Khaleejieh Issue 75 English

For PetrochemicalsIssue (75) March 2011

GPIC Makes US $138

in 2010GPIC Sponsors Second Economic Conference

UAE Foreign Trade Minister Visits GPIC Stand at GPCA Forum

Chief Editor

Deputy Chief Editor

Coordinator

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

EDITORIAL TEAM

Abdul Ameer Al Mulla

Khalid Al Bin Ali

Raeda Al Shemery

Ahmed Mahmood

Trevor Burt

Hussam Bader

Osama Salman

Lulwa Al Muaili

Electrical Superintendent

Engineering Superintendent

Media Analyst

Marketing Superintendent

Senior AdvisorMentoring & Development

Cost Control Engineer

GPIC Labor Union Representative

Khaleejieh for PetrochemicalsMarch 2011 Issue (75) |

ContentsSpeechesPresident’s Message...................................................................................................................................

Opening Keynote Speech by H.E. Shaikha Lubna Al Qassimi (UAE Minister of Foreign Trade) At.....

the 5th Annual Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association Forum

Opening keynote speech by Engineer Mohamed Al-Mady, Vice Chairman and CEO of .......................

SABIC, Chairman of GPCA.

Keynote speech by Engineer Khalid Al-Falih President and CEO of Saudi Aramco “Chemicals: A Middle..

East Pillar Industry during a Decisive Decade of opportunity” at the 5th Annual GPCA Forum.

AchievementsGPIC Makes US $138 Million Net Profit in 2010: AGM Representatives decide to distribute...............

profit to Shareholders.

GPIC Achieves Unprecedented Productivity Levels: December 2010 Highest Urea Output Since........

Commissioning.

GPIC: Unprecedented Achievements during 2010...................................................................................

Honours and Achievements won by GPIC in 2010..................................................................................

GPIC shines at Ministry of labour Annual Ceremony to reward distinguished individuals and .............

organizations of the private sector.

On the occasion of the Company’s 31st Anniversary: GPIC president presents Corporate Social ..........

Responsibility Certificate to the Deputy Chairman and the Managing Director.

Renewal of Memorandum of Understanding between GPCA and US Chemical Association.................

Ali Al Raies: First Bahraini Competent Arabic Speaker........................................................

GPIC’s Insurance broker wins several awards..........................................................................................

SupportGPIC Chairman supports the Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Programme..............................

GPIC Sponsors Second Economic Conference.........................................................................................

GPIC Supports Al Wafa Centre.................................................................................................................

GPIC Sponsors the First International Self-Development Conference.....................................................

GPIC Joins hands with Al Rahma Centre to Mark National Day.............................................................

VisitsHis Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa Visits GPIC Complex.............................................

The Queen of Denmark Visits GPIC and Praises Development of Bahrain Industry...............................

Minister of Municipalities and Urban Planning Visits GPIC Complex; Environmental Projects............

Praised by Minister .

Shaikha Hayat bint Abdul Aziz Al Khalifa, Member of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport ...........

Visits GPIC.

UAE Foreign Trade Minister Visits GPIC Stand at GPCA Forum...........................................................

GPCA Chairman hails GPIC participation at GPCA 5th Annual Conference..........................................

PIC Chairperson Mrs. Maha Mulla Hussain visits GPIC stand at GPCA Forum.....................................

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Khaleejieh for PetrochemicalsMarch 2011 Issue (75)|

Mr. Abdul Aziz Al Zamil Visits GPIC stand at GPCA Forum................................................................

Chamber of Commerce President Visits GPIC Complex.......................................................................

GPIC President meets the Judging Panel of the Ministry of Education - GPIC Environmental ...........

Research Competition.

President of ExxonMobil Chemical visits GPIC stand at GPCA Forum and praises GPIC achievements.............

GPIC hosts US Energy Delegation.........................................................................................................

GPIC hosts top Toastmasters International Executive Team..................................................................

Qatar Petrochemical Chief visits GPIC stand at GPCA Forum..............................................................

A delegation from EUC Vest visits GPIC...............................................................................................

Health Sciences College Students Visit GPIC........................................................................................

RewardsH.H. Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa Honours Abdulrahman Jamsheer In Recognition for......

being the First Sponsor of inJAz.

Chamber of Commerce President rewards GPIC Employee of the Month............................................

GPIC Deputy General Manager retires after Three Decades of Continuous Service.............................

Ideal Mother Honoured by GPIC...........................................................................................................

Ceremony Marking GPIC’s 31st Anniversary: Long Serving Employees Honoured.............................

StrategiesH.H. Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al-Khalifa meets inJAz Board of Directors......................................

GPIC Discusses Business Plans and Strategies for 2011 at the Strategic Extended Executive ............

Management Meeting.

ParticipationGPIC Takes Part in 5th GPCA Forum......................................................................................................

GPIC at the 36th Meeting of the IFA Board of Directors.........................................................................

GPIC Participates In Judging Environmental Public Speaking Contest.................................................

ToastmasterIn Cooperation with Ministry of Education, GPIC concludes public speaking skills workshops for...

Students.

GPIC Toastmasters Club Concludes its 2010 Meetings..........................................................................

ActivitiesAt the Annual Safety, Health and Environment week: GPIC distributes safety equipment to ..............

Employees.

GPIC holds its Annual Camping Event...................................................................................................

InformationEnvironment Committee Newsletter.......................................................................................................

Health Committee Newsletter.................................................................................................................

Fish Farm and Bird Sanctuary Committee Newsletter............................................................................

Safety Maturity Ladder and the new challenge.......................................................................................

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Contents


As with previous years, 2010 has been, yet again, extremely successful. Despite the difficult economic circumstances experi-enced by most countries and organizations, GPIC managed to make US $ 138 Million profit; an increase of 31% compared to the year before. The company also won sev-eral awards and accolades, emphasizing once more its pioneering status in all busi-ness aspects. Such achievements would not have been possible without the wise vision and guidance of the Kingdom’s leadership, from which we extrapolate our own vision and energy to persevere in raising high the global reputation of our beloved country. We therefore express our most gracious regards and appreciation to the leadership.

Our Board of Directors, headed by His Excellency Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to His Royal Highness the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs, has also played a piv-otal role in these achievements, through their support and continuous follow up of the executive management and all employees. We also praise the dedication and efforts of all employees; chief amongst them the management of GPIC Labor Union.We present to you this 75th issue of Khaleejieh to highlight some of GPIC’s brightest achievements, participation and activities inside and outside the Kingdom. As is always the case, the first issue of the year takes a new look and delivers a wider context, as part of our commitment to continuous improvement.While we hope you find this issue interesting, we also take this opportunity to invite you to participate in our drive for improvement by giving your feedback to the editorial team.

Abdulrahman Jawahery

President’s Message

Speeches

1


H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.R.H. the Prime Minister for Oil and indus-trial Affairs and GPIC Chairman announced that the Company made US $138 million in net profits in 2010, an increase

of US $33 million over the profits made in 2009. The Company was also successful in winning a number of prestigious awards during the year, the most important of which was the Internation-al Safety Award received from the British Safety Council for the third successive year in addition to the Chemical Sector Award received from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Ro-SPA), UK.

The announcement was made on the occasion of convening the GPIC Board meeting No.155 and the 32nd Annual General Assembly which was re-cently concluded in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

GPIC Makes US $138 Million Net Profit in 2010AGM Representatives Decide to Distribute

Profit to Shareholders

The Company’s Chairman expressed his thanks to the shareholders, members of the Board, executive management and all the Company’s employees for their efforts, which contributed to making such high profits and significant achievements. He ex-pressed his pride in the close relationship between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Shareholders in Saudi Arabia and State of Kuwait. Thanks to this strong relationship, the Company has become a model and successful example of joint Gulf co-operation.

The GPIC Chairman expressed his satisfaction at the remarkable achievements of the Company dur-ing 2010 which were represented by the continua-tion of operation and productivity at the same lev-els of quality and efficiency while maintaining the highest levels of safety and security. He added the Company was able to maintain its impressive safe-ty record by registering 12,147,233 working hours without lost time accidents for its workers and the Contractors’ workers.

The Company’s safety record has been highlighted at the local and international levels especially fol-lowing the completion in 2010 of numerous proj-ects and the acquisition of a number of modern and sophisticated items of equipment that contributed

Achievements

2


to the enhancement of occupational safety, health and the protection of the environment for both the employees and equipment. Moreover, the introduc-tion of an intensive programme was a primary fac-tor behind the enhancement of occupational safety and health for all the employees.

GPIC Chairman expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, H.R.H. Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Min-ister and H.R.H. Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander for their continuous support of the Company’s operations and activities.

Concluding his statement, H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa expressed his thanks to all members of the Board of Directors, the shareholders, executive management and the Company’s employees for their sincere efforts and contributions during the year, enabling the Company to achieve high stan-dards in all fields whether related to operations or participating in social activities and training and development programmes. He called upon every-one to redouble their efforts to maintain such gains.

The 32nd Ordinary Annual General Assembly was held under the Chairmanship of H.E. Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Board member of the National Oil and Gas Authority representing the Bahraini side. The Kuwaiti side was represent-

Achievements

3


ed by H.E. Mr. Talal Isa Al Sultan, Finance Man-ager of the Petrochemical Industries Company of the State of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia was represented at the meeting by H.E. Mr. Fawaz bin Mohamed Al Fawaz, Vice Chairman for Finance at Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC).

During the Annual General Assembly, the Direc-tors’ Report for the financial year 31st December, 2010 was approved. The Meeting also endorsed the Auditors’ Report, balance sheet and final accounts of the Company. Also approved was the distribu-

tion of profits to the shareholders for the financial year ended in December 2010. The Shareholders also approved the appointment of the Auditors and absolved the Board members for their activities during the year.

The GPIC Ordinary Annual General Assembly de-cided to distribute the US $138 million net profits made by the Company during 2010 to the share-holders on an equal basis.

Achievements

4


The GPIC Annual General Assembly expressed its thanks and appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, H.R.H. Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister and H.R.H. Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander for their continuous support of the Company’s activities. The Board of Directors expressed its thanks and appreciation to the shareholders represented by the National Oil and Gas Authority of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Petrochemical Industries Company of the State of Kuwait and Saudi Basic Industries Corpo-ration (SABIC) for their continuous commitment to ensuring the success of the Company and sup-porting its operational and marketing activities.

The Annual General Assembly praised the remark-able efforts of the Board of Directors, executive management and all the employees of the Compa-ny for their outstanding performance and for work-ing hard to ensure the success of GPIC operations that led to achieving record profits and achieve-ments during 2010.

During the meeting, the Board of Directors re-newed their full confidence and support to the Company’s ambitious plan for expansion of its plants and launch of new projects according to GPIC Strategic Plan 2020.

Meanwhile, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, said the Company continued in 2010 to make significant achievements that resulted in a reduction of expenditure and increased production that led to making higher levels of profits in spite of the challenges facing the petrochemical industry worldwide.

He added that the Company completed during the year the plant turnaround during which numerous items of equipment, systems and facilities were replaced by more advanced items to ensure more safety and reliability. During the process, all the major equipment and catalysts were replaced in the plants. Such investment resulted in achiev-ing a plant utilization factor of 105.8% while the operational continuity factor achieved a level of 100% enabling the Company to produce a total of 1,475,892 tons of ammonia, urea and methanol. The urea plant achieved the highest annual output since its commissioning in 1998, totalling 629,371 tons during 2010.

Mr. Jawahery said all the plants were able to achieve the production targets for the year with an increased daily output of 5% as a result of the continuous upgrading of the plants and increased reliability thanks to the commissioning of the CO2

plant, which significantly contributed to limiting CO

2 emissions. The plant currently recycles around

450 tons of CO2 daily for use in manufacturing op-

erations.

Achievements

5


He added that the profits achieved were due to the sincere efforts made by the employees towards the continuous reduction of expenditure and produc-tion costs while developing production levels, in addition to the close co-operation with the market-ers Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) of Saudi Arabia and Petrochemical Industries Com-pany of Kuwait, which significantly impacted the flow of exporting the Company’s products. The Company was able to ship a total of 1,133,618 tons of products on board 60 vessels.

Mr. Jawahery praised the tremendous efforts made by GPIC for the training of Bahrainis and develop-ment of the workforce with an achieved Bahraini-sation level of 95% by the end of the year, including the trainees. The year witnessed the enhancement of human resources’ efficiency and keeping abreast of technological and academic developments through the unprecedented transformation of the Training and Development Centre into a Leader-ship Academy and E-learning Centre.

