Decree passed by the Council of Ministers in the Kingdom of Bahrain to establish GDA as a non-profit association with founding members: Saudi Aramco, Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC), and Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO).

Kick-off Workshop with the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) nominated by the founding members to form 8 Technical Committees.

ADNOC Refining joined GDA as the 5th founding member. Long-running industry event “PetroTech” was renamed and launched as “GDA International Downstream Conference & Exhibition (GDA Conference)” with 1st edition on 23-25 Oct 2018.

“Commissioning & Start-up” added as 9th Technical Committee.

Inauguration ceremony of GDA with the launch of Corporate Video at Four Seasons Hotel, Bahrain Bay under the patronage of H.E. Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil, Kingdom of Bahrain, in the presence of H.E. Bakheet Al-Rashidi, ex-Minister of Oil and ex-Minister of Electricity & Water, State of Kuwait, and many other high-level dignitaries.

1st Edition of Quarterly Newsletter “GDA FLASH” launched

GDA New Website launched in a new look & feel with a Knowledge Hub carrying 11 interactive portals for the GDA members.

1st Annual Meet with all GDA Members (SPOCs and SMEs) and Board Members at Bapco Club, Awali, Kingdom of Bahrain.

1st GDA International Downstream Conference & Exhibition held at Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre under the theme “Towards a Competitive Downstream through Innovation, Collaboration and Technology”. This event was held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, ex-Prime Minister, Kingdom of Bahrain and was inaugurated by His Highness Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. It was attended by 2,525 delegates representing 27 countries and 476 companies with 121 speakers and 277 students & young professionals.

Hosted 1st Industry Trends Symposium and Executive Roundtable by Stratas Advisors at Gulf Hotel, Bahrain with 60 delegates from GDA member companies.

Launched “GDA Knowledge Hub” at EMET in the presence of Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil, Kingdom of Bahrain

Hosted a reception for prominent business leaders and industry experts at the Bahrain Capital Club under the theme “A New Initiative for Knowledge-sharing.” GDA Knowledge Hub was commented to be a unique initiative in the industry for sharing knowledge & experience.

Hosted “Competitive Energy Systems” symposium in collaboration with American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) under the patronage of Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil, Kingdom of Bahrain at The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Bahrain.

Launched a cross-company mentorship program among NOCs to accelerate development of next generation leaders.

Held 1st workshop on “Digital Transformation Culture” on the sidelines of ADIPEC 2019 in Abu Dhabi in partnership with Gulf Intelligence.

2nd Annual Meet with all GDA Members (SPOCs and SMEs) and Board Members at Wyndham Grand Hotel, Kingdom of Bahrain.

GDA starts work from home and virtual Technical Committee meetings in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

Launched a virtual Webinar series “GDA Conversations” with Industry and Technology leaders involving GDA Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for deep-dive discussions on topics of high relevance.

Offered a customized free “Future Readiness Assessment Tool” in collaboration with KPMG for GDA member organisations.

Lunched 10th Technical Committee on “Digitalisation”.

GDA conducted a Downstream Panel Session on: “Sustainability Shift and Dynamic Growth” with representatives from GDA member organisations at the MENA Energy Meet Virtual Expo and Summit.

GDA Leadership & People Development Committee conducted a member survey on “Thank You 2020” capturing members’ reflections on the positives of the pandemic year 2020.

1st free-to-attend GDA Virtual Conference “GDA Transform” with the theme of “The Evolving Future of Leadership and Project Management” jointly led by the two GDA Technical Committees (Project Management and Leadership & People Development). It was attended by 1,573 delegates representing 680 organisations from 70 countries. The event was powered by 32 speakers across 15 sessions.

GDA moves to a new office at Awali, Kingdom of Bahrain.

MOU signed with IHS-Markit (now part of S&P Global) as GDA’s Market Intelligence Partner.