Six individuals who are the driving force behind Oman’s oil industry: Raoul Restucci, Isam al-Zadjali, John Blascos, Nasser bin Khamis al-Jashmi, Mohammed bin Hamad al-Rumhy and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani
Raoul Restucci
Position Managing director, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO)
Biography Raoul Restucci has been managing director of state-owned PDO since October 2010. Restucci began his career with UK/Dutch oil major, Shell Group, in the Netherlands in 1980. In 1986-91, he worked in the Middle East as head of economics and planning with state-owned Qatar Petroleum. Restucci then returned to the Netherlands to work on exploration and production liaison in Shell’s South American Directorate. After this, he served as petroleum engineering manager at Syria’s Al-Furat Petroleum Company. Restucci was appointed president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Shell Exploration & Production based in Houston in 2001. In 2005, he was appointed executive vice-president for Middle East, Russia and CIS, based in Dubai. Restucci graduated from Nottingham University in the UK with a degree in mining engineering.
Contact Tel: (+968) 2467 5635
Isam al-Zadjali
Position President and general manager, Occidental Oman
Biography Isam al-Zadjali was appointed president and general manager of the US-based Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s operations in Oman in September 2009, taking over from Glen Vangolen. Al-Zadjali joined the company in 2001 and had served as deputy general manager since 2006. Occidental is Oman’s second-largest crude oil producer, with operations concentrated on the Mukhaizna and Safah fields. The Mukhaizna field currently produces about 10,000 barrels a day (b/d) of oil. Occidental and its partners plan to invest more than $2bn to implement a large-scale steam flood to increase production to 150,000 b/d within the next few years and to recover about 1 billion barrels of oil over the life of the project. Al-Zadjali graduated in petroleum engineering from the US’ Pennsylvania State University in 1992 before joining the Oil & Gas Ministry.
Contact Tel: (+968) 2452 4000
John Blascos
Position Chairman and general manager, Shell Development Oman
Biography John Blascos was appointed country chairman and general manager of Shell Development Oman in September 2009. He graduated from the UK’s Cambridge University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1982, before joining Shell Expro in 1983 as a wellsite petroleum engineer. He moved to Algeria in 1984 to work as a drilling operations engineer. In 1987-90, he was with PDO overseeing production at the Bahja Rima area. Blascos then returned to Shell Expro for two years, before moving to Shell Nigeria to head production technology. From 1995-99, he was senior manager production opportunities for Sarawak Shell in Malaysia. From 1999-2009, Blascos held various senior positions in Shell Exploration and Production International in Egypt, Iran and Oman. Blascos completed a master’s in business administration from the UK’s Henely Business School in 1992.
Contact Tel: (+968) 2466 4000
Nasser bin Khamis al-Jashmi
Position Under-secretary, Oil & Gas Ministry; chairman, Oman Oil Company
Biography Nasser bin Khamis al-Jashmi has been under-secretary at the Oil & Gas Ministry since February 2003. He works closely with the oil & gas minister. Al-Jashmi is also chairman of state-owned gas exporter Oman LNG and is on the board of directors of nine other energy companies operating in the sultanate, including Oman Oil Company and state-owned PDO. At the ministry, Al-Jashmi is responsible for coordinating efforts to increase oil and gas production. He is in charge of supervising several new field developments, notably the US-based Occidental’s multibillion-dollar enhanced oil recovery (EOR) scheme on the Mukhaizna field, which is forecast to increase capacity from the current 10,000 b/d to 150,000 b/d. He is also supervising the Qarn-Alam and Harweel EOR schemes, which are hoped to supply 20 per cent of PDO’s production.
Contact Tel: (+968) 2460 3795
Mohammed bin Hamad al-Rumhy
Position Minister of Oil & Gas
Biography In a country where oil and gas activity accounts for 45 per cent of gross domestic product, Mohammed bin Hamad al-Rumhy is one of the sultanate’s most important figures. His efforts are focused on addressing concerns that Oman’s oil reserves could run dry within the next two decades. In April 2006, he announced that the government planned to invest $10bn in upstream oil and natural gas projects over the next five years. He has put his weight behind the country’s EOR programme, and is working hard on Oman’s ambitions to develop its gas-based industries, especially petrochemicals and fertilisers production. Al-Rumhy was appointed minister of oil and gas in 1997, having previously worked as professor of petroleum engineering at the Sultan Qaboos University. In April 2003, he was also appointed chairman of PDO.
Contact Tel: (+968) 2469 9475
Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani
Position Chairman and CEO, RAK Petroleum
Biography Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani is the chairman and CEO of Ras al-Khaimah-based RAK Petroleum, which part-owns and operates four concessions in Oman, along with blocks in the UAE and Tunisia. Production from the offshore West Bukha oil and gas field stands at 9,000 b/d of oil and 25 million cubic feet a day (cf/d) of gas. The nearby Bukha gas field produces 10 million cf/d of gas and 280 b/d of condensates. In 1988-96, Rahmani was president of Houston-based oil firm Apache International. Previously he was assistant director for International Energy Studies, Energy and Environmental Policy Center, at the US’ Harvard University. He is also chairman of Foxtrot International, a France-US oil and gas firm active in West Africa, and is CEO of Mondoil Enterprises, an energy holding company in the US. Rahmani graduated from the US’ Princeton University and has a master’s in public administration from Harvard.
Contact Tel: (+968) 2469 8128
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