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) since July 1998. He is also chairman of Sabics fertiliser subsidiary Saudi Arabian Fertiliser Company (Safco). Safco produces ammonia, urea, melamine and sulphuric acid. Sabic owns 42.99 per cent of the company, with the remainder held by the private sector. Al-Mady joined Sabic in 1976 after graduating with a masters degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wyoming in the US. He sits on several local advisory boards, including those of the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. Al-Mady is a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and chairs industry body Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association.
Contact Tel: (+966) 1 225 9252
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