In Kuwait's oil history, there is no doubting the role of Sheikh Ali Al Khalifa Al Sabah, the man who became the nation's second minister of oil and the face of the industry at home and abroad for a dozen years.

Educated to secondary level at Cairo's prestigious Victoria College, and then with a BSc in Economics from the University of San Francisco, (later earning a University of London Masters in Economics), Sheikh Ali headed the Economic Department of the then combined Kuwait Ministry of Finance and Oil from 1968-1973.
He was assistant undersecretary from 1973-1975, during the difficult time of the Arab oil embargo after the October 1973 War, and then the inaugural undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance to February 1978 following the split into two separate ministries.
He was also Kuwait's representative at Opec.
Then six weeks after His Highness the Amir Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah assumed power in January 1978, Sheikh Ali was appointed Minister of Oil.
In less than two years, he had completed the restructuring of the Kuwaiti Oil Industry, and formed Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.
Then he went downstream abroad, building a truly integrated and international oil conglomerate years ahead of other Gulf counterparts.
After leaving the oil portfolio in June 1990, Sheikh Ali served as Minister of Finance until April 1991, mostly during the dark days of the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, before entering private business.
 He was the chairman and managing director of the Kuwait Real Estate Bank from 1998 to 2000.