Aramco reaffirms its commitment to the empowerment and well-being of employees living with disabilities

Aramco’s Diversity and Inclusion Division has held a virtual event to explore further empowering people with disabilities in the workplace to mark the International Day of People with Disabilities (PwD).

The event aimed to raise awareness of PwD in business and in the community and featured keynote speakers and panelists, experts in the field.

Opening the platform for discussion, Nabeel A. Al-Jama’, senior vice president of HR&Corporate Services, said that diversity and inclusion will contribute to a “stronger and more resilient Aramco.”

“Disability is on our Board’s agenda, he said, “and we continually assess our performance against the targets set out in our comprehensive diversity and inclusion strategy.

Realizing Potential

Simply put, to be the best at what we do, we must empower everyone in our company to perform to their full potential.
— Nabeel A. Al-Jama’

“And to stay the best, we must recruit from the broadest possible range of talent. No one should be put off from applying for a job here because they happen to be living with a disability,” according to Al-Jama’.

Keynote speakers at the event included Dr. Hisham Bin Mohammed Alhaidary, CEO of the Authority for Persons with Disabilities, motivational speaker, Anwar Alnassar, former general supervisor at the Special Education Department at the Ministry of Education, and Waleed Fatani, CEO of Savola.

Panelists included Diane Lightfoot, CEO of the Business Disability Forum (BDF), and Dr. Ola Abusukkar, executive director of the King Salman Center for Disability Research (KSDR). 

They explored the challenges facing people living with disabilities in the workplace globally and advocated that the topic deserved top priority in businesses.

Al-Jama’ added that “getting this right” was a priority for both him, and all of Aramco’s management team.

Some 300 of Aramco’s Community Services facilities have received the government-championed Mowa’amah accreditation.

The initiative is designed for organizations that seek to make their physical working environments more supportive for people living with disabilities.

Some of the Aramco facilities have received the top gold or silver Mowa’amah awards.

Opening the doors leading to meaningful career development and progression is also important to the company, according to Al-Jama’.

Access to opportunities

“That means ensuring equitable access to opportunities to grow and succeed, intensifying recruitment efforts, improving our policies, creating impactful networks, developing careers, and ultimately, promoting leaders.”

Al-Jama’ also pointed to Dhahran’s Ajyal ACCEL Center as an example of Aramco’s commitment to young Saudis living with disabilities.

It provides educational, behavioral, therapeutic and vocational programs to individuals with disabilities, to give them the necessary skills to learn to work and live successfully with dignity and independence.

The center was opened in September 2019 by ACCEL International and Aramco.

“Our people are our most precious resource. Just as we maximize the value of every drop of oil, we must unleash the full potential of every person who works at Aramco. Disability should not be a barrier to success,” said Al-Jama’.