Fares Al-Abbad

Fares Ahmed Al-Abbad was appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer of Methanol Chemicals Company (Chemanol) effective May 15, 2025, following the termination of the previous CEO. His Acting CEO tenure ended on July 14, 2025, and he resumed his role as Vice President of Manufacturing, which he had held since 2024.

Al-Abbad brings over 27 years of experience in the petrochemical industry and project development, with 26 of those years spent at SABIC and its affiliate company, Petrokemya. Throughout his career, he advanced in the fields of operations and process engineering, starting as a production engineer and eventually reaching the position of senior manager, and was also part of the team involved in oil-to-petrochemical conversion projects. He holds two patents in the petrochemical field.

Al-Abbad holds a bachelor's degree in Applied Chemical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. His recent roles at SABIC included serving as Principal Engineer in Liquid to Chemical projects and Senior Manager for Olefins plants from 2022 to 2024, Senior Manager in process engineering, and Senior Specialist for a cracker at Sabic COTC from 2019 to 2020.

Career History

• Executive Vice President of Manufacturing, Chemanol (2024-present)
• Acting Chief Executive Officer, Chemanol (May 15 - July 14, 2025)
• Principal Engineer in Liquid to Chemical Projects and Senior Manager for Olefins Plants, SABIC (2022-2024)
• Senior Specialist for Cracker, Sabic COTC (2019-2020)
• Production Engineer and Technical Manager, Petrokemya (1997-2009)

What Al-Abbad brought to his Acting CEO role: His deep expertise in petrochemical operations, process engineering, and project development—cultivated over 27 years at industry giants SABIC and Petrokemya—positioned him to provide steady operational leadership during the interim period. His track record of advancing through technical and managerial roles, combined with patented innovations in the sector, demonstrated his capability to oversee manufacturing-focused governance and strategic continuity at a leading methanol and derivatives producer.