Alba's Board of Directors announce the appointment of Mohammed Mahmoud as new COO

The Board issued this statement during the second quarterly meeting, which was chaired by the Alba Chairman Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji, and was held on Thursday, July 2, 2009 at the Gulf Hotel Bahrain.

They further announced the integration of the executive management into four units thereby eliminating certain administrative services and enabling the company to be better able to meet the challenges of the global economic crisis.

Mohammed Mahmoud, who was formerly the General Manager (Metal Production), will be responsible for overseeing all production processes and services in various departments at the smelter that were earlier divided into several groups.

With a masters degree in engineering from the University of Stratchclyde in Scotland, Mr. Mahmoud has been with Alba for more than 36 years and has had various leadership positions in the company.

At the meeting the Board praised the financial performance of the company, and the practical steps taken towards reducing costs, boosting efficiency and protecting employees against the adverse impact of the global economic crisis.

Reports by the management, human resources and audit committee were tabled at the meeting. Updates on the performance review, power station, marketing were also discussed along with a report on the shipping taskforce.

Alba's Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mahmood Hashim Al Kooheji reiterated Alba's commitment to the Kingdom of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 that was launched by His Majesty the King, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and supporting Bahrain's Economic Development Board in implementing the vision.

"Alba was the result of an economic diversification initiative led by the Government of Bahrain, and it has been Alba's commitment to global quality standards, enforcement of safety and environmental directives and the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies, which have richly contributed to the success of this initiative," said Mr. Al-Kooheji.

"I like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mohammed Mahmoud on his appointment as the new chief operating officer and wish him all success in his work. He has been recognised for his dedication, diligence and contribution to Alba's success story," he added.

He further expressed his appreciation for the support extended by the Government of Bahrain to Alba's operations, offered thanks and gratitude to His Majesty the King, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, His Highness the Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Highness the Crown Prince and Commander in Chief of the Bahrain Defense Force, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

He also expressed his gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud for the ongoing cooperation, especially in the area of industrial development as represented through the strategic partnership with SABIC.

He also commended the Board of Directors, the executive management and all employees of the company for their achievements over the past year.

The Alba Board of Directors comprises the three shareholders of the company, namely, Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, SABIC Investments Company and Breton Investments.

Representing the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, in addition to Al Kooheji, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, were Yusuf Abdulla Taqi, Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Fawzi Ahmed Kanoo, Osama M. Al Arrayedh, Abdulaziz S. Al-Humaid and David Maine, while representing SABIC Investments Company were Mutlaq H. Al Murished, Ibrahim S. Al Showeir and Humood Abdulla Al Towaijri and representing Breton Investments was Gert Rohrseitz.

The meeting was also attended by the Alba Chief Executive Ahmed Saleh Al Noaimi, Alba Deputy Chief Executive Mahmood Al Daylami, and other Company officials.