Chairman's Profile

Abdulkarim Al-Sayed is the Chairman and CEO of Petrodar International. He joined the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) in 1965 and retired in 2009 after 44 years of continuous service, during which he assumed senior leadership positions, eventually awarding him the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position.

Prior to his appointment as the CEO, he held a number of key posts in BAPCO such as General Manager Engineering, General Manager Refining, General Manager Maintenance and General Manager Major Engineering Projects, making him an all-rounder professional, executive and leader.

After heading several Major Strategic and Modernisation Investment Projects as the General Manager of Engineering, Depute Chief Executive, Senior Depute Executive and Major Projects, he was appointed to the position of Chief Executive of Downstream Operations (BAPCO today) and later to the position of Senior Deputy Chief Executive of BAPCO, Upstream and Downstream Operations, and ultimately to the position of CEO of BAPCO (BAPCO & TATWEER PETROLEUM today).

Abdulkarim has served on numerous Committees and Boards such as the Chairman of the Gulf Area Oil Companies Mutual Aid Organisation (GAOCMAO), as the Deputy Chairman of Injaz Bahrain, as a Member of the Board of Trustees of Bahrain Polytechnic, as the Secretary General and Vice President of the Bahrain Society of Engineers and as a Member of the Supreme Council for Vocational Training.

His services, contributions and proficiency in the development of Engineering in Bahrain awarded him several prestigious recognitions locally and internationally such as the “Outstanding Engineering Pioneer Award” from the Gulf Engineering Federation, The Toastmasters Personality of The Year in 2009, The Fellowship of the Institute of Leadership Management (ILM), UK, just to mention a few.

In addition to his current responsibilities as the Chairman and CEO of Petrodar International, Abdulkarim is a member of several professional and social organisations such as the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (UK), the Chartered Management Institute (UK), Member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Bahrain (and Chairman of its Audit and Finance Committee), Member of the Bahrain Management Society, Fellow of the Bahrain Society of Engineers, a Founder Member of the Bahrain Society for the Transfer of Technology and a Founder Member of the Bahrain Society for Strategic Planning.

Abdulkarim is a registered Chartered Engineer (C.Eng.) in the United Kingdom and holds a First Class Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from London, UK. He also holds M.Sc. and D.I.C. in Mechanical Engineering/Thermal Power from the Imperial College (University of London, UK).

Abdulkarim was awarded the Kingdom’s Medal for Proficiency (First Degree) by His Majesty the King of Bahrain during a special ceremony held in 2011. This was in recognition for his outstanding services and contributions in the development of the Kingdom of Bahrain.