Board of Directors

With close to 40 years’ experience in the commercial and industrial sectors,
Mr. Mohammad Abunayyan serves as the Chairman of ACWA Power, Vision Invest, Dussur, and several other local and regional companies.

He is widely recognised as one of the most respected leaders in the water and energy sectors.

Under his leadership, ACWA Power has emerged as an agile, high growth power and water champion at the forefront of energy transition.

Today, ACWA Power operates in 13 high-growth markets across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Southeast Asia.

With a strong commitment to delivering power and water reliably and responsibly, Mr. Abunayyan constantly pushes the boundaries by unlocking new technologies, providing innovative solutions, optimising operations and establishing the right partnerships to seize investment opportunities and deliver the best economics for the off-taker.

As a result, ACWA Power is strongly positioned to capture large opportunities in Saudi Arabia and in other high growth markets while protecting and contributing to environmental sustainability.

Mr. Paddy Padmanathan was appointed Vice-Chairman & CEO on January 2022. He has been serving as the President and CEO of ACWA Power since 2007.

He is a key member of ACWA Power’s Executive leadership team, having spearheaded its expansion since 2005 when he joined the company as a Business Development Director.

A seasoned engineering and energy expert with over 40 years’ experience, Mr. Padmanathan has supported ACWA Power in becoming stronger and more performant to become a company with a vast portfolio in various high-growth markets across three continents.

He has guided ACWA Power’s business strategy to deliver power and desalinated water reliably and responsibly at competitive rates.

He also steers ACWA Power’s leadership in energy transition, underpinned by a strong ESG framework, enabling it to be part of one of the largest renewable energy companies in the world.

Prior to joining ACWA Power, Mr. Padmanathan served as the Vice President and Corporate Officer at Black and Veatch, a major global engineering and construction company, where he was responsible for developing privately financed power, water, and wastewater projects in over a dozen countries.

Mr. Padmanathan holds a degree in Engineering from the University of Manchester, and a postgraduate qualification in Civil Engineering production from the University of Lancaster.

He currently serves on the Boards of several water and power companies.

Dr. Ibrahim Al Rajhi is a member of the Board of Directors at ACWA Power.
In a career spanning nearly 30 years across diverse sectors, Dr. Al Rajhi has demonstrated adaptability, dynamism and leadership. A highly educated business executive, Dr. Al Rajhi has worked and steered organisations in industries such as food and beverage, travel and tourism, logistics, real estate, construction and education.

He is an active Board member in several small and medium enterprises and non-profit organisations in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Al Rajhi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, a Master of Science in management from Hult International Business School, and a Doctorate in Human Resources Management from London Metropolitan University.

Mr. Fahed AlSaif is a member of the Board of Directors at ACWA Power.
Mr. AlSaif currently heads the Public Investment Fund’s General Administration services within the Global Investment Finance Division, where he oversees the Saudi sovereign wealth funds’ investments within the Kingdom and abroad.

A senior banking and finance leader, Mr. AlSaif has almost twenty years’ experience in treasury, investment, debt capital management and corporate finance.

He started his career in the private sector and held senior positions for over a decade in both the Saudi British Bank (SABB) and HSBC Saudi Arabia.

Following his private sector stint, Mr. AlSaif joined the public sector -Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance where he headed the ministry’s debt management function and served as a senior Advisor to His Excellency Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan, the minister of finance.

A graduate in Information Systems from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, Mr. AlSaif is also a non-executive Board member of Bahrain’s Gulf International Bank, and Saudi Refinancing Company.

Mr. Ahmed Alhakbani is a member of the Board of Directors at ACWA Power.
Mr. Alhakbani has over 20 years’ experience in management.

He has worked in, and provided board-level steering advice to companies operating in diverse sectors such as information technology, food and beverage, energy, transport and logistics, aviation, and trade.

He is currently Chief Executive Officer of Al hulul Al Mobassatah Financial Company.

Prior to this role, Mr. Alhakbani served as the Governor and Board Member of the Saudi Customs Authority.

From 2016-2017, he served as Deputy minister for Foreign Trade at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce and Investment.

A seasoned Advisor to Boards with in organisations such as GASCO, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Mr. Alhakbani started his career in the private sector, first at Microsoft, and then at Cisco Systems.

Mr. Alhakbani holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer and Information Systems from King Saud University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from INSEAD.

Mr. Omar Al-Madhi is a member of the Board of Directors at ACWA Power.
Mr. Al-Madhi currently serves as the Co-head of Direct Investments - MENA Division at the Public Investment Fund (PIF), where he is responsible for overseeing investment opportunities in key strategic sectors in Saudi Arabia and the broader MENA region. Recognised as a leading corporate executive, Mr. Al-Madhi has over two decades’ experience driving strategic growth within businesses in the Kingdom.

