Eng. Ali Nazar Faeq Al-Shatari is Director General of the Oil Marketing Company (SOMO), the national oil marketing company of the Republic of Iraq, and serves as Iraq’s Governor to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He is also a member of the Ministerial Advisory Board of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and serves on several national and international energy-related boards and committees. An energy economist, chemical engineer, and senior executive with more than two decades of experience in Iraq’s oil and gas sector, Eng. Al-Shatari has built a distinguished career at the intersection of energy economics, international oil markets, commercial strategy, and public-sector leadership. Since joining SOMO in 2004, he has held progressively senior positions across crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products marketing, assuming the position of Director General in 2025.
Throughout his career, Eng. Al-Shatari has played a central role in advancing Iraq’s engagement with international energy markets. His responsibilities have encompassed the marketing of Iraqi crude oil and petroleum products across major global markets, strategic commercial negotiations, pricing and market analysis, international shipping and logistics, and the development of long-term commercial partnerships with leading international energy companies. He has led complex negotiations with major global industry participants and contributed to strategic agreements supporting Iraq’s production, investment, infrastructure, and energy-development objectives. His international experience includes representing the Republic of Iraq at the Economic Commission Board of OPEC, the Executive Board of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), and the Council of the International Gas Union (IGU). Through these engagements, he has contributed to international dialogue on oil and gas markets while supporting Iraq’s strategic interests and strengthening its role in global energy affairs.
Among his notable professional contributions are the development of advanced commercial and pricing methodologies for Iraqi crude oil, the expansion and diversification of international markets for Iraqi crude grades, the introduction of new commercial mechanisms for crude oil sales, and the strengthening of Iraq’s access to long-term international demand. He has also contributed to enhancing SOMO’s institutional capacity through the establishment of an integrated market-intelligence and analytical framework drawing on leading international energy-data, pricing, forecasting, refinery-economics, and maritime-intelligence platforms.
Eng. Al-Shatari holds a Master’s degree in Energy Economics and Policy from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, where he graduated with Distinction. He also holds a Higher Diploma in Chemical Engineering, specializing in Oil and Gas Refining, from the University of Technology in Iraq, and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Baghdad, Iraq’s oldest and most prestigious university, widely recognized as a leading institution for scientific research and higher education. His professional career reflects a combination of technical expertise, energy-market insight, institutional leadership, and international negotiation experience, with a sustained focus on strengthening Iraq’s position in global energy markets and maximizing the strategic and economic value of its natural resources.
