Russian oil giant Rosneft appointed Qatari Tayeb Belmahdi as chairman of the board, replacing former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who stepped down last May.
A statement released by Rosneft after its annual general assembly meeting said that Belmahdi has “45 years of experience in major oil companies in the Middle East.”
Agence France-Presse reported that Belmahdi is a renowned oil and gas expert and previously held several senior positions at Qatar Energy Group.
Two Qataris, Faisal Al-Suwaydi and Hamad Rashid Al-Mohannadi, who represent the Qatari sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority, also sit on the board of directors of the group, which is Russia’s largest oil company, according to Rosneft. .
The group announced last May that Schröder was stepping down from its board of directors following pressure from his country.
Source: AFP