Saudi Aramco to Glitz Up 75th Anniversary 

(MENAFN - Arab News) RIYADH, 10 June 2007 — Saudi Aramco is planning a series of celebrations to generate enthusiasm and excitement among its employees and friends worldwide to mark its 75th Anniversary in 2008.

Preliminary plans include staging a number of high-profile, world-class events and programs here and around the world. Specific events throughout the Kingdom during the anniversary year to mark the historic signing of the original Concession Agreement between the Kingdom and Standard Oil of California on May 29, 1933, will be announced as the countdown approaches. Activities will involve employees, retirees, company partners, among others.

"Saudi Aramco is a very special company," said Ali I. Al-Naimi, minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and chairman of the Board of Saudi Aramco.

"The 75th Anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate its great achievements over the years and to highlight the company's role in contributing to the future of the Kingdom and the world economy," he added.

The theme of the celebrations will be "Energy for Generations," and will focus on the human side of the company — past, present and future — as well as its commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and global prosperity. Company pioneers and exemplars of the Saudi Aramco spirit will be honored.

The company has set up a 75th Anniversary Project Team under the direction of Nasser A. Al-Nafisee, previously manager of Central Community Services Department. The team is working out details of a wide range of activities, events and programs to be unveiled in the lead-up to the anniversary year.

In September, the team will launch an informative 75th Anniversary newsletter for employees with the theme "Countdown to a Milestone." A website packed with information on the anniversary also be launched at the same time.

Saudi Aramco President and CEO Abdallah S. Jum'ah said: "We view this as an opportunity to connect the company's remarkable past with the exciting promise of the future. It will also allow us to send a big 'thank you' to our current and retired employees, to the people of Kingdom and to all those with whom we partner."

"My team members and I have been talking to company employees inside and outside the Kingdom to solicit their ideas about the anniversary program. Everyone we talked to, without an exception, shared with us a sense of excitement and pride," said Al-Nafisee.

"We want to make this landmark occasion very special," he added. "It will let us tell the fascinating story of Saudi Aramco in a fresh and innovative way to our people in the company, in Saudi Arabia and around the world." he added.