Khalid A. Al-Falih

Khalid A. Al Falih
Khalid A. Al Falih at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012, Davos, Switzerland
Health Minister
In office
1 January 2009 – 28 April 2015
Preceded by Abdallah S. Jum'ah
Personal details
Born 1960 (age 54–55)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Nationality Saudi Arabian
Residence Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Alma mater Texas A&M University '82
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals '91

Khalid A. Al-Falih, (Arabic: خالد الفالح‎ Ḫālid al-Fāliḥ born 1960 - ) is the Health Minister, Saudi Arabia

Early Life and Education

Falih was born in 1960 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was raised in Dammam. He attended Texas A&M University in College Station, earning a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 1982 and later pursued an MBA at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, which he completed in 1991.[1][2][3]

Professional career

Early years at Aramco: 1979 - 2008

Al-Falih joined Saudi Aramco (formerly, Aramco) in 1979. For over several years, he held positions of increasing responsibility and in 1992, he joined the Consulting Services Department (CSD). He supervised several technical units, mainly the Mechanical and Civil Systems Division and was named manager of CSD in January 1995. He was assigned as manager, Ras Tanura Refinery Maintenance Department in late 1995; and by 1998; manager, Business Analysis Department.[4][1]

In July 1999, he became president of Petron Corporation, a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and the Philippine National Oil Company. He returned to the Kingdom in September 2000 to serve as vice chairman on the Saudi Aramco Study Team for Upstream Gas Ventures, until his appointment as vice president of Gas Ventures Development and Coordination in May 2001. He played an instrumental role in the negotiations with the international oil companies (IOCs) & other major national oil companies (NOCs) in connection with the Kingdom's Natural Gas Initiative. Ultimately, four joint ventures, namely - South Rub' al-Khali Company (SRAK), Luksar Energy, Sino Saudi Gas & EniRepSa Gas [5][6][7][8] were consummated between Saudi Aramco and various leading IOCs, Nocs and emerging oil companies.

In October 2004, Al-Falih was appointed to the Board of Directors of Saudi Aramco. He also served as chairman of the board of the South Rub' al-Khali joint venture between Shell, Total and Saudi Aramco.

CEO of Saudi Aramco: 2009 - Present

In Nov 2008, the then president and CEO of Saudi Aramco, Abdallah S. Jum'ah decided to retire and Khalid A. Al-Falih, who was serving as executive vice president of Operations was appointed as the new president and CEO of the company effective January 1, 2009.[9][10][11]

Personal life

Al-Falih was raised in Dammam, Saudi Arabia and currently resides in Dhahran. He is married to Najah Al-Garawi from Saudi Arabia.

Public life and board memberships

He is active in many social programs, and previously served as chairman of the Dammam City Municipal Council. His board memberships in other community-focused organizations include the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, the Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Fund for Supporting Small Business Projects for Women, and the Eastern Province Society for the Handicapped.[4]

He is a founding member of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and serves as a member of its Board of Trustees. He sits on the Board of Directors of U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council and also serves as a member of the JP Morgan International Council.[11][12]

References