Al-Awadhi joined IATA in 2021. He has over 32 years of experience in the aviation industry. He represents IATA in 68 countries, and he serves 57 airlines across Africa and the Middle East. IATA is responsible for improving safety levels, enhancing connectivity, reducing airlines' costs, and ensuring the sustainability of air transport. In June 2023, IATA launched the Collaborative Aviation Safety Improvement Program to reduce accident and serious incident rates across Africa as part of its Focus Africa initiative. Al-Awadhi was previously the CEO of Kuwait Airways.