About

Focus on: My career 

Abdulwahhab is currently the group general counsel of OQ, a global integrated energy company based and owned in Oman, managing a legal function consisting of approximately 20 lawyers across the group. The legal function provides legal support to the group across a wide range of activities including upstream oil and gas production, downstream refineries and petrochemicals, renewable energy and other related activities. The group’s global presence spans across 17 countries in four continents.  

Abdulwahhab possesses over two decades of professional experience, primarily focused on the energy and utilities industry. Throughout his career, he has played pivotal roles in driving the restructuring and reforms of major economic sectors. Additionally, he has been instrumental in the implementation and advancement of the regulatory frameworks within the utilities sector. Abdulwahhab embarked on his professional journey at the telecommunication regulatory authority during a period when the sector was undergoing restructuring in preparation for market liberalisation and privatisation. He subsequently became a member of the electricity regulatory body, where he actively participated in the complex process of restructuring and reforming the electricity sector. Through the implementation of vertical and horizontal unbundling of the state-owned electricity utility and the establishment of a highly effective world-class regulatory framework, this reform initiative proved to be immensely successful within the region and has led to attracting private and foreign investments surpassing US$1bn.  

Abdulwahhab was a key figure in the triumph of the GCC Electricity Interconnection project, which has provided substantial support to all GCC countries and paves the way for a unified regional power market and the potential positive impact on the global energy landscape.  

He recently played a crucial role in the overhaul and modernisation of Oman’s water and wastewater sector. This has resulted in implementation of a novel market structure and regulatory framework. In addition to his contributions to the drafting of various laws and regulations, he provided valuable support to several government units and state-owned companies in several major projects.  

As a seasoned arbitrator with extensive experience in resolving disputes, Abdulwahhab has established himself as a leading authority in the field of sports arbitration and ethics. He is currently serving as a CAS arbitrator and the Chairman of Oman’s Sports Arbitration Committee and accredited sports arbitrator across the GCC. He is also a member of the ethics committees in a number of international sports and Olympic bodies.