The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman ibn ‘Abd Al-’Aziz Al Sa’ud, recently agreed to name the “King Salman Energy Park (SPARK)” in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province, as part of economic diversification set out in Saudi Vision 2030.

As the main anchor tenant in the park, Saudi Aramco is helping the project transform the region and the Kingdom in general by creating a global industrial hub for energy-related manufacturing services, which is expected to attract some of the world’s biggest and most innovative energy industry names.

SPARK will offer a comprehensive ecosystem comprising a world-class infrastructure, logistics and a dry port, shared services, a commercial and residential area, and highly specialized training centers.

at the epicenter of the globalenergy industry

see pages 8 and 9

see page 3

$ 63.58

MAR. 2

62.52

MAR. 9

62.33

MAR. 16

65.08

MAR. 23

63.09

FEB. 23

dollars have been committed to targeting new research and development in a number of areas at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology through an MoU with Saudi Aramco.

Saudi Aramco by the numbers

25 million

OPEC basket five-week price trend 2018

Saudi Aramco always looks to be a leader in safety, especially when it comes to the Kingdom’s roads and highways. As the nation moves toward the historic day when women will be allowed to procure a driver’s license, the company has established a center to train female employees and female dependents of employees to be safe, defensive drivers.

see pages 4 and 5

women taking the wheel

U.S. visit: partnering in innovation

HRH Crown Prince Mohammed ibn Salman ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, is joined by HE Khalid A. Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and Chairman of the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) president Rafael Reif. The visit to MIT coincided with the “Innovation to Impact Forum” at the institute, which saw leading U.S. business executives join academics, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and government officials to further the dynamic business ecosystem developing between entities in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser shakes hands with Rafael Reif, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed extending Aramco’s collaboration with MIT through a new five-year, $25 million commitment targeting new research and development.

King Salman Energy ParkMarch 28, 2018 vol. LXXIII, No. 13 a weekly Saudi Aramco publication

National Maritime Academy engages with contractors

Sa’ad Al-Shahrani addresses the first meeting with maritime industry contractors recently in al-Khobar. The event was held to seek out the training requirements of companies operating in the sector. (Photos: Musleh J. Khathami/MPD)

Maritime contractors listen to a presentation during a recent meeting in al-Khobar with representatives of the nonprofit Saudi National Maritime Academy. The meeting was attended by dozens of industry professionals, including the Saudi Arabian Shipping Company (Bahri), and the Saudi Aramco Marine Department.

Hattam A. Timraz tells the audience that the maritime industry in the Kingdom is set to experience “exponential growth.” He added that the faculty at King Abdulaziz University aspires to achieve the highest training standards in the maritime industry.

Your Voice reflects the thoughts and opinions of the writer, and not necessarily those of the publication.

your voicemanaging difficult conversations

by Ricardo Baclig

Dhahran

Ricardo.Baclig@aramco.com

In a very fast-paced working envi-ronment where stress is present, we frequently face difficult conversations among our peers, subordinates, or with our business counterparts.

It could be due to wrong data sent, de-lays on project completion, or simply due to an unacceptable performance review. The issues may be small or big, but facing such predicaments can be really daunting, and more often than not, it’s emotional.

Dealing with difficult conversations is never easy, as it requires patience, em-pathy, and critical thinking. So here are some ways to help deal with an uncom-fortable situation.

Plan a face-to-face conversation. Before you get into a mind-boggling conversa-tion, try to think over first what is the real cause of the problem. In doing so, you will get prepared and choose the right words to say. Through it, you will also have a forethought on how you may react to the person you are going to talk to without hurting feelings and burning bridges.

Do mindful breathing. Mindfulness means paying attention, opening our awareness to what is happening in the present moment, and accepting it with-out judging or trying to control it. Practic-ing mindfulness using your breathing as a starting point will help you to face chal-lenging times like this as you will become calmer and feel relief. It will also help you to become more confident when you get into a boisterous conversation.

Broach the issue. Being upfront is an authentic and respectful approach, but when you do this, focus more on how you are going to solve the issue rather than pinpointing each other’s mistake — as you don’t want to aggravate the issue and have it become a more chaotic situ-ation.

Be an attentive listener and show em-pathy. In doing so, you will not just es-cape the havoc of confrontations, but it will put you both in a more peaceful and meaningful talk. This will also limit any collateral damage to your professional re-

lationship.Jot down the solutions. As you go along

the conversation, try to ask for smart solutions and write them down in your journal. If he or she can’t think of any, try to propose a fair and feasible solution and agree to it. This will not only help you to remember the difficult situation you went through, but it will guide you on how to mend issues in a more effective and pro-fessional way when you face a similar sit-uation in the future.

End the conversation with a hand-shake. A simple gesture such as a smile or a handshake can make a big difference. These small gestures, combined with of-fering concrete solutions, will help that person see you as someone on their side rather than seeing you as a foe.

Always remember that facing a difficult conversation is an integral part of human interaction, so you cannot escape it. Man-aging these situations is one of the most vital skills that every good leader should possess.

by Eamonn Houston

Al-Khobar — The new Saudi National Maritime Academy (NMA) — charged with training Saudis to meet the demands of the maritime industry set to be transformed by the King Salman Maritime Complex and a world-class rig and shipbuilding yard in Ras al-Khair — has reached out to industry contractors to determine their needs.

Representatives of NMA, including man-aging director Sa’ad Al-Shahrani, recently held the first NMA and Maritime Contrac-tor meeting in al-Khobar. It was attended by dozens of industry professionals, includ-ing the Saudi Arabian Shipping Company (Bahri), and the Saudi Aramco Marine De-partment.

NMA is a nonprofit organization that will offer training across the full range of skills demanded by the local maritime indus-try. The concept is to provide professional training to skilled Saudi talents, and ap-proximately 40 key trades will be offered, covering a wide range of specialties in ship-building and repairs, marine, and port op-erations.

Ras al-Khair. NMA will also expand its cov-erage to the much-needed training field in the areas of marine and port operations. It partnered with King Abdulaziz University (KAU) Faculty of Maritime Studies for the recent event, as the entities will collabora-tively provide all required training.

Al-Shahrani highlighted the importance of the event, saying: “Today is very import-ant because we believe that you represent a key segment of the training that we will provide. You represent the industry and the maritime requirements, and we would like to hear from you, especially about your challenges and requirements and how we can make things better for you. I welcome you here today, our colleagues from KAU Faculty of Maritime Studies, who are our partners. We are under the same umbrella.

“I think the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has required maritime training for a long time. Now, we are moving in the right direction, and what we are doing at NMA is provid-ing all of the training requirements that you will need,” he added.

Al-Shahrani noted that all port and mar-itime operations were being targeted, and that feedback and cooperation is needed. “The need in this sector is massive and this

sector has the potential to employ great numbers of Saudi nationals and profession-als,” he told the contractors.

Stakeholders in the NMA include Sau-di Aramco, the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, IMI, the Saudi Trans-port Ministry, Bahri, and MAWANI (the Saudi Ports Authority). All are existing or potential customers for the new academy.

training critical to maritime success

Hattam A. Timraz, dean of KAU’s Faculty of Maritime Studies, described the goal of his institution in providing the skilled train-ing and qualifications necessary for a mari-time industry set to experience exponential growth in the Kingdom.

“The training of Saudi nationals is one of our most important goals, and we are very honored to work and cooperate with NMA in filling the gap in training in the maritime industry,” said Timraz. “We are a new fac-ulty and have been running for six years, and we continue to grow. We are interna-tionally recognized and have excellent co-operation with international organizations, and we are moving into new facilities with new simulators.”

Timraz said the faculty aspires to achieve the highest training standards in the mar-itime industry. The recent meeting took a workshop format, and attendees were en-couraged to identify their greatest needs and challenges in terms of training and skilled manpower. The format focused on the key areas of challenges, local training needs, and thoughts about the way for-ward.

The workshop highlighted key programs and deliverables that NMA and KAU will jointly provide for the local maritime sector and the country as a whole.

An agreement was made to take the col-laboration with local contractors and ma-rine operators to new heights, where more frequent meetings will be conducted and more specialized focus groups will ensure what is being delivered by training provid-ers meets local demands.

a best-fit providerCrucially, NMA is being developed as a

best-fit training provider for International Maritime Industries (IMI), which will op-erate the new state-of-the-art complex at

March 28, 2018

2 company news

visit by HRH Crown Prince Mohammed ibn Salman ibn ’Abd Al-’Aziz Al Sa’ud highlights forum

innovation tops agenda with U.S. business leaders, academics

MIT collaboration strengthens with $25 million research commitment

Aramco Performance Materials president Peter Shepard shows HRH Crown Prince Mohammed ibn Salman ibn ’Abd Al-’Aziz Al Sa’ud a piece of flexible foam made with a new specialty chemical, Converge®, from sequestered CO2.

by Susan V. Gonzalez

Cambridge, Mass. — Leading U.S. busi-ness executives from a broad spectrum of industries, along with academics, entrepre-neurs, venture capitalists and government officials, came together last week for a full-day “Innovation to Impact Forum” on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Tech-nology (MIT) to further the dynamic busi-ness ecosystem developing between Saudi Arabia and U.S. entities.

welcoming innovation in BostonInnovation, research and development,

and advanced technologies set the stage for a series of roundtable discussions ex-ploring global challenges in renewable en-ergy, health care, and entrepreneurship.

