People and projects from around the PETROFAC world

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“The moment I joined Petrofac, I realised this was a different company with a different way of doing things,” says Ali Abdulla Al Ali.

“Other service companies tend to be a little detached. They will ship in with their regular entourage of suppliers and sub-contractors, complete a project, and ship out again. Petrofac takes a longer-term view. Wherever we work, we like to put down deep roots – building strong relationships with clients and working hand-in-hand with local suppliers,” he continues.

“It’s something we have always done. But now, we are extending the approach, with a group-wide in-country value strategy, and specific plans and targets for every territory.”

As Country Chair, a role he took up in June 2020, Ali represents Petrofac’s many interests within the UAE, including the delivery of the in-country value plan. He benefits from deep experience of Petrofac, its operations, and the wider energy industry. With a degree in Electronics Engineering, he started his career with the American Oil Company where he spent 11 years, followed by 12 years with bp, before joining Petrofac as an HSSE Director back in 2010. He is a strong advocate of in-country value.

LOCAL DELIVERY: THE UAE ANGLE

LOCAL DELIVERY IS A DIFFERENTIATOR FOR PETROFAC. WHEREVER THE COMPANY OPERATES, IT AIMS TO ENGAGE WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES, INVEST IN LOCAL SUPPLY CHAINS, STIMULATE LOCAL ECONOMIES, AND EMPLOY LOCAL PEOPLE. PETROFACTS CAUGHT UP WITH ALI ABDULLA AL ALI, COUNTRY CHAIR OF PETROFAC IN THE UAE, TO FIND OUT HOW THE LOCAL DELIVERY ETHOS PLAYS OUT IN THE EMIRATES

WORDS PETER HALLIDAY

PUBLISHED JUNE 2022

PEOPLE

Deep-rooted: Ali Abdulla Al Ali is a strong advocate of in-country value

DEEPLY EMBEDDED INTO THE UAE ECONOMY
“For me, it’s about becoming deeply embedded into the local economy, supporting it, enriching it, and contributing to its long-term sustainability,” Ali continues.

This is certainly the case for the Emirates. Part of the country’s energy sector for 30 years, Petrofac has major centres in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah which, together, are home to around 3,000 people. As well as delivering some of the UAE’s most prestigious energy assets, and providing operations and maintenance support to several facilities, the country has become an operational base for many of Petrofac’s international projects, and more recently, a construction and fabrication centre for its offshore wind projects.

“In the past ten years alone, we’ve spent more than US$1 billion with local suppliers and vendors. That’s a big number, and a tangible demonstration of the monetary value we bring to the UAE,” explains Ali.

But the point Ali is keen to stress is that monetary value is only part of the story.

“It’s as much about human capital as it is about financial capital, and perhaps more so,” he explains. “What makes Petrofac so unique is our people, their skills, their wisdom, their attitudes, their energy, the relationships they build with clients and suppliers, and the contribution they make to the local community. With this in mind, I think the most important contribution I can make is to mentor a new generation of Petrofac employees.”

MINORITY REPORT
Across the world, a Petrofac priority, and a big part of the local delivery agenda, is for each of the company’s in-country teams to reflect the clients they serve. But, in the Emirates, this presents particular challenges. And that’s because Ali is in a minority.

He is an Emirati national, and Emiratis tend to be in short supply. They only make up around 10% of the total UAE population and occupy just 1% of its private sector jobs.

To redress this imbalance, the UAE government is promoting a policy known as Emiratisation, which aims to increase the number of UAE nationals in the job market. Petrofac is already an acknowledged leader. The UAE government ranked Petrofac as the best private sector company in the oil and gas industry for Emiratisation, and third overall, just behind the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC). Even so, Ali is aware there are finite limits on how much more successful Petrofac can be.

“Employment of Emiratis is big priority for us, we have a strong pipeline of Emirati talent coming through, and we are committed to more local recruitment, especially at mid-management levels. But, no matter how hard we try, Emiratis will always be in a minority,” explains Ali. “If we ever got close to 20%, I would be jumping with joy.”


‘The UAE government ranked Petrofac as the best private sector company in the oil and gas industry for Emiratisation.’

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Petrofac has been part of the country's energy sector for 30 years

TAKING AN INCLUSIVE APPROACH
Ali therefore takes a special interest in supporting the Emiratis within Petrofac, particularly those who joined via the graduate scheme. He reports, with obvious pride that 64 Emiratis were among the most recent cohort of 165 graduates, making them the biggest group by nationality. He also points out that 73% of the latest cohort are female, and that 23 Emirati graduate engineers were assigned to the delivery of the recent offshore wind projects. But he is equally keen to stress that he always takes an inclusive approach.

As an example, Ali explains how he initiated an informal monthly meeting for the Emirati graduates to discuss the company’s strategy and priorities, and make presentations of the subjects that interest them the most. However, he soon threw open the doors to all graduates. “The UAE is a diverse, multi-cultural community. Petrofac is a diverse, multi-cultural company. And I want everyone to feel part of the same big, happy team, with the same opportunities to shine.”

PURSUING SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL
Thinking about UAE business opportunities, the big news of recent months was the decision by ADNOC to re-introduce Petrofac to its bidding list of companies qualified to participate in new tenders.

“ADNOC has said it will boost production to 5 million barrels a day by 2030, while also generating new efficiencies and cutting emissions,” explains Ali. “With our depth and breadth of credentials and capabilities, we can help them reach these goals.”

Another UAE priority and opportunity is in new energies. “There’s a real sense of enthusiasm and intrigue around new energies, both within Petrofac and across the UAE,” says Ali. “The government has set out its ambitious Energy Strategy 2050, and the COP climate conference is coming to Dubai in 2023. This is exactly the type of challenge the UAE rises to and, in every conversation I have with stakeholders, decarbonisation is invariably high on the agenda. Our task is to ensure that everyone understands our new energy capabilities and factors us into their thinking.”

By being – and being seen to be – tightly integrated to the UAE economy, Petrofac is confident that it is well placed to pursue this potential.

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“The UAE is a diverse, multi-cultural community. Petrofac is a diverse, multi-cultural company. And I want everyone to feel part of the same big, happy team, with the same opportunities to shine.”

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