Wael Allan has been appointed CEO of Drake & Scull International (DSI), replacing Khaldoun Tabari, the Dubai-listed construction and engineering company said on Monday.
Allan, who joined the company as chief operating officer in May, will take up the new role on October 10, DSI said in a bourse statement.
Allan has 26 years of global management experience across the USA, Europe, Far East and the Middle East. Prior to his appointment at DSI, he served as CEO of Arcadis Middle East.
Khaldoun Tabari is to continue to serve DSI as Vice-Chairman, non-executive board member, and a member of its executive committee. Tabari, a major shareholder in the firm, submitted his resignation to the board in August.
“Khaldoun’s valuable contribution towards DSI’s remarkable growth continues to inspire us and [has] laid the foundation of our future growth path. We are pleased to have him continue to lend his expertise and wisdom as the Vice-Chairman in guiding the company during and after the transition to the new management structure,” said Majid Al Ghurair, Chairman of DSI.
“I am confident that Wael Allan’s vision and commitment will help DSI emerge stronger, leaner and more efficient through these challenging times, drawing on his considerable 26 years of global engineering and management experience.”
Khaldoun Tabari said: “As we mark 50 years of our Middle East operations, I believe this is the right time to hand over to Wael Allan and the senior team that will now chart the future course of the company. I believe that our fundamentals remain robust and our clients and partners continue to value our experience and pioneering innovations in our key markets.”