Adnan Bu Fateem

Adnan Bu Fateem was appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer of Mubadala Energy on 1 July 2026, while continuing in his role as Chief Operating Officer for the company. With over 20 years of diverse experience in the energy sector, Adnan brings deep technical, operational, strategic & leadership expertise, and currently leads the company’s global business, as well as the operated and non-operated portfolio. Since joining Mubadala Energy in 2010, Adnan has held various positions from Manager New Ventures, Director of Exploration, Senior Vice President Technical, and Chief Operating Officer. He has also played a key role in a number of strategic projects, including leading the organization’s global digital transformation process, and major successful exploration and development activities. Prior to joining Mubadala Energy, Adnan worked at Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company, where he served as a member of the subsurface team, contributing to key analytical and field development projects. Adnan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from the United Arab Emirates University, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain. He serves on the Boards of Directors for Caturus and Pak-Arab Refinery (PARCO) as Vice Chairman.

Session Overview

Wednesday, 4 November

12:20

Upstream Plenary Hall B 12:20 - 12:50

Restructuring upstream partnerships: aligning capability, control and capital for project delivery

Large upstream developments depend on alliances between national oil companies and international operators capable of combining resource ownership with technical execution. These partnerships are becoming more structured as projects grow in scale, complexity and capital intensity. Joint ventures are now designed around shared governance frameworks, phased capital commitments and clearly defined risk allocation between partners. For host governments, collaboration with international operators provides access to advanced technology, capital and global financing networks. For international companies, partnerships secure long-term access to resource-rich basins while distributing development risk. As long-cycle projects demand stronger capital discipline, partnership design has become central to development success. Where sovereign priorities, operational capability and financial risk are well aligned, large developments get built. The strength of the partnership structure determines whether projects advance efficiently from concept to delivery.

Attendee Insights:
Understand how leading operators are structuring partnerships to improve project delivery, manage risk and accelerate development in complex upstream projects.