Abdulhadi H. Taher

Abdulhadi H. Taher was an Saudi Arabian oil executive, author, and philanthropist. He is the former Director General of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals.

Early Life and Education

Taher was born in Medina in 1930 to a family of limited means.^[1] He earned his PhD in Business Administration from what is now the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley in 1964. Taher died in 2013.

Career

Taher has been described as "one of the most powerful figures" in Saudi Arabia.^[2] He has spent his career working in both the public and private sectors. He served as the Director General of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Petroleum and Minerals, the government-owned corporation that develops the Mideast nation's petroleum, petrochemical and mineral industries.^[3] He is also the founder of the Al-Taher Group, a collection of companies that focus on construction, engineering, trading and real estate ventures in Saudi Arabia.^[4] The Al-Taher Group employs a workforce of more than 2500 employees based throughout the Arab region. Taher has served as a board member of Saudi Aramco and as the governor and founding director general of the Petromin Corporation.^[5]

Taher was a major shareholder in Gulf Oil the multinational oil company, alongside the Hinduja group.

Taher has lectured at the business school at King Saud University in Riyadh.^[6]

Taher is also a Knight of Thailand. He was ennobled by King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1980.^[7]

Chair in Comparative Religions

In 2002 Taher established an endowed chair at the American University in Cairo.^[8] The Abdulhadi H. Taher Chair in Comparative Religions is situated within the Department of History at the American University. The Chair is dedicated to the academic study of comparative religious history and theory.^[9] Professor Adam Asher Duker was appointed to the Taher Chair in 2016.^[10]

Family

Abdulhadi Taher is the father of Tarek Taher, who was arrested but then subsequently skipped bail and fled the United States to escape justice in 1982 on the charge of racing his Ferrari on US-101 near Santa Barbara. There was an attempt to increase his bail to 8 million usd, on the assumption that anything less would be "virtual pocket change" to the wealthy Saudi.^[11] Deputy Santa Barbara County District Attorney Darryl Perlin said that Abdulhadi Taher's parenting led Tarek Tarek to thinking he could "always get his way."^[12] A senior U.S. State Department figure Perlin to drop the case, claiming that Abdulhadi Taher could negatively influence Saudi-American relations in response to the prosecution of his son.^[13] Perlin refused to drop the case and eventually the fugitive Tarek Taher was returned to the United States, where he served 45 days in jail.^[14]

Published works

Taher has authored or co-authored four books.

Monographs

• (2013). Energy, A Global Outlook: The Case for Effective International Co-operation. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
• (2011). Petroleum, Gas and Development Strategies of Saudi Arabia: Income Determination in the International Petroleum Industry. London: Saqi Books.
• (2008). Income Determination in the International Petroleum Industry. London: Saqi Books.

Co-authored monographs

• (2013). Co-authored with Michael Matthews. Saudi Arabian Hydrocarbons and World Affairs. London: Saqi Books.

References