KPI Heads Gulf Downstream Association

KPI HeadsGulf DownstreamAssociation

Message from the President

Editor:Shamael [email protected] [email protected]

Copy Editor:Debbie [email protected]

© Copyright 2017

Kuwait Petroleum International

spring 2017

Contributors: Patrick Collins (Q8Aviation)Rossella Izzo (Q8Italy)Katia Van Bouwel (Q8 Northwest Europe)Johan Van Hout (Q8Oils)Lisa Öhrqvist (OKQ8)Joke van Wieringen (Q8 Europe)

Dear Colleagues,

As we enjoy the spring months, there is a sense of new life and change for the better. At Q8, we embrace change in the firm belief that our operations and people must be agile and adaptable to different market and work conditions. Change, like we see in spring, is a constant part of our business life.

You will read in this issue about the top level re-organisation in our European operations. While none of these leaders are new to Q8, each of them will bring a fresh perspective to their new responsibilities. I am confident that these changes will make a positive contribution to driving our company towards continued success.

In another area, I would like to highlight some SSHE initiatives and our progress towards greater sustainability. We continue to see our Operating Units’ efforts in achieving excellence in SSHE policies and ensuring care for all our stakeholders, from our employees to customers and partners.

Reflecting on our commitment to the highest standards in every aspect of our business, your local communications team will have made you aware of our new Code of Conduct. We pride ourselves on our ethical performance and strong corporate values, and it is important that you carefully read and familiarise yourself with the new code.

Turning to our operations, I am delighted to announce that Q8 Northwest Europe has signed a new agreement for charging electric vehicles at our retail stations in Belgium. Meanwhile, OKQ8 continues to be a model global citizen and is partnering with a social enterprise to address social inclusion amongst young people.

Finally, our manufacturing sector continues to thrive. Our joint venture refinery in Vietnam is almost complete and is due to be commissioned by the end of the year. In Italy, another joint venture – the Milazzo refinery (RAM) - has been recognised at ministerial level for its excellent sustainability in reducing environmental impact.

Many of you have played a vital role in all these positive stories and I would like to thank you for your outstanding initiatives and hard work in helping to achieve our company’s strategies and vision.

Maintaining a commitment to excellence for all our stakeholders is our constant goal and I am proud to witness your success in achieving this.

Bakheet S. Al-Rashidi

2 Q8SAILS SPRING 2017

3Q8SAILS SPRING 2017

Contents The m

agazine of KPI - SP

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e: 39

HEADLINE NEWS

Page 4 KPI President heads Gulf Downstream Association

CORPORATE

Page 5-7 Executive Directors rotate roles for business success

NEWS

Page 8 New Code of Conduct launched

Page 9 Excellent progress for new KPI Business Management System

Page 10 Trading up at KPI Supply

Page 11 Fantastic feedback on Q8Middle Management

Page 12-13 Teaming up to support the community

Page 14 Meet the Team: Khalifa Al-Qallaf, KPI Manager Technical Support

Page 15 Neil Grieve becomes Vice President of UKLAAdri Van de Ven appointed board member of ATIEL

NEWS

Page 16 Investing in a green future

Page 17 Promoting road safety in Belgium

Page 18 Building the Q8Oils brand in Kuwait

Page 19 Ground breaking partnership extends Q8Oils’ business in Africa

Page 20 Ministerial recognition for excellent sustainability at RAM

Page 21 Q8 Global Cards stars at Transpotec exhibition

Page 22 Exploiting the growth potential of Q8Aviation

Page 23 Reducing social exclusion among young people

Trading up aT Kpi Supply Investing in a green future in Belgium


Kuwait Petroleum International and Kuwait National Petroleum Company have joined forces with Saudi Ara-mco and Bahrain Petroleum Company to be the found-ing members of the new Gulf Downstream Association (GDA). The aim of this non profit organisation is to bring together members across the world to develop the oil downstream industry and benefit from knowledge sharing and best practice.

President Bakheet Al-Rashidi has been ap-pointed as Chairman of the GDA, which is based in the high-profile Bahrain Financial Harbour. The new organisation was officially announced at the Middle East Petrotech 2016 conference by Bahrain Oil Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al-Khalifa, who described it as: “a first step towards cementing this region as the centre of the refining and petrochemicals downstream industry.”

Bakheet Al-Rashidi says: “This is a very im-portant initiative for our industry. GDA will support companies involved in refining, mar-keting refined products and related industries such as gas processing, giving our members a solid platform from which to address issues related to the downstream business.”

He adds: “We are determined to become a leading in-ternationally recognised association, creating a friend-ly environment to stimulate new ideas for efficiency improvements, encourage knowledge sharing, facili-tate interaction and create deep synergies amongst our members.”

Membership of the GDA will include a wide spectrum

of organisations in the industry, ranging from down-stream companies, service providers and engineering contractors, to training and academic institutions, and others associated with the oil industry, such as the me-dia. As well as networking and benefitting from the knowledge of experienced industry leaders, it is intend-

ed that members will have access to infor-mation from a wealth of sources including a comprehensive databank of industry in-formation and news, technical publications, technical conferences, workshops and semi-nars centred on best practice.

In these early days of the new organisation, much work is going on behind the scenes to set up an effective organisational structure and to develop the branding, positioning and a clear strategic path.

To achieve its vision, the GDA has already started seeking alliances with other region-al and international organisations and is building relationships with academic insti-tutions and businesses in the private sector, and with conference organisers around the world to develop best in class events.

Bakheet Al-Rashidi says; “We have high ambitions for the GDA and believe it will bring great benefits to our members. Although the GDA is in its infancy we are making strong progress and look forward to reporting our successes over the coming year.”

