Tributes paid to UAE oil industry stalwart Hatem Nusseibeh

The Total executive Hatem Nusseibeh, who has died, was described as "an amazing spirit" by his brother Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh

Tributes have been made to Hatem Nuseibeh, Total EP president in the UAE, and country chair. Victor Besa / The National 

Tributes have been paid following the death of Hatem Nusseibeh, one of the leading figures in the region's oil industry and brother of UAE Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh.

The minister paid tribute with a series of posts on Twitter in which he described Hatem as “an amazing spirit and a dear brother”.

Hatem Nusseibeh was regarded as a stalwart of the oil industry having served in senior roles for a number of internationally renowned companies in the Middle East and Gulf regions and across the globe.

“An amazing soul has passed to the ever after,” wrote the Minister of State on his Twitter page.

“(He was) a towering loving father, husband, brother. We love and remember his memory.

“May his spirit remain ever a flame of enlightenment.”

Born in Jerusalem, Hatem studied at Eton College before obtaining a chemical engineering degree from the UK's Salford University, according to a speaker's bio page on the business school Insead's website. His career began in 1976 when he joined ADCO - the former iteration Adnoc Onshore - as a petroleum engineer. Then, four years later, he worked in Paris as a reservoir engineer for Total.

He then completed a senior training role in Indonesia before returning to the UAE in 1987, where he took on a role at Total ABK as head of development before becoming petroleum development manager.

In 1993, Hatem became the head of Europe and CIS region for HQ Reservoir Division before he was head of the Africa region with the new projects division.

He then served as managing director of Total Upstream Nigeria, from 1997 to 2000.

He became managing director of Total E&P Libya from 2000 until 2003.

Hatem took on the role of managing director of Total E&P Syria for five years from 2009, before he was managing director of both Total E&P Yemen and Total Yemen LNG.

He then served as president of Total in the UAE.

France's ambassador to the UAE Ludovic Pouille said on twitter that Hatem had been a "steadfast supporter of the French community, he contributed to strengthening the relationship" between France and the UAE.

Patron of the arts Paula Al Askari wrote on Instagram "Rest In Peace ... my dear friend ..."