Saudi Aramco inaugurated its first Amer-ican research center in Boston in 2013, specifically recognizing Cambridge for be-ing at the front-line of global innovation. Since that time, the company has opened two other research centers in the U.S. — in Houston and Detroit — to join the compa-ny’s global research network.

“The most progressive organizations look everywhere for ideas, capabilities, and strengths aligned with their own to achieve bigger, better, and faster results — transfor-mative results,” HE Khalid A. Al-Falih had said during Boston’s opening celebration.

Al-Falih delivered the forum’s keynote ad-dress after a welcome from MIT president Rafael Reif.

“Today’s forum is based on networking, risk-taking and trust,” said Al-Falih, high-lighting the importance of partnerships and moving visions to reality. “We need to ex-cite the business community to come on-board.”

“Universities today have developed an outward mission,” said Reif. “We shape the future with meaningful innovations to make a positive impact on society. Saudi Arabia is a nation of the future.”

Forty-two students from Saudi Arabia at-tend MIT, which Reif referred to as an intel-lectual playground with a sense of purpose. He pledged continued support for helping the Kingdom accelerate innovation.

A presentation “Building Blocks of Inno-vation Ecosystem” from MIT’s executive vice president and treasurer Israel Ruiz illustrat-ed the evolution of tech companies, talent,

Cambridge, Mass. — Collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was reaffirmed in the presence of His Roy-al Highness Crown Prince Mohammed ibn

and venture capital throughout the New England area.

opportunity and momentum collaboration

The Boston stop was part of a three-week tour of the U.S. by the Saudi delegation to seek opportunities and generate momen-tum for partnerships, research and develop-ment, and collaborations.

The forum built on the success of last year’s inaugural meeting that took place at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) near Jiddah with key decision makers and experts in energy, agriculture, technology, health care, and bioscience. This year, roundtable sessions explored topics that aligned with Saudi Arabia’s goals for its economic plan, Vision 2030, and U.S. goals to advance scientific research.

A panel discussion on “Future Cities” ex-amined aspects of designing a city in the 21st century. Panelists agreed that the di-mensions of urban life are changing due to physical space, transportation, and sustain-ability. The discussion set the backdrop for a look into a new major initiative between KAUST, MIT and the new Saudi “destination of the future,” NEOM. NEOM is the grand-est manifestation of a city of the future to be built from scratch on more than 26,500

square kilometers in a strategic coastal Red Sea location in the northwestern region of Saudi Arabia.

Joint research projects and technology advances in many fields from Saudi collabo-rations will be relevant in the development of NEOM.

Aramco technology on displayThe morning session set the stage for a

visit by HRH Crown Prince Mohammed ibn Salman ibn ‘Abd Al-’Aziz Al Sa’ud, Depu-ty Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, who visited MIT’s media lab and toured the biomechatronics lab — a multidisciplinary field of science combining mechanics and electronics. He walked through a gallery of exhibits highlighting innovation from Aramco’s Boston Research Center and Per-formance Materials group, which has creat-ed a specialty chemical, Converge®, by se-questering carbon dioxide (CO2). His Royal Highness also learned more about the latest initiatives from researchers at KAUST, Sau-di Arabia’s diversified chemicals company SABIC, and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.

There is an emphasis on innovation, in-vestment partnerships, and new technolo-gy as well as localization in the Vision 2030 plan. The visit was an opportunity for the Crown Prince to see firsthand the work tak-

ing place, which has far-reaching effects for the energy sector and beyond.

Michele Ostraat, Advanced Materials lead with the Aramco Research Center-Boston, explained a crude to chemicals initiative the center is working on with colleagues in Dhahran, which has invented an entirely new material to increase crude to chemical conversion, from 50% to 70%.

A new generation reservoir simulation tool TeraPOWERS — representing another quantum leap for Saudi Aramco in advanc-ing its recovery and discovery capabilities — was also presented.

Advancements with nanoparticles, parti-cles that are 10,000 times smaller than the typical thickness of a human hair, called Resbots, were also featured. Injected into wells and traveling through the void spac-es of rock, Saudi Aramco’s Resbots retrieve valuable information to improve production and maximize recovery and locate new dis-coveries.

Aramco researchers collaborate with oth-er teams of scientists and engineers, and the company invests externally to accelerate innovations into commercial reality through its corporate venture capital fund, Saudi Ar-amco Energy Ventures. These investments with early-stage and high-growth technol-ogy companies have strategic importance to the Kingdom.

lion commitment targeting new research and development in a number of areas.

Specifically, work in the fields of sustain-able and renewable energy, advanced ma-terials, carbon capture, utilization and stor-age, environmental sciences, energy storage, water conservation and reuse, and technol-ogies, including computational modeling, artificial intelligence, and robotics and nano-technologies are covered in the MoU.

The collaboration is a component of Aram-co Services Company’s (ASC) membership in the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI). Aramco be-came a founding member of MITEI in 2012.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with MIT, which is a distinguished, world-class in-stitution recognized for its groundbreaking research excellence,” said Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser. “Our en-gagement with the MIT Energy Initiative is

working well and the long-term potential for continuing to make significant energy tech-nology breakthroughs is showing consider-able promise.”

The collaboration underscores a mutual commitment to leveraging research and de-velopment to develop new solutions with the potential to address global energy and climate change challenges. It also builds on ASC’s existing involvement with MITEI and its Low-Carbon Energy Centers.

The MoU was the first signed in a series of seven agreements between Saudi Arabia and various business and academic institu-tions related to research and development initiatives.

The signing ceremony was part of the “In-novation to Impact Forum,” which was also attended by Nasser, who participated in the forum’s renewable energy roundtable.

Salman ibn ’Abd Al-’Aziz Al Sa’ud during a ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Un-derstanding (MoU) extending Saudi Aramco’s collaboration with a new five-year $25 mil-

Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser and MIT president Rafael Reif exchange signed documents during the MoU signing ceremony.

the arabian sun

3company news

Dhahran — The exhibit room buzzed with excitement as the trainees tested the driving simulators at the newly established Saudi Aramco Driving Center.

The 27 female employees enrolled in the pilot program had just completed their theoretical training sessions and were ea-ger to try the simulators that would test their reflexes and knowledge of the road. Each trainee was able to get a report of her strengths and weaknesses before progress-ing to the practical training, which starts next month.

Amira Al Abdulgader, a project engineer with Office Services, said she enjoyed the theoretical training sessions from which

Nada Almansoor, one of 50 certified trainers at the Saudi Aramco Driving Center, gets ready to take the training car for a drive around the driving circuit. Almansoor, who has a master’s degree in human resources from the Applied Science University in Bahrain, said she applied to become a driving instructor to make an impact in the community and teach women how to become competent and defensive drivers. See additional photo on page 13. (Photos: Ding/MPD)

Newly hired driving instructors Hawa Al Dahlawi (left) and Enas Al Hassan test the driving simulators, which are meant to prepare trainees for different hazardous driving scenarios and road conditions.

she learned basic driving skills, the different road signage systems, how to drive on dif-ferent types of terrains, and what to do in the case of an emergency.

“The advantage of learning from certi-fied trainers is that we’re learning the right behaviors and skills from the right people. Our family members and friends can as-sist us in the process of learning how to drive, but their knowledge may be limited and they may pass on bad habits that are considered culturally acceptable. These are the types of mistakes that we are trying to avoid as new drivers,” said Al Abdulgader.

Saudi Aramco has taken the initiative to establish the training facility in collabora-tion with the Saudi Arabian Traffic Police

Authority, following the Royal Decree that authorizes the issuing of driver’s licenses to eligible females starting in June 2018.

The center was visited recently by the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors, including president and CEO Amin Nasser, and mem-bers of corporate and executive manage-ment. The organizing committee provided them with a tour of the center’s facilities, which includes driving simulators, a work-shop with vehicle mechanical parts and safety equipment, and a driving circuit.

Saudi Aramco female employees and de-pendents will soon be able to register, and apply to enroll in the training and certifica-tion sessions at the center in April.

where safe driving beginsThe driving center offers a 34-hour driver

training program comprised of 10 hours of theoretical training and 24 hours of prac-tical training. The facility has the capacity to train 3,400 applicants per year and uses Smart Learning Environment technology that allows the trainers to provide new driv-ers with the best learning means available.

“The driving center is where safe driv-ing starts,” said Nabil K. Al Dabal, gener-al manager of Training and Development (T&D).

With that in mind, T&D, along with Safe-ty and Industrial Security, Loss Prevention, the Traffic Safety Signature Program, Hu-man Resources, and other Saudi Aramco organizations and partner companies col-laborated to establish the first Saudi Aram-co driving center for female employees and dependents.

“The center provides light motor vehi-cle driving training in line with the highest traffic safety industry standards and the Saudi Arabian General Department of Traf-fic guidelines to ensure that we provide a training platform that is safety driven, ef-

by Rawan Nasser

The Saudi Aramco Driving Center is where safe driving starts.

— Nabil K. Al Dabal

” taking the wheel March 28, 2018

4 company news

Saudi Aramco signs MoU to establish women’s driving center, promote traffic safetyDhahran — Following a Royal Decree

authorizing women to drive in Saudi Arabia beginning in June, Saudi Aramco has established a center to provide driver training for all eligible female employees and female dependents — in line with the highest international traffic safety industry standards and General Depart-ment of Traffic (GDT) guidelines.

