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Leadership

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Hamid Jafar

Chairman

For half a century Crescent Petroleum has built a reputation for being a pioneering energy company willing to tackle new challenges and working in partnership to unlock the hidden value of the region’s natural resources for common good.

Today we are the region’s oldest and largest privately held upstream operator with current operations in Iraq and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and with significant interests in Egypt.

Our journey is inextricably linked to our initial offshore discoveries in the Mubarek Field in 1972, a landmark project that catapulted both Crescent Petroleum and Sharjah onto the international oil and gas scene. While Abu Dhabi and Dubai discovered oil in 1958 and 1966 respectively, Sharjah’s production commenced in 1974, following our discoveries. Crescent Petroleum brought the Mubarek Field to full production within 13 months of its discovery, producing over 60,000 barrels per day.

That proved just the first of numerous other projects with tremendous impact on the communities where we live and work. In April 2007, Crescent Petroleum, together with Dana Gas, entered into an agreement with the KRG for exclusive rights to appraise, develop, produce, market, and sell petroleum from the Khor Mor and Chemchemal fields in the KRI. Production from a newly built plant at Khor Mor began 15 months later, in October 2008, another industry record, reinforcing our reputation as an innovative and pioneering energy company.

Today, as we look to expand production at Khor Mor by 50%, and eventually, to double production there, we take great pride in the tremendous value being created, underpinning the KRI economy and enabling significantly improved services.

Beyond our interests in the oil and gas sector, Crescent Group, through its other subsidiary Crescent Enterprises also operates across a diverse range of sustainable businesses in the fields of ports and logistics, power and engineering, business aviation, healthcare, private equity and business incubation. We remain proud to have played a meaningful role in the development of Sharjah by unlocking the immense value of the Mubarek field, fueling tremendous growth in the emirate’s economy. We also take pride in the economic and environmental impact our efforts in natural gas have had on the region and the world.

We look back with pride at the accomplishments we have made and, more important, reflect with gratitude to the employees and partners who have enabled us to realise those accomplishments. Crescent’s people allow us to continue to thrive and progress, and will become even more critical to our progress in the years ahead.

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Majid Jafar

Chief Executive Officer

Since our start in 1971, Crescent Petroleum has leveraged its people, technology, and know-how to help solve some of the Middle East’s key energy challenges for the betterment of the region and its people.

A pillar of that effort is unlocking the potential of natural gas in the Middle East, where more than 42 per cent of the world’s proven gas reserves lie, and Crescent Petroleum is proud to have played a pioneering role in the regional gas sector for over thirty years.

Another pillar is investing in our communities and our people. We have supported causes and programmes that empower communities through better education and healthcare, as well as by providing direct support through delivery of water and electricity to surrounding communities.

We see a bright future for the Middle East region and its people despite all of today’s challenges, and we recognise that investing the well-being of our communities and stakeholders is central to our future success.

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Leadership Team

Executive Committee

Majid Jafar

Chief Executive Officer

Majid Jafar is the CEO of Crescent Petroleum, the Middle East's first and largest private upstream energy company, where he leads both strategy and operations. Mr Jafar is also Vice-Chairman of Crescent Group, which holds interests in port management, logistics, contracting, private equity, and real estate.

Razan Jafar

Director

Razan Jafar is a Director of Crescent Petroleum, focusing on the company's legal matters and business services. She also serves as Secretary of the Dana Gas International Advisory Board. Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum, Razan qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales with the Norton Rose Group.

Senior Executives

Abdulla Al-Qadi

Executive Director, Exploration & Production

Abdulla Al-Qadi oversees Crescent Petroleum’s local and regional exploration and production operations as well as new business development. Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum, Abdulla has had a highly successful career for over 17 years with ADNOC group, most recently as the Offshore & Onshore Drilling Manager.

His diversified experience in exploration and development operations includes in petroleum development, drilling, and production.

Abdulla is a petroleum engineering graduate of New Mexico School of Mining & Technology, USA.

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Neeraj Agrawal

Chief Financial Officer

Neeraj Agrawal is responsible for Crescent Petroleum's finance and business development functions, building relationships with the investment and banking community and overseeing mergers and acquisitions. He is also the Chief Finance Officer and Board Member of Crescent Group.

Neeraj’s achievements throughout his 32 years with Crescent Group include securing several joint ventures within the international energy and port industries and leading the development of operations across the MENA region.

He was also instrumental in the successful formation and capitalisation of Dana Gas PJSC, including the private placement and US$80 billion IPO, the US$1.2 billion acquisition and financing of TSX-listed Centurion Energy International Inc., and the Middle East’s first forward-looking accelerated US$1 billion sukuk issued by an associate company in 2007, and which also received the 2013 ‘Restructuring Deal of the Year’ award in New York.

Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum, Neeraj worked as a management consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and in the audit and management consultancy division of Ernst & Young.

