YLAB: Young Leaders Advisory Board
Aramco is getting younger. In 2011, it was predicted that within a decade over 60% of our Company’s population would be composed of members of Generation-Y and Generation-Z. This strategic forecast became a reality in 2020.
So, how do we ensure that the unique voice of these young generations is captured in our decision-making process?
Our answer is YLAB.
Why, how, and who?
Why?
The Young Leaders Advisory Board (YLAB) serves as an active platform for channeling the energy of the younger generations within Aramco.
YLAB was established in 2011 as an autonomous body that acts as a bridge between the youth of Aramco and its executive management. It is a platform that enables our younger employees to contribute their insights into the Company’s strategic opportunities and challenges. YLAB’s mission is to unlock the full potential of Aramco’s young population and serve as an active resource, providing solutions that help drive the Company’s strategic goals.
How?
With a direct line to the CEO and GSC (Group Strategy Committee), YLAB facilitates meaningful two-way communication while providing a young perspective on complex corporate challenges. YLAB keeps its finger on the pulse of the Company’s youth through a wide range of engagement strategies, and is constantly seeking out new ways to capture their concerns and actively involve them in the ongoing transformation of the Company.
This is achieved by:
Advisories & Studies:
YLAB advises Aramco’s Group Strategy Committee, and provides consultancy services to the Company’s organizations. Studies are designed to identify and analyze relevant challenges or opportunities, and provide solutions from the fresh perspective of young employees. YLAB works on a range of topics, including sustainability-focused initiatives, citizenship activities, well-being, diversity and inclusion, employee development, portfolio diversification, and the future of work’. YLAB aims to utilize the Company’s young talents to help solve some of its most important challenges.
Generations Y and Z are the dominant demographic in Saudi Arabia. Utilizing this young talent, YLAB has helped drive change, accelerate transformation, and has dispersed a youth perspective through supporting initiatives such as HR Transformation, the Downstream Retail Project, and Digital Transformation.
Engagements:
YLAB engages the Company’s youth to channel their energy through physical and virtual interactions to maintain a two-way dialog. This includes strategy briefing sessions, CEO & EVP Townhalls, hackathons, YLAB publications, webinars, roundtable discussions and more.
YLAB also engages with ministers, influential global business leaders, and external entities. This helps immerse members in thought-provoking discussions and enable them to gain leadership insights and key lessons firsthand.
Some previous speakers include:
- His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy
- His Excellency Minister Abdullah Al-Swaha, of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
- Mr. Michael Bloomberg, Co-Founder and CEO of Bloomberg
- Mr. James Gorman, Chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley
- Dr. Christian Bruch, CEO of Siemens Energy
- Mr. Oliver Le Peuch, CEO of Schlumberger
Who?
The YLAB team comprises of four full-time coordinators, and twelve part-time members who maintain their original job roles in their home organizations, which helps to maximize the team’s reach. Members come from across the Company and represent a diverse group of nationalities, backgrounds, and work experiences. They provide advice, ideas, and insights to senior management, and engage with other young employees on the changes taking place throughout Aramco and across the industry.
YLAB has become a self-sustaining program, and has been granted seats in various key corporate committees to represent and share the voice of Aramco’s youth. It has become a trusted source for advice on how to tackle strategic corporate challenges, and has been consulted by numerous organizations within the Company. YLAB actively gathers the youth’s unfiltered perspective to deliver to the company’s executive management and their fresh viewpoint provides significant insights on key company issues impacting our employees.
The Academy
Becoming a member of YLAB involves a rigorous selection process. Thousands of young employees apply to represent their peers each term, and after an in-depth review and evaluation process, the field is narrowed down to 60 finalists. The finalists attend a three-day intensive program: the YLAB Academy.
The finalists compete at the YLAB Academy for the cohort’s 16 slots. This is the final stage in the comprehensive screening process to discover who will make up the next cohort.
During their time at the academy, the finalists are presented with several challenges designed to assess their capabilities and explore their skills. Candidates are assessed across multiple criteria including critical thinking, industry knowledge, and their communication and teamwork skills.
The Experience
YLAB is a rewarding program for both its members and the Company. It fosters a thriving alumni network consisting of more than 120 leaders.
Find out more about the program from some of its alumni:
Former YLAB members
"YLAB’s inclusivity of all backgrounds, grade codes, genders, and nationalities is admirable. As a representative of non-professional employees back then, not only was my voice heard by senior leadership of the company, but it was also sought for and considered."
Helal Al Ghamdi
“YLAB was an experience that I’ll never forget. It provided me with a broader view of Saudi Aramco and its strategic objectives and various initiatives. This once-in-a-lifetime journey helped me to unlock my full potential and made me an agent of change.”
Saud Al-Mansour
"YLAB is an incredibly enriching and rewarding experience that helped me grow personally and professionally. The empowerment and trust in us have truly pushed us beyond what we thought we were capable of. Grateful to have been a part of the YLAB journey!"
Wesam Al-Zamil
YLAB continues its active engagements and communication across the company, and (as of 2023) has so far reached over 40,000 Generation Y and Generation Z employees through physical engagements, and over 52,000 through its virtual channels. And its reach extends beyond the Kingdom, with engagement events at our international affiliates, such as Aramco Americas, Aramco Europe, and Aramco Asia.
The Company gains a great deal of insight and experience from YLAB participants. And the young talents who take part gain greater understanding by engaging with top level executives. Their voices are heard, and they are included in big decisions, fostering a healthy culture of collaboration in a dynamic business environment.
Their perspectives are helping shape the future of Aramco, making our Company better, stronger, and more agile.