To this end, Bader F. Al Qadran, execu-tive director of Safety and Industrial Secu-rity with Saudi Aramco, and Mohammed A. Al-Bassami, director general of Traffic and head of GDT, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize on-going collaboration efforts for driving and traffic safety. The MoU signing, held re-cently in Dhahran, was witnessed by Nabil K. Al Dabal, general manager of Training and Development with Saudi Aramco.

working togetherFollowing the signing, Al Qadran said

the MoU is intended to crystallize the on-going efforts of both parties to enhance and enrich the existing educational and training system for driver education and training. Al Qadran further noted that the signatories have agreed on several areas of collaboration, in addition to establish-ing the Saudi Aramco Driving Center for the company’s female employees and de-pendents.

The MoU also emphasizes Saudi Aram-co’s role in providing support for research and development on driver training and education in line with internationally rec-ognized training safety standards and GDT guidelines.

To help meet the operational require-ments of the center, and in support of lo-cal content, Saudi Aramco has hired Saudi female employees to be trained as driving instructors, lecturers, and examiners.

The center, which has been equipped with the latest technology in driving sim-

Bader F. Al Qadran and Mohammed A. Al-Bassami sign a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize ongoing collaboration efforts for driving and traffic safety. As part of ongoing efforts to enhance and enrich the existing educational and training system for driver education and training, Saudi Aramco has established a center to provide driver training for all eligible female employees and female dependents.

During their visit to the driving center in Dhahran, members of the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors, along with corporate and executive management, listen to a presentation by driving instructor Nesreen T. Alsenan about the various services offered at the facility.

Dhahran center offers key lessons for female employees, dependents

fective, technologically proactive, and en-joyable,” said Al Dabal.

The center is equipped with state-of-the-art safety training aids, including a me-chanical room exhibit, where trainees learn about the function of each component of the vehicle such as airbag deployment.

“Trainees are also made aware of the dangers of not following safety measures such as wearing a seatbelt or providing a child seat, which prevents injury in the case of an accident,” said Abdulrahman Z. Al Arfaj, Loss Prevention team leader.

To begin their practical sessions, train-ees learn the basics of operating vehicles on two types of driving simulators provid-ing 180-degree and 360-degree views of the road. This highly immersive experience is meant to prepare trainees for different hazardous driving scenarios and road con-ditions such as driving in the rain, fog, and at night. The trainees receive detailed re-ports from these interactive sessions that highlight their areas of strengths and weak-nesses before they progress to driving on the circuit.

Each trainee must complete 12 hours of practical training on the driving circuit connected to the training center. Then the trainees are supervised on Dhahran’s roads within the boundaries of Saudi Aramco un-til they master all of the required skills and techniques and become eligible to apply for a license.

the Saudi Aramco brandThe mission of the center goes beyond

teaching women how to drive. Bader F. Al Qadran, executive director of Safety and In-dustrial Security, said the company’s goal is to instill in the trainees the standards and values of Saudi Aramco so that they can become ambassadors and role models on the road.

“We have an exemplary record when it comes to training employees in defensive driving, and we are extending our pro-grams to include female employees who will be driving soon, and hopefully will be-come positive influencers in their communi-ties,” said Al Qadran.

To develop a rich curriculum and a quality

program, the team tasked with establishing the center conducted thorough research on national and international agencies that provide training and certification services.

“We took the best training methodolo-gy for training our employees in defensive driving,” said Salem Al Shehry, T&D direc-tor.

While some team members worked tire-lessly on renovating the building, enhanc-ing the driving circuit, and making sure that all the requirements for the facility were met, another group focused on hiring the right trainers.

qualified Saudi instructorsWhen the center announced that it was

hiring, Saudi Aramco received applications from more than 200 people — all of whom went through a rigorous filtering procedure before 50 instructors were selected.

“When we began selecting trainers, we prioritized competent drivers, of course, but one of the most important selection factors was their attitude,” said Rajaa Ra-madhan, who works with Human Resourc-

es. “This job needs a lot of patience, posi-tivity, communication skills, and the ability to make quick decisions.”

The instructors have different stories and reasons for wanting to take part in this training program.

Hawa Al Dahlawi and Enas Al Hassan are two of 50 contracted hires that recently graduated from the orientation program for instructors.

“I want to empower Saudi women to sit behind the wheel and to become more independent,” said Al Dahlawi. “I don’t just want to teach them to drive a vehicle, I want to show them that they can drive their future,” she said.

Before joining the program as a train-er, Al Hassan lived in Canada working for a nonprofit organization after gaining her master’s degree in systems science from the University of Ottawa.

“When I received the email requesting that I come in for an interview, I booked a flight immediately and was excited to begin this journey of training women and helping them get their licenses,” said Al Hassan.

Nada Almansoor was also driven by the desire to make an impact in her commu-nity, which led her to apply for a position as a driving instructor. While pursuing a master’s degree in human resources at the Applied Science University in Bahrain, she decided to learn how to drive and get her license.

“The training program gave us the op-portunity to pass our knowledge and skills to the learners and to develop ourselves,” said Almansoor.

For Bayan Alnahdi, it all started with a truck. After returning from the United States with a bachelor’s degree in manage-ment from the University of Colorado, she decided to take the entrepreneurial route and started a food truck business with her brother.

“I love taking part in new opportunities and I can proudly say that I joined to help my peers and help my community, and to be one of the first Saudi women in the country to train other women,” said Al-nahdi.

ulators to ensure the quality of training deliverables with a focus on pivotal safe driving skills and knowledge, is projected to officially start operations in April.

Al Qadran said Saudi Aramco is com-

mitted to continuing efforts of collabora-tion to enhance the level of traffic safety and defensive driving awareness for em-ployees, dependents, and all users of the Kingdom’s roads and highways.

the arabian sun

5company news

celebrating World Water Day by practicing water conservation on a daily basis

World Water Day, a significant date observed annually by the United Nations on March 22, raises awareness about the need to conserve and use water resourc-es in an efficient manner. The theme for World Water Day this year was “Nature for Water,” which entails looking for na-ture-based solutions to the water chal-lenges the world faces in the 21st century.

But what do we mean by nature-based solutions?

According to the U.N., nature-based solutions solve water challenges by com-bining “green” infrastructure (natural or semi-natural systems that provide similar benefits to conventional human infra-structure) and harmonize it with “gray” infrastructure (i.e., man-made things such as dams) wherever possible.

Examples include, but are not limited to, planting new forests, reconnecting rivers to flood plains, and restoring wet-lands. These type of activities, as pointed out by the U.N., can actually bring back disrupted water cycles into balance again, thereby positively impacting human health and livelihoods. Adding to that, nature-based solutions are both cost-ef-fective and innovative solutions to water matters.

action needed todayA look at today’s U.N. data reveals that

2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services, which underscores the need for immediate ac-tion. Furthermore, the projections for 2050 are worrisome as global water de-mand could climb to 30% higher than

by Thamer Al-Mutairi

green matters

“green matters” is a regular column offered by the Environmental Protection Department highlighting challenges and potential solutions to some of the most pressing environmental issues of the day.

today’s levels due to a population growth estimated to be 2 billion people.

In Saudi Arabia, the annual population growth runs at 2.3%, and with life expec-tancy rates (72.2 years) rising alongside increasing water demand, everyone must do his or her part. Each one of us should contribute to water conservation efforts, especially in arid climates such as ours.

what Saudi Aramco is doingIs Saudi Aramco doing its part? Abso-

lutely!Ever since it was founded, the compa-

ny has remained committed to practic-ing water conservation measures, saving large amounts of the Kingdom’s nonre-newable water resources.

Since the early 1930s, when prospec-tors began searching the Kingdom’s des-erts for oil, they immediately realized the need to operate in an environmentally friendly manner and to protect their lim-ited water sources from getting contam-inated or depleted — especially in such a hostile environment marked by extreme temperatures, high humidity, and strong wind and sandstorms. Such a scenario prompted all stakeholders to take proper measures when disposing of waste and utilizing water, as there were very limited materials and no water treatment facili-ties to replenish vital supplies.

The company motto was — and still is — “every drop counts.”

Since those days, Saudi Aramco has spent a great amount of human and fi-nancial resources on water-related proj-ects and has investigated and deployed several water conservation technologies. Operating as stewards of the environ-ment, Saudi Aramco strongly adheres to its conservation values, which still influ-ence every decision made in the company, including the “nature-based” solutions.

Today, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) works with several

company organizations on implementing nature-based solutions. For example, the EPD is involved with Southern Area Oil Operations to protect and enhance bio-diversity at the Abqaiq wetlands, reflect-ing the theme of this year’s World Water Day. These wetlands have sprung from the naturally exposed Neogene aquifer, and they provide essential habitats for scores of migratory bird species as they travel between Africa and their breeding grounds across Eurasia. The company has recently fenced off this site to protect it from illegal dumping, off-road driving, and hunting pressures.

Elsewhere, company employees and community volunteers have planted 2 million mangrove seedlings to rebuild coastlines, bolstering marine ecosystems and absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. Likewise, species such as the Arabian oryx, ostrich, and sand gazelle are grow-ing in numbers within the Shaybah Wild-life Sanctuary, while marine ecosystems are thriving, thanks to the Manifa Cause-way — a Saudi Aramco engineered series of bridges and drilling islands that allow for the production of oil and a natural flow of water needed to sustain marine life.

