Six key figures behind the development of Qatalum are: Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, Abdullah Salatt, Eivind Reiten, Truls Gautesen, Jan Arve Haugan and Hassan al-Rashid
Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah
Position: Qatar’s deputy premier; energy & industry minister
Biography: As Qatar’s energy & industry minister, Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah has played a leading role in developing the country’s first aluminium smelter. Al-Attiyah graduated with a degree in history from Alexandria University in Egypt. He began his public service career in 1972 at Qatar’s Finance & Petroleum Ministry, rising to become finance & petroleum minister in 1989. In 1992, he was appointed energy & industry minister and in 2003 he assumed the additional responsibilities of second deputy prime minister, before being promoted to deputy prime minister in April 2007. He is also managing director of Qatar Petroleum.
Contact Tel: (+974) 484 6444
Abdullah Salatt
Position: Chairman, Qatalum
Biography: Abdullah Salatt has been involved in key projects in Qatar’s diversification programme. He is a senior adviser to the country’s deputy premier and energy & industry minister, Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah. Salatt is chairman of the boards of both Qatalum and Qatar Fertiliser Company, which was set up in 1969 as a joint venture of Norsk Hydro and other partners. Norsk Hydro was the forerunner of Hydro, Qatar Petroleum’s joint venture partner in Qatalum. Salatt is also chairman of the management committee of another huge industrial project currently under construction – the Pearl gas-to-liquids project at Ras Laffan, which is being developed by UK/Dutch Shell.
Contact Tel: (+974) 499 9333
Eivind Reiten
Position: Former chief executive officer (CEO), Hydro
Biography: Eivind Reiten signed the heads of agreement with Qatar Petroleum to build the Qatalum smelter in December 2004 and drove the project forward in the subsequent years. After 23 years with Hydro and eight years as its head, Reiten left the company in March 2009. He is now chairman of Norwegian newsprint producer, Norske Skog. Prior to joining Hydro in September 1986, Reiten served as oil and energy minister, fisheries minister and under-secretary of the finance ministry in the Norwegian government. He holds an economics degree from the University of Oslo. Since March 2009 Svein Richard Brandtzaeg has been CEO of Hydro.
Contact Tel: (+47) 67 59 90 00
Truls Gautesen
Position: Former CEO, Qatalum
Biography: From 2005 to 2009, Truls Gautesen was CEO of Qatalum and during his period in office he oversaw the construction of the greenfield aluminium smelter at Mesaieed. In October 2009 Gautesen was replaced by Jan Arve Haugan at the helm of Qatalum, and Gautesen assumed Haugan’s role as head of the global smelters in Hydro’s primary metals business. Gautesen graduated with an engin-eering degree from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in 1972. Before joining Hydro in 1980, Gautesen worked at Aluminium Bahrain – the first aluminium smelter to be built in the Gulf region. He also worked at the Lista smelter in Norway, which is owned by Alcoa of the US.
Contact Tel: (+47) 22 53 81 00
Jan Arve Haugan
Position: CEO, Qatalum
Biography: Jan Arve Haugan replaced Truls Gautesen as CEO of Qatalum in October 2009. He took up the role after the majority of the smelter’s construction had been completed and has overseen the commissioning and startup of the smelter. Haugan has had a long and wide-ranging career in Hydro, previously holding leading positions in its former oil and gas business. From 2002 to 2004 Haugan played a key role in the expansion of the Sunndal primary aluminium smelter in Norway, which is the reference plant for the Qatalum project. He has also managed Hydro’s aluminium technology division and until recently was head of the company’s international smelter portfolio.
Contact Tel: (+974) 499 9333
Hassan al-Rashid
Position: Deputy CEO, Qatalum
Biography: Hassan al-Rashid graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He began his career in 1988, working as an engineer at Qatar Petrochemical Company, based in Mesaieed Industrial City. He spent 12 years with the firm and in 1995 was promoted to the position of plant superintendent. In 1997, the company set up Qatar Vinyl Company in which Norsk Hydro was a joint venture partner. In 2000, he left to join
Qatar Plastics Products Company, a flexible packaging producer, where he was general manager and director of the board. Al-Rashid is the deputy chief executive officer of Qatalum, a role he has held since 1 November 2007.
Contact Tel: (+974) 499 9333
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