KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Amin H. Nasser is the president and chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco, the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals enterprise, and the largest provider of crude oil to global markets. He is also a member of the company’s Board of Directors.

During a company career spanning four decades, Nasser has served in a number of leadership positions, including as senior vice president of Upstream. In that role, he led Saudi Aramco’s largest capital investment program in its integrated oil and gas portfolio. Under Nasser’s leadership, the company is now building on its upstream leadership position by expanding its presence in the downstream and chemicals segments of the petroleum value chain, with significant investments and joint-venture partnerships in the Kingdom as well as a number of overseas markets.

Nasser is actively engaged in the advancement of people through education and training, and advancing the company’s innovation and technology strategy. Nasser is a champion of Saudi youth advancement and development and keenly supports the company’s Young Leader’s Advisory Board (YLAB), a program designed to link Saudi Aramco leadership with the voice of its young professionals.

At the same time, Nasser is leading Saudi Aramco’s efforts to produce cleaner energy and products through investments in promising technologies such as next-generation fuel-engine interfaces, crude oil-to-chemicals processes, and renewable energy applications; entrepreneurial start-ups focused on cleaner energy solutions; and industry-wide efforts to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, such as the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI).

He is also an advocate for an efficient, accessible, and world-class supply chain ecosystem that includes small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to support Saudi Aramco's growing procurement needs.

In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Nasser is a member of the International Advisory Board of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals; the Board of Trustees of the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology; the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council (IBC); the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Presidential CEO Advisory Board; and the JP Morgan International Council.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) awarded Nasser its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017, as well as the SPE's Charles F. Rand Memorial Gold Medal awarded for distinguished achievement in mining administration, including metallurgy and petroleum in 2015. In 2020, Nasser received The Chemists’ Club Kavaler Award by ICIS, and was named as Energy Intelligence’s Energy Executive of the Year.

Nasser holds a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran. He completed the Saudi Aramco Management Development Seminar in Washington, D.C., in 1999; the Saudi Aramco Global Business Program in 2000; and the Senior Executive Program at Columbia University in 2002.

H.E. Eng. Abdullah Al-Abdulkarim, Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) Governor, With over 25 years of international leadership experience Eng. Al-Abdulkarim leads SWCC, the largest desalinated water producer in the world with over six million cubic meters of daily production; Eng, Al-Abdulkarim, the chairman of the Board of Water Transmission and Technologies Company (WTTCO), responsible for water transmission and storage systems across the Kingdom, addition to that Eng. Al-Abdulkarim, is the Managing Director of the Water Solutions Company (WSC), which was established with the inspiration to become an undisputed global market champion in the water sector.

Aali Al-Zahrani began his career at Saudi Aramco as an engineer in Maintenance Engineering and Fault Analysis in 1991. He spent 1992 as an engineer at Abqaiq Utilities Maintenance Division and Abqaiq Plants Utilities Division.
• In 1994, Al-Zahrani was selected for an internship development assignment for 18 months working with Emersson in the USA - specialists in manufacturing electronics/control systems.
• Al-Zahrani joined the Abqaiq Plants Maintenance Services Division where he served as an engineer until 1996.
• Thereafter, he completed several assignments as an engineer before becoming an acting Supervisor of the Operations Engineering System Support Unit. He carried out Supervisor and Superintendent duties until he became the Assistant To the Vice President of Southern Area Oil Operations.
• In 2012, he became the Superintendent of Sea Water Injection Maintenance and progressed to be the Manager of Sea Water Injection and then the Manager of Abqaiq Plants Maintenance up until 2014, when he completed an acting assignment as General Manager of Public Affairs.
• In 2015, Al-Zahrani took on the role of General Manager of Industrial Security Operations and was in 2017, promoted on permanent basis.
• In 2019, Al-Zahrani was promoted to Executive Director, Safety and Industrial Security, where he is overseeing several corporate functions to promote and enable the protection of company’s assets and to provide employees with a secure and safe environment.
• In 2020, Al-Zahrani was promoted to Vice President, Safety and Industrial Security.
• In Al-Zahrani’s capacity as Safety and Industrial Security Vice President, he is the Secretary of Saudi Aramco Corporate Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Committee which is the highest-level venue for governance of mentioned topics in Saudi Aramco as well as addressing critical corporate-level issues and improvement opportunities. The committee is chaired by the CEO with members from corporate and executive management.
• Al-Zahrani is the Champion of the Corporate Industrial Incidents’ Risks and Co-Champion of the Corporate Non-Industrial Incidents’ Risks in Saudi Aramco which are part of the Top Corporate Risks that requires corporate-level oversight. He is responsible to monitor, advice and report to corporate management on the Company’s industrial incidents’ risks exposure, effectiveness of controls, treatment strategies and their implementation status.
• Al-Zahrani has a B.S. degree in Systems Engineering from KFUPM. He also has a varied leadership and training history and participated in the Asia Business and Culture Program.
• Al-Zahrani attended the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD Business School in 2011 and he attended the Asia Business and Culture Program in China in 2012. He also attended the Saudi Aramco Management Development Seminar in Washington, D.C., and New York in 2014.
• In 2018, Al-Zahrani, attended the 40th Oxford Energy Seminar at St Catherine’s College in the UK. This seminar is widely recognized as an important international forum for government officials, industrialists, managers and other professionals involved in corporate decision making in the field of energy.
• In January 2017, ASIS International, the preeminent security society for security professionals with approximately 38,000 members in over 100 countries worldwide, selected Al-Zahrani as Senior Vice President for the Middle East Region. As such, his primary focus has been to elevate the level of competency of security practitioners through implementing professional training, development and certification programs throughout Gulf, North Africa and Southern Asia.