Saudi Aramco’s biodiversity surveys and other projects continue to expand across the Kingdom. Today, Saudi Aramco treats and reuses 79% of its generated sanitary wastewater and utilizes approximately 27 million cubic meters a year of treated sewage effluent supplied by the National Water Company for industrial and resi-dential (irrigation) purposes.

everyone can make a differenceSaudi Aramco is making a difference,

and so can everyone at his or her level. Saudi Aramco is supporting the Saudi

Arabian Water Environment Association, which is an associate member of the Wa-ter Environment Federation. The associa-tion is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of both the Saudi Arabian water environment and the global water environment.

It emphasizes efficient water use and encourages people to treat it as an ex-pensive commodity to prevent unfortu-nate headlines like that of the South Afri-can city of Cape Town, which ran “Cape Town is bracing for Day Zero — the day it cuts off running water for 4 million peo-ple.”

Imagine waking up one day and hav-ing no water running from your faucet to wash your face or brush your teeth. Water is a precious and severely scarce nonrenewable resource in the Kingdom, so use it wisely before it is too late. We live in the desert, after all.

Here’s a few daily activities that can help to save water, as well as spread awareness:

• Repair pipes and faucets to avoid leaks. Insignificant drops add up and lead to not-so-insignificant water losses.

• Close faucets while shaving, wash-ing hands, brushing teeth, showering, or when making ablutions. Don’t let unused water go down the drain.

• Install eco-friendly appliances to save both electricity and water — a triple win for the environment, the economy, and your budget!

• Only use the laundry machines and dishwashers with a full load.

Remember that saving water and pro-tecting ecosystems means saving lives, so do likewise each and every day.

March 28, 2018

6 company news

Information Technology innovation shines by Jeff McCoshen

Dhahran — Information Technology (IT) celebrated another banner year of innova-tion by honoring 20 individual and team initiatives — 12 of which have been classi-fied as proposed, filed, and granted patents — during a recent recognition ceremony at North Park.

Yousef A. Al-Ulyan, vice president of IT for Saudi Aramco, was on hand for the event and commended the honorees for applying the time and fortitude needed “in pioneering creative designs and promoting the innovation culture within IT.”

continuing excellence innovationThe 20 ideas recognized this year follow a

total of 23 ideas that were recognized over 2015 and 2016 — reflecting the continuing trend of innovation and inspired thinking within IT.

“It is your competence that drives tech-nologies to provide unparalleled solutions, which address the fundamental needs of our business,” said Al-Ulyan. “We are in the middle of the technological revolution, and there is no limit to what we can achieve by innovation.”

Overall, IT employees earned six new granted patents over the past three years, with another eight filed, and 35 more pro-posed and currently under process for filing.

“These achievements are a clear indica-tion of the genuine and keen interest in in-novation among our IT employees, and is associated with a healthy trend within IT to-ward innovation,” said Al-Ulyan. “We have full confidence that you will generate inno-vative designs and patents. This will further enhance our company’s knowledge base and intellectual worth.

“Together, we can attain our goals in making IT a unique pioneering organiza-tion in innovative and patentable ideas,” he added.

mobile gas detection with online monitoring

Khalid Al-Jabri, an operating systems specialist with the Jazan/Abha IT Support Group of the Area IT Department, was rec-ognized for his innovation of Mobile Gas Detection with Online Monitoring for In-dustrial Plants.

The new system replaces conventional hard-wired gas detectors with stand-alone portable gas detectors using solar energy and wireless data transmitters for commu-nicating with the field gas sensors wirelessly with gas detection receiving stations at the plants’ Operators Control Room.

The idea has been implemented at the Yanbu’ Refinery as a proof of concept and currently is in the process of being filed for a patent.

“IT has fostered the appropriate envi-ronment for innovation that enabled us to contribute in this arena and address sever-al of the company’s challenges across the board,” said Al-Jabri.

reporting traffic violations safelyIbrahim S. Omari, an IT specialist with

the Mobile Solutions Group of the Support Business Applications Department, was recognized for his Social Traffic Monitoring Solution that he introduced to allow drivers in Saudi Arabia to capture and report traffic violations in a safe manner.

The innovation involves the development of a monitoring kit with both hardware and software that records videos of unsafe driving behaviors, allowing for them to be reported directly through a mobile app to the Ministry of Interior. The idea has been endorsed by a ministerial traffic safety com-

mittee and is slated to be under the imple-mentation stage this year.

“My main motivation was to engage community drivers to participate and report road traffic violations in a safe way to re-duce unsafe driving behaviors,” said Omari. “I was extremely happy to be recognized at such an event, which reflects the company and management support for employees to be innovative.”

improving customers’ experienceMawaddah M. Felemban, an operating

systems specialist with the Network Sys-tems Support Group of the Communication Operations Department, is part of a team that was recognized for its innovation of Monitoring End-to-End Services Using Log-ical Separation, which is being filed for a patent.

“We are happy to see our collaboration idea between two departments, Commu-nications Operations and Computer Opera-tions, get recognized. This would have been hard to achieve without the continuous support of our management,” said Felem-ban.

She said the team, which includes Hamed A. Alshafei and Baher Y. AlRamady, was driven by the idea of improving customers’ experiences utilizing IT services.

“As we can’t manage what we can’t mea-sure, the idea’s goal is to proactively mon-itor our services, identify and rectify issues before issues arise with customers — al-lowing us to transform our operations from availability monitoring toward performance monitoring and customer satisfaction,” said Felemban.

The recognition event included a vid-eo developed in-house featuring the rec-ognized employees speaking about their various ideas. The event was also video streamed live to all IT employees.

recognizing innovationsAll of the IT employees recognized were

presented with the certificates acknowledg-ing their innovative ideas by the vice presi-dent, who also toured a number of booths set up in an exhibit area.

The event also included a presentation by Abdullah M. Hakami, IT Innovation Man-agement Committee (IMC) coordinator, who highlighted the detailed process uti-lized to determine the recognized innova-tions. Hakami said IT received more than 1,200 innovative ideas in the past year, with 314 of those approved for consideration

of recognition and then analyzed, filtered, scored, and selected by the IT IMC team.

“Innovation continues to be a strength within IT,” said Omar Y. Al-Thukair, man-ager of the IT Engineering Department and chairman of the IT IMC. “With no doubt, there is a profound attentiveness among all IT individuals to contribute and participate in the IT innovation program. As a result, we continued in 2017 to be one of the top admin areas within company in the innova-tion arena.”

“This annual event is particularly meant to continue recognizing our colleagues who have exerted effort and time in putting to-gether such great ideas on top of their reg-ular duties and responsibilities,” said Ibra-him A. Al-Abdulkareem, vice chairman of the IT IMC.

“We are recognizing high-caliber individ-uals that the organization is indeed proud of — individuals who take pride, as much as we do, in their ideas, addressing several of our top challenges, and bringing to light new innovative solutions. These are ideas that bring value to the company, and in-crease the company’s intellectual assets,” Al-Abdulkareem added.

Following is a complete list of the innova-tions recognized along with the idea own-ers:

• Wireless Gas Detection System for In-dustrial Plants (Khalid R. Al-Jabri)

• Provide Alarm Acquisition Mechanism through Tetra Radio for Shaybah Cell En-hances Utilizing Local Resources (Badie A. Guwaisem and Hassan T. Alhelal)

• Unified Security Compliance Reporting

Tool for UNIX and Linux (Ismail Z. Moham-med)

• Distributed Computing Design for Uni-code Conversion (Alaa N. Tashkandi, Fayez M. Soufyani, and Abdulaziz I. Mulhim)

• Monitoring End-to-End Services Using Logical Separation (Hamed A. Alshafei, Ba-her Y. AlRamady, and Mawada M. Felemban)

• Leveling Means for Determining Stress in Flexible Joints (Farooq N. Al-Jwesm)

• Trunk Modem Copper Circuits to En-hance Data Network Speed, Bandwidth, Stability and Reliability (Ahmed S. Ismail, and Kumil A. Moybed)

• Establish Authorization Framework for non-SAP Systems (Taher A. Alwusaibie, Fais-sal A. Sulaiman, and Reem A. Alothman)

• Innovative Dynamic Code Analysis Solution for Cyber Defense (Faisal A. Man-sour, Rana Y. Nujaidi, Faisal S. Ghamdi and Aminullah S. Tora)

• Discovering Assets Connected to the Network Using IT Servers (Ali A. Khater)

• Real Time Office Space Tracking System (Sofyan M. Safi)

• A Method to Enhance the Security of an MPLS-based Layer-3 Virtual Private Network (Mudashiru Busari, Salah Buraiky, and Mu-hammad I. Khayyal)

• Integrate eSight, Costing Model and IT Demand Processes (Shaker A. Faraj, Abdul-lah M. Alarabia, Madan A. Khalifa, Wael H. Rabaan, Hussain M. Alsalim, Fatima A. Roomi, Mohammad A. Harbi, and Abdulrah-man A. Alhumaidan)

• Enhance and Automate IT Service Con-tinuity Management by Creating New Busi-ness Processes and Tools (Khaled A. Otais-han, Anthony P. Deady, and Wallace W. Koenning)

• Methods and Apparatus for Pipelines In-tegrity Monitoring Using Community Fiber Optics (Soliman A. Al-Walaie and Saleh M. Al-Saikhan)

• Methods and Apparatus for Cascaded Networks Protection due to Node(s) Mal-function of Power Outage (Soliman A. Al-Walaie and Mohammed Al-Juad)

• Graceful Power Shutdown of Computing and Communications Systems (Khalid K. Al-Aqeel and Syed K. Javaid)

• Methods and Apparatus for Cognitive Safety System for Field Workers (Mohammed Al-Juaid)

• Social Traffic Monitoring Solution (Ibra-him S. Omari)

• Auto Generation of Map Landmarks Us-ing Sensor Readable Tag (Hussain M. Nasser and Mahdi H. Ab Alharth).