This new Academy is responsible for turning out a new generation of highly qualified and trained leaders with a view to ensuring the continuous suc-cess of the Company and seizing new investment opportunities. Mr. Jawahery, noted that the Com-pany won the Bahrain Labour Ministry Award for the development of human resources. The Com-pany won the top position among the businesses

exempted from payment of occupational training contributions. GPIC also won the Award of the Outstanding Gulf Company for the Localisation of Jobs and Development of Human Resources.

Mr. Jawahery stressed that the Company was com-mitted to the protection of the environment which was further enhanced with the successful operation of the CO2

Plant. The most recent environmental project launched by GPIC was the Olive Trees oa-sis which was opened by Her Majesty Queen Mar-grethe II during her recent visit to the GPIC Com-plex.

The Oasis called the Queen Margrethe II Oasis has a large number of productive olive trees and this new project is a significant addition to the diverse environmental projects set up by the Company in its Complex. GPIC considers that industrial opera-tions are not opposed to the protection and safety of the environment.

During the last 5 years, GPIC was able to achieve its optimum performance levels winning the ad-miration of petrochemical industry leaders world-wide, thanks to the support and assistance received by the Company from the Bahrain leadership.

Achievements

6


GPIC Urea, Ammonia and Meth-

anol plants achieved record pro-

duction levels, well above pro-

jected targets during 2010. The

total output of the plants was

1,475,892 metric tons which in-

cluded 629,371 metric tons of

Urea, 429,307 metric tons of

Ammonia and 417,214 metric

tons of Methanol.

GPIC Achieves Unprecedented Productivity Levels in December 2010: Highest Urea

Output Since Commissioning

December 2010 witnessed the

Urea plant’s highest production

level since its commissioning,

amounting to 60,574 metric tons.

In a statement, GPIC President

Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery

said that the Urea plant, which

was officially inaugurated on 3rd

March, 1998 under the patron-

age of H.R.H. Prince Khalifa bin

Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime

Minister, had realized numerous

achievements since its operation.

He noted that the plant was built

by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

using the latest technologies pro-

duced by the Italian Company

Saipem, which is reputed for its

high quality and protection of the

environment.

Achievements

7


He added that the Company had

been able to meet production and

export targets according to plan

and at the highest levels of in-

ternational safety and quality re-

quirements.

Mr. Jawahery noted that 2010

witnessed the loading of 60 ves-

sels carrying the Company’s

products to various countries

around the world in spite of the

regular plant turnaround during

the year. This operation was also

completed according to plan and

within the prescribed budget.

He added that thanks to the Com-

pany’s policy it has been able to

firmly face all the challenges and

to realize several special achieve-

ments to be added to its excellent

record. Such achievements, he

said, could not have been pos-

sible without the support of the

Company’s Board of Directors,

led by H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali

Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.R.H.

the Prime Minister for Industrial

and Oil Affairs and GPIC Chair-

man.

Achievements

8


The Company’s President

stressed that all the Company’s

products were subject to inter-

national standards of quality,

environmental regulations and

occupational health and safety

standards. The Company is also

pressing ahead with the devel-

opment and training of Bahraini

national manpower to prepare

for the huge responsibilities and

tasks facing the Company in

2011.

GPIC plants came on stream in

1985 with the commissioning

of the Ammonia and Metha-

nol plans and in 1998 the urea

plant became operational, mak-

ing the Company one of the big-

gest manufacturing companies in

terms of output. GPIC products

are exported to various countries

around the world and also meet

the local market’s requirements

for urea fertilizer.

Achievements

9


Under the guidance of the Chair-man, His Excellency Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to His Royal Highness the Prime Minister for Industrial Affairs and Oil, the GPIC President, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, re-ceived Dr. Ronald Koller, direc-tor of the Crown Prince Interna-tional Scholarship Programme.

During the meeting, which was attended by members of the company’s executive manage-ment, Mr. Jawahery praised the sustained and strenuous efforts made by the organizers of the

GPIC Chairman supports the Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Programme

Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Programme. He also noted the special attention and follow-up to the programme at all levels, personally committed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Su-preme Commander. In addition, the Crown Prince had launched the Fund Programme, which will contribute to achieving greater consistency and stability within this pilot programme.

During the meeting Mr. Jawah-ery presented a cheque for BD 100,000 as a practical demonstra-tion of the support of the Compa-ny to the Crown Prince”s Interna-tional Scholarship Programme. This is the fourth installment of a total of BD500,000 pledged by GPIC, which will have provided a Gold Category Sponsorship to the programme over a five year period.

Mr. Jawahery confirmed that GPIC would continue to support the Crown Prince’s Programme and would be renewing its mem-bership as a Gold Category

Sponsor after the end of the cur-rent session, whereupon the com-pany will have provided support amounting to one million dinars during the ten year period..

The GPIC President added that the Company supports educa-tion as one of the top priorities, given its determined focus on the development of the Bahraini na-tional workforce. Such improve-ments serve to highlight the civi-lized face of our Kingdom with its citizens earning the highest academic qualifications at some of the finest universities and edu-cational institutions around the world.

He added that, in addition to the Company’s commitment to pro-vide generous material support to the Crown Prince’s Interna-tional Scholarship, GPIC has committed itself to provide an opportunity for practical train-ing in the Company’s facilities for students. On a yearly basis the Company is pleased to host a number of students enrolled in the CPISP programme to receive training. These internships are

Support

10


also a contribution to the success of this ambitious programme and support the objectives of prepar-ing a generation of administra-tive leaders who will work on building the future of this nation.

The GPIC President further highlighted that officials in the Kingdom are placing great trust in this distinguished elite of stu-dents to excel academically and then participate in the growing

and prosperity of the Kingdom. The great contribution of this programme is to enable them to return to the Kingdom and as-sume leadership positions after they graduate from their univer-sities. Mr. Jawahery wished the students every success in their study, expressing the Company’s readiness to offer unwavering support for all projects that serve students in our Kingdom.

At the conclusion of the visit, Dr. Koller sent his thanks and appre-ciation to the GPIC Chairman, His Excellency Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to His Royal Highness the Prime Minister for this generous support. He ex-pressed profound gratitude to the Company’s executive manage-ment for the Company›s keen-ness to provide practical training programmes for students en-rolled in the CPISP and said that this further reflects the interest of

the company, to include students and sponsor them as the future pillars and mainstays of develop-ment in Kingdom of Bahrain in the days and years ahead.

It is worth mentioning that the Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Programme was in-augurated in the month of May 2006, in a ceremony held under the patronage of His Royal High-ness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander.

This event was attended by a number of senior officials of fi-nancial institutions and com-panies in the Kingdom in addi-tion to guests of honor from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Econom-ics, Harvard University, Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Support

11


As part of the GPIC policy of supporting various economic, social and cultural events, Mr. Abdul-rahman Jawahery, GPIC President, presented a contribution by the Company to the Bahrain Econ-omists Society, to support the Second Economic Conference organized by BES.

In a statement, Mr. Jawahery said that this contribution was in response to the directives of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to

GPIC Sponsors Second Economic Conference

H.R.H. the Prime Minister for Oil and Industrial Affairs and Board Chairman. This is also part of the Company’s policy of fulfilling its social re-sponsibility.

The GPIC President praised the effective role played by BES in the growth and development of the Bahrain economy through conferences and seminars held to discuss issues related to the econ-omy in the government and private sectors.

Support

12


BES Chairman Ahmed Al Yousha’a expressed his sincere thanks to the GPIC management for this generous gesture in support of BES activities. He reiterated that the Company would always strive to give support to service and voluntary centres and associations in the country.

During the Conference, BES honoured Mr. Jawah-ery for the major role played by GPIC in support-ing various events and conferences for education and enhancing the culture of the Bahrain commu-nity.

The Conference was held on 11th January 2011 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel under the patronage of HE Shaikh Mohamed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, under the theme of “The Role of the State and Private Sector in the Gulf Economy.” The event discussed the structural transformations that affect the world economy in general and GCC economies in particular, with emphasis upon the role of the state and private sectors in the Gulf economy.

Support

H.H. Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa (inJAz Executive Director) and H.E. Dr. Abdul Husassin bin Ali Mirza Minis-ter of Energy between Banagas General Manager Dr. Shaikh Mohammed Al Khalifa (left) and GPIC President

Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery (left)

13


His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khali-

fa, President of the Supreme Council for Youth and

Sport and Chairman of the Bahrain Olympic Com-

mittee paid an inspection visit to the GPIC Com-

plex in Sitra.

On his arrival, he was welcomed by GPIC Presi-

dent Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, senior managers

His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Visits GPIC Complex

and key officials of the major petrochemical and

fertilizer company in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

During the visit, H.H. Shaikh Nasser held talks

with Mr. Jawahery, who conveyed to him the greet-

ings and best wishes of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al

Khalifa, Advisor to His Highness the Prime Minis-

ter for Oil and Industrial Affairs and GPIC Chair-

man.

Visits

14


Mr. Jawahery also briefed His Highness about

the Company’s industrial operations and its many

achievements, including the export of its products

to key international markets, especially the United

States.

The GPIC President also informed His Highness

about the Company’s training and development

programmes for its employees. Enhancing em-

ployees’ skills has enabled them to become active-

ly involved in other organizations that seek their

skills and expertise in a wide range of fields.

Following the meeting, which was attended by

members of the executive management, His High-

ness’ tour of the complex began with a briefing

about GPIC’s operations, using a scale model of

the plants. Shaikh Nasser was also briefed about

the Company’s export activities, its safety achieve-

ments, the marketing of its products and its efforts

Visits

15


devoted to the protection of the environment that

have enabled GPIC to win a number of interna-

tional awards.

His Highness also inspected the H.R.H. Princess

Shaikha Sabeeka Perfumed Garden and the Medi-

cal Herbs Garden that comprises rare plants and

herbs used for traditional medicinal purposes.

Following a visit to the Charity Fish Farm and the

Bird Sanctuary, His Highness kindly opened the

new extension to the Fish Farm, which was named

in his honor on the occasion of this auspicious visit.

Before heading to a ceremony held in his name,

His Highness kindly planted a palm tree, to mark

the occasion of his visit.

The ceremony itself was opened with a speech de-

livered by the GPIC President Mr. Abdulrahman

Jawahery, who reiterated the Company’s support

for the youth sector since the young would become

the leaders of the future and the backbone of this

country.

Visits

16


He noted that the Company’s employees included

skilled and talented athletes who had won honors

at numerous major events and competitions.

His Highness praised the significant role played by

the Company in supporting sports events and local

and regional competitions, supervised by the Su-

preme Council for Youth and Sport and underlined

that such support reflected positively on the youth

sector for the good image of the Kingdom.

In his role as President of the SCYS, His High-

ness said that the Council was seeking to support

youngsters’ ambitions on the sports field and called

for further efforts to ensure the presence at local

and regional competition of Bahraini sportsmen,

sportswomen and athletes.

His Highness expressed his appreciation to GPIC

officials for their co-operation with the SCYS and

praised the concern shown by H.E. Shaikh Isa bin

Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor of H.R.H. the Prime Min-

ister for Oil and Industrial Affairs and GPIC Chair-

man for his concern for sportsmen and his backing

of local sports clubs

Visits

17


Visits

A special Edition of Khaleejieh Comemorating the Auspicious Visit of His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa

18


The Board of Directors of inJAz Bahrain held a very important meeting which was attended by H.H. Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Foundation. The meeting was attended by Chairman of the Board Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery and members of the board who, at the beginning of the meeting, thanked H.H. Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al-Khalifa for her commitment and follow-up of the activities of the Foundation. He highlighted her tireless efforts to involve all national institu-tions, both private and public, in activities direct-ed towards the development of Bahrain, either by providing financial support or moral support to the Foundation’s programmes.

H.H. Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa Meets the Board of inJAz Bahrain

At a meeting held on Thursday, January 27th, 2011 the board detailed its strategic objectives for the current year. These were adopted by board mem-bers, and were added to the goal of doubling the number of graduating students participating in the programme. From both preparatory and secondary public schools, the Foundation is this year target-ing a total of 9200 students, whereas the Govern-ing Council confirmed its intention to include all students, targeted according to plan, and to seek to involve undergraduate students as part of the Foundation’s ambitious plans for the year.The meeting also discussed how to develop and en-courage the spirit of volunteering among employ-ees in the private sector.

Strategies

19


inJAz Bahrain aims to double this number, up to 160 volunteers in each season of the year. The Foundation is planning to address institutions and private companies, urging them to provide more volunteers who could offer special courses and lectures on the transfer of practical experience for students participating in the programme.The meeting also discussed how to enhance the level of effectiveness of the three pillars that un-derpin the programme: the training of Bahrain’s future leadership in financial literacy and how to prepare for the labour market, with a focus on lead-ership, which is perhaps the most important of the three pillars.

