Former Aramco Asia chief becomes S-Oil CEO

S-Oil CEO Anwar A. Al-Hejazi / Courtesy of S-Oil

By Park Jae-hyuk

Former Aramco Asia CEO Anwar A. Al-Hejazi was appointed as the new head of S-Oil, Tuesday, after the refiner's shareholders and board of directors gave their approval. S-Oil is owned by Aramco.

“The CEO's expertise in the global energy industry as an officer of Saudi Arabia's state-run oil and gas company will serve as a great contributor to S-Oil's business success and global growth,” its board of directors said.

The Saudi-born chief executive, who majored in chemical engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, joined Aramco in 1996. Since then, Al-Hejazi has built a wealth of experience in oil and gas facilities management, business development, investment localization, project management and facility planning, according to S-Oil.

After serving for two years as the representative director of Aramco Asia Japan, he was appointed as the Aramco Asia president in 2018 to oversee the Saudi Arabian firm's business in Asia and seek joint venture investments with companies in Korea, China and Japan.

S-Oil said he also played a key role in Korea-related businesses by identifying new business opportunities in low-carbon ammonia and hydrogen sectors, which led to memorandums of understanding that were signed between Aramco and ten major players in Korea and Japan.

“We believe that he has built a career and qualifications to deliver outstanding performance for S-Oil at this critical time, when the company is driving strategic growth to prepare for the energy transition through the Shaheen Project, which is aimed at expanding petrochemical production, diversifying business portfolios and pursuing a low-carbon hydrogen economy with the 2050 net-zero roadmap,” the refiner said.