KARACHI: Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has appointed Jawwad Ahmed Cheema as its chief executive officer (CEO).In a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the company said its Board of Management has appointed Cheema for a three-year term, effective May 18, 2026. He succeeds Abdus Sami, who had been serving as interim CEO.
Cheema brings over 28 years of experience in the downstream energy sector, including nearly two decades in senior leadership roles across Asia-Pacific, Europe and South Asia. His experience spans retail fuels, lubricants, storage infrastructure, supply chain management, strategy and international portfolio management, with a focus on business transformation and turnaround.
He spent 26 years at Royal Dutch Shell, rising from retail operations in Pakistan to senior global roles across Indonesia, Singapore, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. As Managing Director and CEO of Shell Pakistan, he led the company through a period of strategic and operational change.
In later roles, he served as vice president of strategy and portfolio at Shell International in The Hague, overseeing global downstream infrastructure strategy, and as vice president of Shell Business Operations in Singapore, where he led the expansion and consolidation of global business services. He also held strategy and consultancy roles focused on market entry, divestments and business transformation across Asia-Pacific.
Cheema has experience in emerging markets, including leading Shell’s retail fuels entry into Indonesia. Most recently, he was CEO of Karachi Hydrocarbon Terminal, a joint venture under VTTI BV, managing a key petroleum import and distribution facility at Port Qasim.He has also held board roles, including chairperson of Shell Pakistan and director positions at Pakistan Refinery Limited and Pakistan Arab Pipeline Company.
