Austria: OPEC's new secretary general takes office

OPEC

VIENNA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Haitham Al-Ghais of Kuwait on Monday assumed office as the new secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

He succeeded the late OPEC chief Mohammad Barkindo, who died in early July.

Al-Ghais was appointed as the new chief of the Vienna-headquartered OPEC in January this year, and his tenure will last for three years.

Al-Ghais said he looked forward to "working with all our member countries and our many partners around the world to ensure a sustainable and inclusive energy future which leaves no one behind," according to an OPEC press release.

Al-Ghais served as deputy managing director for international marketing at the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) before taking up the role of OPEC chief. He was also Kuwait's governor for OPEC from 2017 to 2021, according to OPEC.