Abeer Al-Olayan is a Saudi Oil Pioneer

Dr. Abeer Al-Olayan’s passion and tenacity in pursuing her dreams made her the perfect role model for Saudi women. Since she was a little child, the objective in front of her has been clear, thus her steps were simple.

Plus, the vision became clear to her as a route that would eventually lead her to become the head of the Saudi Ministry of Energy’s Strategic Support Department, but there was a long journey ahead!

Researcher and Instructor Abeer Al-Olayan

Abeer Al-Olayan was a stellar student who majored in chemistry at university. From 1999 to 2008, she worked for nine years as a lecturer at the University of Dammam. After that, from 2008 to 2011, she served as an assistant professor of analytical chemistry before starting her career at Saudi Aramco.

Her key reason for this move was openness to the industrial problems, which Abeer Al-Olayan characterises as her preoccupation from childhood, and certainly, with this transition, she was able to make significant scientific and practical successes in the field of oil.

Moreover, Olayan’s profound understanding of the field was a prerequisite for her admittance. Along with invention, she liked how it was related to economics, politics, and science. From her perspective, the advancements in the profession presented obstacles and riddles that she had to figure out—which she accomplished.

Furthermore, Abeer Al-Olayan merged passion and ambition with the help of her family. She constantly remembers that her late father was the one who encouraged her career the most and had the greatest faith in her skills.

A significant turning point in Dr. Abeer Al-Olayan’s career was her time spent working as a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States in 2015. Following this, she relocated to Saudi Arabia to work as an oil researcher at the EXPEC Centre for Advanced Research.

By creating several drilling and production-related innovations, Olayan was able to submit seven patents in the field, saving Aramco from having to spend millions of dollars on pricey equipment purchases.

Olayan’s Creative Approach to Device Development

Olayan’s understanding of the industry’s difficulties and her creative problem-solving skills enabled her to come up with concepts for these advancements.

Olayan was successful in resolving issues and thinking beyond the box by coming up with ideas for devices and solutions. For instance, she altered the structures and components of medical devices multiple times to get them back to functioning. She even attempted to apply the same idea to the oil well.

Besides, when Olayan applies her knowledge and experiences to the oil industry and succeeds, she says she feels genuine happiness since her creativity surpasses the real test in the oil field.

Obviously, there isn’t a road lined with roses. Before she could achieve all of these accomplishments, Saudi pioneer Abeer Al-Olayan must have faced hardships and suffering. The degree to which men are persuaded that women are proficient in the oil industry led Al-Olayan to go above and beyond to demonstrate her abilities and competence. This led her to make two attempts to demonstrate her qualifications. However, this made her route challenging and frequently convoluted.

Despite being the primary backer during her journey, Al-Olayan did not view her father’s passing as a traumatic occurrence. Instead, she used his passing as a springboard for her career as she became stronger. She claims that after his passing, her perspective on life shifted because she started to feel more accountable and was constantly reminded of her father’s guidance. Abeer Al-Olayan was more driven to separate her achievements from those of others, regardless of how close they were to her, since she knew that success only brings its benefits and that no one else could take advantage of it.

A Bold Career Shift

In light of the challenges, Abeer Al-Olayan views her choice to leave her position as a university lecturer as a turning point and a brave one that called for double her work and capacity, the fruits of which she eventually experienced.

Clearly, She has never regretted making the move from academia to the corporate world. Seeing competition through a very different lens, she discovered that while those who compete with others will undoubtedly fall short, those who compete with themselves will find the greatest opportunities and stay atop the right career ladder.

Abeer Al-Olayan became the first Saudi woman to win the title of Woman of the Year for Gas and Petroleum in the Middle East. She received this award by creating a multitude of concepts and products for the oil industry that fit into the framework of solutions for issues facing the sector, like creating smart materials and sealing leaks in oil wells.

In summary, it is important to highlight that Olayan’s remarkable career has made her a global role model for women due to her unwavering dedication to her goals, passion, and development-ready attitude. This aligns with the Kingdom’s goal of empowering women and enabling them to play a significant role in the bright future that the Kingdom envisions, as outlined in its Vision 2030.

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