Six key executives at Arabtec Holding following its recent management restructuring: Khadem al-Qubaisi, Hasan Ismaik, Mark Andrews, Shohidul Ahad Choudhury, Grigoris Christofides and Iyad Abdelrahim
Khadem al-Qubaisi
Position: Chairman, Arabtec Holding
Biography: Khadem al-Qubaisi was elected to the board of Arabtec Holding on 28 April 2012 and he became chairman on 8 May 2012. The appointments came after Abu Dhabi government-controlled Aabar Investments became the largest shareholder in the Dubai-listed contractor. Al-Qubaisi has been the managing director of Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company (Ipic) since May 2007. He is also chairman of the board at Aabar and the chairman of several international companies involved in the oil and gas and petrochemical sectors, including Canada’s Nova Chemicals, Austria’s Borealis and Spain’s Cepsa. He also chairs the board of Abu Dhabi National Takaful Company and Bahrain’s First Energy Bank, and is a member of the boards of Chemaweyaat and Emirates Investment Authority. Al-Qubaisi graduated from the UAE University with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
Contact Tel: (971) 4 340 0700
Hasan Ismaik
Position: Chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director, Arabtec Holding
Biography: Hasan Ismaik joined the board of Arabtec Holding in August 2012 and a month later was appointed the group’s managing director. A company-wide restructuring was announced in February, which saw Ismaik replace Riad Kamal as CEO of Arabtec. In addition to his duties at Arabtec, Ismaik is the founding chairman of Abu Dhabi-based private investment group HAMG. Since July 2011, he has been chairman of German football club TSV 1860 Munchen, the first Arab to hold the post of chairman in German professional football. Since Ismaik took over as CEO of Arabtec, the firm has won several major construction contracts in the UAE, Qatar and Egypt. This includes the AED2.bn ($653m) deal awarded to an Arabtec-led consortium to build the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, which was signed in January.
Contact Tel: (+971) 4 340 0700
Mark Andrews
Position: Chief operating officer (COO), Arabtec Holding
Biography: Mark Andrews was appointed COO of Arabtec Holding in March and will begin work from May. Previously, he was managing director of South Africa’s Murray & Roberts’ Middle East operations since 2011. Prior to this, Andrews was the managing director of the UAE’s Drake & Scull International. From 2004-10, he was chief executive of UK-based engineering firm NG Bailey. Andrews was president and chief executive officer for Pirelli Cables & Systems in North America between 2000 and 2004. From 1995-2000, Andrews worked for the UK’s Balfour Beatty, where he set up its power networks division, eventually becoming managing director. Andrews graduated from Imperial College London in 1980 with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering. He also has a master’s degree in business administration from the UK’s Cranfield School of Management.
Contact Tel: (+971) 4 340 0700
Shohidul Ahad Choudhury
Position: Head of mergers and acquisitions and financial adviser, Arabtec Holding
Biography: Shohidul Choudhury is the head of mergers and acquisitions and financial adviser at Arabtec Holding. He took up the position in March 2013. Choudhury will play a key role in formulating Arabtec’s new strategy and will act as financial adviser to CEO Hasan Ismaik. Choudhury previously worked for Germany’s Deutsche Bank and was involved in banking activities in Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Prior to this, he worked at the US’ Goldman Sachs International. He has specialised in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and corporate strategy. Choudhury has advised on more than $45bn-worth of transactions for clients, including Ipic, Aabar, Oman Oil, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) and the UK government. Choudhury worked on Ipic’s $1.1bn acquisition of a 17.6 per cent stake in Papua New Guinea-based Oil Search.
Contact Tel: (971) 4 340 0700
Grigoris Christofides
Position: CEO, Arabtec Construction
Biography: Grigoris Christofides is the CEO of Arabtec Construction, a fully owned subsidiary of Arabtec Holding. Christofides began his career with US engineering and management firm Bechtel in 1986. In 1989, he joined the UK’s Ove Arup & Partners as a structural design engineer. In 1992, he moved to the UAE and worked for the UK’s WS Atkins & Partners as a construction manager. In this role, he was involved in projects, including the construction of the Jumeirah Beach and Burj al-Arab hotels. Christofides joined Arabtec Construction in 1996 as a project manager and served as an executive director from 2006. He was appointed to his current position in March 2011. Christofides graduated with a bachelor of science degree in structural engineering from the McGill University in Canada. He also has a master’s degree in civil engineering from the Imperial College London.
Contact Tel: (+971) 4 340 0700
Iyad Abdelrahim
Position: Chief financial officer (CFO), Arabtec Construction
Biography: Iyad Abdelrahim was appointed CFO of Arabtec Construction in March. In this current role, Abdelrahim will focus on establishing a finance department to support Arabtec Construction and implement a new cost management structure for the business. He joined Arabtec Construction from state-backed Dubai Properties, where he also worked as CFO. Abdelrahim was previously chairman of Arabtec Holding’s audit committee. Prior to this, he worked as CFO for UAE interior contracting firm Depa, a position he held from 2003 to 2006. Abdelrahim has a master’s degree in business administration from Wollongong University in Dubai. He graduated from Jordan’s Yarmouk University. Abdelrahim is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants and is a certified master financial professional from the American Academy of Financial Management.
Contact Tel: (+971) 4 340 0700
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