Speaking at a recent recognition of some of Information Technology’s most innovative individuals and teams, Yousef A. Al-Ulyan tells the employees that “it is your competence that drives technologies to provide unparalleled solutions that address the fundamental needs of our business.”

Mohammed Al-Juaid explains to members of Information Technology management and employees a patented idea titled “Methods and Apparatus for Cascaded Networks Protection due to Node(s) Malfunction or Power Outage.” The innovation, which he developed with Soliman A. Al-Walaie, was one of a number of ideas that were recognized during a recent event celebrating the successes of employees throughout the admin area. See additional photo on page 13. (Photos: Salah M. Al Shabeeb/MPD)

the arabian sun

7company news

targeted by such projects, the minister added.

Once wholly developed by 2035, the city will contribute SR22.5 billion annually to the Kingdom’s gross national product (GDP) and help localize more than 300 new industrial and service facilities in sup-port of world-class innovation, develop-ment, and competition, Al-Falih said.

Localization of the energy industry is a top priority that requires the development of facilities such as King Salman Energy Park to capitalize on Saudi Aramco’s glob-al leadership and expertise in the oil and petrochemicals sectors while also develop-ing other complementary sectors, said the minister.

“Developing the oil and gas industry, localization of renewables, and increas-ing energy sector competitiveness are some of the strategic goals of the National Transformation Program 2020, which we endeavor to achieve through such highly value-added projects,” said Al-Falih.

These projects, he added, support na-tional companies and small- and medi-um-sized enterprises, as well as create an attractive environment for foreign and do-mestic investors, and increase their confi-dence in the Kingdom’s economy.

a mega-project in three phasesThe total area of the energy park is

planned to be more than 50 square ki-

lometers and will be developed in three phases, expected to be completed by 2035.

Already, names synonymous with the energy sector, including Schlumberger, Baker Hughes-GE, and Oilfields Supply Company Saudi, have signed Memoran-dums of Understanding with Saudi Aram-co — signaling their intention to locate at the park.

As it expands its manufacturing base within the Kingdom, Schlumberger will develop an industrial manufacturing cen-ter over 500,000 square meters on land allocated for energy-related industries.

The first phase is planned to be com-pleted in the second quarter of this year, which will bring Schlumberger land rig manufacturing to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

SPARK will also cultivate and nurture small- and medium-sized enterprises while also stimulating innovation and entrepre-neurship in the energy sector — signifi-cantly contributing to a diversifying eco-nomic landscape.

establishing the Kingdom as a strategic energy investor

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 was launched by King Salman two years ago as an am-bitious program of social and economic reform that will see the Kingdom enter a fresh era of progress and prosperity,

Dhahran — Saudi Arabia continues to power toward the goals set out in its trans-formative Vision 2030 economic road map with the recent announcement of an offi-cial endorsement by the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques, King Salman ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Al Sa’ud, of the naming of King Salman Energy Park (SPARK) in the King-dom’s Eastern Province.

With Saudi Aramco as the main anchor tenant in the park, the project will create a global industrial hub for energy-related manufacturing services and is expected to attract some of the world’s biggest — and most innovative — energy industry names.

In line with the goals of Vision 2030, SPARK will create tens of thousands of di-rect and indirect jobs for local communities while serving as an economic catalyst.

SPARK will offer a comprehensive eco-system comprising of a world-class infra-structure, logistics and a dry port, shared services, a commercial and residential area, and highly specialized training centers.

strategic locationSPARK will be constructed at a strategic

location between the Eastern Province cit-ies of Dammam and al-Hasa, allowing easy access to a large pool of local manpower.

This strategic location will also enable companies established in SPARK to sup-ply the whole region’s demand for energy

An educational campus will be a central feature of SPARK as it grows. It is expected that the mega-project will reach full maturity by 2035.

A big attraction at SPARK for inward energy investors is access to best-in-class infrastructure, including a dry port.

A digital rendering of what a typical industrial subdivision at SPARK will look like. SPARK takes a “clustering” approach, which places businesses relevant to each other in close proximity.

by Eamonn Houstongoods and services related to five industrial focus areas, including upstream, down-stream, petrochemicals, power, and water. These focus areas have common commod-ities and services which, when aggregated, will create significant investment opportu-nities due to healthy demand.

Site preparation for phase 1 started in September of last year and the architectur-al design for the whole project is now 20% complete. It is expected that land will be released to early tenants in the 3rd quar-ter of this year and the construction oper-ations for the whole of the 1st phase will end in 2021.

Construction work for the infrastructure and other facilities will begin in the 2nd half of this year.

developing a more stable energy sector

HE Khalid A. Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Chairman of the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors, and the Chairman of Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones, said that the project is a response to Vi-sion 2030 requirements, pertaining to en-hancing economic diversification, support-ing the private sector, and pressing ahead with efforts to develop the energy sector. This will help develop a more stable and secure business ecosystem that will sup-port efforts to achieve the desired growth

King Salman Energy Park8 cover story

March 28, 2018

with detailed plans to diversify the econ-omy through reducing dependency on oil, boosting foreign direct investment, and developing various sectors.

In alignment with that vision, SPARK, af-ter reaching full maturity, will add signifi-cantly to the Kingdom’s GDP.

Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser said: “Enabling Saudi Arabia to es-tablish itself as a strategic energy investor, SPARK will participate in the development of the private sector, particularly the com-panies engaged in the Kingdom’s globally and regionally competitive energy support industries and services.”

Nasser pointed out that SPARK is a me-ga-project with a globally designed model environment to attract investors through common interest oriented commercial ar-rangements. Participating in the develop-ment of support industries and the local-ization of energy supply chain, the model constitutes both a strategic goal and cor-nerstone for the In-Kingdom Total Value Add Program (iktva), launched three years ago by Saudi Aramco with a mission to double domestic content by 2021.

“Saudi Aramco will capitalize on its broad expertise in supply chain and project management to ensure that crude oil, gas and chemicals projects generate sustain-able economic benefits for the Kingdom. SPARK will enhance investment in the most important asset — namely, Saudi youth,

male and female — as iktva provides job opportunities and state-of-the-art training programs for them,” he added.

localizationThe project will significantly contribute

to the localization effort and will be one of the key enablers for Saudi Aramco’s sup-pliers and service providers to meet their iktva targets and create attractive employ-ment opportunities for young Saudis.

Spurring the development are the many successful ingredients in the Saudi energy sector, and their contribution to position-ing the Kingdom as one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

“In line with the Kingdom’s 2030 Vision, we aim to be the preeminent integrated global industrial hub for energy-related manufacturing and services by providing a platform with world-class infrastruc-ture and services that helps facilitate the growth of our customers’ businesses, and brings sustained value to our communi-ties,” said Ziad T. Al-Murshed, acting ex-ecutive director of Saudi Aramco’s New Business Development.

“With Saudi Aramco as an anchor tenant, King Salman Energy Park will en-able the creation of a vibrant energy sec-tor built around its value chain and eco-system in collaboration with our business partners.

“At the maturity of SPARK, it will strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional and global energy hub, and en-hance Saudi Aramco’s reliability by localiz-ing its supply chain.”

ease of businessSPARK will be clustered by function and

will be engineered for geographic and val-ue chain efficiency in a purpose-built fully integrated environment.

It is anticipated that tenants will be at-tracted by the unrivaled location at the heart of the region’s energy economy, the value chain integration, world-class infra-structure and services, and the proximity to a sustainable market demand.

It is also expected that SPARK will bring about a desirable “work, live and play en-vironment” for energy support companies, their employees, and their families — at-

tracting the best in local and global talent.Residential spaces will be developed

alongside commercial activities as SPARK matures.

A key element of the SPARK value prop-osition is a comprehensive set of services that will be delivered to customers —

starting from initial inquiry through to operations at the site. This one-stop shop platform will initially be established as an online portal to service customers world-wide, and be expanded as the project de-velops.

“The King Salman Energy Park will be a world-class industrial park for the compa-nies serving the localization of the King-dom’s energy sector,” said Abdulaziz A. Al Abdulkarim, Saudi Aramco’s vice president of Procurement and Supply Chain Man-agement. “It will provide all the services and logistics required for its tenants. It will also support Saudi Aramco and our sup-pliers to achieve their iktva goals in align-ment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”

Fahad E. Al-Helal, vice president of Proj-ect Management, said SPARK will emerge as a “key enabler” for the Kingdom.

“Presently, the Kingdom’s requirement for energy-related industries is growing and requires dedicated industrial develop-ment focused on the energy sector,” said Al-Helal.

“SPARK will provide for the develop-ment of a world-class energy industry hub for support industries directly related to the energy sector. The demand growth projected for the next 10 years for indus-trial land required for small- and medi-um-sized industrial enterprises is expected to exceed supply.

“SPARK will be developed as a key en-abler to create a vibrant Saudi energy sec-tor to accelerate localization and create tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs.”

trainingAt the core of the development will be

the nurturing of local human capital. The Kingdom supports an intensive investment program in the education sector to meet the demands of industry.

