AramcoWorld, Saudi Aramco's flagship publication, is widely recognized as a leading source of nonpolitical coverage of the history, geography, arts and cultures of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and the wider Islamic world, with an emphasis on the interweavings of the plural cultures of East and West, past and present.
Some 50 countries exhibited in Expo 2020 Dubai’s Sustainability District, which centered on the slanted oval of Terra—the Sustainability Pavilion. Two other themed districts—Opportunity and Mobility—comprised three “petals” of the expo’s nearly five square kilometers. Along walkways leading to the district’s entry portals, designers inscribed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015 by 193 countries of the United Nations.
Ziad T. Al Murshed has been appointed as chief financial officer and senior vice president of Strategy and Development effective May 1, 2022. Previous to this, Al Murshed was acting service line head for Finance, Strategy & Development effective Aug. 6, 2021.
February has always been a busy month at Aramco. Whether that is recognizing some of the bests of the previous year or launching new enterprises or new construction projects, the cool breezes of winter spurring us into action.
In early March, I had the pleasure of guiding the first-ever birdwatching tour of Saudi Arabia. The visit was organized by BirdTour Asia, one of the most preeminent companies catering to international birders in the region. Over the course of our six-day itinerary, the tour leaders, James Eaton and Rob Hutchinson, their British and American clients, and I recorded almost 170 species, 18 of which can only be found in Saudi Arabia or the wider region.
Day in and day out, our people show their commitment to delivering energy that the world needs, and even during the holy month of Ramadan, when many of our employees are fasting, that commitment never wavers. This work is crucial, making Aramco one of the most reliable suppliers of energy to the world, and an engine to the Kingdom’s economy.
This 25-centimeter alabaster disk, dating from the Akkadian period around 2300 BCE, shows what appears to be a temple ritual. Its principal figure is the woman second from left, who is identified on the reverse in Sumerian cuneiform characters that name her en hedu-anna, high priestess-ornament of heaven, wife of the god Nanna and daughter of the Akkadian King Sargon. It was found by English archeologist Sir Leonard Wooley in the mid-1920s.
The American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA), an international engineering and scientific society dedicated to all aspects of rock mechanics, is growing its presence in the Middle East announcing King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) has become the first university in the region to establish a student chapter for geomechanics.
From the southwest, Ronda's limestone ramparts are split by the Tajo, or gorge, spanned since 1793 by the picturesque "New Bridge." The water mine, tunneled in the 12th century down through 60 meters of rock from the plateau to the river's edge, lies around a bend beyond the bridge.
Ashraf A. Al Ghazzawi was appointed as the vice president of Strategy & Market Analysis on April 1, 2022, following his assignment as executive director of Strategy & Market Analysis since July 2021. Prior to joining Strategy & Market Analysis, Al Ghazzawi was Group Treasurer since January 2020.
Salah M. Al Hareky, the company’s treasurer, was appointed vice president effective April 1, 2022. He has been treasurer since August 2021, and was controller for Aramco from September 2018. Prior to this, in May 2016, Al Hareky had been appointed as an officer of the company serving as treasurer.
Fahad M. Al Abdul Kareem was appointed as vice president of Industrial Services on April 1, 2022, following an assignment as executive director of Industrial Services since November 2020. Al Abdul Kareem has wide experience in upstream, government relations, and international operations.
Faisal A. Al-Hajji was appointed vice president of Human Resources (HR) on April 1, 2022, following his role as executive director of HR, which began in August 2021. Al-Hajji is responsible for the entire HR value chain operations of over 68,000 employees from more than 90 different countries, and programs that serve more than 400,000 employees, retirees, and dependents of Aramco.
Waleed A. Al-Saif has been appointed vice president of Aramco’s New Business Development (NBD) organization, effective April 1, 2022. Prior to this appointment, he held the position of executive director of NBD, and before that, general manager of Portfolio Development & Transaction Execution, both within Aramco’s Corporate Development organization.
Motaz A. Al Mashouk has been appointed vice president of Engineering Services, effective April 1, 2022. This follows his assignment as the executive director of Engineering Services, which began on Dec. 1, 2020.
Khalid K. Al-Mulhim has been appointed as vice president of Corporate Affairs, effective April 1, 2022. He had previously been serving as the executive director of Corporate Affairs since Aug. 1, 2021. Prior to this, Al-Mulhim was serving in an acting capacity from April 2021.
Bassam M. Asiri has been appointed Controller with the company’s Finance, Strategy and Development organization, effective April 1, 2022. He had previously served as assistant controller since January 2018. Prior to that assignment, Asiri was acting general manager of Transaction Development with New Business Development — a position he assumed in June 2017.
This Annual Report covers financial and operational aspects of Aramco from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, and is issued in both Arabic and English. The print version is identical to its PDF counterpart, which is available at aramco.com.
On the afternoon that was to change his life, in the spring of 1952, Amara bin Thuqub recalls sitting cross-legged by the fire outside the reed house he shared with his family in the village of Rufaiya. His friend Sabaiti sat with him, and they sipped thick, rust-colored tea sweetened by plump, glutinous dates.
Over the past 20 years, we strongly invested in innovation as part of our corporate culture to ensure our operations’ long-term sustainability and efficiency. As a result, our patent portfolio has continued to expand.