After 38 years with Saudi Aramco, Mohammad Z. Iqbal is retiring from the company. “The time has come to say goodbye,” said Iqbal, who retires on May 1. He joined the company in April 1977 in the Ras Tanura Refinery Planning and Support Division, where he worked for 36 years before moving to Khursaniyah in December 2013. Iqbal worked in various positions, mainly in the areas of Planning and Human Resources Development. In addition to the planning and program analyst job he is retiring from, he worked as clerical mentor and evaluator, classroom trainer for Microsoft Word and Excel, and was a training coordinator. He was also a very active member of the reserve Fire Brigade with RT Fire Station and worked as a fireman and squad leader for more than 33 years, participating in firefighting efforts at many major and minor fires. “The whole life is learning process. I learned a lot from others. I am so thankful to all those individuals,” said Iqbal, who said it was an honor to work for Saudi Aramco and that he will remain an ambassador for the company wherever he goes. One thing he will remember most about his time in Khursaniyah is the closeness with colleagues spent in remote areas. “In remote areas, we are more than family members, as we spend most of our time together in common activities. It is more than the time we spend with our real family members,” he said. Other things he will remember of his time with the company and in the Kingdom is the many changes (i.e., the company becoming Saudi Aramco, the change to a new eye-catching logo, the change in leadership from expatriate to Saudi, going from non-air-conditioned buses to comfortable air-conditioned buses, single-lane broken roads to multi-lane roads, the old Dhahran Airport giving way to the new King Fahd International Airport, and more.) He thanked management for giving him the opportunity to work here for such a long period. Iqbal also expressed his deep concern for developing young Saudis and requests all experienced colleagues to help them through knowledge transfer. “They are the future of this company and country” he said, advising his young Saudi brothers to: “Work hard and never give up. Be loyal to yourself, your company and country. Future success is waiting for you.” Iqbal and his wife, Nasim, have five children, including two sons (Javed and Kashif) and three daughters (Shazia, Nazia and Saadia), four of whom are already married. His eldest son has his own business in Pakistan, the youngest son works in Dammam, and the youngest daughter recently completed her master’s degree in English. They also have 13 grandchildren, almost all of whom are living and studying in Pakistan (except the youngest one, who is only 2 years old). Iqbal said he will miss the many friends he has made over the years and will take with him many happy memories. Iqbal and his family may be reached at iqbalmz99@yahoo.com, or by mobile at 0321-615-6233 (Pakistan) or 050-812-5276 (Saudi Arabia).