The 2023 New Silk Road CEO of the Year Awards
ADNOC, ENOC, OQ & Minerva Leaders Recognized for Advancing the Physical Energy Markets East-of Suez. Meanwhile H.E. Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, Permanent Representative of the UAE, International Renewable Energy Agency, set out her hopes and expectations for COP28.
Senior executives who played seminal roles in building the national oil trading firms of Oman and Abu Dhabi were recognized for their pioneering achievements in advancing the East-of-Suez physical energy markets at the 6th Aramco Trading New Silk Road CEO of the Year Awards in Fujairah. H.E. Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany stated that IRENA would unveil the outcomes of the Energy Transition Accelerator Financing platform at the upcoming 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28). “Given the challenges posed by climate change and the noticeable increase in temperature, we recognise the central role renewable energy must play in achieving long-term climate solutions. The significance of energy transition applies to all levels—international, governmental, and individual—underscoring the importance of influencing energy transformation through sustainable solutions.”
Mr. Philippe Khoury, Executive Vice President, Sales & Trading, ADNOC, received the top accolade of the evening – the New Silk Road Energy Markets Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 — commemorated for his 30+ years of experience in oil trading, refining and marketing, which has culminated in launching and now running ADNOC’s global trading functions. While Mr. Talal al-Awfi, Group CEO of OQ, the inaugural chief executive of Oman Trading International when it started almost 20 years ago, was celebrated in the award category of Trading.
The 6th anniversary New Silk Road CEO of the Year Awards, founded in 2017 in partnership with the Government of Fujairah, were conceived to identify and honor the pioneering industry leaders who are spearheading the transformation of the physical energy markets – “Trading”, “Refining”, “Storage”, and “Ports & Shipping” – across the ancient trading routes connecting Asia with the Middle East & Africa, which is literally changing the direction of international energy flows.
“The class of 2023 Award Winners are a distinguished group of industry leaders who have not only helped to put in the foundations, but they remain on the front line of advancing the energy markets connecting the Middle East, Asia and increasingly Africa,” said Abdullah al-Dossary, a Managing Director with Aramco Trading and Chairman of the International Selection Committee assembled to adjudicate this year’s nominees for the CEO of the Year Awards. The New Silk Road is reshaping the flow of global trade. By 2040, countries east of the UAE will account for more than two-thirds of global GDP, becoming the world’s most significant driver of energy demand.
The New Silk Road Awards, now in their sixth edition, were held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, and in the presence of H.H. Sheikh
Saleh bin Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Chairman of Fujairah Port Authority, the Port of Fujairah, with H.E. Haitham Al Ghais, the Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, attending as this year’s Special Guest.
The other Winners this year included H.E. Saif Humaid Al Falasi, CEO of ENOC Group, who spearheads the implementation of the Group’s business growth strategy and operational excellence in upstream and downstream locally and internationally, was recognized in the category of Refining. Mr. Tyler Baron, CEO of Minerva Bunkering, which serves customers in 150 ports worldwide utilizing its extensive portfolio of bunkering dedicated logistics assets, received the 2023 New Silk Road CEO of the Year Award for Storage. Capt. Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC Logistics & Services, which is now the largest integrated maritime logistics services provider in the region, received the accolade in the category of Ports & Shipping.
It’s precisely the emergence of this critical energy trading corridor connecting the customers of Asia with the suppliers in the Middle East over the last two decades that the New Silk Road Awards are designed to celebrate – recognizing some of the key architects that have made it possible. This was never more pronounced than in this last year of the global Covid pandemic, where the international energy markets threatened to freeze-up under the pressure of one unprecedented challenge after another. Much of the economic renewal on these ancient trading routes East-of-the-Suez Canal is being built on a foundation of physical energy supply and demand, with more than 60% of oil and gas exported from the Middle East now destined for Asian markets.