Headline News

KPIPresident heads Gulf Downstream Association

“We have high ambitions for the GDA and believe it will bring great benefits to our members.”BakheetAl-Rashidi


A series of top-level organizational changes took effect on 1st April. Explaining the rationale behind the changes, President Bakheet Al Rashidi said:

“Q8 is a dynamic and agile company, and part of this agility is the ease with which our senior managers can rotate between different operating units. We pride ourselves on our many successes over the past three years and believe that much of this is attributed to the way we have adapted seamlessly to the challenges in our business. The leaders who are taking on new roles are not strangers to Q8. In fact, many of them have played an integral role in our myriad successes and I believe that these changes will drive further growth and profitability in our business units. I have full confidence in our talented team and wish them every success in their new roles.”

Alessandro Gilotti, President of Q8 Italy

Career to dateAlessandro holds a degree in engineering from Rome

University and a Master’s degree in business management from Utah University.

He has vast experience in a career with Q8 spanning 32 years. He joined Q8 in 1985, shortly after it entered the Italian market by acquiring Gulf, and quickly rose to become Organisation Systems Director. Promoted to Director Retail Sales, he was also appointed President of the Board of Directors of Roloil, our lubricants business in Italy. Moving to London in 1995 as KPI Lubricant Coordinator, he later became Chief Executive and Managing Director of Q8GB, then Managing Director Q8Oils, with a portfolio including IDS and Q8Research & Technology. Alessandro returned to Italy in 2005 as Managing Director and President of Q8Italy and of RAM, the Milazzo refinery.

In his 12 years as Managing Director and President of Q8’s largest operating unit, Alessandro has substantially grown the operation in the fiercely competitive Italian market through acquisitions, including Shell Italy in 2014. Amongst many outstanding business achievements, he has created a strong culture of cost effectiveness, introduced outstanding technological and environmental developments, and strengthened commitment to social responsibility.

New roleIn his role as President of Q8Italy, Alessandro will continue to lead the Italian organisation with the Planning, Legal and Naples Soil Remediation functions reporting to him. He will be supported by Azzam Al Mutawa as Managing Director and will further develop Q8Italy’s strategy to maximise the benefits of its increased international size. He will also continue in his role of President and Managing Director of RAM.

Alessandro says:“With this new organisation, Q8Italy will further strengthen its capability to robustly face market challenges by strengthening our ability to meet the strategic and operational requirements of the new larger company following the Shell acquisition. Moreover, the new organisation will allow us to capitalise fully on potential synergies with some parts of Q8’s business, which will benefit from economies of scale deriving from this new European dimension.”

Executive Directorsrotate roles for business success

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Azzam Al Mutawa, Managing Director Q8 Italy

Career Azzam graduated in 1992 with a degree in account-ing from Kuwait University. His career with the Kuwait Petroleum family spans more than 25 years.

After working briefly in KPC’s marketing department, he moved to London as a financial analyst in the Q8 head office. Rising through a series of financial roles in Q8GB and Q8Italy, he was promoted in Italy from Planning Manager to the assistant of the Retail Busi-ness Development Director, responsible for southern Italy. After holding the role of Country Manager Q8Spain, he returned to Kuwait as Stakeholder Man-agement Manager, reporting to the President and acting as Secretary to the Aruba Board.

In 2012, he was appointed Managing Director Q8Northwest Europe, responsible for Q8 Retail, IDS and Q8Research & Technology. In this role, he achieved strong growth for the Q8, Tango and IDS brands and set the strategic direction for Q8Research & Technology, following the sale of the refinery. Op-timising business processes and strengthening em-ployee engagement were also high priorities in his policy.

New role In his new role as Managing Director Q8Italy, Azzam will manage the country’s operations, reporting directly to Alessandro Gilotti, MD of RAM and President Q8Italy and RAM.

Azzam says: “After five very enjoyable years at Q8NWE, where I worked with a great team and together achieved many successes, I am now looking forward to re-turning to Q8Italy. I will further build on the strong foundation created by the Italian team and at the same time focus on the challenges that we face in this evolving market. I’m keen to work again with Sandro, who was my mentor when I was country manager Q8Spain. Sandro has taught me a lot which has contributed to my current standing in my profes-sional life.”

Fadel Al Faraj, Managing Director Q8 Northwest Europe

CareerFadel holds a degree in industrial engineering from the University of Arizona and an Executive MBA from Impe-rial College, London. He has built extensive experience over a 25-year career with Q8.

After joining KPC’s sales administration department in 1992, he moved to the UK as a graduate trainee spend-ing three years with Q8GB in retail and supply project roles. This was followed by a retail position with Q8Ben-elux, before returning to the UK to develop a UK network of independent franchised outlets. Following a promo-tion to Business Development Manager IDS, he joined Q8Aviation as Operations Manager Northwest Europe in 2005, progressing rapidly through the organisation to become Supply & Logistics and Operations Director, then Deputy Managing Director, before taking on the top po-sition of General Manager Q8Aviation. In 2014, his role was expanded to include responsibility for Q8Oils and Q8 Group Supply as Managing Director - Global Business.

New role Reporting to Vice President Europe, Fadel is responsi-ble for Q8’s operations across Northwest Europe and for Q8Research & Technology. He will also continue to lead the Q8Oils’ activities worldwide.

Fadel says:“My eleven year journey at Q8Aviation has taught me much, and I am proud and grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a diverse team of pro-fessionals that have brought these phenomenal fi-nancial results for our shareholder. I am looking for-ward to building an equally positive relationship with the Q8NWE family and continuing our success with Q8Oils. We are facing many challenges in today’s logistics and retail business, but I am confident that with a solid, focused and innovative strategy we will be able to deliver results and remain the strong com-petitive player we are today.”


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Naser Ben-Butain General Manager Q8Aviation

CareerNaser Ben-Butain holds a wide-ranging and distin-guished 20-year career within the oil sector.

After completing his degree in Accounting & Finance, Naser began his career as an Accountant within Ku-wait Oil Company in 1996. He quickly began to build his international experience, moving to Q8Italy in 2001 as a Capital Investment Analyst and later be-coming Finance Co-ordinator.