• In 2019, Al-Zahrani was approached to become a Vice Chairman of the Saudi National Security Services Company, which develops a security business to serve the growing security demand.

Khalid S. Al Ghamdi serves as general manager of Ras Tanura Area, after serving as manager of the Abqaiq Plants Operations Department between July 2016 and December 2021. Prior to that, Mr. Al Ghamdi was manager of Southern Area Oil Operations Technical Support Department from March 2016 and a number of acting manager positions from 2013. Al Ghamdi joined the company in January 1994, after earning a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Engineering in 1993. After a decade as an engineer in a variety of functions, including utilities and maintenance engineering, Al Ghamdi began to take on acting assignments as superintendent and general supervisor from January 2001 to August 2010, when he was named general supervisor for Southern Area Operations in Abqaiq and ‘Udhailiyah, and in October 2010, he was named superintendent for area maintenance in Abqaiq Utilities Division. It was during this time period, from 2008 to April 2010, that Al Ghamdi joined the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, working on business development, operational readiness, commissioning and start up, as well as the KAUST operating model. In November 2012, he became superintendent for oil operations for Abqaiq Oil Processing Division, a position he held until February 2015, when he was named general supervisor for Abqaiq Plants Operations Engineering Division. After several acting manager assignments, Al Ghamdi was named manager of Southern Area Oil Operations Technical Support in 2016. Al Ghamdi has completed a number of leadership courses since joining the company, including the Saudi Aramco Leadership Forum, BAP Business Accounting, Financial and Risk Management Capability program, the Aramco Manager Level Assessment, and the Asia Business and Culture Program.

A Subject Matter Expert specializing in Security, Crisis management, Business Continuity, Risk and Safety Management. A distinguished security career expert went through leadership positions and senior advisory and consultancy level adept at applying proven skills and experience to the industrial Sector.

Nasser is a business resilience and strategic planning leader has managed and led many security projects and initiatives and managed real incidents and emergencies.

Nasser holds a MSc in Risk, Crisis and Resilience Management from UK with more than 26 years of experience in security, crisis management and business continuity. Nasser is a recognized consultant and certified trainer in security and crisis management and has conducted many high-level training and consultancy programs in Oman.

Sarah Mathers, MSc, BSc is Vice President, Head of International Security for the National Basketball Association (NBA), based in London. Sarah is responsible for leading all aspects of security for the NBA outside of the USA, supporting the growth of the League’s footprint, from grassroot youth programs through to international preseason and regular season Global Games. The scope of Sarah’s work supports all of the NBA entities including the WNBA, G League and 2K League, global facilities as well as the safety and security of players, fans and staff.

Sarah was heavily involved in the creation and execution of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), which has just completed its second season. The BAL is the first professional basketball league for Africa bringing 12 teams to compete over 3 months across multiple countries on the continent. The BAL security infrastructure, policies and procedures Sarah has developed to be dynamic for the operating environment, whilst upholding the highest of safety standards to deliver a world class sporting event, broadcast to over 200 countries. The inaugural season of the BAL was during the height of the Covid 19 pandemic and took place in Kigali, Rwanda. Sarah was responsible for the development of a “bubble” environment, implementing stringent health and safety protocols, collaborating with multiple international health organisations and governments to ensure the health of all, including the local people of Rwanda.

Sarah has just completed the Abu Dhabi NBA Global Games, the first significant move by the NBA into the Middle East. The week of activities brought the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks to play two preseason games, 7 NBA legends, multiple fan activations and the largest Junior NBA program in the UAE.

Sarah is a graduate of Imperial College, London, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Microbiology and Master of Science in Forensic Science from King’s College, London. Prior to the NBA Sarah was a Metropolitan Police Officer for 17 years, working across multiple disciplines and departments. She concluded her career at the rank of Inspector in Royalty and Specialist Protection; head of security for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Sarah was also a high risk protection operative planning and leading deployments globally in support of the UK government.

Peter Warmka is a former Senior Intelligence Officer with the CIA having over 20 years of experience in breaching the security of target organizations overseas. He is an Adjunct Professor at Webster University's Masters in Cybersecurity Program, Founder of Orlando, Florida based firm Counterintelligence Institute, LLC and author of the non-fiction book "Confessions of a CIA Spy - The Art of Human Hacking."
He is passionate about using his expertise in helping city, state and federal government entities, non-profits, academic institutes, private companies, and individuals to safeguard their sensitive proprietary and personal data.
In addition to conducting his signature training program, Mr. Warmka is a frequent conference speaker, guest podcaster, and author of numerous publications on social engineering and the manipulation of insiders.
He received a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a master’s degree in International Business Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management. Mr. Warmka is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Certified Instructor at CIA University (CIAU).