The Board also approved the Governing Body as well as its objectives for the current year. A com-prehensive assessment of the Foundation’s activi-ties would be provided to all concerned parties, in particular companies and members of the Board of Directors and the Foundation’s supporters.

The meeting was pleased to honour Mr. Farid Al Mulla and Mr. Ahmed Saleh Al Nuaimi, former Presidents of the Board of Directors as well as hon-ouring two former members of the Board of Direc-tors, Dr. Mustafa Al-Sayed and Mr. Abdul Elah Al Qassimi. Tributes were paid to the special efforts made by these national figures in leading the devel-

opment of the first building blocks of this Founda-tion, which aims to encourage young people and make them aware of the value of projects and work and the economy, how to improve their lives by providing them with information and skills, meth-odology and practical experience relating to the economy and the skills that they need when they enter the labour market.

At the conclusion of the meeting Her Highness Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa expressed sincere thanks to the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors for attending the meeting and providing valuable guidance with respect to the objectives and plans of the institution for the cur-rent year. Her Highness also expressed her deep appreciation to all the companies for their contin-ued support and commitment to community ser-vice through participation in these programs. She also passed thanks to the Ministry of Education, headed by His Excellency Dr Majid Al Nuaimi, for their support by allowing the institution to of-fer programmes in public schools in order to help achieve the desired objectives.Finally, H.H. Shaikha Hessa also commended the active role played by the volunteers who have taken the lead and showed great interest in partici-pating in the implementation of the Foundation’s programmes.

Strategies

20


In accordance with the directives of Her Highness Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chief Ex-ecutive Officer of Injaz Bahrain, the Board of Di-rectors of inJAz has honoured Mr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed Jamsheer, Managing Director of Esterad Investment Company, for being the first to sponsor inJAz.

H.H. Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Kahilfa Honours Abdulrahman Jamsheer

In Recognition for being the First Sponsor of inJAz

The decision was adopted during a meeting held recently by the Board of Directors of inJAz, under the Chairmanship of Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, Chairman of the Board and in the presence of H.H. Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa.

This recognition comes in appreciation of the con-tinuous support given to inJAz by Mr. Abdul Rah-man Jamsheer, which has enabled it to continue

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carrying out its programmes. These are designed to give full opportunities to youngsters to acquire concepts related to the work environment, assist-ing them to understand the value and importance of entrepreneurship in providing job opportunities and therefore enhancing living standards.

Under the guidance of Mr. Jamsheer, Esterad In-vestment Company plans to set up a Young Leader-ship Centre, in keeping with the Company’s major concern with devoting a proportion of its profits for the benefit of a voluntary Bahraini organization.

The proposed new Centre will serve as a base for implementing Injaz programmes. These pro-grammes are designed to enhance youngsters’ knowledge and encourage them to appreciate and respect free enterprise by educating them about the national economy and giving them the knowledge and skills required for success in the job market.

H.H. Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalida ex-pressed her sincere thanks to Mr. Abdul Rahman Jamsheer for his continuous initiatives towardsinJAz Bahrain. His stand has encouraged other ex-perienced businessmen and national companies to participate in giving their support to Injaz Bahrain and to help it carry out its programmes.

Her Highness added that Injaz sponsors many con-structive programmes including the “Work Eth-ics Programme”, “Skills of Success Programme”,

“Corporate Programme” and “Job Involvement Programme”. The support received by inJAz has enabled it to implement all these programmes.

Concluding, Her Highness stressed that in order to continue to offer its programmes to serve this vital sector of the community, inJAz relies on the help of volunteers, partners and businessmen to enable youngsters to discover the basic skills and neces-sary elements of learning for success in the job market.

Mr. Jamsheer has been a Board member of sev-eral national companies such as Balexco, Bahrain National Warehousing Company, Ahli Commer-cial Bank, Kuwait Investment Projects Company, United Cement Company and has been the Chair-man of Itisalcom Holding Company.

In addition, Mr. Jamsheer was the Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council in its first and second sessions and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee during the second legislative. He is also a prominent member of a number of local clubs and charities. He is a holder of the Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa medal of merit of the Second Degree.

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On Saturday 5th February 2011, H.M. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, accompanied by H.R.H. Prince Henrick, visited the GPIC Complex.

Upon the arrival of Her Majesty, she was welcomed by H.E.Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Ad-visor to His Royal Highness the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs and GPIC Chairman. H.E. Shaikha Mai bint Mohamed Al Khalifa, Minister of Culture accompanied Her Majesty the Danish Queen. H.E. Dr. Abdul Husain bin Ali Mirza, Minis-ter of Oil and Gas Affairs and President of the National Oil and

The Queen of Denmark Visits GPIC andPraises Development of Bahrain Industry

Gas Authority, Mr. Anwar Saeed bin Salameh, Managing Direc-tor, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, Board members and senior officials of the Com-pany were also present to greet Queen Margrethe. Following a ceremonial recep-tion, GPIC President Mr. Jawah-ery delivered a speech in which he welcomed the prominent guest and her accompanying delegation. He underlined the importance of this Royal visit, which was an honour for both the Company and the Kingdom’s oil and gas sector. Mr. Jawahery lauded the bilateral relations between the two friend-

ly countries, especially the close and successful economic bonds between GPIC and Danish com-panies over the 30 years since the Company’s inception.

The Danish Queen began her visit by inspecting the Academy of Leadership and Learning and the E-Learning Centre. She was also shown a scale model of the Company’s plants and was in-formed about the Company’s programmes for developing the national workforce to qualify leaders of the highest standards to assume responsibility for the future growth of the Company. In the presence of Her Majesty

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the Queen of Denmark and her husband, H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa and Dr. Topsoe, own-er and founder of Topsoe Tech-nology Company of Denmark honoured a number of outstand-ing male and female employ-ees. This was followed by an in-spection visit of the Company’s plants and facilities. The Danish Queen expressed her admiration for the Company’s plants and equipment that are backed by the most advanced technology avail-able in the world. The Queen of Denmark and her party then opened the Olive Tree Oasis, which is the latest project launched by GPIC. The site was named the “Queen Margrethe II Olive Oasis” in commemoration of the Queen’s visit to the Com-pany’s Complex. The Oasis in-cludes various species of mature olive trees and Bahraini palm

trees. Her Majesty admired the beautifully landscaped Oasis with its many olive trees, palm trees and other Bahraini fruit trees. Following her walk through the Company’s gardens, the Queen of Denmark held a press confer-ence attended by journalists rep-resenting the Danish and Bah-

raini media. Later, the Danish Queen attend-ed a signing ceremony, confirm-ing an Ammonia reactor design and supply contract with Haldor Topsoe of Denmark, one of the most established overseas com-panies in the area of Ammonia engineering and technology. In addition, the firm specializes in the manufacture of catalysts that are vital for this industry. The contract was signed by Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President and Dr. Haldor Topsoe, Chairman of Haldor Topsoe. The signing of the contract con-firms the Company’s efforts to enhance and increase productiv-ity levels in line with the latest available international technolo-gies while maintaining at the same time the highest level of

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safety in operations. On this occasion, H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, GPIC Chair-man, presented a commemora-tive gift to H.M. the Queen. This was followed by a luncheon held in honour of the Danish Queen and her accompanying party. At the end of the visit, H.M. Queen Margrethe expressed her thanks and appreciation to GPIC led by H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Board members, ex-ecutive managers and all the em-ployees in the Company for their warm hospitality. She expressed her appreciation to H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa for naming the Company’s latest environ-mental project in her honour.

Her Majesty praised the Com-pany’s concern with the environ-ment and the numerous attractive environmental projects within its Complex, which she thought commendable. The Queen laud-ed the remarkable growth of the oil and gas industry under the guidance of H.E. Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Oil and Gas Affairs President of the National Oil and Gas Au-thority. In a statement, H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, GPIC Chairman expressed his sincere thanks to H.M. Queen Margrethe and her husband for their visit to the GPIC Complex and for her kindness in opening the Queen Margrethe II Olive

Tree Oasis. He added: “This day is consid-ered as an historic day for the Company, Gulf industry in gen-eral and Bahraini industry in particular. This day will remain as a memorable landmark in the history of the Company and will motivate us to continue our con-tributions to the Kingdom and our efforts to preserve the envi-ronment.” In another statement, HE Dr. Ab-dul Hussain bin Ali Mirza said that Her Majesty’s choice of a visit to the GPIC Complex as one of the landmarks of her state visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain was a testimony to the high in-ternational reputation enjoyed by GPIC, which should make every Bahraini proud. Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery add-ed that the royal visit was both historic and a great honour to the management and employees of the Company. Concluding, Mr. Jawahery thanked H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Board Chairman and members of the Board for their wise directives and firm commit-ment to supporting the Compa-ny’s environmental projects that continue to attract large numbers of visitors from all parts of the world.

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On Tuesday 8th February 2011, the Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning H.E. Dr. Juma bin Ahmed Al Kaabi paid a visit to the GPIC Complex during which he was informed about the Company’s modern management systems as well as programmes organized by the Company to train and develop its employees and qualify them for occupying senior positions.The Minister was also briefed on the corporate culture and man-agement programmes provided for the employees which reflect

Minister of Municipalities and Urban Planning Visits GPIC Complex Environmental Projects

Praised by Minister

the Company’s keenness to de-velop its national workforce and provide them with the opportuni-ty to gain experience and knowl-edge for their respective jobs. GPIC firmly believes that its suc-cess is closely linked to the qual-ity of people who carry out their duties in the Company. Thus, GPIC considers its Bahraini employees as the real wealth and basis for all the international, re-gional and local achievements of the Company. Upon arrival, the Minister and the accompanying delegation

were received by GPIC Presi-dent Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, who conveyed to them the best wishes of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to His High-ness the Prime Minister for Oil and Industrial Affairs and GPIC Chairman.During the meeting, the Com-pany’s President reviewed the Company’s operations and cor-porate philosophy. The increased focus of the Company upon modern management systems, training programmes for staff de-velopment, environmental proj-

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ects and the promotion of local agriculture and cultivated areas are all reasons for the Company’s keen desire to enhance bilateral co-operation with the Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry. A briefing was given about the Company’s operations related to processes, production and exports, using a scale model of the plants. The Minister was in-formed about GPIC’s achieve-ments in the areas of produc-tivity, safety, marketing and environmental protection. The Minister learned about the major international awards won by the Company and its good reputa-tion, gained in regional and in-ternational markets. Following a briefing about train-ing programmes and activities offered by the Training Centre and E-Learning Centre in the Company, H.E. the Minister and his party made a tour of the Company’s plants and projects that reflect a beautiful harmony between industry and the envi-ronment.

The Minister started his tour by inspecting the Princess Sabeeka Perfumed Plant Garden which was recently inaugurated under the patronage of Her Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty the King and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Women. Later, the Minister visited the Folk Medicines Plant and Herb Garden, which is part of the Company’s commitment to pre-serve rare indigenous medicinal herbs that are used for medical

purposes. The Minister planted a palm tree, marking his visit to the GPIC Complex and this was followed by inspection of other environ-mental projects such as the Char-ity Fish Farm and Bird Sanctuary. On this occasion, GPIC President Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery gift-ed 1000 bags (around 50 tons) of Urea produced by the Company to be distributed by the Munici-palities Affairs and Urban Plan-ning Ministry to local farmers. This initiative comes upon the directives of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.H. the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs and GPIC Chair-man, to coincide with the nation-al initiative for the development of the farming sector launched by Her Highness Princess Sabeeka bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty the King and Chair-person of the Initiative’s Consul-tative Council. The move aims at

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unifying efforts directed toward the agricultural sector with the aim of reaching new and broad-er horizons and increasing the contribution of the agricultural sector to GDP. The initiative is consistent with the Bahrain Eco-nomic Vision 2030 and the Stra-tegic Social Plan 2014. Later, the Minister and accom-panying delegation visited the GPIC Club and familiarized themselves with its facilities and the programmes offered to its members. The Minister was also invited to a luncheon held in his honour at the Company’s Club. At the end of the visit, HE Dr. Al Kaabi expressed his pleasure at this visit and his admiration of GPIC as a successful example of close Gulf co-operation. He de-scribed the visit as a good oppor-tunity to learn closely about suc-

cessful Bahraini companies that implement management systems and programmes in the training and development of their em-ployees. He also praised the spe-cial concern of the Company to-wards landscaping and increasing green areas within the Complex.He expressed his sincere thanks

and appreciation to H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.H. the Premier for Oil and In-dustrial Affairs and GPIC Board Chairman and to the President and executive management for their warm reception and hospi-tality. He wished GPIC and its officials further success in the future.