Naser then returned to KPI Head Office in 2006, being promoted to the position of Financial Team Leader, before being appointed as Management Rep-resentative for Quality in order to spearhead KPI’s drive to achieve the prestigious ISO 9001 certifica-tion throughout its businesses.

In 2010 Nasser moved to Vietnam to take on the challenging position of Deputy General Director within the Nghi Son Refinery & Petrochemical (NSRP) joint venture, which is creating the country’s larg-est refinery & petrochemical complex. Over the next three years, he played a key role in the management of this high-profile ‘Mega’ project, which culminated in NSRP obtaining final investment approval and be-ginning construction.

Naser then returned to Kuwait and in 2015 was pro-moted to the position of Corporate Finance Group Manager. In addition to being responsible for the implementation of KPI’s global cost control pro-grammes, Naser played crucial roles within some of KPI’s most important strategic projects, including the acquisition of Shell’s assets in Italy.

New role As General Manager of Q8Aviation, Naser will be re-sponsible for all of Q8Aviation’s international busi-ness operations.

Naser says:”It is a great pleasure to be appointed as the Gen-eral Manager of Q8Aviation. Despite the sometimes challenging market conditions, I believe that we will be able to manoeuvre our operations successfully and continue to grow the business. I look forward to work-ing with the outstanding Q8Aviation team as we build on past successes and continue to expand the scope of the business in new and innovative directions.”

Ayman Al-Qattan, Group Manager Corporate Finance and Treasury

Career

Ayman graduated from Seattle University in 1994 with a degree in Finance.

He began his career as a financial trainee with Bur-gan Bank in Kuwait and progressed through many departments including credit, corporate finance and operations, ending as a foreign exchange dealer. In 2002, he moved to The Netherlands to join the Treas-ury department in Q8 Northwest Europe as an ana-lyst then later returned to Kuwait in KPI International Treasury, progressing over the next decade through a series of increasingly senior roles to become Treasury Team Leader. His role covered a wide range of finan-cial issues such as helping to control the Group’s ex-posure to currency and interest rates, managing daily liquidity and preparing proposals for risk manage-ment strategies. In 2013, Ayman was appointed to the role of Treasury Manager, based at our European office in The Hague, responsible for managing KPITS (In-house Bank), providing a dealing service to affili-ates, ensuring that adequate credit and ancillary are available with banks to support this service and man-aging the refinancing process for KPCH (Aruba).

Over the past year, Group Treasury has developed and issued a new Corporate Treasury Policy and Standard Operating Procedures; increased facilities with external banks to $1.2 billion; arranged and ex-ecuted a new cash management service with HSBC, and started a new project to increase automation of the group’s internal cash management.

New role KPI Group Treasury is being combined with Corporate Finance, and Ayman will be responsible for the activi-ties of the new department.

Ayman says:“I’m excited to have the opportunity to embark on this new challenge and will aim with the team to fur-ther enhance professional services and provide ad-vice on a local and corporate level, in order to add value to the KPI group from a corporate finance and treasury aspect.”


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A new Code of Conduct for all employees has been issued, recognising that success and excellence are

achieved through teamwork and cooperation, with everyone working together as an integrated unit.

President Bakheet Al Rashidi explains: “Maintaining Q8’s strong position in the global market requires

meeting challenges and keeping pace with developments in a fast moving world. Working to guidelines is

an important part of this. We have therefore reconfirmed our code of conduct and work values, including

basic HSSE guidelines.”

A booklet detailing the Code of Conduct has been produced in English and Arabic. It has been distributed

in KPI Head Office and Operating Units in addition being avalible on Forecourt. Work is in hand to prepare

an electronic version of the booklet in Spanish, Italian, Dutch, French and Flemish.

An e-learning course on the new guidelines for everyone across the company has been created.

KPI General Counsel Juan Guillermo Riancho, who is coordinating the communication campaign on behalf

of the legal department, and together with other departments, comments: “The Code of Conduct is the

most important corporate policy of our group of companies. It lays the foundation for all other policies

and provides the core principles to which the company must always adhere: protection of people and the

environment, and the highest ethics of integrity, honesty and respect.”

NewCode of Conduct launched


Great steps forward are being made with the new integrated KPI Business Manage-ment System, which is standardising and simplifying business processes across the company. In March, an important mile-stone was reached when the system was in-dependently audited and recommended for certification against the latest international standards.

Further endorsement came from a survey amongst the first users of the system, with 80% positive responses to the key questions. This is an excellent result at this early stage, considering that the KPI Business Management Sys-tem was introduced in December 2016 and has only been used for a few months.

The‘re-certification and transition’ audit was carried out over four days by independent certifying body LRQA against the latest RC14001:2015 (ISO14001:2015) standards. The first day of the audit was held in Kuwait and involved in-terviews with KPI President Bakheet Al Rash-

idi and senior managers about their leader-ship activities. `

KPI Regional SHE Manager John Briggs said: “The results of the Leadership Day audit in Kuwait were very positive and this provided a great platform for the KPI SHE Depart-ment over the following three audit days in London.”

Following the audit, KPI was rec-ommended for certification to the new standards. As KPI holds a corporate multi-site certificate for RC14001, this means that all the Operating Units within the scope of the certificate will also be certified to the new stand-ards.

John Briggs adds: “We’re very pleased with how the KPI Busi-ness Management System is working at this early stage. We’re

listening carefully to suggestions for im-provements and will continue to incorporate these in order to deliver the most effective and lean system possible.”

Excellent progress for new KPIBusiness Management System

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First users of the system have given 80% positive responses to key questions in a survey


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KPI Supply Group plays a vital role in the supply and logistics of Q8’s operation. It is an integral part of the Q8 value chain, which begins with sourcing crude and oil products and includes maintaining optimum stock levels and managing risk exposure. Trading is one of its most important functions.

