RIYADH: Ahmad Abdulaziz Al-Ohali was appointed the governor of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries in March 2019.
GAMI is the regulator, enabler and licensor of the Kingdom’s military industries sector.
As governor, Al-Ohali “oversees the transformation and localization of Saudi Arabia’s defense and security sector, leading the development of a comprehensive business ecosystem within a solid regulatory framework,” according to GAMI’s website. This is in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform program, which aims to localize over 50 percent of military expenditure by 2030,
Al-Ohali joined GAMI following a succession of high-profile executive positions in the petrochemicals sector.
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Dammam’s King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Al-Ohali joined Saudi Basic Industries Corp., the Kingdom’s leading processor and manufacturer of downstream petrochemical products.
After two years training in the US, he moved to SABIC’s industrial facilities in Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, where he served in various executive posts.
Al-Ohali left SABIC in early 1996 after launching several successful SMEs in the film and plastics sectors, playing a key role during the establishment of the Saudi International Petrochemical Co.
He was later appointed CEO of Sipchem and eventually became President of the company in November 1999.
Al-Ohali, in this capacity, spearheaded the growth and transformation of Sipchem into its current status as one of the world’s leading petrochemical companies.
Alongside his position as the governor of GAMI, Al-Olahi is a member of the board of directors of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association and the Saudi Committee of Petrochemical Manufacturers.
He also serves on the advisory board of the Center of Research Excellence in Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals at KFUPM.
Al-Ohali was considered among the top-10 figures in 2018’s Refining and Petrochemicals Middle East Power 50 List.