Ziad bin Mohammed Al-Shiha has been the Saudi Electricity Company’s chief executive officer since Jan. 1, 2014, and is its president. Prior to that, he was the company’s director from Jan. 1, 2013 to Oct. 6, 2013.  He attained a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, a master’s degree in engineering and control systems from Rice University, and a master’s degree in executive business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Al-Shiha is a member of the board of directors at the Saudi Electricity Co. and Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures.  He held a number of positions at Saudi Aramco. He served as an electrical engineer and was the vice president of general planning in one of the international joint ventures in the Philippines, of which he was a member of the board of directors. He was also a public-relations manager, the director of facilities planning and the executive director of power systems.  Al-Shiha recently inspected new electricity projects in Makkah and Madinah.  They include 13 transmission and various distribution projects aimed at meeting pilgrims’ electricity needs during this year’s Hajj season. Al-Shiha also visited the SEC’s offices in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, and discussed details of the operational plan for this year’s Hajj season with the company’s officials. The Saudi Electricity Co. is a Saudi utility company that was established in May 3, 2000, and formed by the Council of Ministers. It is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  The company generates, transmits and distributes electrical power in Saudi Arabia though 45 power-generation plants.  In 2015, the SEC signed a memorandum of understanding with the King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Taqnia Energy to launch the first standalone 50MW solar power station at Al-Aflaj, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.