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In Co-operation With Ministry of Education GPIC Concludes Public Speaking Skills

Workshops for StudentsAs part of the on-going co-operation between GPIC and the Ministry of Education, the Company’s Toast-masters Club orga-nized a number of workshops on pub-lic speaking and lis-tening skills at five

government schools. The events were organized

under the directives of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor of H.R.H. the Prime Minister for Oil and Industrial Affairs.

The workshops were organized during the first se-mester of the current school year and attracted the participation of more than 100 students.

Marking the conclusion of the workshops, Mr. Ab-dulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, expressed his sincere thanks to the Education Ministry, repre-sented by H.E. Dr. Majid bin Ali Al Noaimi, Min-

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ister of Education, for the keen interest shown in providing students with various life skills that help improve their character and enable them to prepare for the requirements of the future and its challenges.

The GPIC President added that the support given by GPIC is not limited to its staff members but ex-tends to providing material and moral support for most conferences held by the Toastmasters Inter-national Clubs in Bahrain. He praised the co-operation between GPIC and the

Ministry of Education through joint programmes designed to train students on public speaking skills. He pointed out that the GPIC Toastmasters Club was the only Club in the Kingdom that held its meetings in both Arabic and English.

It is certainly true that the task of the Company is not merely the manufacture of basic products need-ed for the world agricultural industry but also to focus strongly on the development of Bahraini hu-man resources, who are the country’s real wealth.

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As 2010 came to an end, the GPIC Board of Direc-tors held its ordinary meeting to review the Com-pany’s achievements during 2010 and to discuss plans for the new year. During the meeting, the Board approved the Company’s 2011 budget. Also discussed were strategies related to the progress of operations required to maintain the high level of performance achieved during 2010. Such levels were the result of continuous production opera-tions at a high level of reliability and safety, thanks to the cohesion and synchronization amongst the various departments and the spirit of teamwork evident throughout the Company.

In a statement marking the last Board meeting held in 2010, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, said that production operations were ex-

GPIC: Unprecedented Achievements during 2010

emplary during the year, as the Company’s plants continued operating without any disruption. This steady operational level was due to the completion of regular shutdown maintenance early in the year which increased the plant reliability level and pre-vented any breakdowns or disruption of production operations. He stressed that strict compliance with safety standards had had a significant impact upon achieving this excellent performance.

The GPIC President added that 2010 was a year of many challenges and achievements in the Com-pany’s history. It had been possible to realize all the planned objectives, owing to the outstanding efforts made by all the employees of the Company and the remarkable support of the Board of Direc-tors led by H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali AL Khalifa,

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Advisor to H.H. the Prime Minister for Industri-al and Oil Affairs. Therefore, the Company had been able to produce 429,000 tons of Ammonia, 629,000 tons of Urea and 417,000 tons of Metha-nol, bringing the total output to 1,475,000 tons of petrochemicals. This output is considered as the highest production level since the inception of the Company. Moreover, December 2010 witnessed the highest production of urea in the history of the Company (60,000 metric tons) and the highest level of daily output following the introduction of additional improvements to the plant.

Due to the high global reputation of the Company, the high quality of products and superior plant re-liability, GPIC was able to export 60,000 tons of Ammonia, 611,000 tons of Urea and 427,000 tons of Methanol to bring the total exports to 1,098,000 tons of petrochemicals. Mr. Jawahery further explained that the CO2

unit, which was launched by GPIC in December 2009 and which is the first plant of its kind in the Middle East, successfully completed its first year of op-erations and contributed to increasing the output of the Methanol and Urea plants by approximately 60,000 tons during the year and with a 22% return on investment. This project, he said, is consistent with the policies of the country’s leadership and the Economic Vision 2030 launched by His Majes-ty the King. The project also meets the obligations of the Kingdom of Bahrain to combat the climate change phenomenon. He noted that the Company would continue setting up more new and success-ful projects in the future as soon as the required

quantities of natural gas were available for such new expansion projects. Commenting on safety, Mr. Jawahery praised the great concern of the employees for safety. Thanks to such keen interest, GPIC employees were able this year to clock more than 9 million man-hours without lost time accidents while the total number of hours achieved by the employees and contrac-tors was more than 12 million man-hours without lost time accidents. Moreover, we were able to win the International Safety Award from the British Safety Council for the third successive time and the Chemical Sector Award from the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), UK. The President of GPIC continued by saying that, in addition to the many awards and certificates of rec-ognition received by the Company, we were also able to receive the Responsible Care Certification RC 14001:2008, becoming the first enterprise in the Middle East to receive such prestigious certi-fication. He added that this significant record is a cause of pride not only for GPIC employees but also for Bahrain industry in general and the King-dom in particular.

He stressed that training and development are the best investment since they effectively contribute to increased productivity and safety of performance. During the year, the Company conducted around 300 training courses and programmes inside and outside the Kingdom. The Leadership and Learn-ing Academy, which was opened during the year by H.E. Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Oil and Gas Affairs, offered training not only for

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employees but also for their families and students of local schools, universities and institutes. These tremendous efforts have enabled the Com-pany to win the award for the outstanding organi-zation in training and the development of human resources from the Bahrain Ministry of Labour. GPIC also won an award, for the second time, from the GCC Labour Ministers’ Council, for being the best Gulf Company in the localization of jobs and development of human resources. The GPIC Toastmasters Club won the Effective Communica-tion Award from the US-based Toastmasters Inter-national for its huge efforts in training employees and other community groups in the acquisition of public speaking skills. Mr. Jawahery spoke about GPIC’s financial per-formance and said that the employees’ efforts and cost rationalization efforts enabled the Company to make higher profits than had been forecast, with the results due to be presented to the next General Meeting for approval. Finally, he expressed his sincere thanks to their excellencies board members, led by H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.H. the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs and H.E. Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Oil and Gas Affairs, for their wise vision and strategies. The Company President expressed his thanks and appreciation to the executive managers, all the employees and workers for their high level of pro-fessionalism and their team spirit that made such achievements possible. He also paid tribute to the GPIC Labour Union who worked with the manage-ment hand in hand to realize such achievements.

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The International Safety Award from British Safety Council for the third consecutive year.

The Chemical Sector Award from the Royal Society for thePrevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

Kingdom of Bahrain, Ministry of Labour Award for The out-standing Companies in Training and Human Resources Devel-opment - First Place.

Effective Communication Award for GPIC Toastmasters Club.

First Organisation in the Middle East to obtain RC 14001:2008 certification for Responsible Care from DNV.

The outstanding GCC Companies in Nationalization and Human Resources Development Award from GCC Labour Ministers Council.

Honours and AchievementsWon by GPIC in 2010

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GPIC has achieved high scores with its Safety, Health and Environment Manager Mr. Yasser Ab-dulrahim winning the Outstanding Manager Award 2010. The honour also included Human Resources Supervisor Mr. Ebahim Abdulghani who was one of the outstanding private sector employees in the Kingdom of Bahrain being recognized at a major ceremony held on Wednesday 29th December 2010.

The ceremony was held under the kind patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain and in the presence of

GPIC Shines at Ministry of Labour Annual Ceremony to Reward Distinguished Individuals and

Organisations of the Private Sector

H.E. Dr. Majeed bin Mohsin Al Alawi, Minister of Labour who deputized for His Majesty the King, in addition to a large number of senior executives of private sector companies and firms. On this occasion, GPIC President Mr. Abdulrah-man Jawahery expressed his sincere thanks and best wishes to both Mr. Yasser Abdulrahim and Mr. Ebrahim Abdulghani for this achievement which was considered as a new addition to the Compa-ny’s numerous achievements during 2010. He con-sidered this recognition as a cause of pride for all

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the Company’s employees as it was held under the patronage of His Majesty the King.

Mr. Jawahery added that the win by two GPIC staff members comes as a demonstration of the tremen-dous efforts made by the Company and its care for national manpower by providing them with train-ing and promotion opportunities in addition to their participation in conferences and other events in the Kingdom and abroad.

He also paid tribute to the Company’s efforts to develop the talents and skills of its employees by launching such programmes as report writing, ef-fective communication, work and time manage-ment, total quality concepts, community service, protection of the environment, meeting manage-ment, emotional intelligence and Toastmasters’

skills. He cited the programmes of the E-Learning Centre in the Company as examples of the numer-ous courses for the promotion of self-learning and gaining IT education.

He added that all these resources are dedicated by the Company to be used by its employees, enabling it to win a huge number of awards locally and in-ternationally and enabling its employees to over-come various challenges. The care and support of His Majesty the King to the Company, its opera-tions and employees should give us a strong mo-tive to go forward and to realize more significant achievements. The Company President praised the skills and qualities enjoyed by the honoured employees Mr. Yasser Abdulrahim and Mr. Ebrahim Abdulghani and noted their ambitions and contributions to the

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Company over the years during their many years in service.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yasser Abdulrahim, Safety, Health and Environment Manager and Mr. Ebrahim Ab-dulghani, Human Resources Supervisor expressed their thanks to H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor of H.H. the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs and GPIC Chairman, members of the Board of Directors and executive management for providing all the appropriate conditions to make such achievement possible. They also thanked the Presedent for his wise directives and encourage-ment to achieve this distinction.

Mr. Yasser Abdulrahim has a B.Sc. degree in elec-trical engineering awarded by the University of Bahrain in 1988 and MBA from Hull University,

UK. He has taken part in the membership of many panels of judges for international awards in addi-tion to his membership of numerous committees and councils such as the High Council for Occupa-tional Safety and Health. He has attended a number of specialized courses in the US and UK and is an active sportsman. He initially joined the Company as Training Super-intendent and then became Engineering Services Supervisor. He was promoted until he took over his current position as Safety, Health and Environment Manager.

Mr. Ebrahim Abdulghani, Human Resources Su-pervisor, joined GPIC in 1983 as Personnel Assis-tant and held several positions in the Personnel De-partment until he became Personnel Affairs officer and later Industrial Relations Officer.

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On Thursday 30th December 2010, Mr. Abdulrah-man Jawahery, GPIC President, received at the GPIC Complex HE Shaikha Hayat bint Abdul Aziz Al Khalifa, member of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport and Chairperson of the Women’s Committee at the Olympic Committee, during her visit to the Company.

The meeting was attended by members of the ex-ecutive committee and discussions focused on an exchange of views and an examination of the ways

Shaikha Hayat bint Abdul Aziz Al Khalifa Member of the Supreme

Council for Youth and Sport Visits GPIC

and means for the Company to continue its support of sports and cultural events as supervised by the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport. This was followed by a meeting between Shaikha Hayat and a group of sportsmen working in GPIC. Also, a number of female employees who spoke about their experience in different sports and the competitions they had taken part in. Shaikha Hayat was briefed by them about the sports facilities pro-vided by GPIC to enable them continue their sports activities.

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The honoured guest was briefed on the Company’s operations through a scale model of the plants and she was acquainted with the Company’s achieve-ments in the areas of productivity, safety, market-ing and environmental protection. Her Excellency was also given a briefing about the major interna-tional awards won by the Company, enabling it to establish a first class reputation in regional and in-ternational markets. After hearing a detailed briefing about training courses and programmes offered by the GPIC Academy of Leadership and Learning, H.E. Shai-kha Hayat bint Abdul Aziz Al Khalifa made a tour of the plants and environmental projects that re-flect the harmony between industry and the envi-ronment.

She began her tour by visiting the site of the H.R.H. Princess Sabika Perfumed Plants Garden and this was followed by a visit to the Medical Herbs and Plants Garden set up by GPIC for the protection of rare medical herbs that were used in the past for medical treatment purposes. Her tour took her to other environmental projects such as the Charity Fish Farm and Bird Sanctuary. Later, Her Excellency visited the GPIC Club where

she observed the modern facilities in the Club and the sports events organized by the Club. In a statement on this occasion, Mr. Jawahery said he was delighted with the visit of H.E. Shai-kha Hayat and considered this event as a suitable means of discussing an increase in the support of the Company to youth and sports activities. GPIC already gives financial and moral support to vari-ous sports events held in the Kingdom in addition to its support to the sports clubs and national teams. Mr. Jawahery added that GPIC is committed to support the youth sector and to prepare and train them well since they are the leaders of the future, in addition to being the cornerstone of social de-velopment in this country. He underlined that as part of its corporate responsibility the Company

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was fully committed to support this vital sector and sought to provide all possible facilities to ensure its success. He noted that the Company’s employees had succeeded, indeed excelled, in various sports

events and competitions due to the assistance and facilities provided by the Company, especially the well-equipped GPIC sports club. For her part, Shaikha Hayat bint Abdul Aziz Al Khalifa expressed her admiration for GPIC in its status as a major industrial complex, one which is considered as a successful example of joint Gulf co-operation and an impressive model of a suc-cessful Bahraini company. She praised the support given by GPIC to sports activities and its encour-agement of its own athletes to participate in differ-ent sports events and competitions. Shaikha Hayat called upon GPIC’s female employ-ees to make more efforts to excel in the sports field to follow the example of the male employees in the Company and to take advantage of the services and

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facilities provided by the Company in this area. She reiterated the support of the Supreme Coun-cil for Youth and Sports to Bahraini women in the sports arena. She pointed out that women’s full physical and intellectual potential must be fully exploited and emphasized that sports activities receive the full support of HRH Princess Sabika bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty the King.

