Emarat, the United Arab Emirates state fuel and downstream energy company, has appointed Burhan Al Hashemi as Chief Executive Officer, the company announced on 9 February 2026. The appointment places a veteran of the region's downstream energy sector at the head of one of the country's established fuel retailers as it pursues its next phase of growth.
Al Hashemi brings three decades of experience across the downstream energy value chain, with expertise spanning aviation fuels, lubricants, retail fuel network operations, gas, and industrial and marine fuel supply. He previously held several senior leadership positions at the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), where he supported business expansion, operational improvements and stronger commercial performance across regional and international markets.
In his new role, Al Hashemi will lead Emarat's strategic agenda, with stated priorities spanning operational excellence, customer experience, efficiency and sustainable growth. The company also pointed to the acceleration of key enablers such as digital capability-building and talent development, signalling an intent to modernise operations alongside network expansion.
The appointment comes as fuel retailers across the Gulf navigate a shifting energy landscape, balancing the demands of a still-substantial conventional fuels business against gradual moves toward cleaner energy, electric-vehicle charging and diversified retail offerings at forecourts. A chief executive drawn from a large integrated operator brings direct experience of managing that balance at scale.
For Emarat, installing a leader with deep downstream and commercial credentials suggests a focus on operational performance and customer-facing improvements rather than a wholesale change of direction. The pace at which the company upgrades its retail network, expands non-fuel services and advances its digital agenda will be the early markers of Al Hashemi's tenure, in a market where competition for motorists and commercial fuel customers remains intense.
Emarat occupies a distinctive position in the UAE market, operating alongside other national fuel players while serving motorists, aviation customers and industrial clients across the country. Leadership drawn from ENOC, one of the region's largest integrated energy groups, gives the company a chief executive familiar with the operational and commercial dynamics of competing at national scale.
The energy retail sector in the Gulf is also under pressure to modernise the customer experience, from payment and loyalty technology to the design of forecourt convenience and services. Al Hashemi's emphasis on digital capability and talent development points to an agenda focused as much on how customers interact with the brand as on the fuels business itself, and progress on those fronts will help define the company's competitive standing over the coming period.
