MANAMA, Bahrain, June 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Dr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, President of Gulf Petrochemicals Industries Co, (GPIC) was elected President of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) during IFA's Annual Conference in Istanbul. Dr. Jawahery succeeds Mrs. Esin Mete, CEO of Tekfen Holding's Agri Division and Chairwoman of Toros Agri Industry and Trade.

Dr. Jawahery's Presidency builds on his years of active membership in the International Fertilizer Industry Association, in particular since joining IFA's Board in 2005. He has held various posts within IFA's Board of Directors, including Chair of the Technical Committee, Chair of the Finance Committee, and Vice President for Sustainable Development. Dr. Jawahery is also Chairman and President of the Arab Fertilizer Association for 2015.

Dr. Jawahery started his career at GPIC, a major producer of nitrogen fertilizers, based in Bahrain, in 1983 as an engineer, rising to the position of General Manager in 2005. He was appointed President of GPIC in 2011. Dr. Jawahery holds a doctorate in engineering from London and he is a Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers of the UK.

He serves as a member of the Upper House of the Bahrain parliament since 2002, promoting legislation on health, safety and the environment. Dr. Jawahery is the only fertilizer industry representative sitting on the Board of the National Safety Council, a non-profit organization with the mission to save lives by preventing injuries in the workplace. He also sits on a number of international and regional NGO boards involved in the same issues, giving GPIC an opportunity to share and build knowledge on sustainable development and responsible engineering practices.

"Abdulrahman Jawahery is one of most experienced executives in the fertilizer industry," outgoing President Esin Mete commented. "His passion for the industry and for sustainability and SHE issues are a great asset to the Association."

"I am honoured and delighted to assume the Presidency and will do my utmost to serve all of you and our great industry," said Dr. Jawahery. "Thank you for placing your trust in me. We really owe so much to Esin Mete, who has done a simply outstanding job during her tenure as President of IFA.

"I look forward to promoting excellence in SHE matters across our industry and to encouraging all members to avail themselves of the really useful benchmarks that our association offers. Innovation is another important topic for our industry that I would like to see prominently featured in IFA's work program.

"Sustainability is of course also vital for us and we must do what we possibly can - in partnership also with other stakeholders - to ensure balanced plant nutrition around the world so as to promote food security while safeguarding our natural environment. Sub-Saharan Africa remains a largely underserved fertilizer market and I am keen to continue IFA efforts to encourage greater access to and utilization of fertilizers for African farmers.

"Throughout my tenure on IFA's Board over the past nine years, I have been a strong advocate of engagement with international bodies, and plan to continue our important efforts in this domain."

A team player, Dr. Jawahery is "confident that together we will achieve most of our goals and that our members' aspirations for our industry will be realized for the coming years building on the solid foundation that Madam President Esin Mete has built over the past two years with the support of a very capable and professional IFA secretariat team under the able and dynamic management of Mrs. Charlotte Hebebrand, IFA's Director General."

SOURCE GPIC