Saudi energy group Acwa has appointed Dr. Samir J. Serhan as its new CEO effective March 1, 2026
Serhan joined the company a year ago as President for Saudi Arabia and the Middle East after more than 8 years at Air Products
He succeeds Marco Arcelli, who took over the role in 2023 and will remain with the company in an advisory capacity to support the transition
Saudi Arabian diversified energy group Acwa, which rebranded from ACWA Power earlier this year, has announced a leadership transition. It has appointed Dr. Samir J. Serhan as the group’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Serhan joined Acwa as President of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East a year ago. He moved to Acwa from Air Products, where he held senior leadership positions for over 8 years, leaving as Chief Operating Officer (COO), having overseen business across the Americas, Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and India. Serhan has also spent 14 years at the Linde Group.
At Acwa, Serhan has been advancing the group’s strategic priorities across Saudi Arabia and the broader region. At the end of 2025, Acwa’s gross power capacity had reached 93 GW, of which 56% was renewables. Late last year, the group achieved financial close for 15 GW of solar PV and wind energy projects in Saudi Arabia (see Middle East & Africa Solar PV News Snippets).
Over the last 6 months, Serhan worked closely with the leadership team at Acwa ahead of assuming new role effective March 1, 2026. Marco Arcelli, a former Enel senior executive, took over the reins of the company in 2023 from Paddy Padmanathan (see ACWA Power Makes Senior Leadership Changes).
The Acwa Board of Directors explains that this leadership transition is part of its structured succession planning process and is in line with the natural progression of executive leadership terms in its governance framework. Arcelli will continue to work in an advisor capacity to ensure a smooth transition.