Interview with 2007 SPE President Abdul-Jaleel Al-Khalifa
Authors: Al-Khalifa Abdul-Jaleel , Donnelly John 
Published: February 2015

2007 SPE President Abdul-Jaleel Al-Khalifa has been a manager at Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia, heading Reservoir Characterization for seven years, Area Exploration for two years and finally Reservoir Description & Simulation for two years. Before then, he served as Assistant to the Vice President of Petroleum Engineering and Development as well as in several division head assignments in the Reservoir Management and Simulation Dept. His areas of technical interest include exploration, reserves, reservoir characterization, modeling, and field development.

Since joining the Society in 1988, his participation in, and support for, SPE has covered a wide spectrum. He served as 2002–05 Director-At-Large on the SPE Board of Directors and was the Chairperson of the Board Committee on Technical Programs and Meetings in 2004 and 2005. He was the Conference Program Chairman for the 2005 International Petroleum Technology Conference. Al-Khalifa was an SPE Distinguished Lecturer, speaking on "Reservoir Management of Giant Oil Fields in Saudi Arabia," during 1998–99. He received the SPE Middle East Regional Service Award in 1999 and was named an SPE Distinguished Member in 2001. In addition, Al-Khalifa was Director of the SPE Saudi Arabia Section during 1993–97, a Technical Editor for SPE Formation Evaluation during 1991–92, and Chairperson of the SPE Saudi Arabia Section Annual Technical Symposium during 1990–92. He also served as a Technical Editor for the Arabian Journal of Science and Engineering during 1993–94.

Al-Khalifa earned BS and MS degrees from King Fahd U. of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia, and a PhD degree in petroleum engineering from Stanford U.

What will be your main goals as SPE President?

I am climbing the trail up Everest, the highest mountain. I am following many shining stars who served as SPE Presidents, all of whom have left SPE a lasting message and contribution. My role will be to help the oil and gas industry move forward and to bolster SPE's position as a leader and major contributor to the industry.

My lifelong goal has always been to help people make a positive impact on our industry so that they feel extremely satisfied and fully engaged. As SPE President, I plan to work very closely with industry leaders to articulate a year-2020 vision for our industry, with emphasis on people and technology, and I want to seek ways to eliminate impediments to people's progress and aspirations. I will strive to publicize this vision and promote these values in various industry forums and meetings. This will give me a unique opportunity to serve all SPE members.

What individual views or perspective do you bring to the office?

I have worked many years in upstream exploration as well as in reservoir characterization, modeling, and field development. I have learned that people are the most important asset in our industry. Pioneers such as George Reynolds, who discovered the Masjid Suleiman field in Persia in 1908, and Max Steineke, who discovered the Dammam field in Saudi Arabia, opened up the vast resources of the Middle East for the whole industry. Professionals have an equally important role in strategic field development, where they can significantly improve the ultimate recovery of existing fields.