Saudi Aramco has announced the results of the company’s celebrated annual Excellence Awards for 2015. The awards recognize outstanding individual and team achievements and significant contributions to helping Saudi Aramco deliver its objective of becoming the world’s leading integrated energy company. Amin Nasser, President and CEO, Saudi Aramco presented awards to 46 company employees, comprising five individual and eight team awards recognitions at a ceremony also attended by HE Khalid Al-Falih, Chairman and the Board of Directors of Saudi Aramco, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Communications & Information Technology, the Rector of King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals and Dr. Majid Moneef, Secretary of Saudi Aramco’s Supreme Council. Nasser said: “Saudi Aramco is committed to investing in technology, innovation, operational excellence and our greatest asset - our employees - to help maintain our position as the world’s most reliable supplier of energy. I am delighted to recognize this year’s individual and team Excellence Awards winners who have made exceptional contributions to the Company and, by extension, to the Kingdom and to our expanding global customer base. ”This year’s award winners recognized accomplishments in environmental sustainability and cost reduction, and innovation in areas including: fuel technology, robotic coating defect detection, reservoir simulation supercomputing, and high severity fluid catalytic cracking. On behalf of the company’s research and technology function, Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, Chief Technology Officer was presented with a Chairman’s award for achieving 123 successfully granted patents in 2015 with 226 patent applications filed, against targets of 100 and 175 respectively. This is an exceptional achievement within the oil and gas industry, positioning Saudi Aramco within the top five oil and gas companies in terms of innovation.