Basra Mega Projects
Oil, Gas & Environment

H.E. Asaad Abdulamir Abdulghafar Al – Idan

Governor of Basra

Federal Government of Iraq

HE Assaad Abdel-Amir Abdel-Ghaffar El-Eidan , Governor Basra, holds a BSC in Electronic Engineering, he held several positions including; Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Islamic Bank of Al Bilad, he has an extensive experience in investment, banking and trade, he also worked at the Iraqi Trade Bank as a Director from 2006-2011. He participated in the Shaaban Uprising, he fled to Islamic Republic of Iran, he was then  arrested and sentenced to death and then his sentence was reduced to life in prison. After the fall of the Baathist regime, he worked within the National De-Baathification Commission.

H.E. Cesar Abi Khalil

Minister of Energy & Water Resources

Lebanese Republic

H.E. Cesar Abi Khalil, serves as Minister of Energy and Water, in the Government of Lebanon from December 2016. In parallel to heading the Energy & Water sector, Abi Khalil serves as a member in a number of ministerial committees. Prior to taking on the office of Minister, Abi Khalil served in the role of Advisor to the Minister of Energy and Water as well as Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs starting in 2009.  In his role as advisor to the Minister of Energy and Water, Abi Khalil played an instrumental role in setting the strategy as well as legal and operation frameworks for the sector.

Prior to joining public service, Cesar Abi Khalil, led the life of a political activists, joining the Free Patriotic Movement in 1989 and quickly rising through the ranks to his current position. He ran for Parliamentary elections as a representative of the Free Patriotic Movement in 2009. In parallel to his public activism, Abi Khalil’s private industry endeavors included the role of founder and director of Fundamentals S.A.L, a real estate construction company with development projects spanning Lebanon and Iraq.

Abi Khalil holds a masters of civil engineering degree from St Joseph University of Beirut.

H.E. Ali Dawai Lazem

Governor of Maysan

Federal Government of Iraq

Ali Dawai Lazim Al-Fartusi holds a Bachelor Degree in Islamic sciences.  The governor of Maysan held many posts including member of Council of Maysan, head of The Integrity for four years and official at the public company for sugar.

Safa Sabah Mahdi

Director of the Southern Region

Information and Communication Authority, CMC, Federal Government of Iraq

H.E. Thamir Ghadhban

Former Oil Minster & Advisor to Iraq’s PM

Federal Government of Iraq

Mr. Thamir Abbas Al Ghadhban is a former Iraq Oil Minister and currently the Energy adviser to the Prime Minister of Iraq.

In recent years, Mr. Al Ghadhban served as a member of the National Assembly in Iraq and was a member of the committee tasked with drafting the new constitution for Iraq. He served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee for the Prime Minister between 2007-2015.

Mr. Al Ghadhban represented Iraq on the Executive Bureau of OAPEC, led Iraq’s post war delegation to OPEC ministerial meeting in 2004, was awarded OAPEC Scientific Prize in 2000 and is a three time holder of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil scientific award for excellence. His career in Iraq’s oil sector spans over three decades, starting in the field as a petroleum engineer, then at Ministry of Oil headquarters as Director General of Reservoir and Field Development, and later as Director General for Planning before becoming Minister of Oil. He played a leading role in rehabilitating the severely damaged oil industry after the fall of the regime in 2003. Mr. Ghadhban has been a frequent lecturer and keynote speaker in international conferences and seminars on the state of the global oil industry and particularly on the role of Iraq on the global energy.

In May 2016,Mr.Al Ghadhban was awarded the "Order of the Rising Sun, Golden and Silver Star" from the Emperor of Japan for his outstanding contribution in enhancing economic relations and promoting friendship between Iraq and Japan. Mr. Ghadhban was awarded in April 2017 the award of Iraq Energy Forum 2017 for his significant contribution to the development of Iraq's Energy Sector.

Simon Daman Willems

Managing Director

Basrah Gas Company

Simon Daman Willems was appointed Managing Director for Basrah Gas Company (BGC) in June 2014.

With more than 5100 employees spread across 26 different locations and multibillion dollar portfolio, Simon oversees the strategic growth of the largest midstream gas company in Iraq’s history. The company was established by the Iraqi Government in a visionary drive to utilise the country’s associated natural gas currently being flared and turn it into clean energy that can play a vital role in improving the lives of Iraqi people and powering the economy. Simon advocates a safe, reliable and sustainable energy supply to the Iraqi people.

Simon began his career with Shell in 1981 and has worked in many locations including the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, Austria, Gabon, the Netherlands and Sultanate of Oman. With more than three decades of worldwide oil and gas industry experience, he has held numerous leadership roles and worked in a various capacities such as technical, commercial, human resources and general management.

In his previous assignment, he was the Managing Director of the Majnoon project in Iraq, one of the world’s largest oil fields.

Originally from the Netherlands, Simon holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and Energy Studies from the University of Wales in the UK, a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Simon is also the Dutch Honorary Consul in Basrah.

Ihsan Abduljabbar Ismaael Al – Saade

Director General of the Basra Oil Company

Ministry of Oil, Federal Government of Iraq

Mr Ismaael succeeded Mr Ali Khudair AL Saady as the DG of the South Gas Company and brings more than 17 years of experience into the role.

He joined the SOC as Operation and Shift Engineer – Gas compressor station, then became a Technical Member in Commercial and Technical Committee at the SOC , then he became the Director of Coordination Office – for the Iraqi Ministry of Oil for the South Region,  then he became Manager for Technical and Coordination Department at the SGC, then a manger of Green Fields Project Department  at the BGC , then he became the Deputy Director of Project and Engineering Commission at BGC, then became a Member in JMC for Majnoon Field between (2012-2013) then a member in Gas consultant committee/South Region, then he became Basra Gas power and investment Advisor, then a member and Head in Multi Commercial and Technical Committees for the last 10 years , then he became Basra Gas Company Project Manager between ( 2013-2015 ), then he became South Gas Company Director General Assistant (2015-2016 ) then the South Gas Company Director General  as from 2016.

 Ismaael graduated with a Chemical Engineering Degree from Basra University, Iraq and achieved and completed a number of training programmes and researched a number of technical papers at the SGC, speaks both Arabic and English.

Mohammed Hashim

Director General of Electricity Distribution

Ministry of Electricity, Federal Government of Iraq

Mohammed Hashim Jaafar Al-Araji gained a B.Sc of Electrical Engineering in 1977; and in 1979 became Assistant Engineer, Directorate of Electricity Distribution Maysan. Between 1979 and 2003 he held several positions – Engineer, Official Implementation of the Projects; Senior Engineer, Technical Officer; Chief Engineer, Deputy Director; Director; and Expert- Director. In 2006 he became Deputy Director, Electricity Distribution in the South; and in 2009, Export-General Directorate of Training and Development – in 2011 he was promoted to Director of Experts. Some of Mr Al-Araji’s outstanding achievements include the design and implementation of the lines of modern lighting, electrical networks and the implementation of the lighting within the campaigns of modern reconstruction of Basra, FAO, Uzayr and Ali-alsharqi cities.