Valaris and Saudi Aramco offshore drilling JV appoints new CEO

ARO Drilling, a joint venture between Valaris and Saudi Aramco, has appointed Mohamed Hegazi as chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Hegazi previously served as CEO of TGT Diagnostics, a provider of wellbore integrity measurement solutions to the oil and gas industry. Before joining TGT Diagnostics, he held various senior leadership positions at SLB, formerly Schlumberger.

Hegazi replaces Derek Kent, who will be retiring following a handover period.

Valaris president and chief executive Anton Dibowitz, said: “Mohamed brings to the role strong leadership skills, oilfield service and capital markets experience as well as extensive knowledge of working in the Middle East. ARO is attractively positioned with its 20 rig newbuild program to help meet increasing rig demand offshore Saudi Arabia, and I look forward to working with Mohamed as we chart its next chapter of growth and value creation.”