Neeraj Agrawal has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Delhi, India and is a Chartered Accountant. He is a member of the Indian Business and Professional Council and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and supports voluntary work and philanthropy through charities in India and the UAE.

 

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Narik Basmajian

Senior Director, Projects

Mr. Narik Basmajian is a Senior Director at Crescent Petroleum with 22 years of international experience in the energy industry - primarily in oil & gas - and more recently within energy transition, low carbon energies & hydrogen. He has extensive experience in business, sales and commercial management, strategic partnerships, project acquisition and project development.

Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum, Narik had a successful career at Technip Energies in a variety of technical, commercial and managerial roles, including as Vice President.

Narik holds a Bachelor’s degree (1st Class Honours) in Chemical & Materials Engineering from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

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Ravi Kumar

Chief Corporate Officer

Ravi Kumar is responsible for Crescent Petroleum’s shared business services, including accounting, business processes and systems, human resources and administration, information technology, insurance, and supply chain management. Most notably, Ravi is responsible for developing the strategic landscape of the company’s SAP ERP systems.

He is also responsible for ensuring that the organisation is nimble and responsive to business challenges and market dynamics.

As a Board Member of Crescent Group, Ravi oversees all business services functions, playing a key role in establishing a robust corporate governance framework for the Group and its key affiliated companies.

Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum in 1991, Ravi worked in the audit divisions of Ernst & Young in the UAE and A. F. Ferguson & Co. in India.

Ravi holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the University of Delhi, India. He is a Chartered Accountant and member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK, and the Institute of Cost Accountants, India.

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Mohammad Makkawi

Executive Director, Projects

Mohammad Makkawi oversees Crescent Petroleum’s current gas projects, gas sales and purchase agreements, and business development activities. Most notably, he was instrumental in XX. Mohammad has over 47 years of regional experience in the oil and gas, ports and logistics, and construction industries.

Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum in 1990, he served as the Project Manager of multinational engineering consultancy company Halcrow.

Mohammad holds a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

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Drazen Petkovich

Executive Director, Legal

Drazen Petkovich provides legal advice to Crescent Petroleum on its major projects and transactions as well as on operational and general commercial matters. Before joining Crescent Petroleum, Drazen was a senior lawyer at a leading international law firm in London. He is an English and Australian-qualified lawyer with over 15 years of experience.

Drazen has worked extensively in the fields of oil and gas, banking and finance, and dispute resolution.

Drazen holds an Honours Degree in Law and a Bachelor in Psychology from Macquarie University, Australia.

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Thomas Watts

Executive Director, Projects

Thomas Watts is responsible for the appraisal of Crescent Petroleum’s gas fields and further development of projects in the KRI. His achievements throughout his 32 years with the company include the installation of its offshore gas processing platform and pipeline and helping secure the contracts with the Kurdistan Regional Government for two large gas fields.

Thomas has also overseen the fast-track implementation of the surface facilities to supply gas to power stations.

Thomas graduated with Bachelor (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from Birmingham University, UK.

Thomas has 42 years of international experience in the development and management of oil and gas projects, specialising in the structuring of the gas-chain and the marketing and sales of gas and LPG. He was previously involved in several major projects in Denmark, Norway, the UK, and the former US. for multinational oil companies and consultants.

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Executives

Razan El Badaoui

Head of Employee Engagement

Razan El Badaoui is responsible for creating and maintaining an empowering and rewarding corporate culture at Crescent Petroleum. In addition to organising internal events and contributing to the development of employee policies, she oversees numerous human resources activities for the Company such as onboarding and employee engagement.

She was instrumental in launching Crescent Petroleum and Dana Gas’ human resource initiatives in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Razan has over 34 years of global expertise that span the fields of oil and gas, banking and investment, real estate, media, and education.

Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum in 2001, Razan worked in the administrative division of Barakat Real Estate Co in the USA and, earlier, at the Human Resources Department of Kuwait International Bank in Kuwait. Razan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Kuwait University.

For three years, Razan has provided her expert mentorship and support to aspiring women entrepreneurs throughout the Middle East through the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women.

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Bjorn Baekkegaard

Director of Digital Transformation

Bjorn Baekkegaard is Director of Digital Transformation within the Information Technology department. He has more than 20 years of experience in IT and Digital Transformations, including 10 years within the upstream oil and gas function.

Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum, he was IT Digital Lead-Information Systems at TotalEnergies, and previously leading IT operations in Qatar and Denmark responsible for SAP, Information Security, Data Information Management, Industrial IT Operational Technologies, Projects and Infrastructure.

Bjorn has been an advisory board member for innovative and digital-scale and startup companies within offshore safety, security, planning, and integrity. Utilizing strong encryption, advanced algorithms and Blockchain to create business value by solving advanced offshore industrial business problems.