KPI Supply, together with KPC European Regional Office (ERO), is based in our Pall Mall office, in London.

On 20th February, a high-level gathering was organised at Pall Mall to launch a newly-refurbished trading floor for KPI Supply and KPC ERO. It was attended by President Bakheet Al Rashidi; VP Europe Khaled Al Mushaileh; KPC MD International Marketing Nabil Bourisli; KPC Deputy MD Crude Sales Imad Al Abdulkarim and other senior representatives of KPI and KPC.

The refurbishment has totally transformed the entire third floor from a collection of small offices into open state-of-the-art office space for the 14 employees of KPI Supply and KPC ERO. Q8Italy’s trading arm has been relocated from Rome to Pall Mall, to strengthen our trading activities and bring them together under one roof.

The new layout takes account of the need for close liaison between KPI Supply and KPC ERO. Trading is a complex activity in a dynamic market; many different factors must be weighted up and decisions taken swiftly. The activity is

set up as a traditional trading organisation, with separate desks for crude and oil products.

Speaking at the event, Khaled Al-Mushaileh said: “This is an important move and not just an office refurbishment. With no barriers or walls, our KPI and KPC teams can now work in closer proximity. This fosters enhanced communication and knowledge sharing, which are vital to the success of trading and provide a strong basis for business growth and meeting future challenges.”

The refurbishment took 10 weeks and KPI Supply coordinator Nazzareno Calandriello efficiently organised the contractors to ensure the project ran smoothly and without delays.

It is not just the office space that has been upgraded. The teams have been equipped with the latest tools, for example a constant stream of news and data from Reuters and Bloomberg, to facilitate fast and accurate decision making.

Ali Razzaq, KPI Supply Team Leader, comments: “We’ve already noticed a big change in the way we work – it’s far easier to communicate and exchange information with our colleagues in KPC and this helps us immensely in making better deals and decisions.”

It’s another important step in the vision to strengthen the links between KPI and KPC in all aspects of our business, for mutual growth and benefit.

“This is an important move and not just an office refurbishment.” Khaled Al-Mushaileh

Trading up at KPI Supply

KPI Supply Group and KPC International Marketing Team


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Candidates learn about effective teamwork through the ‘Lifeline’. To move from one side to another, the team must deal with complex information, come up with ideas, identify those which will work and encourage each other.

Enthusiastic managers have given a resounding vote of confidence to

the latest Q8Middle Management programme, awarding it the highest

ever evaluation score to date.

Twenty-four managers from across Q8 completed the first module of

the course in November and will take part in a second module in May.

The programme has been designed to strengthen their leadership skills,

helping them to inspire their own teams back in the workplace.

It’s easy to see why the programme is valued so highly. Q8Middle

Management is not only challenging and demanding, also motivational

and enormously enjoyable too. There’s a mix of presentations, discussions,

coaching and role play, but much of the learning over the five days

comes from working on a real project with an external charity. While

stretching their abilities, participants enjoy making a real difference to

an important cause.

During the two modules, and the time back at work in between, the

managers are working with two organisations which use sport to help

disadvantaged young people make a positive change to their lives.

Fight 4 Change engages young people through sports and provides them

with the training and skills they need to find a job. Q8 managers have

been set the challenge of creating a plan to raise employers’ awareness

of the charity’s training curriculum and App.

The second organisation, The Foundry, runs health and fitness training

to tackle issues surrounding unemployment, antisocial behaviour, crime

and health. It is supported by expert sport and fitness coaches as well

as high profile individuals, including Olympic champions. It is seeking

guidance in achieving official charity status and creating a sponsorship/

funding plan.

Both organisations are delighted with the current progress and are

looking forward to the outcomes and recommendations which will

be concluded in May.

Project Sponsor and Group Finance Director, Tony Saunders, says:

“The teams are working very hard on these projects and feedback

from the charities so far is excellent. It’s fantastic to see everyone’s

commitment and creativity in assisting these charities, which is

exactly what Q8Middle Management sets out to foster.”

Another aspect of the programme which is proving very powerful

is the continuous feedback that coaches and sponsors offer to

individuals and groups. This year the programme has taken feedback

to the next level by incorporating peer-to-peer coaching, which

includes observing and giving feedback to each other. Honest and

timely feedback, backed by constructive guidance, builds confidence

and enhances performance.

Chloe Albouze, KPI Supply Coordinator, concludes: “I found the

feedback incredibly valuable – it’s given me a real insight into how

I can improve my skills and adapt my style to communicate more

effectively with other team members. It’s clear that giving feedback

regularly, not just in formal sessions, and being mindful of cultural

differences, are key to being a successful leader.”

Q8Middle Management

Q8Middle Management is not only challenging and demanding, but motivational and enormously enjoyable too.


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Q8 Europe in The Hague has come together as a group to support the local community and, at the same time build closer links between its teams.

Joke Van Wieringen, Corporate Learning & Development Manager, explains: “Although we are all part of Q8 Europe, each department reports to a different member of the top management team and we mainly work separately, so it’s important to find ways to build closer links between us. Feedback from last year’s Q8Engagement Survey highlighted that we could be doing more to support the community and the environment, and this gave us the ideal focus to work together to benefit good causes and at the same time strengthen camaraderie among ourselves.”

A focus group was set up to discuss the findings of the Q8Engagement Survey and agree what action to take. One idea was to introduce a Q8 Europe intranet to

improve communication; another proposal was to step up community support by helping disadvantaged children, who are amongst the most vulnerable members of society.

Senior Business Analyst Daniela Zappimbulso co-ordinated a group to progress proposals for community support. The group chose a charity called The Forgotten Child, which seeks to make a difference to the 50,000 children who live in shelters and refuge centers throughout the Netherlands by creating warm, positive environments where the children can feel safe and happy.

The first step was to raise funds for the charity and The Hague’s annual race from the town to the coast – City-Pier-City – provided the ideal opportunity. Daniela organised two teams, one to run 5K and the other 10K, and the runners encouraged their family and friends to sponsor them.

