Downstream Technology and Digital Excellence Award 2021

Thank you, Ruba.  

And good morning, everyone. 

It is so rewarding to, once again, gather as a Downstream team! I want to welcome everyone joining us … whether you are here with us in person … watching from your workstation … or even from Aramco Asia, and S-Oil … 

Though we cannot all gather in person, we are together in spirit – and that is very much appreciated. In fact, I can think of no greater reason to gather as a team than to celebrate the tremendous progress we are making in our digital transformation. 

As I have expressed before, there are many reasons I am inspired by the opportunity to serve as Senior Vice President of the Downstream Organization. … 

But I can tell you that first among them is the chance to lead an organization that is pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Redefining the opportunities in Downstream operations, and playing a crucial role in the future, not only of Saudi Aramco, but the future of the Kingdom. 

In so many ways, this Downstream Organization is at the very epicenter of a powerful transformation.

And that is an exciting place to be. 

I want to thank everyone who has worked so hard to bring this first Downstream Technical Excellence Award program together. And our objective with these awards is twofold: 

First, we want to shine a powerful spotlight on excellence taking place across the organization. Aramco is well on its way to becoming the world’s leading digitalized company.  And this is especially evident in Downstream. 

Continuous progress in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Data Science, the Internet of Things, and many others, is improving financial performance … generating new revenue streams … enhancing safety and security … and strengthening our climate position. 

At the same time, our work in crude-to-chemicals conversion, catalysis, and several related technologies, is opening new avenues of opportunity in the Downstream space. These awards give us a chance to recognize this real-time transformation. 

More than this, however – and far beyond the teams we celebrate today – I want these awards to be a catalyst for bold new thinking. 

Many of you know my passion for education. I have often said that one of things I enjoy most about working with universities like KAUST, or KFUPM, or with technology ecosystems like DTV, is seeing how innovation grows in the spaces between traditional disciplines. When fields overlap, and connections are made.

This is where the Fourth Industrial Revolution is taking place. But I can also tell you that I don’t need to look to universities to find such inspiration. … I see this within our Company, time and again. 

In Downstream, it might be where connective tissue is discovered between Advanced Analytics and maintenance. … Or between Robotics and back office operations. … There are numerous examples.

The challenge for us is to see and recognize these unexplored areas between disciplines. Because the tools that IR 4.0 has given us are extremely powerful. … But they don’t come with an instruction manual.

Their power is only realized when they are deployed as real-world applications. 

Our awards today recognize teams who have seen such opportunities and deployed such applications.  And by highlighting their achievements, we invite everyone, across the entire organization, to ask how we can accelerate technology deployment. … Improve business competitiveness. … And continue to open new avenues of opportunity. 

I am inspired by the tremendous amount of progress taking place across Downstream. … 

And I am proud to stand with all of you at the epicenter of transformation. 

And with that, I will turn it back over to Ruba, as we turn the spotlight on some amazing teams.  

Thank you.