Leadership

Dr. Abdulla Habib Ahmed Ali

Dr. Abdulla Habib was appointed as Chief Operations Officer on 2nd December 2018, and he has been Director of Reduction Line 6 Start-up since July 2017. Prior to this, he was Director of Reduction Lines and Services since February 2015. He has been with Alba since 1995 when he joined as trainee engineer after completing his B.Sc. in chemical Engineering with first honor class. During the last 26 years, Dr. Abdulla has grown in Alba and held the roles of Superintendent Reduction Line, R&D Manager, Reduction Lines Manager, and Customers Technical Support Manager. He has played a vital role in improving safety performance in Alba Operations. He was in charge of Line-5 recovery in 2017, after a long power outage, as one of the safest and faster recoveries in the world. He contributed significantly in increasing metal production in Alba to 1,548,500 metric tonnes in 2020 by aligning the teams, driving innovative ideas and introducing more disciplined culture among workforce.

Dr. Abdulla holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering and Master’s Degree in Aluminium Smelting from University of New South Wales, Australia. He also holds MBA from ESSEC/French Arabian School.

Dr. Abdulla is a member of many international committees related to Aluminium Industry like The Material Society (TMS) and has been an advisor to the Engineering College of Bahrain University. During his private time, reading is his favourite hobby.

Amin Sultan

Amin Sultan holds Chief Power Officer position of Alba’s 3665 MW ISO Power & Utilities. He was in charge of the construction Potline 6 expansion project for the new 1800 MW Power Station 5 using H-class gas turbine technology and current construction of 680MW block 4 power block with J-class technology. He also in charge of Environment, Social and Governance ESG at ALBA in addition to overseeing ALBA wide property and business interruption all risks insurance. He has been with Alba since 1997.

Amin played instrumental roles in Alba’s organization restructuring process in 2010, implementation of Lean & Six Sigma tools during STAR project 2011/2012 and finally cost saving Titan project and AlHassalah.

Before joining Alba, he spent 5 years at the leading Japanese control and instrumentation firm, Yokogawa, wherein his role covered engineering, maintenance and projects experiences in vast industries such power & utilities, refineries, and petrochemicals.

Amin holds M.Sc in Electrical Engineering from University of Bahrain and an MBA from ESSEC Business School. He has also attended various Executive Management Programs at University of Chicago Business School and University of Cranfield School of Management.

Outside of work, Amin Sultan enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf and reading.

Waleed Tamimi

Waleed Tamimi holds the position of Chief Supply Officer of Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C (Alba) overseeing the departments of Procurement & Warehousing, Strategic Supply & Planning, Engineering, and Operational Excellence. Prior to his present role, Waleed was the Chief Administration Officer and before that was the Director of Administration.

Within Alba, he successfully held the position of Senior Manager of Strategic Supply & Planning, charged with controlling the company’s procurement requirement of all major raw material and corresponding logistics. Moreover, Waleed was responsible for the management and development of Alba’s raw material and freight suppliers’ network in addition to managing all trading & selling initiatives for excess procured Alumina and surplus production of Calcined Petroleum Coke.

In 2013, Waleed served as Manager - Operational Excellence where he led the operational excellence initiatives alongside the continuous improvement strategy and roadmap. Moreover, Waleed was responsible for the development, establishment and initiation of an Enterprise Continuous Improvement and Cost Cutting Programme (Titan Programme), based on the Lean-Six Sigma methodology. The developed Programme is a company-wide philosophy aimed at improving quality, reducing lead time and bringing in sizable and sustainable cost reduction levels.

Prior to his tenure with Alba, he was General Manager of Business Improvement Group at Rezayat Group of Companies in Khobar, Saudi Arabia where he led a strategy building initiative at Rezayat Group.

QUALIFICATION

• Executive MBA from the French Arabian Business School / ESSEC.
• BS and MS degrees in Industrial Engineering from Wichita State University in the USA.
• Certified Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing Master Black Belt.

Ricardo Fontes Santana

A seasoned finance executive with a proven track record in global and regional roles, having lived and worked in six countries (Brazil, Australia, Singapore, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Oman) before relocating to Bahrain in August 2024. Demonstrated leadership in diverse, cross-functional teams.

An insightful executive with 25+ years of working experience across Commodities (Aluminium, Iron Ore, and Oil), Consumer Products (Ophthalmic lenses), Consulting Services and Telecom Industries. Former Member of Dutch and Brazilian Companies' Boards, as well as Joint Ventures' Financial, Audit, Operating and Projects Steering Committees.

Graduated in Economics, with MBA in Finance and Controlling. A Kellogg School of Management's Scholar (Executive Development Program and Strategic Marketing Communications), Certified in Investor Relations by the UK's IR Society, trained as a Board Member at IBGC (The Corporate Governance Institute in Brazil) and as a Non-Executive Director at IPCG (The Corporate Governance Institute in Portugal). Also trained in "Startup Funding: Pre-seed to Exit" at the University of Cambridge (Judge Business School).

Strong sense of care for work colleagues and surrounding communities with focus on providing opportunities for individuals to develop their full potential.

Hisham Alkooheji

Hisham Alkooheji was appointed as the Chief Marketing Officer of Aluminium Bahrain on the 18^th of September 2024. In this role, he leads the global marketing and sales function across Alba’s offices in Singapore, Switzerland, and the US. Additionally, he oversees the Casthouse Operations, ensuring the safe and high-quality production of +1.62 million metric tonnes of a diverse range of aluminium products annually.

In his previous role as Director Marketing Middle East, Africa and Asia, he managed a substantial portfolio exceeding 950,000 metric tonnes per annum, and fostered long-lasting customer relationships. Moreover, he played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s sales strategy in 2020, successfully establishing the Singapore Branch office in 2021 and driving the team towards increasing value-added product sales. His responsibilities included expanding the company’s global reach and entering new markets such as Japan and Morocco. Earlier, he also held the role of Manager Customer Services & Marketing Operations where he was responsible for Alba’s global export logistics and Casthouse production planning sections.

Hisham holds a Masters in Business Administration from the College of William & Mary, USA, a Masters in International Business & Finance and a Bachelors in Economics from the University of Reading in the UK. His passions include sports and fitness activities and immersing himself in diverse cultural experiences.

Fahad Mohamed Abdulla Danish

Fahad Mohamed Abdulla Danish was appointed as Alba’s new Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) on 27 October 2024.

In his role, Fahad spearheads Alba’s Human Resources strategy, overseeing all aspects of talent management, including workforce planning, recruitment, succession planning, compensation, and benefits.

With over 15 years of experience in human resources, Fahad brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record of success. Prior to joining Alba, he held senior leadership positions at prominent Bahraini companies including Beyon (Bahrain Telecommunications Company), Bahrain International Circuit, KPMG – Bahrain & Qatar, and Ernst & Young – Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA).

Fahad holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Strathclyde and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Business Administration from the New York Institute of Technology. He has also completed executive education courses at the University of Strathclyde and Harvard Business School.