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Appointments of RecordBrief

AD Ports Group appoints Afif Al Yafei as group chief executive

Al Yafei joins from Taqa Transmission, succeeding Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi who led the company since 2014.

Scenic view of container ships docked at Hamburg port during early evening, highlighting global trade.Photograph by Wolfgang Weiser on Pexels

AD Ports Group, the Abu Dhabi-based ports and free zones operator, has appointed Afif Saif Al Yafei as group chief executive. He succeeds Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, who held the role since 2014. The appointment was announced on 2 November 2026.

Previous role and experience#

Al Yafei joins AD Ports Group from Taqa Transmission, where he served as chief executive. In that position, he oversaw the company's asset base expansion and its capital investment programme. He held senior leadership positions at Tabreed and Adnoc Gas before that, and sits on several corporate boards. His experience spans more than two decades across infrastructure, utilities and industrial sectors, according to the company statement.

Operational scope and recent performance#

AD Ports Group operates in more than 50 countries across five continents and manages 40 terminals. In 2025, the company's EBITDA rose 12 percent year on year to AED 5.1 billion. Container throughput in the ports segment increased 23 percent year on year to 7.7 million TEU, while general cargo volumes rose 7 percent to almost 60 million tonnes. In the maritime and shipping segment, container feeder volumes climbed 38 percent year on year to 3.35 million TEU.

Delisting process underway#

The leadership change comes as AD Ports Group transitions from a publicly traded company to a private enterprise. The company is delisting from the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange following L'imad's completion in September 2026 of all requirements for its voluntary cash offer to buy up to 100 percent of the company. L'imad, through ADQ, already owned 75.42 percent of AD Ports Group when it launched the voluntary tender offer on 18 August 2026 for the remaining issued and paid-up share capital. ADQ offered AED 6.25 per share for the shares it did not already own.

Sources2 sources across 2 domains

  1. thenationalnews.comThe NationalAppointment of Afif Al Yafei as group CEO, succession from Mohamed Al Shamisi, previous role at Taqa Transmission, delisting process and ADQ offer terms
  2. worldcargonews.comWorld Cargo News2025 financial performance figures including EBITDA, container throughput, general cargo volumes and feeder volumes, operational scope across 50 countries

Each source above carries the claim it supports. Links open the publisher's own page; their text is not reproduced here beyond what the claim requires, and their rights remain theirs.

Filed underad ports groupceo appointmentafif al yafeiabu dhabiports operatortaqa transmission

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