Ghassan Mirdad

As the CEO of Arabian Drilling, Ghassan Mirdad is responsible for leading the national drilling champion in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, overseeing the company's strategic direction and growth to ensure value-driven operations for its stakeholders and investors. His career is deeply rooted in the upstream oilfield services sector, spanning 26 years. For 24 of those years, he held pivotal leadership roles at Schlumberger (SLB), in key countries, from Malaysia in the East to Bolivia and Brazil in the West. He has global expertise in the oil and gas oilfield services industry, partnerships and investments, mergers and acquisitions, business operations and human resourc�es. Concluding his tenure at SLB, Ghassan served as the President of the Eastern Middle East region, where he led operations covering UAE, Oman, Pakistan, Iraq, and Yemen. Ghassan's passion for training and development steered him to leading Schlumberger's global training and development function, where he was ultimately responsible for upskilling over 100,000 employees worldwide, building a learning-focused culture where employees can thrive in a changing, dynamic industry. Outside of the upstream oilfield service sector, Ghassan is the Founder and Non-executive Director at AFKAR Ventures, an energy tech firm focused on leveraging technology for the MENA region's energy sector. Prior to joining Arabian Drilling, he was the CEO of Katerra, Saudi Arabia, a Silicon Valley high-tech construction company. As an advocate for talent development, his involvement extends to esteemed educational advisory boards. He served on the boards of the Abu Dhabi University's College of Business, Saudi Petroleum Services Polytechnic and the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Saudi Chapter. Currently, he sits on the Board of Trustees at SADA, the Saudi Arabian Drilling Academy, a testament to his dedication to nurturing the next generation of industry leaders in Saudi Arabia. Ghassan is a respected figure in the oil and gas industry, often invited to speak at prestigious conferences and events, sharing his insights on the importance of human capital development to the advancement of the upstream sector. A Sloan fellow, Ghassan holds a master's in leadership and strategy from London Business School. He also has a bachelor's in chemical engineering from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals. Ghassan is recognized for his leadership and has been ranked amongst the top 50 most influential executives in the Middle East by Forbes in 2018 and 2019.