After almost four decades in the industry, and 13 as president and the CEO of Saudi Aramco, the still boyish looking 60-plus industry veteran, with facial lines not reflecting age and the pressures of the top job, Abdallah Saleh Jum'ah is finally calling it a day. The career that began on June 4, 1959, when, the 11th-grade local, Alkhobar boy, born to a pearl diver, was hired by Aramco for a summer job, is finally coming to an illustrious close.
Over the years, the company that Jum'ah helped build has undergone complete metamorphosis. Besides being the No. 1 oil company in the world for 20 years running now, Saudi Aramco today also has the distinction of being the world's largest and the most integrated oil company and Jum'ah has definitely been a part of this success story. And all these years, Jum'ah ensured, maintaining and reflecting a modest and humble approach. Let me at the outset concede, I don't have the honor of knowing him personally, except interacting from a distance at various presentations and conferences. As I came out of the press conference at the Jeddah energy summit last June addressed by Oil Minister Ali Naimi, IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka and others, and in which I had the honor of posing a rather tough question to Naimi, I encountered Jum'ah coming from the other side, with a smile on the face and the friendly, rather recognizing nod, conveying the impression that the question was enjoyed. I may be completely wrong and too optimistic, yet the respectful look, at that tension filled evening at Jeddah Hilton, spoke of the humility in his character. Body language speaks a lot, especially in the realm of journalism, one has to underline here.
Others also have the same perception. "How warm he is as a person. How down-to-earth he is. How thoughtful he is as a person, and he takes so much in stride. And I think his character has been reflected in Saudi Aramco," comments Daniel Yergin, chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates Inc., writer of the book Prize. Today, Saudi Aramco is a giant, managing roughly one in five and producing one in ten barrels of the most important commodity in the world -- oil. It has a global mission to fulfill, most agree. But despite the "mammoth" demand on Saudi Aramco and indeed its CEO, Juma'h remains humble about his role in leading the company through difficult times: "Saudi Aramco is the world's single most important energy provider and while that role is a source of great pride, it is also a huge responsibility," he underlines.
It was definitely not easy for any one to fill into the footsteps of the veteran Ali Al-Naimi as the CEO and president of Saudi Aramco. When Jum'ah was officially nominated to the position of CEO in December 1995, the expectation bars were set high. The official announcement then said "while Naimi as a geologist was made oil minister to help speed up upstream expansions at home and function as a minister, Jum'ah was given the top Saudi Aramco post to emphasize the company's international role and overseas acquisitions."
Before taking over as the CEO, Juma'h had on job training too. In his earlier role as the executive vice president of international operations, Jum'ah led the Aramco's downstream expansion and international distribution; his stated goals were to "protect and potentially increase the market share of Arabian crude, maximize the revenues from the sale of Arabian crude, and provide secure outlets through strategic alliances with refining companies in our major markets." Jum'ah thus played a key role in the creation of joint ventures with international firms in the United States (1988), South Korea (1991), the Philippines (1994), and Greece (1995). With an eye on expanding Saudi Aramco's global footprint, Jum'ah led the company through a period of instability.
In his long career Jum'ah received recognition, both nationally and internationally. In 2003 Jum'ah was identified by Fortune magazine as one of the most influential business personalities in the world, and in January 2005, he was appointed energy community leader by the World Economic Forum. Jum'ah was selected as winner of the prestigious Petroleum Executive of the Year Award for 2005.
In March 2007, Jum'ah was elected vice chairman of the International Advisory Board at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and in April 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Hankuk University in Seoul, Korea. In December 2007, Jum'ah was appointed by King Abdullah to serve on the supreme committee of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), which oversees KACST's mission of promoting and supporting applied scientific research to foster the Kingdom's ongoing economic and social advancement.
All these years, in his own words, Juma'h has been 'connecting the dots,' as instructed by his Professor Sayegh in the formative years. "The challenges we face as individuals, as organizations and as a society are more complex than ever before. The need to 'connect the dots' is even more acute today." These "dots," he underlines, include cutting-edge technological tools to access information and interact with one another; building booms that reshapes cities and alter demographics and lifestyles; and the political, economic and social transformations that ensue. It is people who connect those dots, he emphasizes. The mission here was truly accomplished. Who else could provide a better testimonial than the mentor himself? On Dec. 2 while addressing the farewell reception for Jum'ah at Al-Ghawar Hall, Al-Naimi turned to him and said: "As my own successor in the role of president and CEO, you have made me tremendously proud of your personal commitment to the wise and careful stewardship of our resources for the greatest benefit to our people and to people everywhere. May God bless you for a job well-done, indeed!"
With the sun of 2009 rising, Khalid A. Al-Falih would be taking over the reigns of the company in an era marked by demand destruction, question marks about future industry investments and fluctuating fortunes. However, Juma'h remains confident that oil will "retain its leading role among the world's energy sources (as) there is consensus that fossil fuels will still be supplying some 80 percent of the world's total energy requirements. None indeed could disagree with this.
In one of his farewell messages, Juma'h also assured the global energy fraternity, the world's top energy company is in safe hands. Referring to his successor, Khalid A. Al-Falih, Jum'ah said, "Khalid is an exceptional individual, with a keen mind and an extraordinary ability to move from fine detail to the big picture. Khalid enjoys my full confidence, and I know he will enjoy your full support as he takes up the office of president and CEO at the first of the year."
One wishes Kalid Al-Falih all the success in this new, exciting, yet challenging role. And with mixed feelings one has to say: Au Revoir Jum'ah!
© Arab News 2008
