The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Al Sa‘ud has appointed Mr. Khalid A. Al Falih as Minister of Health. Khalid A. Al-Falih took office as president and chief executive officer of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) on January 1, 2009. With 60,000 employees, Saudi Aramco is an integrated global petroleum company and the leading industrial enterprise in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company manages the world's largest proven oil reserves, and is the world’s largest producer and exporter of crude oil, a major natural gas producer, and a leading player in global refining and petrochemicals. A veteran of Saudi Aramco for his entire career, spanning three decades, Al-Falih served in key leadership positions across the organization, and drove continued expansion of the company’s business portfolio into new areas of operations. As Executive Vice President of Operations from 2007 through 2008, he oversaw all of the company’s core operations, including the business lines then for Exploration and Producing; Refining, Marketing, and International; Operations Services; and Engineering and Project Management. He also previously served as the Senior Vice President of Gas Operations and Industrial Relations, and as President of Petron Corporation, a past joint venture between Saudi Aramco and the Philippine National Oil Company. As leader of Saudi Aramco’s Corporate Planning team, Al-Falih guided the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s natural gas strategy. When the company formed its New Business Development organization in 2003, Al-Falih was appointed as the first head of the organization. In that role, he led the development of mega-projects — such as Petro Rabigh, Sadara, Satorp and Yasref — with the purpose of achieving refining and petrochemical integration, in cooperation with leading global oil and gas, and chemical enterprises. Al-Falih was appointed to the Saudi Aramco Board of Directors in 2004. Al-Falih earned his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University in 1982. In 1991, he received his MBA from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. His membership of professional societies includes the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), and the Oxford Energy Policy Club. Al-Falih is a well-known advocate of higher education in Saudi Arabia. Since 2008, he has served as a founding member of the Board of Trustees of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Al-Falih headed the Saudi Aramco team that spearheaded the construction of KAUST’s physical campus and organizational development. The company — through its partnership in the Industrial Collaboration Program — continues to support KAUST's economic development mission. Al-Falih also continues to serve as a member of the International Advisory Board of KFUPM and Board of Trustees of Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd University. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council (IBC), the Asia Business Council, the J.P. Morgan International Council and the MIT Presidential CEO Advisory Board. He previously served on the Board of Directors for both the National Industrial Clusters Development Program, and the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation. Al-Falih is active in many social programs, and previously served as Chairman of the Dammam Metropolitan Area Municipal Council. His board memberships in other community-focused organizations include the Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Fund for Supporting Small Business Projects for Women.