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Sohale Bhatti

Director, Projects

Sohale Bhatti is responsible for Projects at Crescent Petroleum. Sohale has 25 years of international experience in process engineering and project management across multiple industries. Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum, he served as a Project Manager at Borouge, a petrochemical company based in Abu Dhabi.

Sohale holds a Master of Business Administration from the Henley Business School, UK.

He also has a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Leeds, UK.

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Saji Chacko

Director, Accounting & Reporting

Saji is responsible for all accounting and financial reporting functions at Crescent Petroleum, notably overseeing. Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum in 2001, Saji worked for ten years with PricewaterhouseCoopers across India, Singapore, and the UAE. Saji holds a XX from the University of Mumbai, India.

He is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

He is also a graduate member of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India.

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Director

Corporate Affairs

Mandar Deshpande joined Crescent Petroleum in November 2021 as Director, Corporate Affairs. Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum, he held senior managerial positions at McDermott and PwC.

He has over twenty years of experience in operational & strategic finance, controllership, Mergers and acquisitions, project financing, financial planning & analysis, ERP implementation & transition, risk analysis and mitigation, and organizational change projects.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Osmania University, India, and is a qualified Chartered Accountant from ICAI, India.

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Rakesh Edavalath

Director, Supply Chain

Rakesh oversees the procurement, contracting, inventory control, warehousing, and logistics functions at Crescent Petroleum. He works to ensure the optimal productivity, quality, and efficiency of projects and operations. In addition, he consults on all key matters related to corporate affairs and business services.

Rakesh has over 29 years of experience in supply chain management in the oil and gas sector in the UAE and India.

Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum in 2007, he served as the Acting Commercial Services Team Leader of Zakum Development Company in the UAE.

 

Rakesh holds a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Kerala, India, in addition to a Postgraduate Diploma in Materials Management from the Indian Institute of Materials Management. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS), UK.

Through his philanthropic endeavours in his home state of Kerala, India, Rakesh aims to provide a fairer access to school education among villages of the state.

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Hassan Fattah

Director, Communications

Hassan Fattah oversees Crescent Petroleum’s reputation-building and community outreach programmes, including sustainability. Hassan has been at the centre of key public affairs, corporate communications, journalism, marketing communications and senior advisory efforts across the United Arab Emirates and the wider region for over 25 years.

Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum, Hassan served as the Managing Director of public relations agency ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller.

Hassan holds a Bachelor in Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, US, and a Master in Journalism from Columbia University, US.

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Stephen Menezes

Director, Insurances

Stephen Menezes is responsible for insurance and risk management functions at Crescent Petroleum. Stephen has over 20 years of experience in insurance and risk management. Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum in 2008 he served as the Head of Insurance at Emirates National Oil Co (ENOC).

Stephen holds a Bachelor in Accountancy and Costing from Mangalore University.

He is also an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute of the UK.

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Jayakrishan Ramaswamy

Director, Business Process & Systems

Jayakrishnan is responsible for developing, monitoring, and optimising business processes and systems. In addition to ensuring corporate efficiency, he provides guidance and support for all key corporate affairs and business services. He is also responsible for developing overall sustainability thought processes and spearheading annual reporting efforts.

Jayakrishnan has over 25 years of diversified experience in the areas of finance and accounting, organisational development, and strategic partnerships in the UAE and India. Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum in 2011, Jayakrishnan served as the Enterprise Resource Planning Project Director at Petrofac in the UAE after serving in various other capacities over a ten-year period.

Jayakrishnan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, India. He is a Chartered Accountant from India and a Certified Public Accountant from the US, in addition to being Certified in International Treasury Management by the Association of Corporate Treasurers, UK.

Through his philanthropic endeavours in his hometown of Chennai, India, Jayakrishnan aims to provide a fairer access to education and healthcare.

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Dimitris Tsouroplis

Director, Human Resources

Dimitris Tsouroplis is responsible for Crescent Petroleum’s human capital development, including resourcing, rewards, and talent management. Prior to joining Crescent Petroleum, Dimitris has held senior managerial positions in HR for several multinational companies including BP, the Coca-Cola Company, Vodafone, and the Libra Group.

Most recently, he was with the Libra Group, a family conglomerate business in shipping, aviation, and energy, in which he held the HR Director role based in London and New York.

Dimitris holds a Master in Business and Management from the University of Aberdeen, UK, and a postgraduate degree in Human Resources from the International Institute for Management Development, Switzerland.

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Bernard de Wolff

Director, Projects

Bernard de Wolff is responsible for field development and surface facilities at Crescent Petroleum Bernard has more than 25 years of experience in project management, engineering, construction, and field development both onshore and offshore in the North Sea and the MENA region including Syria, Libya, Iraq, and Egypt.

He started his career with Fluor Daniel in various engineering roles and project management. He then moved on to Petro-Canada and worked on various projects.

Bernard holds a Master in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

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Unlocking the potential of energy resources