Shaikha Hayat then expressed her thanks to GPIC officials for their significant co-operation with the Council and noted that there were numerous tal-ents among the Company’s employees who would receive every support from the Council.

Finally, she expressed her sincere thanks to H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.R.H. the Prime Minister for Industry and Oil Affairs and GPIC Chairman for the support given to sports and cultural clubs. She expressed her thanks to the GPIC President and executive managers for their warm reception and hospitality.

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H.E. Shaikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qassimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, inaugurated the 5th An-nual Forum of Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) and the exhibition held on its sidelines. During the opening of the event, she vis-ited the GPIC stand where she was welcomed by Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President and the Company’s delegates to of the Forum.Her Excellency said she was impressed with the Company’s stand and exhibits and underlined that GPIC was an exemplar among the companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain. She noted with admira-tion the presence of Bahraini women at such an important forum, which was not surprising for the Kingdom of Bahrain, where women are given all possible opportunities in all activities. She also recalled the significant efforts made by

H.R.H. Princess Sabika bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His Majesty the King and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Women as she seeks to encourage Bahraini women to play their part in the community and to effectively participate in all walks of life. Mr. Jawahery expressed his thanks to H.E. Shaikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qassimi for kindly visiting GPIC stand and emphasized that she was a role model for successful Gulf women. The Forum, which was first launched in 2006, has attracted increasing interest from Gulf and inter-national companies and attracts annually a large number of participants from different parts of the world, representing major companies involved in this industrial sector.

UAE Foreign Trade Minister Visits GPIC Stand at GPCA Forum

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H.E. Mr. Mohamed H. Al-Mady, GPCA Chairman, Vice Chairman and CEO of Saudi Basic Indus-tries Corporation SABIC visited GPIC’s stand at the exhibition held on the side of the Gulf Pet-rochemicals and Chemicals Con-ference (GPCA) 5th Conference.The prominent guest was re-ceived by GPIC General Man-ager Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery and members of the company’s delegation to the annual forum. H.E. Mr. Al Mady toured GPIC stand and listened to a briefing on GPIC’s latest achievements and environmental projects. The

GPCA Chairman Hails GPIC Participationat the GPCA 5th Annual Conference

two officials discussed ways of promoting mutual cooperation.H.E. Mr. Al-Mady said that GPIC’s participation in such a Conference reflects the com-pany’s keenness to develop its national workforce and provide them with the opportunity to gain experience and knowledge. Such participation will also grant them the chance to develop their skills and techniques and discov-er what the Chemical and Petro-chemical industry has to offer in the region, he explained.Commenting on the GPCA 5th

Conference, H.E. Al-Mady said

that such a gathering reflects the close cohesion and co opera-tion among Chemical Industrial Organizations, praising in this regard GPIC as a model of suc-cessful Gulf cooperation. Affirm-ing his absolute support to the GCC industries, H.E. Al-Mady highlighted the significant role played by GPCA in providing the most up-to-date knowledge and eliminating obstacles faced by Petrochemical and Chemical industries regionally and glob-ally. He noted that GPCA now has five committees to deal with issues and challenges facing the

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Industry, the Human Resources, Supply Chain, Plastics, Respon-sible Care, Advocacy and the Fertilizer Committees.GPCA Chairman said that the Association is committed to the support of the Petrochemical and Chemical sector in the region, adding that a number of initia-tives will be initiated soon.He explained that Gulf Arab states tend to orient their invest-ment towards new sectors such as Chemicals and Petrochemi-cals, which will entitle the region to play a more effective role in the global Petrochemical mar-kets.He went on to say that the world’s major industrial power has now been shifted from west to east, noting in this regard the growing role played by G20 against the previous G8. “G8 has included Japan as the only Asian member in the group, while G20 now in-cludes China, Japan, India, South Korea, Indonesia and Australia” he elaborated.At the end of his comment, GPCA Chairman expressed his best wishes to the GPIC’s man-agement and staff, wishing them every success. He thanked the company’s delegation for their positive contribution in the GPCA 5th Conference and exhi-bition.

For his part, GPIC General Man-ager Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery expressed his sincere thanks and gratitude to H.E. Al-Mady for his kind visit to the company’s stand, stressing GPIC’s keen-ness to take part in the various regional and international gath-erings especially those organized by GPCA. He also praised the distinguished ties between GPIC and SABIC and the exchange of information and visits between the two organisations.It is worth mentioning that GP-CA’s Fifth Annual Forum was held in the period from 7th to 9th

December, 2010, at the Inter-continental Hotel, Festival City, Dubai, UAE under the patronage of H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qa-simi, Minister of UAE’s foreign Trade.Top-notch speakers, top-calibre networking receptions and spe-cial events took place during the two days event; all focused on growth in this extremely impor-tant petrochemical sector.GPIC General Manager Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery led the company’s delegation to the Fo-rum. The Forum discussed shifting the focus away from crisis manage-ment to driving innovation for future growth. During the event, H.E. Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi shared her thoughts

on the role of petrochemicals in the economic development of the GCC.Since 2006, the GPCA forum has continued to be a dynamic plat-form and attract the cream of the industry’s leaders and decision-makers while serving as a forum for market intelligence and the sharing of ideas on matters of mutual interest. The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA), the first such industry association in the Middle East, has grown from strength to strength since its inception in March 2006, steer-ing the regional industry towards a whole new era of co-operation. As the regions’ Petrochemicals and Chemicals Industry’s repre-sentative body, GPCA works to enhance the role of the region in international debate and pol-icy making to facilitate regional co-operation, and to ensure that growth is both sustainable and socially responsible.

GPCA’s mission is to offer its members networking opportuni-ties through various platforms to meet and share knowledge; exchange insights and expertise and advocate the development, growth and prosperity of the pet-rochemicals and chemicals in-dustry and related businesses in the Gulf.

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Visits

H.E. Mrs. Maha Mulla Hussain, Chairperson of Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) of Kuwait and Managing Director visited GPIC stand at the exhibi-tion held on the side of the fifth forum of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA)Upon her arrival at the GPIC stand, she was received by Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery and members of GPIC delegation to the forum. H.E. expressed her pleasure at the high quality of the Company’s products on dis-play. She was also briefed on the models of the Company’s envi-ronmental projects which have been established within the in-dustrial complex of the company and which reflect the attention and care given by the Company to the good care and manage-ment of the environment. During her visit to the Company’s stand, Mrs. Maha Mulla Hussain dis-cussed with GPIC chief ways of supporting and strengthening the bilateral cooperation between the two sides. She also expressed her pleasure at the regular at-tendance of GPIC personnel at such specialized gatherings and wished the company and its man-agement all success. For his part, Mr. Jawahery of-fered his sincere gratitude to Her

PIC Chairperson Mrs. Maha Mulla Hussainvisits GPIC Stand at GPCA Forum

Excellency for taking the time to visit the Company stand, stress-ing the Company’s desire to be present at all events in the petro-chemical industry and in particu-lar those events held by GPCA. He also commended the close cooperation between Gulf Pet-rochemical Industries Company and Petrochemical Industries company of Kuwait in various fields. Mr. Jawahery further stated that the event is extremely impor-tant for the industry due to the large number of participants and wealth of topics under discus-sion. GPIC has therefore partici-pated with a large delegation to reap the benefits.GPIC also constructed a special booth at the forum, which includ-ed an exhibition of the company›s products and its plants and envi-ronmental projects. Many dig-nitaries and prominent guests visited the Company’s stand, as

did a number of conference par-ticipants. The participation of GPIC at this conference provides a testimony of its importance to the Company’s management under the chairmanship of H.E Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to His Royal Highness the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs. The conference is not only of great interest to the Company’s employees but also provides them with an op-portunity to gain experience and knowledge through participation at gatherings within the confer-ence itself.It is worth mentioning that GPCA is the first Association of its kind in the Middle East and has seen its activities expand rapidly since its inception in March 2006, where its formation heralded a new era of fruitful cooperation between the Gulf States in the field of chemi-cal and petrochemical industries.

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On the sidelines of the 5th Annual Forum of Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA),

which was recently concluded in Dubai, HE Mr. Abdul Aziz Al Zamil, former Saudi Minister of Industry

and Electricity, visited the GPIC stand at the exhibition held on the sidelines of the Forum.

He was welcomed upon arrival at the stand by Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery and the GPIC team taking

part in the Forum. During the meeting, H.E. Mr. Al Zamil received a number of new trainees in the

Company who briefed him about the nature of operations and individual products. He was briefed about

training courses offered by GPIC.

For his part, Mr. Jawahery thanked H.E. Mr. Al Zamil for kindly visiting the stand and meeting with the

new trainees. Mr Jawahery noted that Mr. Al Zamil is one of the most prominent industrialists in the

region.

Dubai played host to the 5th Annual Forum of Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association from the

7th to 9th December, 2010 under the patronage of H.E. Shaikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qassimi, UAE Min-

ister of Foreign Trade and attracted the participation of 1300 delegates from various parts of the world.

Mr. Abdul Aziz Al Zamil Visits GPIC Stand at GPCA Forum

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Visits

Abdulaziz Abdulla Al Zamil in brief

His Excellency , Mr. Abdulaziz Abdulla Al Zamil holds a Master and Bachelor degrees both in Industrial Engineering from South California University since 1986. His Excellency held the following high rank-ing positions after his return from the United States:

• Deputy General Manager of Saudi Consulting House (1968-1976)

• Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) (1976-1983)

• Minister for Power and Industry (1983-1995)

• Chairman, Board of Directors Al Zamil Industries (1996-Now).

• Chairman, Board of Directors Saudi International Petrochemicals (SIPChem) (1999-till now)

• Chairman, Board of Directors, Desert Petrochemicals (2004 – till now)

• Chairman, Board of Directors Development Bank (2007-till now)

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On Tuesday 28th December, 2010 H.E. Dr. Esam Abdulla Fakhro, President of the Bahrain Cham-ber of Commerce and Industry and accompanied by members of the BCCI Board of Directors, visited the GPIC Complex. They were welcomed by the Company’s President Mr. Abdul-rahman Jawahery and senior of-ficials of the Company. Mr. Jawahery reiterated that the visit was a good opportunity for an exchange of views concern-ing issues of industrial invest-ment in the Kingdom. It was also a timely opportunity to brief the visiting group on the growth and achievements of GPIC in opera-tional and production areas. The GPIC President also con-

Chamber of Commerce PresidentVisits GPIC

veyed to the prominent visitors the best wishes of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.H. the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs and

GPIC Chairman. He conveyed his appreciation of the efforts made by the President and Board members of the Bahrain Cham-ber of Commerce and Industry in their leadership of the coun-try’s private sector, enhancing its capabilities for dealing with all conditions and challenges in order to implement the reform and development of the national economy. He also praised the keen inter-est shown by the BCCI officials to explore the future require-ments of the Bahraini economy by adopting an effective role in dealing with the views and as-pirations of the trade, industrial, business and investment sectors. During the meeting, the visiting

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delegation was briefed about the company’s operations including the running of the CO

2 Recov-

ery Unit recently launched by the Company’s Chairman H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa. This unit recovers a total of 450 tons of CO

2 per day, in a technol-

ogy which is the first of its kind in the Middle East. The new Unit increases the output of the meth-anol and urea plants by around 8%. The visitors were also briefed about the Company’s fu-ture projects. This was followed by a presen-tation about GPIC’s achieve-ments in the areas of productiv-ity, safety, marketing, protection of the environment and social responsibility. A brief was also given about the numerous glob-al awards won by the Compa-ny, allowing it to enjoy a good

reputation in the regional and international markets. Training programmes and courses offered by the Leadership and Learning Academy and the E-Learning Centre were some of the high-lights of this visit. This was fol-lowed by a tour of the Compa-ny’s plants and environmental

projects that reflect the harmony between industry and the environment. The visitors started by visiting the Princess Sabika Perfumed Plant Garden and later went to see the Folk Medicine Herb and Plant Garden set up by the Company to preserve medical herbs that were used in the past for medical purposes. The BCCI President planted a palm tree on this occasion. As part of their tour, the guests visited the Charity Fish Farm and Bird Sanctuary. They also visited the GPIC Club, which plays host to the company’s employees and their families. The sports, cultur-al and social events held by the Club for its members were ex-plained to the visiting party. They also attended a luncheon held by the Company in honour

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of the BCCI President and visit-ing group. In a statement, H.E. Dr. Esam Abdulla Fakhro expressed to the Company his congratulations for the recent success where the company was bestowed the GCC Award for Localisation in the Area of Training and Replace-ment of Employees. He added that this award was not at all sur-prising, given the company pol-icy of employing national man-power wherever possible. He praised the Bahraini employees for their high professional skills and their efficiency in carrying out their duties. The BCCI President said he was pleased to visit this major Gulf organization, one that is consid-ered as a successful example of joint Gulf co-operation. The vis-it, he said, was a good opportuni-ty to have a close look at a model example of a successful Bahraini company that is committed to the highest standards of quality and safety. He noted that the new in-dustrial projects of the Company would certainly yield fruit to the Bahrain economy as part of the Bahrain Economic Vision 2030. Mr. Fakhro expressed his ap-preciation of the environmental projects launched by the Com-pany in addition to social and sports welfare programmes for the employees.

