Capping a 33-year career with Saudi Aramco, executives joined recently to bid farewell to outgoing executive director of Industrial Services Amer A. Al-Sulaim.
The Industrial Services organization is composed of Saudi Aramco’s Transportation, Marine, Aviation, Roads and Heavy Equipment, and Mechanical Shops Services departments, and Al-Sulaim was challenged with finding ways to significantly increase Saudization while maintaining outstanding services.
Abdulrahman F. Al-Wuhaib, senior vice president of Operations Services, spoke at the luncheon held in Al-Sulaim’s honor and detailed his colleague’s history with Saudi Aramco, which began in 1976 after he graduated from the University of Petroleum and Minerals with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. After a three-year stint with the Central Area Projects Division, Al-Sulaim went to work on a master’s degree in construction management from the University of Washington. Upon his return in 1981, he resumed work with his former division and later with the Industrial Projects Division before being named superintendent of the Vendor Inspection Division in 1986. In 1988, he took charge of the ‘Udhailiyah Producing Maintenance Division and became manager of Pipelines Projects Department in 1992.
In 1993, he became quality director for the Engineering and Operations Services business line and founded the Saudi Association for Quality Management. From 1996-2001, Al-Sulaim served as manager of the Marine and Mechanical Shops Services departments. He then was named general manager of Training and Career Development before his appointment as executive director of Industrial Services.
Al-Wuhaib also outlined Al-Sulaim’s numerous accomplishments, from renovating Dhahran-area mosques in the late 1970s to the creation of the Aviation Department Arrival Terminal in 2003. Al-Sulaim’s recent credits include several Saudization initiatives, which have given thousands of young Saudis opportunities to train for Industrial Services and private-sector jobs. On the leadership side, he helped start and shape quality, excellence, team-building and Saudization initiatives that changed the corporate culture from command and control to a collaborative and vision-focused culture things that permeate the quality culture of every Saudi Aramco department today. He founded four more associations in the areas of aviation, marine, materials and heavy equipment to encourage people involved in those businesses to work more closely together to resolve tough challenges. He’s had his hand in the outsourcing of non-core service and maintenance work and ensuring that contractors are able to provide services meeting the company’s expectations of quality.
"As much as everyone is happy for you to be starting a well-earned retirement, there is no doubt there are many people who are also a little sad," Al-Wuhaib told Al-Sulaim. "You’ve made a lot of friends here, and they’ll be sorry to see you go." For Al-Sulaim it’s a time both for reflection and excitement. "I don’t call it retirement as much as I call it graduation — graduation from the best school in the world great Saudi Aramco," Al-Sulaim told luncheon participants. "I am proud of my achievements, the most apparent of which in the professional side are igniting the start of the Specialists Program in Engineering and charting the course for corporate maintenance as a stand-alone profession." He thanked management for its strong support over the years and the many employees who have helped him achieve his goals.
"In the big scheme of things, very few companies in the history of business have provided so many wonderful opportunities to so many people, from basic services to jobs to professional careers to executive and corporate leadership. I am so honored and so fortunate and so grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this creative and wonderful organization." Many of Al-Sulaim’s current and former colleagues attended, including president and CEO Khalid A. Al-Falih; senior vice presidents Amin H. Nasser of Exploration and Producing, and Salim S. Al-Aydh of Engineering and Project Management; as well as old friends and family members. "Just as many of us look back fondly at our university years, I always will treasure the memories I have of Saudi Aramco and all of you," Al-Sulaim told the audience. "Few companies can even approach Saudi Aramco. That is because with every barrel of oil we pump, we build a nation and, more importantly, we build human character that contributes to building the society we all live in."
