Mohammed al-Rumhy

Position: Oil and gas minister, Oman

Biography: Mohammed al-Rumhy took over as Oman’s oil and gas minister in 1997 and has presided over a drop in the sultanate’s hydrocarbons output, followed by a recent resurgence. Muscat is expected to be one of the largest spenders on oil and gas projects in the region over the coming years, as it looks to maintain crude output, boost gas supplies and expand its downstream capacity.

In 2014, construction will begin on the Khazzan tight gas development, a $16bn scheme led by the UK’s BP, which will be the largest unconventional project ever undertaken in the region. Meanwhile, the sultanate also plans to add a major petrochemicals complex at the northern port of Sohar and build a third refinery at Duqm on Oman’s central coastline over the next five years. Perhaps most ambitious of all, Al-Rumhy has been in talks with Iran over an undersea gas export pipeline, which could emerge as one of the region’s most important energy infrastructure developments.