Haitham al-Ghais (Arabic: هيثم الغيص; born October 1969) is a Kuwaiti oil executive and diplomat who has served as Secretary General of OPEC since 2022.
Haitham al-Ghais | |
|---|---|
هيثم الغيص | |
.jpg) Al-Ghais in 2023 | |
| 29th Secretary General of OPEC | |
| Assumed office 5 July 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Mohammed Barkindo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 1969 (age 55) Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| Alma mater | University of San Francisco |
Early life and education
editAl-Ghais was born in October 1969 in Kuwait City, Kuwait. His father served as Kuwait's governor at OPEC.[1] In 1990, he graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in political science.[2]
Career
editFrom 1991 to 1993, Al-Ghais operated in the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1993, he joined the International Marketing Sector of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), later serving as its Crude Oil Marketing Representative and leading the company's regional offices in China and the United Kingdom. In 2021, Al-Ghais was appointed as KPC's Deputy Managing Director for International Marketing.[3]
In 2017, Al-Ghais chaired OPEC's first Joint Technical Committee (JTC), continuing to participate in JTC and Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) meetings. In January 2022, he was unanimously appointed to a three-year term as OPEC Secretary-General.[4][5] Following the 5 July 2022 death of his predecessor, Nigerian politician Mohammed Barkindo, Al-Ghais served as the organization's interim leader ahead of his planned August 2022 start date.[6]
During his term, Al-Ghais has urged member nations to focus international climate negotiations on reducing carbon emissions, rather than prohibiting the extraction and sale of fossil fuels.[7]
Personal life
editAl-Ghais is fluent in Arabic, English, Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese, and also speaks Chinese.[2]
References
edit- ^ Mahdi, Wael (2022-01-03). "What does the choice of new Kuwaiti boss tell us about the future of OPEC?". Arab News. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ a b "OPEC elects Kuwaiti candidate al-Ghais to become next Secretary-General in August - source". Apa.az. 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ "HE Mr. Haitham Al Ghais, Secretary General of OPEC" (PDF). OPEC. August 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ "La OPEP designa al kuwaití Haitham Al Ghais como secretario general". france24.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ "El kuwaití Haitham Al-Ghais será el nuevo secretario general de la OPEP". elperiodicodelaenergia.com. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- ^ Batrawy, Aya (1 August 2022). "Kuwait Oil Veteran Takes Over as Secretary General of OPEC". Associated Press. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Friedman, Lisa (8 December 2023). "OPEC Leader Tells Members to Block Any Climate Summit Deal to Curb Fossil Fuels". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2023.