Concluding, he expressed his thanks to GPIC Chairman and Board members for their concern with developing the Company’s production operations in addition to setting up environmental proj-ects that enjoyed the admiration

of those concerned with environ-ment affairs. He thanked the GPIC Presi-dent and executive management members for their warm hospi-tality and wished them all further growth and success.

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On the occasion of his kind visit to the GPIC, H.E. Dr. Esam Abdulla Fakhro, President of the Bahrain Chamber of Com-merce and Industry, accompanied by mem-bers of the BCCI Board of Directors and in the presence of GPIC President Mr. Ab-dulrahman Jawahery, presented a merit cer-tificate and award to Mr. Tawfeeq Salman Habib, Support Analyst from Information Technology and Knowledge department for winning the title Employee of the Month

for November 2010.H.E. Dr. Fakhro also awarded Mr. Hesham Reyadh Juma, Planning Engineer from the Maintenance department, who won the title Employee of the Month for December 2010.These two employees have proved their loyalty and sincerity in carrying out their duties. The purpose of this recognition is to encourage the company’s employees to de-velop and improve their performance.

Chamber of Commerce President Rewards GPIC Employee of the Month

Rewards

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Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to ad-dress this regional gathering which is rapidly emerging as the flagship of petrochemical confer-ences in the Middle East. I would like to thank Eng. Mohammed Al-Mady, the Chairman of the GPCA Board, as well as the Sec-retary General Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun for their kind invita-tion.

Opening Keynote Speech by H.E. Shaikha Lubna Al QasimiUAE Minister of Foreign Trade

At the 5th Annual Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association Forum

Distinguished Guests;

In the early 1980s the Gulf Gov-ernments embarked on a program aimed at utilizing the abundant supply of natural gas to support the region’s rapid industrializa-tion. Of particular focus was the development of the petrochemi-cal industry due to their excep-tional potential to effect econom-ic and social growth. This sector provided the best option to add value to gas and its associated products as well as to protect the

environment by avoiding flaring. Since then, the GCC’s petro-chemical industry has witnessed a consistent and exponential ex-pansion which has transformed the region into a major global producer of commodity pet-rochemicals. The Gulf’s lead-ing position in the international markets is set to grow even fur-ther over the next 5 years as the petrochemical industry aims for additional capacity. As a result, the overall share of the GCC region in the world petrochemi-cal capacity is projected to grow markedly. This will be fuelled by massive domestic and foreign in-vestment inflows coinciding with the international petrochemicals sector’s movement towards best-cost areas with excellent access to global markets, as reflected by the increasing involvement of the world’s major petrochemical players in the GCC.

The international markets were significantly affected by the sharp recession of 2009, with

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the global economy shrinking by 4.6 per cent and the chemical in-dustries of all regions, including the Gulf, experiencing business shifts. However, the impact on the global chemical industry was not so drastic and chemical com-panies have experienced signifi-cant improvements since then. In the Gulf, petrochemical ca-pacity expansion continued un-abated despite the difficult global environment. Production went up by an average of 3.7 per cent across the Middle East last year, with Saudi Arabia posting an in-crease of 6.3 per cent; the UAE’s Abu Dhabi 4.4 per cent; Kuwait 3.2 per cent; and Qatar 7.4 per cent.

Even within a tough economic environment where capital in-fusion has become increasingly challenging, the ability of GCC producers to fund their expan-sion projects has not been an issue. In 2010, the Gulf added more than 4 million tons of eth-ylene capacity, and by 2013 will see nine new crackers and down-stream plants come on stream in the region; five in Saudi Arabia, one in Qatar; one in Abu Dhabi and the remaning two in Iran. In Saudi Arabia, 7 million tons of

ethylene capacity will be added through 2014 to account for 25 per cent of global ethylene ca-pacity growth. In Abu Dhabi, Borouge has commissioned the world’s largest cracker, reflect-ing its ongoing aggressive ex-pansion plan which will triple the company’s annual production capacity to over 4.5 million tons within the next four years.

I would like to mention that in-novation has played a huge role in the development of our re-gion’s petrochemicals business. The Research and Development (R&D) activities of companies such as Borouge have brought in technologies that have not only enhanced industry efficiencies but have helped promote a cul-ture of innovation within the re-gion as well. Such emphasis on innovation can lead to sustained economic growth, improved global competitiveness and more employment and entrepreneur-ship opportunities.

In the UAE, part of our aspira-tions is to build up a highly com-petitive knowledge economy that encourages innovation, R&D, the growth of key sectors and the ex-pansion of value-added ones. We

are pursuing this vision through the enforcement of highly effec-tive intellectual property policies and the development of vital tal-ent – especially among UAE Na-tionals – that align with national priorities; the provision of incen-tives for enterprises and interna-tional institutions that focus on innovation and applied research and encouraging collaboration between them; the exploration of new sources of research funding; and the creation and dissemina-tion of a database on research conducted within the Emirates. Borouge has been a valuable partner in promoting an innova-tive mindset among industry and society in the UAE. Through its Abu Dhabi Innovation Centre Borouge aims to fulfill its vision of becoming the leader of in-novative plastic solutions in the Middle East and Asia. The cen-tre will feature state-of-the-art tools for plastic processing and analyzing and will bring together scientists, engineers and techni-cians to develop petrochemical products that provide the best value to local, regional and inter-national customers.

Distinguished Guests; The global ethylene share of the

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Gulf’s petrochemicals producers is projected to reach 20 per cent by 2014, a long way from the 5 per cent share the region had at the beginning of the previous de-cade. Overall, the coming years will see the share of Gulf produc-ers in global chemicals produc-tion capacity rise further to reach an estimated 16 per cent in 2015 and 20 per cent by 2020. Similar to other Gulf states, Abu Dhabi’s latest projects will shift its focus from basic petrochemi-cals to performance chemicals and specialty products with the aim of stimulating the develop-ment of downstream industries, thus capturing higher value from their products and creating more job opportunities for our youth. The Chemweyaat projects in Abu Dhabi will be a major step in this direction.

The longer-term trend continues to be one of global petrochemical supply migrating away from the traditional production centers in Europe and North America and towards low-cost regions such as the Middle East and in particular the Gulf region. Industry ana-lysts suggest that this downturn should see further migration of the industry to the Middle East

and Asia, making the Gulf region the future centre of gravity for the global petrochemicals and chemicals industry.

Ladies and Gentlemen; The emerging markets led by China are a key outlet for pet-rochemical production from the Gulf region and may experience economic growth of up to 12 per cent in the coming year. The Gulf is expected to supply up to 40 per cent of incremental Asian demand for polyolefins in the medium term.

A major challenge observed be-tween 2009 and 2010 is the surge in remedy cases and protection-ist actions from countries such as China and India and the EU to block imports and protect in-digenous industries. While we in the Gulf are pleased that some of these cases in China and India had been closed we remain con-cerned about the potential impact of such measures on the develop-ment and health of regional and global industry. That said, we re-main committed to free trade and expect all countries to abide by WTO rules.

I would like to close by empha-

sizing the fact that in today’s in-creasingly competitive environ-ment “sustained cooperation” among regional and global play-ers and all stakeholders is key to a more promising future for the chemical industry, a future in which chemicals and petro-chemicals produced by the Gulf help millions of people to realize the promise of better standards of living and greater prosperity.

I wish all the delegates attending this important event the very best for the coming two days.

The solid financial status of the Gulf’s petrochemicals players has enabled them to sustain their “globalized production” drive from 2009 to 2010 through fur-ther investments outside of the region to boost their regional supply chain networks. (e.g. Bor-ouge, Sabic, Saudi Aramco, PIC JVs in China) as well as the ac-quisition of global players with leading technological expertise such as Nova which Abu Dhabi’s IPIC procured.

Thank you and good day.

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I.Welcoming CommentsGood morning. I wish to extend a warm welcome to all of our forum attendees at the Opening Session of the 5th Annual GPCA Forum. We are delighted to have an outstanding array of distin-guished speakers from around the world with great insight on our industry and the global econ-omy. I am sure that we can all benefit from their vast experi-ence and wisdom.I want to express my apprecia-tion to “Chemical Week” for the co-sponsorship of this forum; and also I want to give thanks to Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General of GPCA, for

Opening Keynote Speech by Engineer Mohamed Al-Mady Vice Chairman and CEO of SABIC

Chairman of GPCA

the leadership he has provided to GPCA and his outstanding ef-forts in putting on this forum.

Last year at this time, there was significant apprehension regard-ing the condition of the glob-al economy and the ability to achieve a sustainable economic recovery. There were uncer-tainties about the future for the chemical industry.

Thankfully, we are on more solid ground this year and while some clouds still linger, the global economy and financial markets are far healthier than last year at this time.

II. GPCA’s Growth and Role in the RegionNow, I would like to make a few brief opening remarks on several topics that are important to our industry. The first is in regard to the rapid growth of GPCA and the role it plays in our region and our industry.

The confluence of attractive hy-drocarbon feedstocks, financial strength, and an excellent geo-graphic location, have combined to establish a strong and rapidly growing petrochemical industry in the Gulf Region. Many com-panies involved in this dynamic industry have come together to form GPCA. GPCA has expe-rienced rapid growth consistent with the growth of companies in the region allied with the chemi-cal industry.

As GPCA has grown, so have the activities of the trade association with respect to well organized workshops on common industry concerns and needs. These in-clude Responsible Care®, prod-uct stewardship, safety/health/environmental issues, sustain-ability concerns, training, logis-

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tical studies, and concerns re-garding rising protectionism and barriers to free trade.Our chemical industry is being challenged on many fronts, both legislative and regulatory, such as: product stewardship and safe-ty, sustainability, protectionism, CO

2 emissions and other critical

issues. GPCA in collaboration with other regional trade asso-ciations provides a strong voice of advocacy for our industry as governments around the world seek remedies for these issues. We must promote and protect our products which are consumed around the world, improving the daily lives of millions of people.III. InnovationThe theme of our forum this year and the topic of a number of speakers is: “Driving Value and Growth Through Innovation.” While it appears that global eco-nomic growth is occurring, this is no time for complacency. In no small measure the future of our industry is dependent upon innovation and continuous im-provement in all aspects of our activities.

It is important that we adopt best practices in our manufacturing operations, our marketing and lo-gistical activities and our admin-istrative and financial processes. We participate in a global indus-try where all are seeking to grow

and increase their market share. Those that fail to continuously improve their operations will lose competitiveness and fall by the wayside.Research and development activ-ities can provide a route to new as well as improved processes and products. Additional prog-ress can be achieved through development of proprietary technology which can yield an advantaged position – this can come through feedstock advan-tages, superior product yields, lower operating costs, advan-taged product properties and per-formance, and superior customer service and product delivery sys-tems.Innovation is a key element in providing a stronger and more competitive chemical industry. We cannot stand still – we must create and innovate. Innova-tion is key to remaining relevant players in the global chemical industry and achieving strategic objectives.

IV. SustainabilityNow I would like to offer a few thoughts on sustainability and its importance to the future progress of our industry.Responsible Care® is a core ele-ment in our program of sustain-ability. GPCA has been accepted in the International Council of Chemical Associations “Respon-

sible Care® Leadership Group. The Responsible Care® ethic is the global chemical industry’s foundation for a sustainable fu-ture through “continuous im-provement” in the industry’s en-vironmental, health, safety and product stewardship practices. Responsible Care® is a commit-ment to sustainability around the world.Sustainability programmes with-in our respective companies can be advanced through the estab-lishment of strategies and goals. Strategies can be developed for operations, social responsibil-ity, products, and our employees. Goals for operations can con-sider specific targets for reduc-tion in CO

2 emissions, energy

consumption and waste from our plants. Goals for social respon-sibility can include specific tar-gets for programmes designed to improve children’s lives in mar-kets we serve and goals for our employees to build sustainability training into their DNA and their daily work practices. Sustain-ability goals for products could include specific targets for inno-vation of products that have an improved environmental profile, such as lighter or recyclable.There are many ways to achieve objectives that will improve the sustainability profile of our companies and innovation is a pathway for such achievements.

