Siemens appoints Adrian Wood Qatar CEO

Siemens has appointed Adrian Wood (50) as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company’s operations in Qatar, effective September 1, 2016. Wood assumes his new role after almost four years as CEO of Siemens in Kuwait. He takes over from Fatih Sakiz, who will pursue new opportunities. 

Wood’s career at Siemens started in 1990 as a Marketing Analyst within Siemens Environmental Systems in the United Kingdom. After working in both Sales and Project Management functions in Germany, he pursued different senior managerial roles within the company in the UAE, Bahrain, Philippines and Kuwait. During his tenure in Kuwait, Wood was instrumental in driving growth across the company’s divisions, leading to a 10 percent increase in the number of employees to around 300 and more than doubling Siemens’ business in the country. 

“Adrian Wood brings to Qatar a wealth of regional and international experience from his successful career at Siemens. I am confident he will make valuable contributions to our growth story in Qatar,” said Dietmar Siersdorfer, CEO of Siemens Middle East and UAE. 

In Qatar, Wood will focus on strengthening key growth areas and contributing to local value creation in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030. Siemens has been operating in Qatar since 1970 and currently employs around 500 people there. Some of the company’s key projects in Qatar include the Qatar Foundation Tram System, which will be the Middle East’s most energy-efficient rail system when completed; and the EUR 470 million contract with the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (KAHRAMAA) for 18 turnkey substations. A key focus for Siemens in Qatar is interconnecting the virtual and physical worlds in industry, urban infrastructure and energy, driving the digital transformation. 

Commenting on his appointment, Wood said: “After four years in Kuwait, I am delighted to take on this new challenge during an exciting time for Siemens in Qatar. The country continues to present sizeable growth opportunities across different sectors, and we look forward to contributing innovative Siemens technologies that can meet its long-term development goals sustainably and add value to society.”

Meanwhile, Herbert Klausner (52) has been appointed as CEO of Siemens in Kuwait, effective October 1. Klausner joins the regional management team from the Power Generation Division in Siemens AG in Germany, where he headed Large Gas Turbine Berlin Operations. His career at Siemens spans 33 years, including positions in Kuwait, Indonesia, Austria and Germany. 

The Middle East region at Siemens includes 15 countries. Siemens has been a long-term partner for the region, developing power infrastructure, supplying building technologies, industrial automation and the latest in healthcare solutions. In the UAE, 40 percent of electricity is generated with Siemens turbines, while 75 percent of UAE residents’ daily water is delivered with the help of Siemens technology. In Egypt, Siemens is set to transform the power landscape with an €8 billion project that will boost electricity generation by 50 percent, improving the quality of life for the Egyptian people. The company’s solutions are also responsible for transmitting and distributing over 60 percent of power generated in Qatar.