His Excellency Khadem al-Qubaisi, born September 27, 1971, is an Emirati businessman. He is the Managing Director of the International Petroleum Investment Company and Chairman of its subsidiary Aabar Investments PJS.
Education
Khadem al-Qubaisi was born in Abu Dhabi, where he grew up and attended high school. He then moved to Al Ain in order to study at the University of the United Arab Emirates. In 1993, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, but decided to leave academia to pursue a career in business.
Career
In 1993, Khadem al-Qubaisi returned to Abu Dhabi to work at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA),one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. There, he served as Senior Financial Analyst in ADIA’s North American Equities Department until 1999.
In 2000, Khadem al-Qubaisi joined the International Petroleum Investment Company, an enterprise formed by the Abu Dhabi government in 1984 to invest in a variety of energy-related sectors around the globe. For the first seven years at IPIC, HE Qubaisi worked as the Manager of the Investment Management Division. In 2007, he became a member of the board and Managing Director of IPIC, and later, in May of 2012, Chairman of Aabar Investments PJS.
HE Qubaisi currently sits on a number of boards of international, regional and domestic Emirati companies and organizations, including the Emirates Investment Authority. He represents IPIC as Chairman of Compañía Española de Petróleos (CEPSA), the Spanish integrated oil and petrochemicals company, NOVA Chemicals, the North American plastics and chemicals group, and Borealis AG, in which IPIC owns a controlling 64% interest.
Under Khadem al-Qubaisi’s successful leadership, Aabar acquired stakes in a number of foreign companies, including XOJet, Virgin Galactic and Mercedes GP. In March 2014, the IPIC’s subsidiary purchased a 9.1 percent stake in Daimler, becoming its largest shareholder.
Anecdotes
In 2009, HE Qubaisi was voted Arabian Businessman of the Year.