SPARK will integrate human resource de-velopment to meet industrial needs with 10 specialized technical and vocational training institutes to feed companies with skilled manpower.

Companies may also set up their own specialized training centers within their premises.

Email: EnergyPark@aramco.comA digital rendering of what a typical industrial subdivision at SPARK will look like. SPARK takes a “clustering” approach, which places businesses relevant to each other in close proximity.

SPARK marks another stride for a Saudi economy in transformation

As the world’s 19th largest economy with 22% of proven world oil reserves and the fourth largest reserves of nat-ural gas, the Saudi Arabian energy sec-tor has long-term growth prospects.

Along with its tax system, ranked as the third most rewarding in the world, and having the lowest energy prices for investment projects, the Kingdom is an ideal investment destination for energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Significant strategic advantages make SPARK and Saudi Arabia com-pelling locations for long-term invest-ment, as it features:

• A strategic location at the cross-roads of Europe, Africa, and Asia

• A thriving, fast-growing industrial sector (the largest in the Middle East and North Africa and 14th largest glob-ally)

• Readily available natural resources, raw materials, and energy needed for manufacturing

• Easy access to Gulf Cooperation Council, Greater Arab Free Trade Area, and other MENA markets

• A pro-inward investment, pro-trade, business friendly, open, and pro-gressive economic environment

• Future capital investments in Sau-di Arabia that are expected to exceed $500 billion during the next decade

• Financial stability with the Saudi Ri-yal hard pegged to the U.S. dollar at SR3.75.

• A “clustering” approach that plac-es businesses relevant to each other in close proximity.

King Salman Energy Park at the epicenter of the global energy industry

9cover storythe arabian sun

‘Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Leaders’ gather for annual PDP forumAbqaiq — Southern Area Oil Operations

(SAOO) recently conducted its annual Pro-fessional Development Program (PDP) Fo-rum, which was attended by members of SAOO management and more than 150 PDP employees.

The theme of this year’s event was “To-day’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Leaders” and the event focused on how PDPs could develop themselves to be an integral part of Saudi Aramco’s future.

Abdul Latif M. Al Odail, head of the SAOO Manpower Division, welcomed members of management and the PDPs, emphasizing the roles and expectations of the young professionals.

topics of interestFollowing a safety moment that high-

lighted the importance and health ben-efits of a good night’s sleep after a long working day, the forum continued with a motivational presentation titled “Lead-er of the Future” by Jurgen Venzke of the Management and Professional De-velopment Department (M&PDD). Venz-ke highlighted the ways PDPs could pre-pare themselves for a future leadership role.

Ayedh Hajri of the Khurais Producing Department outlined plans to enhance the PDP process within SAOO to give the young employees more comprehensive de-velopment in operations.

The final formal presentation was by Fay

A. Mutlak, from M&PDD, on how PDPs can develop career self-reliance.

an opportunity to ask questionsThe formal workshop closed with an

open session with SAOO management where PDPs were able to ask questions of SAOO management. Khaled A. Al Buraik, SAOO vice president, extended the session with a more informal “Ask the VP” seg-ment that allowed the PDPs to discuss top-ics of interest with him.

The high level of engagement was no-ticeable during both question-and-answer

sessions, and the PDPs relished the oppor-tunity to have their voices heard.

“The forum was a great opportunity for me to network and build relationships with other PDPs,” said Wissam S. Alotaibi. “I appreciated the constructive and open dis-cussion with SAOO management where we were able to relay our questions related to our PDP journey and future development in the company — and to receive feedback from them.”

Sultan Otaibi noted that the annual fo-rum “is a great opportunity to network with other SAOO PDPs who I wouldn’t nor-

mally get to meet.” Abdulhadi Alqahtani added, “It’s great

that we get the opportunity to ask ques-tions of the managers and they are an-swered in a frank and straightforward way.”

Al Buraik closed the event, thanking those who attended by reminding the PDPs that each individual should also take re-sponsibility for their own development and take every available opportunity to learn. He also thanked the organizers for their hard work and commitment in ensuring the event was a resounding success.

Khaled A. Al Buraik urges young professionals to take control of their development and seize every opportunity to learn during remarks made at the 2018 annual Professional Development Program (PDP) Forum. The forum was attended by members of SAOO management and more than 150 PDP employees.

Fay A. Mutlak presents on career self-reliance as part of the workshop portion of the annual Professional Development Program Forum. Mutlak was one of several presenters at the event, for which the theme was “Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Leaders.”

Young Leaders Forum — the next generation of leadership

by Esra Alhamood and Lujain Kashgari

Left, Badr Burshaid listens during a Young Leaders Forum session held in Dhahran recently. Burshaid, with the help of Alessandro Iacoangeli, right, initiated the Young Leaders Forum in 2016 to help create a direct method of communication between the young professionals and Project Management Office Department management. As a result, young employee job satisfaction increased through experience gained and an increase in knowledge sharing, networking, and leadership opportunities. Professional Development Program employees (far right) in the Project Management Operations Department have benefited greatly from the forum and its diverse schedule of topics. The topics have varied greatly across all areas of the company, from citizenship responsibilities to the role millennials play in the workplace.

Dhahran — The Project Management Office Department (PMOD) has introduced the Young Leaders Forum (YLF) initiative, targeting young professionals in an effort to enrich employee engagement.

The forum gathers PMOD’s young pro-fessionals every two months, giving them the opportunity to share their ideas with the PMOD manager. Following the demon-stration of an idea from the YLF group, an informal discussion takes place with the manager sharing his thoughts.

the beginning of YLF Badr Burshaid, acting manager of PMOD,

initiated the idea in 2016 and implemented it with the support of HR generalist Ales-sandro Iacoangeli.

“When I came to PMOD, I noticed a lack of engagement as some of our young pro-fessionals seemed reluctant about speak-ing to management,” said Burshaid.

This initiative was designed to create a direct method of communication between young professionals and the PMOD man-ager. As a result, young employees’ job satisfaction increased as they acquired more experience through knowledge shar-

ing, networking, and leadership opportu-nities.

As the forum continued, the amount of knowledge sharing among the partici-pants became evident. The young profes-sionals come from different backgrounds, have different majors, and work in various divisions within PMOD. Seeing all of this diversity has been an eye-opening experi-ence for attendees, broadening the young professionals’ knowledge of each division’s roles and responsibilities, and PMOD’s im-portance to the company.

fhe floor is theirs By not limiting the ideas to project

management disciplines, the young pro-fessionals have delivered various types of thoughtful and interesting topics during every YLF session.

“Some topics were very encouraging and inspiring, such as the blood donation topic, which inspired many to donate blood for the first time,” said Iacoangeli.

One especially creative topic, titled “So-cial Experiment of Company Reputation,” highlighted public views on Saudi Aramco and the company’s employees. The group shared a video depicting members of the

Several sub-initiatives have been created out of these forums, such as the Young Counseling Board, which was suggested through one of the meetings by Profes-sional Development Program (PDP) partic-ipants. The group of young professionals address complex issues that impact the new generation of PMOD employees. Ini-tiated in June 2017, the board is run by the PDPs themselves.

Another initiative, the Young Leaders Program, arose following a job satisfaction survey of PMOD. The program helps align PDPs’ skills and interests with departmen-tal goals.

you get what you giveHaving such a continuous venue every

other month requires a significant com-mitment, but PMOD management believes allocating time and attention to young professionals pays back tenfold to the department, and ultimately, makes for a stronger Saudi Aramco in the future.

“We will have a better environment if we talk to people and try to understand their concerns, expectations, and chal-lenge them for their career and personal growth,” said Iacoangeli.

general public speaking about their im-pressions of Saudi Aramco, providing em-ployees insight into some things they may not have noticed about themselves. The presentation also included an open discus-sion about the effects of employee behav-iors on the company’s reputation.

Another popular session “The Millenni-als,” which was a presentation about the different generations in the workplace, in-cluding baby boomers, as well as “X” and “Y” generations. The presentation illustrat-ed the characteristics of each generation, highlighting their motivational keys, behav-iors, and misconceptions that each gener-ation may have about other generations. The goal was to encourage better under-standing and communication between the different age groups.

“What excites me the most about the YLF is the variety of topics young leaders are allowed to bring to the table,” said Ali Baokbah, a young professional with PMOD. “I also appreciate the freedom about how a topic can be presented during the meetings with the manager. This led me and my team to think of more effective approaches to present our topics in inter-esting, accessible, and engaging ways.”

March 28, 2018

10 company news

creating a sustainable innovation ecosystem Kingdomwideby Summer Taha

Human energy management (HEM) is now leading yet another initiative in col-laboration with the Saudi Aramco Entre-preneurship Center (Wa’ed).

HEM initially founded the SAO Innova-tion Certification and delivered the first cohort in December 2016. Last month, the eighth cohort graduated, bringing the to-tal of alumni to date to 146.

Fueling this certification success is the collaboration with Wa’ed, Saudi Aram-co Energy Ventures, Intellectual Property (IP) Counsel, and the Licensing and Com-mercialization team. This partnership has evolved yet again and has embraced the challenge to build a sustainable and strong innovation ecosystem for the region, and for the Kingdom.

