Dow Strengthens KSA Ties With Strategic Appointment

Al Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - October 30, 2011

Share this:          

The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: Dow) today announced the appointment of Zuhair Allawi as general manager for the Dow Saudi Arabia Company. Allawi previously held the role of senior commercial director in the Performance Materials Division, Dow Middle East & Africa.

In this new role, Allawi will serve as a focal point for government and community relationships and, with our partners, seek opportunities for new business ventures and interface as appropriate with Dow’s joint ventures in the Kingdom. He will also support key partnerships and technical projects in Saudi Arabia, such as those at the Dow Middle East and Africa R&D Center at King Abdulla’s University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Allawi will be based at the Company’s Al Khobar office in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and will report to Markus Wildi, president of Dow Middle East and vice president of corporate development, Kuwait.

“Investing in country leadership is essential to capturing growth opportunities and establishing key relationships in our geographies,” said Geoffery Merszei, executive vice president and president of Dow Europe, Middle East & Africa. “Zuhair’s appointment reflects the important role the Kingdom will play in Dow’s transformation and EMEA’s growth strategy.”

“Zuhair’s new role will help Dow establish the local presence and necessary dedication to support our partnerships in the Kingdom,” said Wildi. “The Company will benefit greatly from Zuhair’s deep understanding of the region, as well as his extensive commercial, technical and people management experience. I am confident that Dow will continue to make momentous strides in Saudi Arabia under his leadership.”

Allawi’s appointment follows Dow’s announcement of the signing of the Joint Venture (JV) Shareholders’ Agreement for Sadara Chemical Company by Saudi Aramco President and Chief Executive Officer Khalid A. Al-Falih and Dow Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew N. Liveris. Once complete, the JV complex will be one of the world’s largest integrated chemical facilities, and the largest ever built in one single phase.

Allawi has over 30 years experience with Dow beginning his career in Terneuzen, the Netherlands, as a trainee in the Middle East and Africa (MEAF) export department. Since that time he has held many positions across Technical Service & Development (TS&D) and commercial management including regional commercial manager for Plastics in East Europe & Greece, general manager of the Middle East PU-System House; sales director, Thermosets, PU-Systems & Epoxy for MEAF/India; and commercial director, Basic and Performance Chemicals for the India, Middle East and Africa region.

About Dow

Dow combines the power of science and technology with the “Human Element” to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2010, Dow had annual sales of $53.7 billion and employed approximately 50,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

About Dow in the Middle East

Dow has a longstanding relationship with the Middle East beginning with the establishment of manufacturing and commercial facilities in the United Arab Emirates more than 30 years ago. Since then, Dow has established a solid presence in the Middle East petrochemicals industry, partnering with leading regional companies to set up state-of-the-art petrochemical complexes across the region. For 15 years, Dow and Petrochemical Industries Company K.S.C. (PIC) of Kuwait have shared one successful milestone after another, partnering on six industry-leading joint ventures. Saudi Aramco and Dow are in the formation process of a joint venture to build, own and operate a world-scale integrated chemicals complex in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. From the entrepreneurship initiatives of Young Arab Leaders to the new Dow Middle East and Africa R&D Center at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, Dow actively supports the social and economic aspirations of the communities where it operates. For more information about Dow in the Middle East, please visit: www.dowmiddleeast.com

For Editorial Information:

Fadi Fahem
The Dow Chemical Company
Tel +971 4 312 3687

Nisreen Sarryeh
Weber Shandwick MENA
Tel +971 4 3210 077
dow@ws-mena.com