New Silk Road CEO of the Year Awards 2025 in Fujairah

Industry luminaries Mohammed Al-Mulhim, President & CEO, Aramco Trading, Sara Akbar, Chairman & CEO, OiLSERV Kuwait, and other key figures were honoured at the New Silk Road CEO of the Year Awards 2025 in Fujairah last night for their transformative contributions to the development of the global energy markets East of Suez.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, and in the presence of H.H Sheikh Saleh bin Mohamad bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Chairman of the Port of Fujairah, and H.H. Sheikh Dr. Rashid Bin Hamad Al-Sharqi, Deputy Chairman of the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, the awards recognized leaders reshaping energy markets along the Middle East-Asia corridor.

Mohammed Al-Mulhim, recipient of the Trading Category Award, was appointed President & CEO of Aramco Trading Company in 2022 and became Senior Vice President at Aramco in 2024. With over 30 years at Saudi Aramco, he has led senior roles in Sales & Marketing, served as Managing Director of Saudi Petroleum Ltd. in Singapore overseeing crude and refined product operations across Asia, and contributed to key company projects.

Sara Akbar, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award 2025, is a pioneering force in the oil and gas industry. With over 40 years of experience, she co-founded Kuwait Energy in 2005—the first MENA-based private independent oil & gas company—and has since held top leadership roles including Chairperson & CEO of OiLSERV Kuwait. A trailblazer in a male-dominated field, Sara has championed innovation, governance, and women’s leadership, leaving a legacy across the Middle East and beyond.

Reflecting on this year’s winners, Abdullah Al Dossary, Managing Director, Aramco Trading Fujairah, noted: “The class of 2025 Award winners, demonstrates the extremely high caliber of individuals who are leading the advancement of energy markets across the Middle East and Asia. It is particularly impressive to see two female winners honored this year, another testament to rising standards in the industry.”

Other key winners included:

• Ports & Shipping Category Award: Caroline Yang, CEO of Hong Lam Marine and Former President of the Singapore Shipping Association, recognized for advancing the global shipping industry. With over 30 years of experience, Caroline has led Hong Lam Marine to become a leading bunker craft operator in Singapore while also championing maritime governance and industry growth through her leadership roles with the Singapore Shipping Association, and the International Chamber of Shipping, amongst other institutions.
• Storage Category Award: Abdulmunim Saif Al Kindy, Executive Advisor to MD & GCEO, ADNOC, honored for his five decades of leadership in the oil and gas industry. He has driven ADNOC’s upstream growth strategy, advanced digitalization and low-carbon operations, and championed innovation and people transformation across the organization.
• Refining Category Award: Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Former Chairman of IndianOil Corporation Ltd, honored for expanding India’s refining capacity and championing the Energy Transition. Under his leadership, IndianOil scaled operations ensured energy security during crises, and launched major investments in hydrogen, biogas, and electric mobility.
• Pricing & Intelligence Category Award: Dave Ernsberger, Co-President, S&P Global Commodity Insights, a recognized authority in global energy markets, with more than 20 years’ experience shaping benchmarks and overseeing reporting standards. His leadership has been crucial in strengthening the transparency and reliability of price assessments that underpin global energy trading.

Celebrating its 8^th anniversary, the New Silk Road CEO of the Year Awards, established in a partnership between Aramco Trading, Gulf Intelligence and the Government of Fujairah in 2017, honor visionary leaders across trading, refining, storage, ports & shipping, and the newly added category this year – pricing & intelligence. The awards highlight leaders reshaping energy flows between the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, positioning the region at the center of Global South energy markets.

Previous recipients of the New Silk Road CEO of the Year Awards include H.E. Eng. Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, UAE; Rüya Bayegan, Group CEO, BGN; Torbjörn Törnqvist, Chairman, Gunvor Group; Dick Richelle, Chairman of the Executive Board and, CEO of Royal Vopak; Sultan Albigishi, CEO, ADNOC Refining; Eng. Ahmed Ali Al-Subaey, CEO, Bahri Group

It’s precisely the emergence of this critical energy trading corridor connecting the customers of Asia with the suppliers in the Middle East over the last two decades that the New Silk Road Awards are designed to celebrate – recognizing some of the key architects that have made it possible. Much of the economic renewal on these ancient trading routes East-of-the-Suez Canal is being built on a foundation of physical energy supply and demand, with more than 60% of oil and gas exported from the Middle East now destined for Asian markets.