Teaming up to support the community


Daniela said: “12 people, across all our departments, volunteered to take part in the race. This is a great response as there are only 30 of us in Q8 Europe! Everyone was very enthusiastic and keen to join in.”

Zeyad AlNafisi, Corporate Junior Treasurer, added: “Several of us hadn’t done much running and we only had a few weeks to train. I’ve never done a race like this before and I really enjoyed the challenge as well as getting to know our colleagues better.”

The two teams raised more than 7,000 euros for The Forgotten Child. This is just the beginning and Q8 Europe is keen to continue its support. Talks are already being held with the charity with a view to offering hands-on help in on one of its shelters in The Hague.

Abdullah Hashem, Learning & Development Analyst, said: “These children have nothing and we want to do whatever we can to help. We hope in some small way that it shows that we are thinking of them and that they really matter.”

Q8 Europe is also looking at what it can do to contribute to protecting the environment. Each year in August a major beach clean-up takes place from the south to the north coast of The Netherlands and a Q8 Europe team will join in to help clean the local beach at Scheveningen.

Ongoing activities in the office are strengthening links between the departments. For example, each month a breakfast meeting is held where people are invited to make informal presentations on relevant subjects. It’s at these meetings that ideas are shared and the way forward agreed.

Jervis Parris, Senior Internal Auditor, said: “It’s good to find out what others do - we’re getting to know each other well and we feel like a real team, it’s very motivating.”

Joke Van Wieringen concludes: “It’s amazing how, at this

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early stage, these activities are changing the way we work. We’re interacting better, sharing ideas and working together to help the community. It’s creating a very positive working atmosphere and this has clear benefits for the business as well as making work more enjoyable.”

5km runners: left to right: Galid Chiraqali, Carlo Pellico, Bill James, Omar Al-Khlaifi, Jervis Parris, Mohammed Al-Baddah, Abdullah Hashem

10K runners: left to right: Antonio Preden (husband of Daniela), Jeroen Kneppers, Daniela Zappimbulso, Joke van Wieringen, Erwin van Doorn, Zeyad AlNafisi


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Since 2014, Khalifa Al Qallaf has been overseeing the technical aspects of the engineering at the Nghi Son Refinery in Vietnam. Based in Kuwait, he will shortly move to Vietnam as the project progresses to me-chanical completion and commissioning.

This massive refinery - a $9 billion joint venture project between Q8, Petrovietnam, Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsui Chemicals – is due to start operations later this year. This will be the largest refinery in South East Asia with a planned capacity of 200,000 barrels per day based on crude oil exported from Kuwait (KEC).

Khalifa is well qualified for the role, holding a degree in chemical engineering from Kuwait University and with 29 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry. Starting his career with Kuwait National Petroleum Company as an operations engineer, he progressed to the role of technical manager before joining KPI in 2010 as a manufacturing advisor. He spent three years in China as technical co-ordinator on a proposed joint venture refinery and petrochemical project.

His experience of the complexity and cultural differ-ences involved in working on joint venture projects in Asia made him a natural choice for the role of manag-er technical support on the Nghi Son Refinery project.

With construction of the refinery almost complete, Khalifa is focusing on plans for the commissioning and commercial operations; this work will continue throughout the summer, ready for operations to start in July 2017.

Khalifa says: “There have been many challenges to this project including the cultural diversity of the part-ners and working in a country that is heavily focused

on development and where strict environmental leg-islation frequently changes. The remote location and limited resources have made the design work for the initial start-up very difficult - a robust plan was needed to meet the timeline and budget. Running a second refining business in Vietnam, with a workforce of lim-ited experience, will require a dynamic approach to training to enhance the staff’s capabilities.”

“Despite the complexity and challenges, I’m enjoying this work enormously. My passion is designing and commissioning refineries and I’m very much looking forward to seeing this project through to the start of commercial operations and to achieving KPI’s objec-tives set for end of this year.”

Meet the team:

“Despite the complexity and challenges, I’m enjoying this work enormously.”

Khalifa Al Qallaf,Manager Technical Support, KPI Head Office


Neil Grieve, UK Country Manager at Q8Oils, has

been appointed a Vice President of the UK Lu-

bricants Association (UKLA), at the invitation of

the UKLA Director General.

UKLA represents its members’ interests inter-

nationally on matters impacting the industry.

Through consultation and lobbying of UK and

European government and industry authorities,

it ensures that regulators have a clear under-

standing of the industry’s position on various

issues.

Nationally, UKLA facilitates cooperation and

knowledge sharing through networking events

and seminars. It is also a member of Union of

the European Lubricants Industry (UEIL), which

represents 21 European countries and Canada.

The size of the UK lubricants industry means

that UKLA has the second largest voting rights

after Germany.

Neil says: “I am very pleased to take up this

appointment which reflects the high regard in

which Q8 Oils is held and will ensure we retain

a strong voice at the heart of the UK lubricants

industry.”

Adri Van de Ven, Technical Co-ordinator at Q8

Research & Technology, has been appointed

as a board member of the prestigious industry

body ATIEL.

ATIEL represents the combined knowledge and

experience of leading engine oil manufacturers

and marketers with a presence in the European

market. Its 22 members include major oil com-

panies such as Shell, BP, ExxonMobil and Total,

while Q8’s interests are represented by Q8 Re-

search and Technology.

At the annual General Assembly, the President

of ATIEL nominated Adri to join the Executive

Committee, which acts as a board in setting

ATIEL’s strategy and direction. The President

highlighted the active role Q8 has played in the

association over many years and emphasised

Adri’s role as Chairman of the Base Oil Commit-

tee and a major contributor to ATIEL’s Code of

Practice.

