Steve Ridlington to succeed Adrian Kershaw

Abu Dhabi, UAE-headquartered District Cooling provider, Tabreed has appointed Steve Ridlington as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective February 22. Ridlington succeeds Adrian Kershaw, who will remain with the company until the end of March.

Ridlington, who served as Tabreed’s CFO from 2009 to 2011, and led the restructuring of the company during that period, makes his return to the UAE’s largest District Cooling company after spending the last four years in London, England, as CFO for Buried Hill, a private upstream oil and gas exploration company. He has over 34 years of international industry experience, 17 of which were spent in various leadership positions within oil and gas major, BP.

Commenting on Ridlington’s appointment, Jasim Husain Thabet, Tabreed’s CEO, said: “It is with great pleasure that we welcome Steve to Tabreed, who brings with him a wealth of industry experience spanning the globe. His track record demonstrates an ability to enhance shareholder value while strengthening the company’s financial position. I’m confident that Steve will make an immediate impact on our business, and will continue to drive our organisation forward.”

Kershaw will remain with Tabreed for one month and work alongside Ridlington to ensure a smooth leadership transition.

Commenting on Kershaw’s departure, Thabet said: “During his five years at Tabreed, Adrian was a critical component of our growth story. He was instrumental in the recapitalisationprogramme, which set in place a stable capital structure and returned the company to sustainable profitability. Most recently, he successfully concluded the AED 2.6 billion refinancing of all our debt facilities, and has worked tirelessly to transform Tabreed into a leading utility infrastructure company.”