YLAB welcomes former Aramco executive Abdulaziz M. Al-Gudaimi for Global Leaders Dialogue

The Young Leaders Advisory Board’s (YLAB) Global Leaders Dialogue series recently hosted Abdulaziz M. Al-Gudaimi, former executive vice president of Aramco Corporate Development — now a board member of the Saudi Fransi Bank and full-time lecturer at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. 

The event took place at Dhahran’s community theater and offered the young audience a great insight into the making of an exceptional leader and seasoned executive. YLAB’s Mohammed M. Alayesh welcomed Al-Gudaimi and opened discussions by asking about his life and career.

Al-Gudaimi emphasized the importance of finding the right life partner and explained how an individual’s family and career needs to run in parallel. Being with someone supportive for both the challenging and happy moments is helpful, as is creating a balance between a job and the “3 Fs”: family, friends, and fun.

He advised that everything related to the office is best left in the office — while young professionals may find this challenging early in their careers, it is an important ingredient for a better life.

Also essential in the early years is gaining experience from colleagues: “Allow yourself to learn in the first six months, and utilize the knowledge from the people around you,” said Al-Gudaimi. “With time and practice, you will speak the same language and do the work as they do.”

And as for making tough decisions: they should be based on facts and data, and definitely not emotion. In line with this, he advised developing emotional intelligence: if you’re not ready to make the decision, don’t make it.

Al-Gudaimi concluded by advising young Aramco employees to take every opportunity to keep learning, to be loyal to their company, to build relationships, and to continue to challenge themselves. Importantly, he stressed that money should not be the main motivator in a career decision. Rather, employees should be comfortable with their role, responsibilities, and with their organization.

YLAB continues to host influential leaders in the Global Leaders Dialogue series to share their success stories and insights to inspire the company’s younger employees. YLAB is designed to unlock the potential of Aramco employees aged 35 or younger. It was established in 2011 to serve as a bridge between the company’s youth and executive management.