Adri comments: “Membership of ATIEL is very

important to our Q8Oils business because

standardising lubricants raises the quality and

provides a level playing field to compete in the

market. I’m delighted to strengthen Q8’s repre-

sentation in ATIEL through this new role.”

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Adri Van de Venappointed board member of ATIEL

Neil Grievebecomes a Vice President of UKLA


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The team involved in setting up the agreement : Geert Leppens (EDF Luminus), Koen Schaillée (EDF Luminus); Pierre de Firmas (EDF Luminus), Azzam Al Mutawa (Q8NWE), Koen Vankelst (Q8NWE), Maarten van Haute (Q8NWE) and Edwin van Walsum (Q8NWE)

Q8 has signed an agreement with EDF Luminus to install fast charging stations for electric cars at Q8 service stations in Belgium. EDF Luminus is a leader in the Belgian energy market and part of EDF Group, the world’s largest electricity producer.

During 2017, 18 fast charging stations will be in-stalled at Q8 service stations on main roads and mo-torways in Belgium, allowing drivers to travel across the country without worrying about running out of charge. They will form part of a European network of 300 locations with fast chargers throughout Italy, France and the UK.

This is part of Q8’s drive to offer our customers a range of sustainable alternatives and, by encourag-ing a form of travel that does not emit greenhouse gases, it will also help to improve air quality.

Azzam Al Mutawa, in his former role as Managing Di-rector Q8 NW Europe, said: “In recent years we have introduced many energy saving initiatives at Q8 serv-

ice stations and consider it vital to continue pushing the boundaries in energy efficiency. This initiative follows our investment in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and we are very enthusiastic about our new partnership with EDF Luminus.”

The fast charging stations are of the latest genera-tion. Each has two fast chargers which can charge most electric car batteries in as little as 30 minutes. With multi-standard sockets, they can be used by all current types of electric car.

This important new step in Q8 North West Europe’s sustainability strategy follows the opening of its first service station to offer CNG in Schoten, near Ant-werp, in 2015. CNG is environmentally-friendly, very economical and costs less than conventional fuel.

Energy efficiency remains high on the agenda as Q8 North West Europe continues to look for new ways to encourage sustainability and offer its customers greater choice.

Investing in agreen futurein Belgium


In line with these objectives, an excellent event “Pro-fessional Driving Experience and Learn” - was organ-ised by Q8 North West Europe to boost awareness of road safety. The event, which demonstrated a deep commitment to promoting road safety, was warmly welcomed by participating employees, customers and contractors.

Q8 Northwest Europe is already running an ongoing programme of activities with its long-term strategic partner, the Bel-gian Road Safety Institute (BRSI), and this event aimed to raise awareness of safe driving practices, especially in the professional transport sector.

Opening the event, Vice President Europe Khaled Al-Mushaileh, remarked: “HSSE is crucially important for both our lives and our com-pany, and is therefore embedded in everything we do. With a cherished aim of enhancing HSSE awareness amongst our stakeholders, we have launched an inter-national HSSE awareness programme and this event is a live example of how we can achieve it.”

Filip Willems, Marketing Manager Q8 Northwest Eu-rope, described how the Q8 Responsible Drivers Club campaign, set up last year, is encouraging employees to commit to good driving practice through the Q8 Road Safety Charter.

Safety statistics relating to truck drivers in Belgium were shared by Karin Genoe, Managing Director BRSI. As Belgium is an important transit country, accidents often involve truck drivers from all over Europe. In 2015, 2,147 of these accidents in Belgium resulted in injuries, including 92 fatalities, and 44% occurred on a motorway.

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In 85% of incidents involving trucks, around 70% are caused by another driver. Technical problems and road/weather conditions are rarely the main cause, each accounting for around 5% of truck ac-cidents.

Ways to improve truck safety were offered by Ewout Mol, Manager QHSSE Europe at Schenk Tanktrans-port, who described his company’s strict criteria for

recruitment, training and monitoring driving behaviour.

At the end of the meeting, participants had the chance to test their driving skills on a simulator - providing dramatic proof of the impact of dangerous habits, such as texting while driving.

This successful event has provided a sol-id base for future initiatives. Geerd Jan Timmers, HSSE Manager Q8 Northwest Europe, said: “As a next step, our depart-ment will co-ordinate the sharing of ex-

periences and best practice for safe driving. We’ll make sure that safe driving is a permanent agenda item in both external and internal audits and share the findings with our stakeholders.”

“HSSE is crucially important … and is embedded in everything we do.”KhaledAl-Mushaileh

The driving simulator showed how it’s impossible to drive attentively while texting

Khaled Al-Mushaileh, Vice President Europe

Q8 has always been committed to maintaining a deep-rooted culture of best HSSE practices and all our business units have strongly adopted this resilient culture throughout their workplaces. An example is Q8 North West Europe, which is not only upholding high safety standards but is also continuously looking for opportunities to promote these.

Promoting road safety inBelgium

Building the Q8Oilsbrand in Kuwait

Q8Oils has taken a significant step in ex-

panding its business in Kuwait by opening

a new state-of-the-art distribution centre

to fulfill local contracts and prepare for fur-

ther expansion across the Middle East and

North Africa.

It has appointed Agility Logistics, a world-

class global logistics company with head-

quarters in Kuwait, to handle its logistics

operations. Agility Logistics was chosen as

the outstanding partner to

support Q8Oils’ challenging

supply chain that stretches

from the blending plant in

Antwerp to customers in

Kuwait. It will handle every

aspect of the operation in-

cluding sea freight, customs

activities, storage, order pick-

ing and delivery.

Although Q8Oils has long supplied its sis-

ter K-Companies in Kuwait with lubricants,

it is expanding beyond these close ties to

compete on the open market against other

major oil companies.

Fadel Al-Faraj, Managing Director Q8North-

west Europe, comments: “As a Kuwaiti

company, it is fitting that we should seek

a strong foothold in our home market for

Q8Oils. We have a world-class brand backed

by the expertise of Q8Research & Technol-

ogy, highly professional sales and support

teams and now an exceptional logistics op-

eration. It’s a winning combination.”

