The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (Apicorp), a Saudi Arabia-based multilateral lender owned by the 10 members of the Organisation of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, has appointed Khalid Al Ruwaigh as its new chief executive.
Mr Al Ruwaigh replaces Ahmed Attiga, who served as the company's chief executive for five years, the bank said on Monday.
The latest appointment “marks a new chapter in Apicorp’s journey of transformation amid the shifts in the energy and financial sectors", said Aabed Al Saadoun, chairman of the Apicorp board.
"We are cognisant of the importance, complexity and responsibilities of our developmental mandate, and we will continue to adapt to reflect the changing world around us.”
The leadership change at the Dammam-based Apicorp comes as the bank increasingly focuses on sustainable investments in compliance with its new environmental, social and governance policy. The lender said last year that it aims to allocate $1 billion to fund green energy projects and will also measure the ESG footprint of all of its assets by the end of 2023.
“The wealth of knowledge and experience Khalid brings, having worked in a broad range of industries, will be instrumental in continuing our strong momentum in support of a balanced approach to the energy transition agenda and sustainable development goals of our member countries and wider Mena region,” Mr Al Saadoun said.
Before joining Apicorp, Mr Al Ruwaigh served as chief executive of Emirates NBD Capital KSA. He has also held several senior and executive roles within areas such as public and private equity, real estate and fixed income.
Mr Al Ruwaigh holds an MBA from California State University and a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from King Saud University.
Mr Al Saadoun thanked Mr Attiga for "leading Apicorp during a time of unprecedented challenges brought about by the pandemic".
During Mr Attiga's tenure, Apicorp said it would provide disbursements of up to $2bn to clients in the energy sector to help them ride out the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The multilateral lender also introduced a $500 million countercyclical package in 2020 to support sustainable projects in the conventional and renewables space.
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
The five pillars of Islam
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
