ENGIE appoints Turki Al Shehri as Country Manager and Ernesto Parra as Managing Director
Powering Next Phase of Growth in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh – Asdaf News:
ENGIE, a global leader in low-carbon energy and services, today announced the appointment of Turki Al Shehri as Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, effective January 1, 2026. Al Shehri will continue his regional responsibilities overseeing ENGIE’s strategic growth across the region and will retain his role as Regional Vice President, GCC. Al Shehri succeeds Mohammed AlHajjaj, who will transition from ENGIE effective December 31, 2025. In connection with Al Shehri’s appointment, ENGIE also announced the appointment of Ernesto Parra as Managing Director, Saudi Arabia. Parra most recently served as Vice President, FlexGen, AMEA at ENGIE, and holds over two decades of experience in the Group.
The leadership transition strengthens ENGIE’s long-term industrial presence in the Kingdom and positions the company to accelerate delivery across low carbon infrastructure, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. This follows a successful period under AlHajjaj’s tenure in which ENGIE established its Regional Headquarters structure, advanced the standalone maturity of the KSA organisation, achieved commercial operations on its flagship desalination projects Yanbu 4 and Jubail 3B, and secured the extension of its cogeneration and steam power asset, Tihama.
As Country Manager, Turki Al Shehri will lead ENGIE’s country strategy, stakeholder engagement, and portfolio development across renewables, desalination, conventional power, green hydrogen, gas storage, and smart city applications while continuing to oversee the company’s regional growth. Al Shehri brings extensive experience as a public and private sector executive, including heading the Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) at the Saudi Ministry of Energy and nearly a decade at Saudi Aramco culminating in his role as Head of Power Investments. He holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida.
“ENGIE is uniquely positioned to support Saudi Arabia’s net-zero vision with a definable edge in delivering clean, reliable energy solutions,” said Al Shehri. “I am honoured to take on this expanded role and further our decades-long partnership in accelerating the Kingdom’s energy transition. As we continue to develop and deploy our utility-scale projects, we look forward to expanding our portfolio while strengthening ENGIE’s public and private sector collaborations in Saudi Arabia and across the GCC.”
As Managing Director, Saudi Arabia, Ernesto Parra will oversee operations, asset performance, and project delivery across ENGIE’s portfolio in the Kingdom. Parra has more than two decades of international experience with ENGIE, including senior roles in Latin America and the Middle East. Previously, he served as COO across GCC markets and overseen largescale power and water assets (21 GW and 1,020 MIGD across 17 assets), demonstrating a strong track record in technical excellence and operational reliability.
“With a balanced portfolio spanning renewables, clean gas, storage, and desalination, ENGIE continues to accelerate its delivery in the Kingdom,” said Parra. “Our focus remains on enhancing asset performance and coupling ENGIE’s proven global expertise with a demonstrated track record in the region to advance Saudi Arabia’s net‑zero pathway.”
Looking ahead, ENGIE will work to advance its current and prospective project developments in the Kingdom while continuing to scale its collaborations with leading government entities, utilities, and private sector partners.