Prior to joining PIF, he held the position of Senior Managing Director & Member of the Board at Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Investments where he led the business’ domestic diversification strategy, driving ALJ Investments’ towards becoming the most trusted investment partner in Saudi Arabia.

Preceding his role at ALJ, Mr. Al-Madhi was appointed advisor to the Minister of Labor of Saudi Arabia, served as the CEO of Volkswagen Group Saudi Arabia, and held several positions at SAGIA, McKinsey and Saudi Aramco.

Mr. Abdullah Al Rowais is a member of the Board of Directors at ACWA Power.
Mr. Al Rowais has 30 years’ experience in Auditing, overseeing the function in Saudi Arabia’s foremost organisations in both the public and private sectors.

He is the Chief Auditor at Etihad Etisalat Company, better known as Mobily, where he has been serving since 2007.

Prior to his tenure at Mobily, Mr. Al Rowais held several positions; Associate General Auditor at Saudi Aramco, and as an Internal Auditor at Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), the Kingdom’s central bank.

Mr. Al Rowais holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from King Saud University and a Master of Science in computer and information from the University of Detroit Mercy.

Mr. Omar Almidani is a member of the Board of Directors at ACWA Power.
A seasoned business leader with over 15 years’ experience, Mr. Almidani has steered organisations across diverse sectors of activity.

He has gained extensive knowledge and experience in strategic forward planning, operating within the financial disciplines, methodical administration to deadlines and the application of modern leadership skills.

He is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Vision International Investment Company (Vision Invest), a leading Saudi infrastructure development and holding company, with active investments across power and water, industrial gases, district cooling, wastewater treatment, transportation, and environmental solutions.

Mr. Almidani oversees Vision Invest’s affiliates and subsidiaries which have an active operational footprint across Africa, Asia and Europe.

Prior to joining Vision Invest, he held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Beatona, a subsidiary of Vision Invest specialised in environmental treatment infrastructure, waste management and recycling.

Mr. Almidani is also an active Board Member of several companies including Saudi Tabreed, Air Products Qudra, and Miahona.

He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization and holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from the John Molson School of Business in Montreal, Canada.

Mr. Esmail Alsallom is a member of the Board of Directors at ACWA Power.

Mr. Alsallom is a financial services leader with extensive experience in banking and finance. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Infrastructure Fund, which is Saudi Arabia’s diversification mechanism that aims to injectover US$50billion in water, transportation, energy, and health in the next decade.

Before joining the National Infrastructure Fund, Mr. Alsallom led Al Rajhi Holding Group for more than 7 years, overseeing business’ operations in five key sectors: building solutions, contracting and infrastructure, financial services, Industry and real estate development.

Prior to this, Mr. Alsallom worked in corporate finance at Banque Saudi Fransi for nearly a decade as Advisor on multi-million dollar projects.

Mr. Alsallom holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from King Saud University.

Dr. Madelyn Antoncic is a member of the Board of Directors at ACWA Power.

Dr. Antoncic is a highly educated leader with nearly four decades’ experience in academia, banking and finance, intergovernmental organisations, and non-profit organisations.

A macro-economic specialist, she has taught at the Stern School of Business in New York and worked as an Economist at the US Federal Reserve.

Following her teaching and public service positions,Dr. Antoncic held roles at Goldman Sachs and Barclays where she oversawsenior functions in treasury and market risk.

She also spent five years at the World Bank as Vice President and Treasurer, where she led capacity building programmes that focused on asset, debt, and risk management.

Most recently, she has served as senior advisor for sustainability standards at global non-profit organisations.

Dr. Antoncic holds a Bachelor’s degree from Southampton University, a Master’s degree in philosophy and a Doctorate in economics, both from New York University.

Mr. Li Ping is a member of the Board of Directors at ACWA Power.

Mr. Ping currently serves as an independent Director at China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd.

An experienced management professional, Mr. Ping has three decades’ experience in the information and technology sectors where he has overseen several functions in global investments and expansions, mergers & acquisitions as well as the management and operations of companies going from private to public listings.

Amongst other positions, Mr. Ping was previously a Board member of the China Reform Holdings Corporation and CNIC Corporation, Chief Executive Officer of China Communication Corporation Services Ltd., Deputy Director General of China Telecommunications of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

Mr. Ping holds a Bachelor’s degree from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, where he majored in radio communication engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration from the State University of New York in Buffalo.