Bye bye Abu Dhabi
After two years it’s time to say goodbye to Abu Dhabi and take on a new adventure. I’m grateful for an experience that allowed me to meet and interview oil ministers, billionaires, and politicians. I got to break news on the downfall of Abraaj — once the Middle East’s biggest private equity firm — and cover the transformation of Adnoc — the U.A.E.’s giant national energy company — under CEO Sultan Al Jabar. I analyzed OPEC’s production cut agreement, dug into the actual nuts and bolts of the oil market, and watched decades-old trading routes be redrawn in an era of lower energy prices. I met sheikhs and royals (book-endeding a busy conference season by shaking hands with Saudi Crown Price Mohamed bin Salman and then former U.S. President George W. Bush). I learned how best to serve kibbeh nayyeh and can tell you where to find the best cardamom-flavoured tea. I made memories, friends and an extremely unsuccessful attempt at learning Arabic (don’t miss my one and only Arabic joke). I was asked multiple times if my name was Al-Ouwei. In short, I learned and did a whole lot.
Yalla, bye.
