China’s Sinopec Group appoints Zhao Dong as new president
Zhao Dong, a professor-level senior accountant with a doctor’s degree, has been appointed as the new president of China’s Sinopec Group. He succeeds Ma Yongsheng, who was appointed chairman of Sinopec Group in November 2021.
Sinopec Group is the world’s largest oil refining, gas and petrochemical conglomerate, headquartered in Beijing, China. Sinopec’s business includes oil and gas exploration, refining, and marketing; production and sales of petrochemicals, chemical fibers, chemical fertilizers, and other chemical products; storage and pipeline transportation of crude oil and natural gas; import, export and import/export agency business of crude oil, natural gas, refined oil products, petrochemicals, and other chemicals. It also produces ethanol and several biofuels such as biodiesel and green jet fuel, from waste vegetable oil.
Zhao’s appointment comes as Sinopec is stepping up efforts to develop green energy as China has stated its goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2060.
Zhao spent decades in the oil industry. He served as chief financial officer and a member of the party committee of China National Oil & Gas Exploration and Development Corporation (CNODC) from June 2008 to October 2009. From October 2009 to September 2012, he was chief financial officer and a member of the party committee of CNODC, also serving as chief financial officer of PetroChina International Investment Company Limited. He was appointed the vice president, deputy secretary of the party committee, secretary of the discipline inspection commission and president of the trade unions of CNPC Nile Company, a subsidiary engaged in oil production in Africa, in September 2012. He became the president, secretary of the party committee, secretary of the discipline inspection commission and president of the trade unions of CNPC Nile Company in August 2013. He was the president and the deputy secretary of the party committee of CNPC Nile Company from July 2014 to November 2015.
In November 2015, he was appointed chief financial officer of PetroChina Company Limited, Asia’s largest oil and gas producer. Zhao joined Sinopec as chief accountant in November 2016, and was appointed director of the Board and deputy secretary of the Party Leadership Group of Sinopec Group in May 2020.
