VIENNA - Haitham Al Ghais today took office as Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at the Organisation’s Secretariat in Vienna, Austria.

Al Ghais was appointed by acclamation for a three-year term at the Special Meeting of the OPEC Conference held on 3rd January 2022.

He succeeds the late Secretary-General of OPEC, Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo.

Al Ghais – a respected oil technocrat and well-known OPEC figure – brings a great wealth of experience from both his diplomatic background, as well as his extensive experience in the energy and oil sectors in both OPEC Founder Member Kuwait and internationally.

The Secretary-General’s career in the global oil industry spans 30 years. He served as Kuwait’s Governor for OPEC from 2017 to 2021. He was also a Member of the Organisation’s Internal Audit Committee, which he later chaired.

Al Ghais was a leading member of Kuwait’s Delegation to the meetings of OPEC and the Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) between OPEC Member Countries and non-OPEC oil-producing countries.

He was the first Chairman of the DoC's Joint Technical Committee (JTC) following the inception of the historic framework in December 2016. He led the Committee with great distinction in its first year, and subsequently served as a Member of the JTC until June 2021.

Al Ghais is also a veteran of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). He served at KPC’s offices in Kuwait; Beijing, China; and London. Before taking the position of OPEC Secretary-General, he was the Deputy Managing Director for International Marketing at KPC.