Fahad Al‑Bani is a visionary, results‑driven executive with about three decades of leadership experience in the oil and gas industry. He brings a global perspective, strong interpersonal capabilities, and a proven ability to build high‑performance, safety‑driven cultures.
He most recently served as Vice President of Unconventional Resources at Saudi Aramco, where he led one of the company’s most strategically significant portfolios.
With deep expertise in reservoir engineering, drilling, completions, and stimulation operations, Fahad has overseen large‑scale projects, his leadership has consistently emphasized performance, innovation, safety, and cost efficiency.
Among his notable achievements, Fahad led Saudi Aramco’s largest efficiency optimization campaign, through integrated planning, digitalization, and lean execution. He has repeatedly exceeded corporate KPIs across safety, environmental performance, well delivery, and operational reliability.
Fahad has been at the forefront of industry advancement, championing technologies such as tubingless completions, walking rigs, and unitized wellhead systems. He also co‑developed a rotary steerable system with U.S. experts, significantly enhancing reservoir exposure and recovery.
With his strong advocacy for national talent development, Fahad has established structured mentoring, coaching, and workforce planning programs aligned with long‑term organizational priorities.
Fahad holds a Petroleum Engineering degree from King Saud University and completed the Executive Development Program at IMD Business School in Switzerland.
Farid Mustafayev
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Farid brings over 24 years of global corporate finance experience, including 15 years in senior leadership roles focused on financial strategy and M&A execution. He most recently served as M&A Portfolio Manager at SLB in London, where he led the acquisition and integration of strategic businesses. Prior to that, he was HR Director for Global Finance, driving talent development across SLB’s finance organization.;
Throughout his career, Farid has held several key leadership roles. As Finance Director for Russia & Central Asia, he oversaw operations across six countries and led a team of over 350 professionals.
In his role as Finance Director for Global Well Services, he managed financials for SLB’s largest product line across 80 countries, driving global performance. He also served as Finance Director for Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, leading finance for SLB’s largest GeoMarket.
Farid holds both Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Economics, with a specialization in Finance and Credit, from Azerbaijan State Economic University.
Sara Ali
Chief HR & Digital Transformation Officer
Mrs. Sara is the CHRO of Arabian Drilling. She has over 20 years of extensive experience in Human Resources and a comprehensive track record of implementing effective HR practices. Prior to joining Arabian Drilling, Mrs. Sara served as the Global Functions HR Head at SLB in London, where she was responsible for leading the company's strategy for talent acquisition, talent management, succession planning, policies, personnel administration, organization design, and compensation and benefits. She also served as the HR Services Manager at SLB in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where she led the HR team for the service portfolio and spearheaded the voice of the customer program and innovations to enhance the overall customer experience. Sara has also contributed within the Recruitment, Training & Development and Compensation & Benefits functions. Prior to this, she held positions in the HR & Communications departments within SLB Mena, as well as the Olayan Group. Mrs. Sara holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from King Faisal University and an MBA from Arabian Gulf University.
Zaurayze Tarique
Chief Commercial Officer
Zaurayze brings nearly three decades of leadership experience across global energy services and drilling operations, with a strong track record of driving growth, improving profitability, and building high-performing organizations through disciplined execution and close collaboration with customers and stakeholders.
Prior to joining Arabian Drilling, he served as Managing Director for SLB Pakistan & Yemen. During his career with SLB, he held multiple senior leadership roles including Vice President Supply Chain, Vice President Marketing & Technology, and Vice President Global Operations, gaining deep exposure across international markets and complex operating environments. Zaurayze began his career with SEDCO FOREX in 1998 and was part of the Arabian Drilling family from 2001 to 2005, where he managed land and offshore operations, led shipyard upgrades, and supported major rig construction programs.
He holds an MBA in Finance from Rotterdam School of Management, Netherlands, and a BSc in Electrical Engineering from UET, Pakistan.
Shihab Al-Moais
Chief Internal Audit Officer
Shihab Al-Moais is an accomplished audit and governance executive with over 18 years of experience in internal audit, governance, risk management, compliance, and internal controls. He serves as Chief Internal Audit Officer at Arabian Drilling, having previously held the same position from 2019 to 2023, where he led the Company's internal audit function and provided independent assurance on governance, risk management, compliance, and internal controls to the Board’s Audit Committee and Executive Leadership.
Mr. Al-Moais brings extensive expertise in internal audit leadership, corporate governance frameworks, anti-fraud controls, financial and operational controls, data analytics, IT controls, and Audit Committee reporting.
Most recently, Mr. Al-Moais served as Director - Internal Audit at Nesma & Partners Contracting Co., leading internal audit activities and advisory initiatives across major construction projects and corporate functions. Earlier in his career, he served as Internal Audit Director at Alturki Holding and held positions at PwC, managing key assignments for industrial, energy, and petrochemical organizations.
Mr. Al-Moais holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).
Khalid Alkaabi
Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Director
Khalid Al Kaabi brings more than three decades of extensive experience in governance, risk management, compliance, and internal audit across the oil and gas and industrial sectors. His professional experience includes leading Enterprise Risk Management frameworks, supporting Initial Public Offering governance readiness, overseeing SAP and International Financial Reporting Standards transformation programs, and building regulatory compliance for publicly listed companies.
Throughout his career, Khalid has held several senior leadership roles, including Chief Internal Auditor at Jubail Energy Services Company (JESCO), Al Othman Group / Takween Advanced Industries, and Olayan Group. He also served as Risk and Compliance Director at Arabian Drilling from 2015 to 2023, where he successfully led Arabian Drilling’s SAP ERP transformation program, IFRS convergence, and in‑house VAT implementation, ensuring regulatory compliance, system readiness, cost optimization, and on‑time delivery of critical enterprise initiatives.
Khalid holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from King Faisal University and is a Certified Internal Auditor and Certified Information Systems Auditor.
Ahmed Abouelela
HSE Director
Ahmed Abouelela is an accomplished leader with over 25 years of experience across the global energy industry, spanning the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa. He has held senior leadership roles at SLB across operations, project delivery, risk management, and business oversight, leading large‑scale, complex projects in challenging and remote environments.
He is recognized for his ability to lead at scale, manage complexity, and align operational performance with strategic objectives.
Ahmed holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Alexandria University.
Mazen Alsharekh
Legal and Contracts Director
Mazen Alsharekh is a legal professional with extensive experience across the energy, petrochemical, utilities and industries sectors. Prior to joining Arabian Drilling, he served as Senior Legal Counsel and Deputy Board Secretary at Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Company (SATORP), where he where he played a senior legal leadership role providing strategic legal advice to senior management and key board committees on key strategic, commercial, and corporate matters.
Mazen’s previous experience spans legal advisory, corporate governance, project development and project financing, multinational joint ventures, major commercial and EPC/BOOT projects, claims, procurement, corporate and compliance matters, working closely with executive leadership, boards of directors, and key stakeholders to support organizational growth and strategic decision-making.
His previous experience includes various legal roles with major organizations such as Advanced Petrochemical Company, Sadara Chemical Company, Marafiq Company, and other private and government sector organizations. He served also as a member of the International Trade Committee of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), contributing to the initiatives relating to the petrochemical sector.
Mazen holds a Masters degree in Law from the University of Florida, a High Diploma in Law from the Institute of Public Administration, and a Bachelor’s degree in Islamic Law from Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Islamic University. He is also licensed to practice law in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