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Also GPCA workshops and other resources can be valuable tools for our member companies in es-tablishing a strong programme of sustainability.

V. Free Trade and BarriersNow, I would like to make a few comments regarding free trade and the rising threat of protec-tionism. While globalization and the relatively free movement of goods around the world had been a prevailing norm for many years, the global recession and its consequences have resulted in some voices now challenging the benefits of globalization, in some countries.High unemployment in the west-ern world and the substantial ex-port of jobs from the developed world to emerging countries are causing some re-examination of the “free trade” concept by some politicians. Also, serious struc-tural imbalances between coun-tries with large export surpluses and those with large export defi-cits is creating an environment conducive to protectionist activi-ties.As the global economy has emerged from the recession, global trade flows have returned to the volumes of the mid-1980s. So far, the group of 20 (G 20) has done a good job in having its members not fight the recession by introducing protectionism

measures. Nevertheless, there are still concerns that parochial political forces may still emerge to push for some form of pro-tectionism in an effort to correct the large imbalances in trade. This could come in the form of restricting foreign investment (e.g. Canada’s recent decision to block BHP Billington’s takeover of Potash Corp.) or currency de-valuations by various countries. Some have spoken of potential “currency wars”.As participants in the global chemical industry – an industry whose customers and global citi-zens benefit from free trade – it is important for us to be strong advocates of free and open trade.

VI. Petrochemical Industries Update and OutlookThe world has experienced a re-covery from the recession and global trade has certainly recov-ered. There is little to no talk of a “double dip recession.” For the most part petrochemical produc-ers recently have experienced improved margins, volumes and earnings. Most of the growth in demand has come from emerg-ing markets while growth in the developed countries has been very modest.This trend is likely to continue in 2011 with global GDP growth expected to be about 4.0%. The emerging economies will con-

tinue to lead the way with GDP growth estimated at: China (9.0%); India (8.3%); Russia (4.4%); South Korea (4.2%); In-donesia (5.1%).The developed economies, bur-dened by heavy unemployment and impaired balance sheets, are expected to have slow GDP growth, some of whom are: U.S. (2.4%); Germany (1.9%); Japan (1.3%); UK (2.1%).There are a few concerns for 2011, including: excess capacity in some petrochemicals, the po-tential for “currency wars” and potential bubbles in certain asset classes, particularly commodi-ties; products such as metals, fixed asset financial products, equities, and possibly crude oil.In general the outlook for the petrochemical industry is rela-tively good and once again the focus will remain on serving the emerging economies as the most significant source of growth.This concludes my opening re-marks and thank you so much for your kind attention and par-ticipating in this forum. We have some outstanding speakers for the rest of today and tomorrow.Now I have the great honour of introducing our first keynote speaker, H. W. Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Bin Al-Oasimi, Min-ister of Foreign Trade for the United Arab Emirates.

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Keynote Speech by Engineer Khalid Al-Falih President and Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Aramco

Chemicals: A Middle East Pillar Industry During a Decisive Decade of Opportunity at the 5th Annual GPCA Forum

Your Excellency Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid AlQasimi; Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen; good morning. It gives me great pleasure to de-liver this keynote address and to express my appreciation to the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemi-cals Association for the impor-tant role it has played in helping the region become a major hub for the global chemical industry. Chemical products are vital to each of us as institutions and in-dividuals, but the petrochemicals sector itself is also pivotal for our

national and regional economies, since it serves as both an enabling industry and an important driver of broad economic development. Today I will first take stock of the many achievements of the Gulf’s petrochemical sector, and then look at the major challenges it faces between now and 2020—a period I believe will be a deci-sive decade of opportunity and potentially far-reaching transfor-mation. The next ten years will be a golden age for our region in terms of economic conditions and commercial opportunities,

but we also face many structural and demographic hurdles and challenges. We must therefore seize this moment before it pass-es. In the second part of my remarks I intend to outline three vital ar-eas where the industry needs to do more in order to achieve busi-ness as well as national and re-gional economic objectives, be-fore closing with a proposed set of demanding but doable targets for the Gulf’s chemical sector. Ladies and gentlemen, this year global chemical sales will total roughly 3.5 trillion dollars, or nearly four times the combined GDP of the Gulf Cooperation Council nations. Worldwide, the industry directly employs more than 10 million people, and en-ables the indirect employment of another 50 million or more. Here in the Gulf, petrochemical firms can take pride in three de-cades of sustained growth. Thir-ty years ago, our region was a net importer of chemicals, while this year GCC chemicals production will be around 40 billion dollars,

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with the vast majority of that ex-ported to global markets In the last decade alone both pro-duction and exports have multi-plied more than six-fold in value terms, driven upwards by both rising global prices and growth in volume —an impressive achievement.And yet, when we consider the enormous impact the industry has had in other parts of the world—particularly in terms of value addition and job creation—our enthusiasm is somewhat damp-ened, and we must concede that the Gulf’s chemical sector can and should do much more in the future.To date, our petrochemical en-terprises have been built largely on the competitive advantage derived from gas-based feed-stocks, with refinery petrochemi-cal integration only now start-ing to emerge. This area of the business, which offers many op-portunities for product diversi-fication and value addition has significant room for growth in the Gulf —and Saudi Aramco intends to take an active role in realizing those opportunities. Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, our economies still face structural challenges related to industrialization, economic di-

versification, and employment creation, particularly for young people. Without a doubt we enjoy signifi-cant energy advantages: the GCC is home to more than one-third of the world’s oil and nearly a quar-ter of its natural gas reserves, en-abling us to be a big player in ba-sic petrochemical commodities. But is the Gulf pulling its weight when it comes to the wider petro-chemical and chemical industry? The answer is—unfortunately—no, because when we consider downstream conversion and fin-ished products—that is, areas of the value chain that are much richer in terms of value and em-ployment potential—the broader region has a lot of catching up to do. Consider that the Gulf’s share of global chemical production is only one-and-a-half percent, note that Europe’s 60,000 chemi-cal companies employ more than 1.2 million people, and think about the fact that, on that con-tinent, chemicals stand second only to pharmaceuticals in terms of value-added per employee: more than 80 percent higher than the combined average of all man-ufacturing sectors.So how do chemical industries elsewhere in the world generate

such massive revenues, contrib-ute so much to GDP, and create so many good jobs—all econom-ic areas where our region needs to perform better? The simple answer is wide prod-uct diversity and immense down-stream value addition. In other words, they go far beyond pet-rochemicals to supply specialty and performance chemical prod-ucts to industries like automo-tives, construction, electronics, textiles, pharmaceuticals, agri-culture and others. Capturing additional value is critical as our nations travel along their inevitable journeys from a dependence on exports of natural resources to more di-versified economies—not only to increase GDP, but also to create more well-paying employment opportunities than come with oil and gas production, refining, and primary petrochemicals, all of which are more capital-intensive and less labor-intensive. The development of industrial parks surrounding petrochemi-cal facilities is a cornerstone of such a downstream development strategy, and Saudi Aramco is committed to driving that change with our sustained support for the first industrial estate for con-version industries in Saudi Ara-

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bia, the Petro Rabigh Plus Tech Park on the Red Sea, as well as the Value Park planned in associ-ation with our Jubail petrochemi-cal venture. Those highly advanced chemi-cal complexes will be produc-ing numerous specialty and per-formance materials including polyurethane building blocks, metallocene-based elastomers, glycol ethers, solution polyeth-ylene, MMA/PMMA, nylon, and EP rubber —many of which have never before been produced in the Middle East. These products will in turn serve as feedstock for conversion and input for manu-facturing industries, helping to grow and diversify our econo-mies. I am excited that Saudi Aramco and its joint-venture partners, Sumitomo Chemical and Dow Chemical respectively, will shortly be announcing further progress in both of these for-ward-looking ventures, which we believe will generate even greater momentum for the kind of fundamental transformation I am describing today. It is also important to note that these value parks will allow us to further benefit from the cluster-ing concept, where interrelated manufacturing and production companies, their customers, sup-

pliers, service providers and as-sociated institutions reinforce each other, thus helping all par-ticipants while also broadening economic and social develop-ment. You see such clusters in the auto-motive industries of Bavaria, the American Midwest, and Japan’s Aichi Prefecture, with financial institutions in New York and London, and of course along the US Gulf Coast, which is home to many of that country’s pet-rochemical and chemical plants and facilities. Clusters can also pay big divi-dends in our region, particularly when it comes to allowing supply chain improvements and integra-tion and the maximization of lo-cal content, which is why Saudi Aramco’s integrated petrochemi-cal ventures have been designed with this concept in mind. In addition to these localized clusters, though, we should also think of the entire region as a po-tential “mega-cluster” for chemi-cals. That is, we should look at the Gulf as a unified whole, rath-er than as a collection of small-er individual markets, or even worse as a set of boxes which are walled off from one another. Even as we compete, we should concurrently collaborate at the regional level, with greater inte-

gration and cooperation provid-ing critical mass in terms of local markets for chemicals. Such a robust home market can in turn serve as a springboard to competing on the global stage, even while the GCC chemicals “mega-cluster” spurs economic diversification and new opportu-nities within our societies. So what needs to change dur-ing this decisive decade for our region’s chemicals industry to contribute more effectively to economic development and di-versification?I see three key areas where we must focus our attention given the enormous impact and plenti-ful opportunities contained with-in this trio of interlocked and in-terlacing factors.First, we must do more in the area of research, technology de-velopment, and innovation as a whole. R&D plays a central role in obtaining and maintain-ing a competitive advantage in the chemicals arena, since this is a business which at its essence is based on chemistry, material sci-ences and the clever manipula-tion of molecules to provide the innovative materials demanded by increasingly complex end-use applications and ever-more so-phisticated customers. Success-ful chemical enterprises create

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products which evolve alongside or even in advance of consumer demands, and thus they must continually expand their capac-ity for innovation. Thus far our region has relied primarily on the licensing of technology from others, which is indeed a sound strategy for entry into new businesses. But, if we aspire to lead the global chemi-cals industry, our region must also become a leader in chemi-cals R&D. That won’t be easy and there will be very few overnight successes. But in addition to the key role of chemical companies in this area, I believe part of the solu-tion also lies with academic and research institutions throughout the Gulf, which have an impor-tant part to play in the develop-ment of knowledge in the areas of materials science, chemistry and basic research. By tying their initiatives back to the needs of the region’s chemical enter-prises, these research centers can develop into significant hubs of excellence—and I believe they should impact developments on a global plane, rather than just on a regional level. In this regard I would like to recognize the bold steps under-taken by SABIC in establishing research centers at leading Saudi

universities.The second key transformative area is human resource develop-ment. We must recognize that success in chemicals hinges not just on fuel and feedstock sup-plies, industrial infrastructure and advanced technology, but also on our people’s skills, com-petencies and boundless capacity for innovation and entrepreneur-ship. My friends, there is absolutely no reason we can’t set in motion a tidal wave of innovation and cre-ativity here in our region, given that we have talented individu-als with just as many grey cells as the scientists and researchers found elsewhere in the world. Our companies should take a leading role in addressing those challenges—in partnership with others where possible, and on our own when necessary. Of course, we all recognize the importance of the so-called STEM disciplines—Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics -- to improve as well as develop new technolo-gies. But to convert break-throughs into commercial suc-cesses, we also need to develop talent in areas like marketing, business development, finance, customer service, and supply chain management.