Abdulmohsen Homoud, Regional Sales

Manager Middle East & Africa at Q8Oils,

adds: “The market in Kuwait is evolving

with growing demand for top quality lubri-

cants backed by excellent service – this is

what Q8Oils offers and places us in a great

position to develop our business

successfully.”

The new warehouse in Kuwait

is being fully integrated with

the daily operations and sys-

tems of the Antwerp blending

plant. From Belgium, a team

led by Jody de Sutter, Logistics

and Storage Manager Q8NWE,

will monitor stock levels and customer con-

sumption for the range of 75 products and

generate automatic stock replenishment

orders. A customer service team in Kuwait

will assist local customers and relay their

needs to the supporting teams in Antwerp.

Fadel Al-Faraj concludes: “Our teams in Ku-

wait and Belgium are working hard to build

our Q8Oils business in Kuwait and I con-

gratulate everyone on their great efforts.”

“It is fitting that we should seek a strong foothold in our home market for Q8Oils.”Fadel Al-Faraj

Left to right: Tallal Al-Mutawa, Marketing Coordinator Middle East & Africa; Saliha Benouis, Customer Service Assistant; Abdulmohsen Homoud, Regional Sales Manager Middle East & Africa


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Q8Oils is successfully expanding its business in Africa thanks to an innovative agreement with Blue Chip Lubricants, a leading manufacturer and distributor in South Africa.

As part of its ongoing drive to expand its business around the world, Q8Oils has identified Africa as an area of high growth for lubricants. Expan-sion into the market, however, had been re-stricted by the logistics, lead time and cost of importing products from Q8Oils’ blend-ing plant in Antwerp.

To overcome these difficulties, in late 2015 a contract was signed – the first of its kind for Q8Oils - with Blue Chip Lubricants to blend, produce, and distribute Q8Oils lubri-cants locally in South Africa.

Blue Chip Lubricants manufactures high quality oils under strict production and qual-ity control measures set by Q8Oils, using the same formulations as those blended for Q8Oils cus-tomers in Europe. Laboratory testing follows the iden-tical methods and equipment used by Q8Oils.

Quick to spot the potential of this partnership with one of the world’s leading lubricant companies, Blue Chip Lubricants last year invested more than $1million in extensively upgrading and expanding its manufacturing plant and testing laboratory. The new state-of-the-art plant has increased its annual

production capacity to more than 48 million litres of lubricants and 2.4 million kilograms of grease.

This arrangement is opening exciting new oppor-tunities for Q8Oils. Blue Chip Lubricants has strong business links, developed over 30 years, with South Africa’s mining, automotive, energy and metal work-

ing industries. In addition, as a local manufacturer it can export to member countries of the Southern African De-velopment Community free of duty, ex-tending its reach across the continent.

Abdulmohsen Homoud, regional sales manager Middle East & Africa at Q8Oils, comments: “Business has been growing steadily since we set up this agreement and now that manufacturing capac-ity has increased, combined with the strength of our brand, we anticipate gaining a strong foothold in South Africa

and further afield.”

Reinder Oosterhof, Q8Oils Commercial Director, says: “Partnering with a local manufacturer is an excellent business model for expansion, giving us secure sup-ply, competitive pricing, flexibility and access to an established distribution network; in return, partners benefit from the world-renowned quality and high reputation of our brand. We’re looking at similar projects around the world and believe that this stra-tegic thinking will give Q8Oils the edge to become a true global player.”

“Partnering with a local manufacturer is an excellent business model for expansion.” Reinder Oosterhof

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19Q8 SAILS SPRING 2017

Ground-breaking partnershipextends Q8Oils’ business in Africa


In recent years, Milazzo refinery (RAM) has put

strenuous efforts into minimising the impact of

its operations on the environment. Strong com-

mitment from its shareholders, considerable in-

vestment, effective management

systems and organisational improve-

ments are reaping visible benefits.

RAM’s high standing in this field was

confirmed by an invitation to present

a case study of its experience in re-

ducing environmental impact at a

training course for high-level manag-

ers and officials of Italy’s Ministry of

Economic Development.

The course, organised by the Depart-

ment for Security of Supply and Ene-

rgy Infrastructures, started in February with the

first module titled “Petrol: from refining to distribu-

tion”. Following an introduction about the refining

sector in Italy by the department’s General Direc-

tor, RAM’s success in minimising environmental

impact was described by Piero Maugeri, General

Manager RAM.

“It was a very interesting experience which raised

many points for discussion,” said Piero Maugeri, add-

ing: “I noted with pleasure the great interest shown

in the complex environmental invest-

ments realised by the refinery and our

ability to adapt constantly to the best

available techniques. In the last three

years alone, we have invested around

110m euros specifically in environmental

projects”.

Discussion on the course focused on the

strategic importance of Italy’s refining

sector and the benefits that refineries

bring to the community in terms of devel

opment and jobs.

Piero Maugeri concluded: “Being invited to talk

about such important topical issues was very grati-

fying and confirms the excellence of our environ-

mental sustainability, which RAM has pioneered for

many years.”

RAM Receives Ministerial recognition

for excellent sustainability

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Piero MaugeriGeneral Manager RAM


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In February Q8Italy joined forces with International Diesel Service and ConqordOil to exhibit at Trans-potec 2017, Italy’s largest transport and logistics trade show. Held in Verona over four days, the show attracted the full spectrum of transport companies and gave a great opportunity to meet customers and identify new business openings.

The very large Q8 stand, extending to over 100 sq m, was designed to catch attention with its impressive video wall and ipad docking stations for maintaining a constant link with social media.

International Diesel Service promoted its fuelling service for international road transport companies and market-leading IDS card, while ConqordOil, which develops, produces and markets lubricants in Italy and internationally, showcased the Q8Oils and ROLOIL brands.

