Year - 2025
Lifetime Achievement for the Advancement of Qatar’s Energy Industry
Mr. Mohamed Turki Al Sobai
Former Woqod CEO
Mohammed Khalifa Abdullah Turki Al-Sobai, born in 1953, is one of the foremost pioneers in Qatar’s oil, gas, and energy sectors. He graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and began his career at Qatar General Petroleum Corporation (now QatarEnergy) as a trainee engineer. He later became a project engineer at the QGPC Refinery Project in Mesaieed in 1980, remaining there until the project’s completion and handover in 1984.
By 1986, he had risen to the role of Deputy General Manager of the National Oil Distribution Company (NODCO), and in 1990, he was appointed General Manager. During his leadership, NODCO underwent a remarkable transformation that positioned it as a national model for Qatarisation and modernisation. He implemented structured training programmes enabling Qatari graduates to assume supervisory roles, modernised administrative and financial systems, and achieved higher efficiency, lower costs, and increased profitability.
In 1997, NODCO introduced unleaded petrol, making Qatar the first Middle Eastern country to do so. He also oversaw the production of high-quality aviation fuel and low-sulphur diesel. Under his direction, the Mesaieed Refinery Expansion Project targeted an increase in refining capacity from 50,000 to 137,000 bpsd by transforming low-value condensates into high-value products, securing domestic fuel supplies, and generating substantial revenues for the state.
Beyond NODCO, Mohammed Al-Sobai played a central role in establishing and leading several of Qatar’s most important energy and industrial companies. He was instrumental in the creation of the Qatar Jet Fuel Company (Qatjet) in 1990, where he served as General Manager until 2013, overseeing aircraft fuelling operations at Doha International Airport and Hamad International Airport. He also led the establishment of Qatar Fuel (Woqod) in 2001, serving as Vice Chairman and Managing Director until 2013. He laid the administrative and technical foundations of this strategic national shareholding company and oversaw the establishment of Woqod Marine to manage a fleet of vessels dedicated to marine transport and fuel services.
In addition, he restructured, modernised, and expanded the Fahes Vehicle Inspection services to meet high professional standards and the growing demands of a rapidly developing nation. His leadership extended to Qatar Holding (Al-Waseeta) from 2003 to 2010, where he served as CEO of the company, capitalised at three billion Qatari riyals, to drive major intermediate petrochemical, mineral, and industrial investment projects. He also contributed to strategic planning from 2000 to 2005 for the Ras Laffan Condensate Refinery (Phase 1, 146,000 bpsd), further strengthening Qatar’s position in downstream energy.
Through his technical expertise and strategic vision, Mohammed Al-Sobai not only shaped the institutions that underpin Qatar’s modern energy and industrial landscape but also empowered a generation of Qatari professionals to lead. Today, he is recognised as a pioneer of Qatar’s energy sector whose work has left a lasting mark on the country’s economy and industrial development.