TAQA Chief Executive nominated 'CEO of Year' for Platts 2007 Global Energy Awards

TAQA is thought to be the first Middle East-headquartered company to be considered for any of the prestigious awards.

The most prestigious honours bestowed in the industry, Platts Global Energy Awards have been described by past entrants and winners as the 'Academy Awards' of the energy sector.

"TAQA is immensely proud that its chief executive is being considered among the best in the world for the industry's top honour," said Abdulla Khunji, TAQA's Abu Dhabi-based Chief of Staff.

"We have always benchmarked our organization against the best in the business, and we believe that our CEO possesses the integrity, strategic vision, leadership, decisiveness, and achievements to take the event's top award."

The judging panel relies on the expertise of an impartial team of international energy experts, including energy ministers, regulators, past and present heads of major energy companies, and leading academics and legislators.

The Platts 2007 Global Energy Awards will be presented at a gala evening in New York City on 29 November.

On 1 August of this year, TAQA reported strong financial results for the first half of the year ended 30 June 2007, with total group assets hitting AED 56 billion.

H1 2007 revenue reached AED 2.8 billion compared with AED 1.46 billion for the same period in 2006, representing an increase of 90 percent. Q2 2007 earnings grew 126 percent to AED 1.8 billion.

TAQA carries Aa2 and AA- credit ratings and was presented with the Emerging Market Deal of the Year and Middle East Corporate Bond of the Year 2006 awards by EuroWeek.