The mission at hand is to develop a ro-bust innovation network that will align with the Kingdom’s transformation plan and futuristic projects. Last year, a Saudi Aramco professional group successful-ly established the Innovation Ecosystem Society. Under the leadership of Wa’ed CEO Khalil Al Shafei, this has resulted in an extensive membership of 225 regional members consisting of entrepreneurs, in-vestors, founders, government represen-tatives, lawyers, academics, and business owners. Throughout 2017, members met quarterly for “thought leader think-tank” gatherings to develop the ecosystem. More think-tanks are planned in 2018.

think-tank meetingsThe think-tanks were held at various lo-

cations around the region, initially at the Saudi Aramco IT Future Center and North Park Auditorium, then at Dhahran Techno Valley, and the last session at CH9 head-quarters located in Bahrain. The first ses-sion for 2018 was held at the iconic King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, which showcases innovation and design.

The objective of these meetings is to build a robust and sustainable network with local and regional entrepreneurs, innovators, and CEOs from around the region. Members meet regularly to col-lectively think about how to build a King-domwide and regional sustainable inno-vation ecosystem, while considering the current challenges and opportunities. It is critical to have the most efficient “people

conversations,” which is why the society is the perfect platform to gather thoughts and expertise in the field, and navigate a robust road map for success.

The session at CH9 was a superb venue since it is a business accelerator that en-hances entrepreneurship in Bahrain. Lever-aged by the gathering of great minds un-der one roof, it was enlightening to hear thoughtful viewpoints on how to create and sustain a foundational collective con-sciousness for a robust innovation ecosys-tem. Being such a diverse group made for the perfect team to combine futuristic and aspirational ideas.

It felt like Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the region was progressing far faster than ever imagined, and it was apparent that there was great excitement and a huge appetite for innovation.

With such Saudi Arabia milestones in the horizon such as Vision 2030 and NEOM — a project representing the next generation city and global center for inno-vation, trade, and creativity in the King-dom — it was apparent that it would take expertise, stakeholder engagement, and human energy to drive success. Being part of something so big, with a common sense of community, really demonstrates commitment for the future. That spark and passion, is what’s going to get results.

Trey Geode, who is with Wa’ed, con-ducted a panel discussion with Abdulaziz Al Jouf, founder and CEO of Pay Tabs. This discussion provided valuable insight into the world of entrepreneurship, startups, and taking risks. The takeaway was that being an entrepreneur is not easy, but de-spite setbacks, the end can be very fulfill-ing.

After the enlightening session with Al Jouf, there was an idea and discovery generation session on building an “enter-prise” of entrepreneurship and innovation. This was a team event where different el-ements of the sustainable ecosystem were explored. The outcomes of this activity demonstrated contemplation of culture and norms. Legal regulations rated as the biggest challenge, and the lowest rating centered on capital and talent — further suggesting that there is still a lot of work to be done in breaking down silos and cre-ating an entrepreneurial culture capable of embracing business opportunities.

In bringing all these insights and out-comes into an action plan, Samantha Horseman eloquently summarized the development of the mission and vision for the society, and set the scene for the future meetings in 2018. Horseman also encouraged new memberships from ex-tended networks and other entrepreneurs regionally.

After closing remarks from Al Shafei, what truly resonated from this meeting was a quote Geode mentioned during the interview with Al Jouf, which was adapt-ed from the CEO of General Electric, who stated that “in this day and age and with the Internet of Everything, it is better to be fast than to be right.”

We can’t expect to be perfect from the very start. We are on a continuous learn-ing track, so as long as we establish and accelerate a sustainable innovation ecosys-tem for future generations, we will evolve indefinitely. The innovation future is both exciting and bright!

For more information about the society please contact: Samantha.Horseman@aramco.com/humanenergymanagement@aramco.com or call the Human Energy Management HQ at office 013-874-5924.

Thought leaders listen to a presentation during a think-tank session hosted by the CH9 Business Accelerator in Bahrain.

Steven Pelland, center, heads up a breakout session ranking elements of the ecosystem at the CH9 Business Accelerator in Bahrain. Among those joining Pelland were Layth Odeh (right), Rafat Munnai, and Summer Taha. The group’s ultimate goal is to develop a robust innovation network that will align with the Kingdom’s transformation plan and futuristic projects.

the arabian sun

11company news

Aman Club emphasizes health, safety, security, and environment across Southern Area

by Emad A. Alabbad

One of the key roles the Southern Area Oil Operations Aman Club plays is in the promotion of safety programs across the business, and chief among highlighted topics is traffic safety. The club recently sponsored a two-day driver safety workshop in Mubaraz, with a seat belt convincer being used to raise awareness of the importance of seat belt use.

employees’ voluntary engagements in HSSE events and programs, addresses techni-cal HSSE topics relevant to SAOO opera-tions, and raises general safety awareness through innovative social and communica-tion methods.

“Aman” is based on an Arabic word that relates safety to a state of mind in the ab-sence of risks, threats, or danger.

“The word ‘aman’ has positive conno-tations in the minds of our people. That is why we chose it to name the club — to in-spire and attract our employees to take part in our activi-ties” said Abdulaziz O. Al-Aqeel, SAPED petroleum engineer and 2016 club pres-ident.

“Aman” is run by motivated SAOO young professionals through an executive board elected annu-ally by the SAOO HSSE Steering Committee.

always activeParticipation in the club has been high

among SAOO’s young employees, says Kha-lid I. Alhamed, a SAPED petroleum engineer

who served as 2017 club president. He noted that par-ticipation in 2017 programs reached more than 47% of SAOO employees.

“We would like to double that per-centage mov ing forward,” he said.

Various outreach methods have been used to increase employee engagement in programs, including hosting workshops and lectures, arranging site visits and tours, con-ducting on-site activities, and making peri-odic online quizzes on HSSE subjects.

Health programs addressed negative habits and promoted positive practices to reinforce a culture of wellness. At a smok-ing cessation session in ‘Udhailiyah, the dangers of smoking and secondary smoke were discussed, and current smokers were counseled to become ex-smokers. Young employees were urged to avoid the habit completely.

Meanwhile, healthy habits such as do-nating blood were highlighted in Abqaiq. Also, healthy habits were shared through an engaging online quiz competition. Over-all, the various health programs, including blood donations, attracted nearly 900 par-ticipants.

Safety subjects have been an integral part of the club’s programs. More than 1,000 employees participated in activities that fo-cused on safety at home, on the road, and at work. Participants were taken to visit a safety house in ‘Udhailiyah and a rigless site in Hawiyah to learn about important safety considerations, both at home and at work.

Also, traffic safety was addressed through online quizzes and a number of events. For example, a two-day driver safety workshop engaged participants in Mubaraz, with a seat belt convincer helping to raise aware-ness of the importance of seat belt use. “Learning about motor vehicle accident in-jury statistics in Saudi Arabia, and getting the chance to experience an accident’s im-pact through the seat belt convincer, has really impacted me and highlighted the

importance of obeying traffic regulations,” said SAPED assistant engineer Bader S. Al-Sager.

Security applications — in the industrial world and in cyber domains — have been key topics, with more than 1,400 employ-ees and trainees taking part in programs over the past year. The events and activities covered a variety of security subjects — from traffic safety to protecting computers and industrial control systems, as well as in-formation security.

Environment was also addressed at a number of events, with informative and practical subjects applicable to both SAOO operations and the community addressed. The topic of electronic waste and electrical equipment management was highlight-ed among employees in ‘Udhailiyah, with insight into recycling and refurbishing IT equipment discussed.

“I learned about the Irtiqa recycling ini-tiative,” said SAPED petroleum engineer Mohammed S. Almajed, who attended the event. “I was happy to see many unused items being refurbished and then making their way into the hands of people who need them. The event inspired me to put forth some of my old devices for donation and recycling.”

Similarly, information on reducing print-ing were shared with environmental coor-dinators in Abqaiq in efforts to raise aware-ness about the benefits of saving paper. Also in Abqaiq, insights about the Manifa project were examined, along with some of the project’s best practices related to protecting marine life. More than 120 key personnel and environmental coordinators from throughout SAOO participated.

4CBs in actionThe four Critical Behaviors (4CBs) have

played a key role in the Aman Club’s suc-cess. Capitalizing on people conversations, important HSSE dialogs were facilitated among a numbers of SAOO employees, raising the level of attention on relevant HSSE expectations and performance mea-sures. Such outcomes were realized through effective collaboration between SAOO de-partments and a wide array of proponents in Upstream, Operations and Business Ser-vices, and Technical Services, as well as oth-er partners and local entities, reinforcing the commitment toward Saudi Aramco’s HSSE goals. “Aman” programs are also a re-flection of empowering employees to priori-tize safety through knowledge and practice, and to exercise decision making according-ly, on- and off-the-job.

engagement and moving forwardThe Aman Club enjoys a high level of

SAOO management engagement, with the SAOO HSSE Steering Committee chaired by the SAOO vice president and composed of the general manager of Southern Area Pro-ducing and SAOO managers, who frequent-ly review club progress and offer feedback.

Capitalizing on in-house talents, acquired best practices, and accumulated experienc-es, the club is working to utilize new plat-forms such as smartphone applications and digital campaigns to enhance its outreach effectively.

“We want to make it easy for our em-ployees to get engaged and be aware of our events and relevant HSSE information,” said Alhamed, who noted that the current agenda is being prioritized based on its alignment toward HSSE high-risk mitigation and high gains achievement.

Abqaiq — There is no better challenge than bringing health, safety, security, and environmental (HSSE) contributions to col-leagues, community, and country than the work behind the scenes of the Southern Area Oil Operations (SAOO) Aman Club.

