Steve Ridlington

Steve Ridlington is a Chief Financial Officer at National Central Cooling Company PJSC (Tabreed), the Abu Dhabi-based regional district cooling utility company. He is British and has served as CFO at Tabreed for two terms: between February 2015 and November 2019, and between 2009 and 2011. Ridlington has over 34 years of international industry experience, 17 of which were spent in various leadership positions within BP, one of the world's top oil and gas companies.

During his first tenure at Tabreed from 2009 to 2011, he restructured the company. He was instrumental in the recapitalization programme, which set in place a stable capital structure and returned the company to sustainable profitability, and successfully concluded a Dh2.6 billion refinancing of all debt facilities.

Ridlington holds a Master's degree in Economics (1981) from St. Antony's College, Oxford University, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Mathematics (1979) from Sussex University.

Career history

• Chief Financial Officer at Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) since July 2020
• Chief Investment Officer at Abu Dhabi Power Corporation
• Chief Financial Officer at National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed), February 2015 to November 2019
• Chief Financial Officer at Buried Hill (private upstream oil and gas exploration company) in London, 2011-2015
• Chief Financial Officer at National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed), 2009-2011
• Vice President of Finance at TNK-BP, 2003-2008
• Economic Advisor to HM Treasury, UK, 1981-1986
• Various roles at British Petroleum (BP), 1986-2003

What Ridlington could bring to his role as CFO at Tabreed: Given his dual tenure at the company managing two critical restructuring phases, demonstrated expertise in large-scale debt refinancing (the Dh2.6 billion facility), and proven track record returning utilities to profitability, Ridlington brings deep sectoral expertise and institutional knowledge of Tabreed's business model. His experience scaling operations in energy and utilities, combined with financial acumen developed across BP, TNK-BP, and Buried Hill, positions him to drive shareholder value through strategic capital management and operational transformation.