Khalid Abdulaziz Al-Falih

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has appointed Khalid Abdulaziz Al-Falih, president and chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco, as health minister because of his extensive expertise in administration, say observers.

Al-Falih, who has also been named as the chairman of Saudi Aramco, is the country’s 20th health minister. His appointment comes in the wake of dissatisfaction over the Health Ministry’s performance in recent times, especially in tackling the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS) outbreak.

Over the past year, there have been five people in the position including Abdullah Al-Rabea, Adel Fakeih (acting), Mohammed Al-Hayazie, Ahmad Aqeel Al-Khateeb and Mohammed bin Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh (acting).

Al-Falih was born in 1960 in Dammam, the capital of the Eastern Province, studied in the United States, and completed his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M University in 1982. In 1991, he completed his Master of Business Administration degree at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran.

He has spent three decades at Saudi Aramco, serving in key leadership positions across the organization, and was instrumental in expanding the company’s business portfolio into new areas.

When the company formed its new business development organization in 2003, Al-Falih was appointed as its first head. In that role, he led the development of mega-projects including Petro Rabigh, Sadara, Satorp and Yasref, to achieve refining and petrochemical integration, in cooperation with leading global oil, gas and chemical firms.

In 2004, he was appointed to the Saudi Aramco board of directors. From 2007 to 2008, as an executive vice president of operations, he handled all the company’s core operations, including the business lines then for exploration and producing, refining, marketing and international, operations services and engineering and project management.

As leader of Saudi Aramco’s corporate planning team, Al-Falih guided the development of the Kingdom’s natural gas strategy. He also previously served as the senior vice president of gas operations and industrial relations, and as president of Petron Corporation, a past joint venture between Saudi Aramco and the Philippine National Oil Company.

On Jan. 1, 2009, he took office as president and CEO of Saudi Aramco. With its around 60,000 employee, Aramco manages the world’s largest proven oil reserves; is the world’s largest producer and exporter of crude oil, a major natural gas producer and a leading player in global refining and petrochemicals.

Apart from his rich experience in oil and gas industry management, Al-Falih has a rich resume in public volunteer service due to his active involvement in public activities and programs, despite his heavy official responsibilities at the company.

In 2008 for instance, he served as a founding member of the board of trustees of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and led the Saudi Aramco team that spearheaded the construction of KAUST’s physical campus and organizational development.

Al-Falih continued to serve as a member of the international advisory board of KFUPM and on the board of trustees of Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd University. He is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council (IBC), the Asia Business Council, the J.P. Morgan International Council and Massachusetts Institute of Technology presidential chief executive officer’s advisory board.

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