The Miniature Council
The founding team of the Central Iraq Section (Baghdad Section formerly), established in 2015, is composed of highly qualified professionals with postgraduate degrees in oil, gas, and energy disciplines. This team brings together a diverse range of expertise from both the public and private sectors, including experience with international companies and academic institutions. Their primary responsibilities include formulating the strategic policies of the section and making critical decisions that guide the section’s operations.
Chairperson
Dr. Kareem Al. Alwan
Dr. Kareem is a petroleum and corrosion expert with more than 36 years of experience as a petroleum engineer with the Ministry of Oil in Iraq, IOCs, and private NOCs. He is the CEO of Al Garraf Company for Corrosion Assessment and Treatment and the Hilal Al-Basra Company’s Business Development Manager (Oil & Gas). He served as Director Manager of the Petroleum R&D Center, Deputy Director General of the Reservoirs and Fields Development Directorate, and Director Manager of the general inspector office in South Iraq. He was a professor of petroleum engineering at Al-Farabi University in Baghdad. He holds a PhD, MSc, and BSc in Petroleum Engineering and has been an SPE Member since 2012.
Deputy Chairperson
Baraa Zubaidi, MSc, EMBA
Baraa is the section’s Deputy Chairperson – Communications, YPs and Student Chapters. He is the Director of the Energy Economics Research Unit at the Iraqi Think Tank for Energy Studies, Petroleum R&D Center, – Ministry of Oil. His major research focus is renewable energy integration in the O&G industry. He holds an MSc in Renewable Energy Engineering-UK and an Executive MBA-US. He has 9 years of energy, climate change, youth empowerment, business development, and entrepreneurship expertise. His career includes 12 honors and awards, He joined SPE in 2015.
Membership Chairperson
Dr. Basim M.N. Kasim
Dr. Basim is a retired senior chief engineer at the Reservoirs and Fields Development Directorate of the Ministry of Oil. Currently, he is working with Al Rafidain Oil Service Co. in Baghdad as a consultant in the field of reservoir engineering. He has a BSc, MSc, and PhD in Petroleum Engineering, and he has been a member of SPE for more than 14 years.
Program Chairperson
Dr. Usama Alameedy
Dr. Usama is a professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Baghdad. Half of his 20 years in the oil and gas industry were spent with leading IOCs like Schlumberger, Weatherford, Halliburton, and Paradigm. His credentials include those of an IADC Wireline Instructor and Log Analyst Consultant. He joined SPE in 2012 and holds a BSc, MSc, and PhD in Petroleum Engineering.
Treasurer
Dr. Ahmed Kareem Al-Hussaini
Dr. Ahmed is a petroleum engineer and researcher who has over 13 years of expertise in the oil and gas R&D industry. He’s the Deputy Director of the Gas Technology Research Section at the Petroleum R&D Center. Dr. Ahmed is an SPE member with a BSc, MSc, and PhD, in petroleum engineering. He has 9 years of SPE membership. He is a part-time professor of petroleum engineering at Farabi University College in Baghdad.
Membership Director
Ali Nahi Al-Hasnawy, MSc
Mr. Ali, a drilling researcher at the Petroleum R&D Center, has over 13 years of expertise in petroleum engineering. Previously, he worked with the General Inspector Office for the Ministry of Oil and the Iraqi Drilling Company in Basra, south of Iraq. He joined SPE in 2012 and holds a BSc and MSc in Petroleum Engineering.
Social Activities Chair
Hassan Al Rawi, MSc
Hassan is the e-marketing manager at Al Naba’a, a leading IT solutions company. He is a freelancer short film director and received his BSc and MSc in Computer Science from the University of Technology in Baghdad. Mr. Hassan worked in private sector firms for more than 9 years. Since 2020, he has been a SPE member.