The CartissimaQ8 fuel card played a starring role at the exhibition and featured in a workshop organised by Q8Italy that highlighted outstanding innovation in fuel cards.

The exhibition was the ideal place to announce plans for a new breakthrough in payment technology for CartissimaQ8. Due to launch in April, this new feature allows CartissimaQ8 customers to generate a pay-ment code directly from their card via a website or app on their phone. Users simply type the code into the payment terminal at the fuel station and their payment is processed instantly. Quick and conven-ient, this important new feature gives greater choice and flexibility and is backed by the highest level of security on the market.

Vincenzo Maniaci, acting Q8 Global Cards Director at Q8Italy, said: “We had a very high number of visitors to the stand, who showed great enthusi-asm and many were very interested in finding out about the benefits of using virtual payments for their fuel transactions. The workshop was especial-ly successful too and attracted a very knowledge-able audience.”

He added: “Looking to the future, it’s difficult to predict – even three years from now - where the fuel card sector and online payments will be, but the digital trend suggests that there are many ex-citing new developments on the horizon. This is just the beginning of the shift from plastic to virtual in card evolution - we’re determined to stay at the forefront of change and maximise the benefits of new technology for our customers.”

Q8 Global Cardsstars at Transpotec exhibition

RAM Receives Ministerial recognition

for excellent sustainability

“We had a very high number of visitors to the stand, who showed great enthusiasm.” Vincenzo Maniaci


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It’s just a few years since Q8Aviation turned its at-tention to the General Aviation (GA) market in its drive to develop new revenue streams. Over the past two years it has had considerable success, increasing sales volumes in this sector by 63 per cent.

The GA market broadly covers all non-scheduled op-erators, both private and commercial, excluding mili-tary services. The diverse mix includes business and private jets, helicopter charters, flying clubs, and air ambulance and rescue services.

Q8Aviation Commercial Director Julian Amesbury comments: “At airports where we provide a jet fuel service to scheduled airlines, it’s a natural progression to seek business from these smaller operators. We’ve made important inroads; for ex-ample, Q8Aviation is now the sole sup-plier to the GA market at Jersey airport and we also serve London City Airport, which attracts many private business jets owing to its proximity to the City.”

Although the GA business is a relatively small percentage of Q8Aviation’s total sales, it has high margins because private aircraft owners tend to be less price sensitive than scheduled airlines.

Rob Parker, business development co-ordinator at Q8Aviation, who focuses on developing this sector, comments: “With GA customers there’s less empha-sis on price and more on service. We’re enhancing our service and recently introduced a new on-line order-ing system which allows customers to place or amend a fuel order on any electronic device, at any time and in any place.”

To refine the system, which was designed in-house by Q8Aviation’s planning and business development team, advice was sought from a long-term GA cus-tomer - James Ford, managing director at AFS Avia-tion Ltd, a supplier of jet fuel to small airfields and private owners.

James comments: “We have a very good relation-ship with Q8Aviation and asking for my assistance was typical of their willingness to listen to customers. They provide an excellent service to my company and

seem well placed to build a strong busi-ness in this market.”

The GA sector is not without its challeng-es. “Tendering for this lucrative business often means dealing with a large number of relatively small customers, which can take a lot of time. It’s about personal re-lationships and phone calls at all hours are not unusual!” says Rob.

There are many opportunities for win-ning more GA business, not least from the growing number of small charter compa-nies. In addition, customers can pick up fuel directly from depots in Misterton in

Nottinghamshire and Hallen, near Bristol and Q8A-viation is investigating additional depots to attract more bulk business.

Julian concludes: “We’re in the relatively early stages of developing this market. We already have a strong foothold in the UK and there’s great potential to grow the business in other European countries, in line with Q8’s mission to identify profitable outlets for Kuwaiti hydrocarbons. It’s a very exciting prospect.”

“We have a very good relationship with Q8Aviation and asking for my assistance was typical of their willingness to listen to customers.”James Ford

Exploiting the growthpotential of General Aviation

James Ford, MD AFS Aviation and Rob Parker


A new partnership between OKQ8 Scandinavia and social company Fryshuset is seeking to reduce social exclusion among young people in Denmark and Sweden. This cooperation is part of OKQ8 Scandinavia’s strong social responsibility programme and its efforts to contribute to the United Nation’s global goal of reducing inequality.

Based in Stockholm, Fryshuset is often referred to as the largest youth centre in the world. It was set up in 1984 with a vision that encouragement, confidence, responsibility and understanding are essential to help young people develop their abilities and find their way into society.

Under the partnership, OKQ8 Scandinavia is donating around $US 28,400 to help Fryshuset develop its social activities, which are as diverse as educational programmes and courses in music, sport and theatre. This support will help Fryshuset extend its activities to Denmark.

Martina Stenberg, Head of HR at OKQ8 Scandinavia, says: “Teenagers form a large part of our work force in OKQ8 Scandinavia and we are therefore keen to offer young people a good start in their careers. Our new partnership with Fryshuset fits well with our existing values and vision for helping young people.”

“We are happy to work with OKQ8 Scandinavia with whom we share a common goal of creating a meaningful life for young people,” says Lotta Lundberg, manager of Fundraising and Business Relations at Fryshuset.

OKQ8 Scandinavia is already involved in a range of social responsible initiatives that help young people. These include offering internships in its head office in Stockholm, particularly for new graduates who are trying to find their way into the job market. The partnership with Fryshuset is a valuable next step in its drive to strengthen this support.

among young peopleReducing social exclusion

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Young people at Fryshuset with (front row, left to right): Alexandra William-Olsson, OKQ8

Scandinavia; Elin Blom, Fryshuset; Martina Stenberg, OKQ8 Scandinavia; Lotta Lundberg,

Fryshuset and Anja Frey, Fryshuset

s Technical Specialist for more information today on +44 (0) 113 236 5223

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