Saudi Total, a joint venture between Zahid Group and Total, has announced the appointment of Mr. Hisham Atalla as General Manager, who comes to Saudi Arabia with more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Atalla, a graduate of architecture engineering from Cairo University, joined Total Egypt in 1998, handling various roles in sales, strategy, operations and senior management. He also worked in the Total head office in Paris, gaining him insight into Total's global growth objectives and ultimately led to his role in managing the start-up of a new affiliate of Total Jordan.
Commenting on his new position, Mr. Atalla said: "I am excited to join the Saudi Total team and to work with Zahid Group, a close partner of Total. Together we will continue the journey of establishing Total as the preferred brand in the market." With a safe and sustainable work environment in place for all employees, Saudi Total will continue to recruit, train and retain qualified nationals, reinforcing its commitment to a long-term presence in the Saudi market.
Mr. Atalla replaces Mr. Nizar Raydan, who relocated to Geneva, Switzerland, to assume the role of Global Supply Head - Base Oil Department with Total. During his tenure in Saudi Arabia, Mr. Raydan oversaw the grand opening of Saudi Total's blending plant in King Abdullah Economic City in October 2013, and the emergence of Total as a strong consumer brand with more than 15 authorized service centers. In his farewell note, Mr. Raydan thanked Zahid Group and the employees of Saudi Total, wishing them continued success.
The Zahid Group and Total partnership began in 2007 with the formation of Saudi Total, which specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of automotive, industrial and marine lubricants, as well as specialty products within the Kingdom. The partnership was further strengthened in 2014 when Zahid Group became a shareholder in Total's Marketing and Services affiliate, Total Maroc.
About Zahid Group
Zahid Group is a privately held organization representing a diverse range of companies, strategic partnerships, and world-renowned brands. Headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Group is led by an established family whose commercial roots date back over a century. www.zahid.com
About Total
Total is a leading international oil and gas company with operations in more than 130 countries. It is also a world-class chemical producer. Its nearly 99,000 employees put their expertise to work in every part of these industries exploration and production of oil and natural gas, refining and marketing, gas and new energies, trading, and chemicals to keep the world supplied with energy, both today and tomorrow.
Total is present across the petroleum product marketing chain service station networks, general retail, lubricants, aviation fuel, asphalt and bitumen, and LPG in 51 countries in Africa and the Middle East and is a market leader with an estimated share of 13%. Nearly 2 million customers stop by the 4,700 Total service stations in the region every day. www.total.com
© Press Release 2015