That’s what Khaled A. Al Buraik, SAOO vice president, told members of the club during a recent re-view of their ac-tivities and future plans. Al Buraik, who was joined by Hamad M. Al Marri, Southern Area Pro-duction Engineer-ing Depar tment (SAPED) manager, for the review, com-mended the team for their past achieve-ments and expressed confidence in their ability to improve HSSE throughout the area.

“The admin area will continue its support for the Aman Club to achieve its mandate and extend its outreach to all of our em-ployees,” Al Buraik said, emphasizing the importance of addressing the major safety challenges facing SAOO and Saudi Aramco as a whole.

Al Buraik put special focus on driving safety and preventing off-the-job fatalities. “We need to customize our programs to target the right group of employees for se-lected subjects.”

about Aman ClubSAPED developed the HSSE club in 2015

to be an agent of change for safety, achieve and sustain an incident-free workplace, and

transform HSSE val-ues into beliefs and habits among all employees. Since SAOO departments house thousands of employees in a vast geographical area, including remote locations, the club serves a particularly

important role in building a collective focus on common and vital HSSE subjects.

“The Aman Club is an important tool to lead HSSE behavioral changing programs in SAOO, especially for topics with high-risk elements such as driving safety,” said Al-Marri, noting the club also promotes

Hamad M. Al Marri

Abdulaziz O. Al-Aqeel

Khaled A. Al Buraik

Khalid I. Alhamed

March 28, 2018

12 company news

spotlightMembers of the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors, including Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin Nasser, are joined by other members of corporate and executive management for a photo with the organizing committee at the Saudi Aramco Driving Center in Dhahran. The committee provided the contingent with a tour of the center’s facilities, which includes driving simulators, a workshop with vehicle mechanical parts and safety equipment, and a driving circuit. (Photo: Abdulaziz Al Moaiweed/MPD)

The Corporate Compliance Department’s Jarod Pepper and Planning and Supply Chain Management’s (P&SCM) Ali Gharib and Abdulrahman Mannaei presented to the all Saudi female staff at TATA Consultancy Services in Riyadh recently. The presentation focused on ethical behavior, decision making, the Saudi Aramco Supplier Code of Conduct, and fraud. TATA employs 332 female employees that serve Saudi Aramco as contractors in the areas of P&SCM, Finance, Accounting, HR, and Operations and Business Services. TATA has served as a contractor with the company since October 2014.

Information Technology (IT) employees pose with Yousef A. Al-Ulyan, vice president of IT, and other members of management during a ceremony to recognize some of the most innovative ideas. IT received more than 1,200 innovative ideas over the past year, with 314 of those approved for consideration of recognition. (Photo: Salah M. Shabeeb/MPD)

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) recently presented its 2017 Middle East and North Africa Regional Awards alongside the SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition in Abu Dhabi. The SPE regional awards recognize members who have contributed exceptional service and leadership within SPE, and have made significant professional contributions within their technical disciplines at the SPE regional level. The awards were separated into two categories: Professional and Technical. Several Saudi Aramcons were recognized in the different categories. In the first photo, among Aramcons receiving awards in the Technical category were: Brett Bouldin of EXPEC ARC, Completions Optimization and Technology Award (left); Khalid A. Al-Abdulgader, chief drilling engineer in Drilling and Workover, the Drilling Engineering Award (second from left); Charles Bradford of the Reservoir Description and Simulation Department, the Formation Evaluation Award (third from left); and Nayef S. Al-Shammari, manager of the Well Completion Operations Department, Production and Operations Award (third from right). Not pictured is Randy Hase of EXPEC ARC, who won the Health, Safety, Security, Environment, and Social Responsibility Award. In the second photo featuring the Professional categories, Aramcons Sameeh I. Batarseh (second from left) and Tariq M. AlGhamdi (left) received service awards. Meanwhile, in the third photo, Hind M. Al-Rayes (left) and Meshal A. Al-Amri (right) received Young Member Outstanding Service awards. Adib A. Al Mumen, manager of Saudi Aramco’s Workover Engineering Department (pictured presenting at the podium) was the co-chairman of the event.

pg 4-5

pg 7

helping employees elevate knowledge, attain credentials in RiyadhRiyadh — The Riyadh Refinery Depart-

ment (RRD) has achieved superior per-formance to elevate the knowledge of its engineers and technicians by supporting them in acquiring 84 leading credential in-ternational certifications, with more than 60% of them for Certification Maintenance and Reliability Professionals and Technicians (CMRP and CMRT, respectively).

RRD recently obtained CMRP for 30 maintenance engineers, and five have been encouraged to take the certification during their assignment at RRD from other depart-ments.

RRD has developed internal training ma-terial that uses the experience of its pre-viously certified engineers to train those planning to obtain CMRP certification.

It also provides them with tips and strat-

egies on how to pass the certification test.The CMRP’s success encouraged man-

agement to drive RRD technicians to fol-low the path set by the engineers. Conse-quently, RRD collaborated with the Human Resources Development Division (HRDD) and training service providers to dedicate a classroom in Riyadh.

Nineteen senior maintenance technicians attended the training, passing the test on the first try. This could not have happened without the well-planned strategy that was aligned with the Operational Excellence HRDD process, execution, and team work among all stakeholders.

Maintenance and Reliability certifications are recognized across all the industries in the manufacturing world. It’s the only cer-tification program of its kind accredited by

the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which follows the globally recog-nized International Organization for Stan-

dardization for its accreditation purposes. RRD celebrated this achievement by ap-

preciating all certified employees.

Some of the Riyadh Refinery Department employees who recently obtained CMRP or CMRT certification pose for a photo with RRD manager Abdulrahman A. Al Fadhel and other members of management during a recognition ceremony.

the arabian sun

13company news

Information Technologyinnovation shinesAnother banner year of creating and developing ideas celebrated as IT individuals and teams recognized for a variety of unique solutions to enhance the organization’s innovative culture, while also making valuable contributions to Saudi Aramco’s overall business capabilities.

see page 7

Ras Tanura celebrates International Women’s Day

Nayeem retires from role as energy efficiency advocate at Saudi Aramco

Ras Tanura — Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanu-ra Refinery Department recently hosted its first ever all women’s event to mark Interna-tional Women’s Day 2018.

About 50 women attended the event, which began with a speech from Hisham A. Shah, manager of the Ras Tanura Refinery Engineering Department.

role models and accomplishmentsThe event celebrated the contributions

of women to Saudi Aramco while recog-nizing the significance of women in the workplace. Shah noted that highlighting the achievements of women and celebrat-ing role models is important in an effort to continue to collaborate with, motivate, and educate women.

International Women’s Day has been rec-

Dhahran — Sheikh Abdul Nayeem is re-tiring from Saudi Aramco after nearly five years with the company.

In the Efficiency Analysis and Manage-ment Division of the Power Systems Plan-ning Department, Nayeem has worked as an engineer during his career in Dhahran.

“Working at Saudi Aramco has been the most rewarding experience of my life,” said Nayeem. “I had the opportunity to work with the best in class and best in world pro-fessionals. As a team, we achieved several milestones in the area of energy demand management. I have many good memories

ognized since the early 1900s and is now recognized globally on March 8.

Some of the values recognized on the day include equality, collaboration, justice, and respect.

Several interesting facts were shared during the RT event.

• Saudi women account for 39% of the total number of entrepreneurs in the King-dom. That’s a 35% increase over the past 10 years.

✓• That it is estimated that Saudi women contribute SR45 billion.

✓• That, in Saudi Arabia, 58% of university students are women.

celebrations worldwideA variety of celebrations were held

throughout the world, including a Women’s

Muneera AlBeshi signs her name to a welcom-ing banner at the first ever International Wom-en’s Day celebration at Ras Tanura Refinery. AlBeshi was one of about 50 women who at-tended the event, which provided an opportu-nity for women to network to discuss important matters relevant to women in the workplace.

Day Festival in Sydney, Australia, an after-noon tea honoring award-winning charities in Manchester, U.K., and a “Press for Prog-ress” event in New Westminster, Canada.

Within the Kingdom, a group of Saudi women in Jiddah marked the event with an outdoor jog that began in the historic part of Jiddah. In the capital city of Riyadh, the day was celebrated for the first time ever with a three-day gathering at the King Fahd Cultural Center.

Meanwhile, the Ras Tanura event was an opportunity for women to network and dis-cuss important matters relevant to women in the workplace. Safety-related issues were also discussed.

The day kicked off a series of planned events targeting women in the area and was well received by all who attended.

to take with me and cherish.”Nayeem said he has been impressed by

the energy, enthusiasm, and dedication of young Saudi professionals.

“Working in Power Systems’ Energy Ef-ficiency Outreach and Education Program, in partnership with the Public Relations De-partment, gave me the opportunity to in-teract with various professionals, families, students, and universities … learning and sharing the benefits of energy efficiency.”

During his time in the Kingdom, Nayeem has also enjoyed visiting historic places, hik-ing, and attending multicultural events. He

and his wife, Althaf, have two children — Amira, who has a master’s degree in com-puter engineering, and Asra, who is pursu-ing a degree in chemical engineering. Both live in California.

After retirement, Nayeem plans to return to California and continue his energy effi-ciency career in the U.S. He is also interest-ed in contributing his experience to Saudi Arabia in the future.

Those wishing to contact Nayeem can reach him and his family at Sheikh_nay-eem223@yahoo.com, or call him in the U.S. at +1-408-425-7044.

14the arabian sun