Mohammad Abunayyan

Mohammad Abunayyan serves as Founder and Chairman of Acwa Power, a publicly listed company on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), where he has guided the company's rise into a global leader in clean energy, water desalination, and green hydrogen. Born in 1962 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Abunayyan is the son of Abdullah Abunayyan, an early entrepreneur in the water industry who founded Abunayyan Trading in 1950. After graduating from high school in 1979, Abunayyan joined the family business, initially working as a warehouse employee in agricultural equipment before advancing into management. In 2002, when Saudi Arabia opened water desalination to private companies, Abunayyan founded Acwa Power in 2004 to capitalize on this opportunity.

Since its establishment in 2004, Abunayyan has overseen Acwa's expansion into 15 countries, embedding sustainability, innovation, and operational excellence. With more than 40 years of business leadership, he is recognized internationally as a reference in the energy and water sectors. Acwa has become the largest private producer of desalinated water in the world, a leader in renewable energy, and first mover in at-scale green hydrogen production. Acwa went public on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in 2021, a landmark IPO that cemented its status as one of the region's most significant infrastructure companies. According to Forbes Middle East Richest Arabs 2025, Abunayyan ranked 13th among the wealthiest Arabs with a net worth of $3.2 billion.

Beyond Acwa, Abunayyan chairs Vision Invest and Dussur, and serves on the boards of several prominent organizations in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. He serves as Chairman of the Founding Board of NEOM Industrial City and Chair of the World Green Economy Organization (WGEO). Landmark Acwa projects include Sakaka Solar Plant, Saudi Arabia's first utility-scale solar project; Dumat Al Jandal Wind Farm, one of the largest in the Middle East; and Rabigh 3 Desalination Plant, one of the world's largest and most efficient desalination facilities powered by solar energy.

Career History

• 1979–1993: Warehouse employee and management roles at Abdullah Abunayyan Trading Company/Abunayyan Holding (family business)
• 1993: Appointed General Manager of Abdullah Abunayyan Holding Group
• 2004–Present: Founder and Chairman of Acwa Power (renamed Acwa in 2024)
• 2002–Present: Chairman of Vision Invest (since inception)
• Non-Executive Chairman of Dussur, Saudi Arabian government investment company in Industrial Manufacturing

What Mohammad Abunayyan could bring to Acwa Power (Founder and Chairman): As architect of Acwa's transformation from a startup into a multi-billion-dollar global infrastructure leader, Abunayyan brings four decades of business experience, deep expertise in public-private partnerships, and proven ability to identify and capture strategic opportunities in energy transition. His track record in establishing world-record renewable energy and desalination projects, combined with his focus on local content development and alignment with national Vision 2030 goals, positions him to continue steering Acwa's ambitious growth strategy targeting $250 billion in assets under management by 2030.