2020 Saudi Aramco Excellence Awards honors achievement, efforts

Aramco’s president and CEO Amin Nasser has saluted the efforts of 236 employees, part of 19 companywide teams during a challenging 2019.

Held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 Excellence Awards honored the commitment of teams and employees from across the company.

Achievements

The awards recognize new achievements — the creation of new technologies, systems, or business solutions that make a difference for the industry.

Addressing the awardees, Nasser singled out 2019 as a year of “examples of excellence.”

“There was the heroic response to attacks on Abqaiq, Khurais, and Shaybah — and the skillful restoration work,” Nasser said.

“There was our historic IPO and our record-breaking bond issuance.”

Nasser pointed to several cost-saving initiatives, including a digital hackathon to seed and nurture innovation. 

Other examples of excellence, he said, include the commercializing of tight gas “in the sands of South Ghawar.”

All of these examples of excellence have one thing in common. They are all based on the outstanding efforts of the 236 people we honor today.
— Amin Nasser

Carbon intensity

“We have also been maintaining our leadership in carbon intensity and using our project management skills to create the Kingdom’s Dubai Expo Pavilion,” he said.

Crude-to-chemicals technology, the number of patents granted, and talent-development partnerships with global institutions were key highlights of the awards ceremony.   

“All of these examples of excellence have one thing in common. They are all based on the outstanding efforts of the 236 people we honor today,” Nasser said.  

Chapter of excellence

Awardees included the Abqaiq Plants Crisis Management team, the Abqaiq Plants Restoration team, and the Khurais emergency response teams, who rallied to both plants with exceptional courage after unprecedented attacks.

The restoration projects that followed attacks on Shaybah, Abqaiq, and Khurais were also honored in the 2020 Excellence Awards. 

The success of Aramco’s Unconventional Resources organization was praised for the first tight-sand play in South Ghawar. 

The divestment of the Jazan IGCC plant project marked the largest divestment of Aramco’s existing power assets to a joint venture, achieving the company’s strategic goal of capital efficiency. 

Transformation 

The company’s continued commitment to mitigating climate change and to reducing greenhouse gas emissions was also recognized. 

Aramco’s Digital Hackathon — the first of its kind in the industry — took huge strides in accelerating the company’s digital transformation.

Addressing the winning teams, Nasser noted the central role they played in maintaining excellence across the company.

“For your contribution to another chapter of excellence for our great company, I thank you,” he said.

2020 Excellence Award winners
Those recognized at the 2020 Excellence Awards ceremony included:
Abqaiq Plants Crisis Management
Khurais Crisis Management
Abqaiq Plants Restoration Efforts
Khurais Restoration Efforts
Shaybah NGL Crisis Management
Shaybah NGL Restoration Efforts
Discovery and Commercialization of the 1st Tight Sand Play in South Ghawar
Divesting Jazan IGCC into a JV with Air Products & ACWA Power
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Management
Inaugural Bond Placement
IPO Execution Team
Saudi Arabian Refineries Company (SARCO) v. Saudi Aramco (Team)
Leadership in U.S. Granted Patents
Partnering with Global Business Schools for Leadership Development
Accessing Hydrocarbon Resources in Crucial Areas
Establishment of the First Product Development and Innovation Garage in the Kingdom
First Deployment of the Saudi Aramco “Thermal Crude to Chemicals” Technology
Saudi Aramco Digital Hackathon
Dubai EXPO Pavilion: Agility to Achieve Project Management Excellence