Saudi Aramco CEO recognized for petroleum industry leadership

Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser was recognized for his outstanding leadership and longstanding contributions to the petroleum industry with the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ (SPE) Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award at the SPE’s Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) in San Antonio, Texas.

Nasser is only the third person to win the SPE Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award since the inception of the society in 1957.

According to the SPE, the award recognizes an individual who has exhibited exceptional devotion of time, effort, thought and action which sets them apart from others.

This latest award for the Aramco CEO is a huge testament of his leadership, particularly during a period of turbulence witnessed by the oil industry since 2014 when prices even dropped below $30 a barrel while in recent weeks, prices have traded above $50 a barrel.

“During the toughest of times, our SPE members prove themselves as innovative thinkers, showing remarkable reserve and resilience,” said 2017 SPE President Janeen Judah.

“Their work not only helped our industry out of the downturn, but also created a new wave of operational efficiency. They deserve the utmost appreciation and praise. Day in and day out, our members continue to inspire and propel our industry forward. It’s an honor to recognize their successes and contributions within SPE and the industry.”

Despite the market volatility, Nasser has steered Saudi Aramco through what has been a difficult patch for the oil industry, focusing on the company’s agility, resilience and ability to respond to an uncertain business environment. Meanwhile the company has stuck to its long term growth objectives and Nasser is currently leading Saudi Aramco through a transformative phase of growth spanning the entire value chain, to produce affordable and cleaner energy, and products through investments in technology, innovation, entrepreneurial start-ups, renewables and oil-to-chemicals processes. And add to that, a planned public listing, and it’s going to be an exciting couple of years ahead for the company.

In his award acceptance remarks. Nasser said: “The SPE plays a vital role internationally, and the SPE chapter in Saudi Arabia continues to grow. Although our industry is facing numerous challenges today, I am confident that we can capably address them through enhanced training, education, knowledge sharing and partnerships.”

And he is quick to credit his colleagues from Saudi Aramco for his success: “As I reflect on this award, I am honored and privileged to be recognized by the SPE today and my success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my colleagues from Saudi Aramco and our partners.”

The latest award for Nasser comes in just two short years after he received the Charles F. Rand Memorial Gold Medal awarded for distinguished achievement in mining administration, including metallurgy and petroleum.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a not-for-profit professional association whose members are engaged in energy resources development and production. SPE serves more than 164,000 members in 143 countries worldwide.