In fact, I believe we should start to assess the economic impact of petrochemicals and chemi-cals not only through revenue and value addition, but also in terms of the transformation of our human resources. That is, we should shift the discourse to the production of a greater num-ber of increasingly sophisticated researchers, scientists, entrepre-neurs and marketers, rather than just cranking out more gas-based commodities. This observation brings me to my third but equally important area of endeavour: the cultivation of a dynamic environment for com-mercial success. Such an eco-system encompasses a spirit of entrepreneurship, the availabil-ity of venture capital and other forms of risk financing, integrat-ed value parks, and a welcom-ing business environment which encourages investment, growth, enterprise and value addition. In fact, this is another area where chemicals can contribute to our region’s transition to a knowl-edge economy: not just lever-aging talent and technology in their own right, but also creat-ing a landscape which encour-ages innovation and innovators, and which has a greater capac-ity to deal with an increasingly complex, kinetic and ambiguous

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global business landscape. At Saudi Aramco, we’re planting the seeds for this kind of environ-ment through our new Entrepre-neurship Centre, which provides local small businesses and start-ups not only with seed capital, but also learning opportunities to develop their business acumen and commercial capabilities.Such a business-friendly ecosys-tem also needs to embrace the vital role that small and medium-sized enterprises play within the chemicals sector. Collectively, as part of our transformative ef-forts we should provide greater support to SMEs within the in-dustry, since they play an es-sential complementary role in terms of innovation and exploit-ing unlimited niche opportuni-ties. We should also encourage the growth of local customers, since together with SMEs, they can spur greater job creation and employment opportunities than the region’s handful of globally successful large players. At the same time, a more entre-preneurial mindset can help us better appreciate the limitations of our traditional approach to the chemicals business, where everyone in the Gulf is basically fighting for a greater share of ba-sic chemicals and commodities like ammonia, methanol, poly-

olefins and ethylene glycol. Instead, we should consider what the INSEAD business school has termed a “blue ocean strategy,” and strike out for relatively open waters like life sciences, biotech-nology, pharmaceuticals food and nutrition, and advanced ma-terials. By doing so, companies can move away from just seek-ing incremental improvements to achieving step changes that cre-ate fresh opportunities and even entirely new businesses within the Gulf. In other words, the strategic challenge for the region’s chemi-cal industry is not to grow from 40 billion to 50 billion dollars in per annum revenue, but to funda-mentally alter its economic role within the region, to serve as a true enabling industry for other sectors, and to leapfrog other regions within the global chemi-cals landscape. That, my friends, requires ten years of transforma-tion, not just tweaking around the edges of the existing business model. Therefore, I would like to close by encouraging those of us in the industry to accept four stretch targets which I believe are essential if the chemical industry is to take its place alongside oil and gas as one of the Gulf’s pil-lar industries:

• First, by 2020, the region’s petrochemical and chemical in-dustry should increase sales by a factor of five. In a business-as-usual scenario, GCC chemi-cals production is forecast to rise from around 40 billion dollars to nearly 80 billion dollars per year over the coming decade—but I would like to see the year 2020 value hit the 150 to 200 billion dollars per annum range, capital-izing not only on the growth of existing enterprises, but more importantly creating new ones.

• Second, we should increase the chemicals-related workforce in the Gulf by a factor of ten in the next ten years—something I believe is achievable given the tremendous job-creation poten-tial of specialty chemicals and associated downstream indus-tries. As noted earlier, for every one person directly employed in the global chemical industry, five more people work in related businesses, and for every mil-lion dollars that is invested in the conversion industry 30 jobs are created, versus less than three jobs for the same investment in primary industry. I think that’s a pattern of job creation we should seek to replicate here on our shores.

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• Third, while data are scarce, our region’s petrochemicals sector currently spends about a half percent of its revenues on research and technology devel-opment, compared to two-and-a-half to three percent by leading European and American chemi-cal companies. If we are to com-pete and lead globally, I believe the Gulf’s chemical sector must increase its R&D spending by a factor of ten, to roughly five per-cent of total sales. That’s a big jump, but it is imper-ative that we catch up from our relatively low level of current nvestments. To give you some sense of the distance we have to cover, last year only one compa-ny in any business in the entire Middle East—namely SABIC—ranked among the top global thousand corporate investors in R&D, according to a study by Booz & Company. That must change and therefore a well-con-ceived, well-executed and sus-tained increase in R&D spend-ing is essential for the long-term competitiveness of our regional chemicals sector.

• And fourth and finally, we must tackle the task of developing tal-ent. It is very difficult to quan-tify this challenge.Traditionally, levels of R&D expenditures, the

volume of high technology trade or the number of scientists, jour-nal articles or patents and licenc-es have all been used to gauge the innovative capacity of advanced economies. Since so little data is available for the Gulf, I will hazard a guess that at the most there are 500 true scientists, engineers and re-searchers currently employed in chemicals R&D across the GCC. I therefore propose that we estab-lish an aggressive target of mul-tiplying the number of R&D sci-entists and engineers at work in the sector by a factor of 50 over the coming two decades. Again, that is a stretch goal, but one I consider essential to the long-term health and competitiveness of the Gulf’s chemical industry.My friends, over the last three decades the region’s petrochemi-cal industry has benefited great-ly from a range of policies and initiatives designed to establish and grow this critical economic sector. You have done much to capitalize upon those opportuni-ties, and I congratulate the indus-try on its many accomplishments and landmark achievements.Today, though, the time has come for chemicals to step up and take their rightful place as a pillar industry by growing the petrochemicals downstream in a

variety of ways that I have high-lighted, with the aim of more rapidly expanding and diversify-ing our economies. I firmly believe that this is a key strategy to pursue, if we are to create enough well-paying jobs for our youth—a task that will require us to grow our regional economies at a desirable, al-though admittedly challenging, rate in the range of eight percent per year compared to three or four percent per year at present.That means ten years of sweep-ing change in which we extend the sector’s portfolio into more value added products and ac-tivities, place new emphasis on research and technology, invest significantly in the develop-ment of our people and their in-nate skills and talents, and create an environment which bolsters business, encourages a spirit of entrepreneurship, and rewards wise investment. This can indeed be a decisive de-cade for our region and our orga-nizations—and I encourage each and every one of us to seize the many opportunities and realize the massive potential which char-acterizes the Gulf’s petrochemi-cal and chemical industries. Thank you.

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During a ceremony marking GPIC’s 31st Anni-versary, Company President Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery presented a Corporate Responsibility Certificate to both H.E. Mr. Yousuf Abdulrahman Al Zamil, Deputy Chairman and H.E. Mr. Anwar Saeed bin Salama, Managing Director of the Com-pany.

On the occasion of the Company’s 31st Anniversary GPIC President Presents

Corporate Social Responsibility Certificate to the Deputy Chairman and the Managing Director

The presentation embodied the recognition by GPIC’s management of the efforts made by the two board members to further upgrade the com-pany’s operations and to eliminate obstacles, thus enabling it to become an excellent operation and to win numerous awards at both regional and in-ternational levels. The two board members have made significant contributions to support national

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manpower and provide Bahraini workers with all suitable training opportunities to further enhance their technical and professional skills.

In a statement, the two Directors said that receiv-ing the Corporate Responsibility Certificate was a cause of pride for them and reaffirmed that this certificate was the product of efforts made by all members of the Company including the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors, whose ex-pertise and wise vision were behind drawing up the Company’s policies. They also praised the execu-tive management team and ultimately the employ-ees who have spared no efforts to carry out the du-ties assigned to them.

The Directors expressed their thanks and appre-ciation to the Company’s Chairman and executive management team, led by the President. They felt that this was a kind gesture from them and wished all the employees further growth and success.

Meanwhile, GPIC President, Mr. Jawahery, said that the Company was proud of all its employees who spare no effort for the progress and advance-ment of operations. He praised in particular the ef-forts made by H.E. Mr. Yousuf Abdul Rahman Al Zamil, Deputy Chairman and H.E. Anwar Saeed bin Salama, Managing Director, for their efforts in serving the Company for so many years.

GPIC recently held its 31st anniversary ceremony under the patronage of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.R.H. the Prime Minister for

Industrial and Oil Affairs and GPIC Chairman, in the Al Ghazal Ballroom at the Ritz Carlton Ho-tel. The event was attended by a large number of Board Chairmen of major industrial companies, board members and invited guests.

GPIC recently received the RC 14001: 2008, to be-come the first Middle East Company to receive this certificate, awarded by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) after the latter conducted an overall evaluation of the Company’s operations and activities on 21st January 2010.

Corporate Responsibility is a system that ensures the Company’s compliance with its responsibility towards its employees and their families and also ensures the protection of the environment and the corporate social role towards various community sectors, in addition to maintaining the safety of the plants for a risk-free operation.

The RC 140001 Certificate is the latest addition by GPIC to its record of systems endorsing its op-erations. The company already holds the Quality Certification ISO 9000, Environmental Manage-ment Certification ISO 14000, Information System Security Certificate ISO 27000 and the PAS 99 Certification. All these certificates ensure a strict management system for the company’s operations, which enhance confidence in a safe operation and ensure high quality services for employees and customers alike, while maintaining plant safety and appropriate application of international envi-ronmental standards.

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As part of GPIC’s 30th Anniversary Celebrations, Mr. Yousuf Abdulla Al Yacoob, Deputy General Manager, was honoured at his retirement. During three decades of continuous service Mr. Al Yacoob helped to lay the foundation stones of a Company that has today become one of the most esteemed petrochemical firms in the region.

In the presence of Board members, executive man-agers and senior Company officials, Mr. Abdul-rahman Jawahery, GPIC President expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to Mr. Al Yacoob for his outstanding efforts. Along with his fellow pioneers, Mr. Al Yacoob had helped to establish the foundation stones, strategies and policies of the Company. He was indeed one of the finest en-gineers to join this pioneering Company and his efforts contributed to its growth, development and expansion.

GPIC Deputy General Manager Retires afterThree Decades of Continuous Service

Mr. Jawahery added: “Honouring Mr. Al Yacoob is an event that witnesses mixed feelings. As much as we are delighted that he will have a period of re-laxation after many years of service, hard work and sacrifice, we are sad to bid farewell to a colleague with whom we enjoyed working during his many years of service.”

He continued: “Mr. Al Yacoob is a dear friend and fellow colleague who has served the Compa-ny since its early years. With him, we have wit-nessed the difficulties and challenges faced by the Company in its beginnings. We have also enjoyed working together when we witnessed success and tremendous achievements. He has undertaken his duties perfectly and has been the best representa-tive of the Company at different events and gather-ings inside and outside the Kingdom.”

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Meanwhile, Mr. Al Yacoob expressed his thanks and appreciation to the management, led by H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Board Chairman and members of the executive management, led by Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, for their friendly feelings as expressed during the ceremony. He also thanked the Company’s employees for their co-operation during his period of his service.

Mr. Yousuf Abdulla Al Yacoob was born in 1950 and has a B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from the UK. He began his career by working in Bapco for 13 years before joining GPIC on 3rd December 1983. He also attended a number of in-tensive training courses, both within Bahrain and

overseas. He took up several key positions in GPIC including the posts of Project Manager, Mainte-nance Manager, Technical Services Manager and then Plant Operations Manager until his appoint-ment in January 2008 as Deputy General Manager.

Mr. Al Yacoob is a member of BTTS and is an ac-tive member of the Board of Directors of the Tele-communications Regulatory Authority and a mem-ber of the Board of the Processed Gas Association. He is also a member of several professional and social associations such as AIChE, the Bahrain So-ciety of Engineers and was also a former member of the Arab Fertilizer Association.

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As part of the ongoing co-operation between the

Ministry of Education and GPIC, Mr. Abdulrah-

man Jawahery, GPIC President, met the judging

panel of the Education Ministry-GPIC Scientific

Research Competition. The event is one of the

GPIC President Meets the Judging Panel of the Education Ministry-GPIC Environmental

Research Competition

Company’s programmes which serve the local

community and the environment.

At the opening of the meeting, Mr. Jawahery wel-

comed members of the judging panel and expressed

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his appreciation and thanks to H.E. Dr, Majid bin

Ali Al Noaimi, Minister of Education, for giving

the opportunity to the Company to participate in

this competition. This event complies with GPIC’s

policy of involvement in environmental protection

programmes.

The Company President expressed pride in the

success of this initiative which supplements the

Company’s environmental and community pro-

grammes. The event is now in its 6th year and still

receives the strong support of both GPIC and the

Education Ministry in encouraging students to

show interest in research and productivity with the

aim of serving the community and protecting the

environment.

Mr. Jawahery praised the role of the Company

through its environmental programmes, targeting

different community groups, in addition to its proj-

ects launched within its manufacturing complex.

He expressed his appreciation of the efforts of the

judging panel and secretariat of this pioneering en-

vironmental contest.

Meanwhile, Dr. Saeed Abdulla Al Khozai, Judging

Panel member, expressed his thanks to GPIC and

its executive management for the continuation of

this constructive co-operation aimed at enhancing

the principles of scientific research in the King-

dom’s schools. He also lauded the commitment of

the Ministry to develop the programme in co-op-

eration with the Company. He added that the Min-

istry is keen on ensuring that students take part in

such research activities as an introduction to their

development of culture and thought.

Dr. Al Khozai urged students to take advantage of

this successful programme and called upon them to

make the proper choice of topics presented and to

compile information and field surveys in order to

successfully complete their projects.

Education-GPIC Environmental Research Pro-

gramme, which was launched by GPIC jointly with

the Education Ministry, is the first programme of

its kind to support and sponsor scientific research

related to the environment. It is designed to pro-

mote research related to the environment among

Bahrain schoolboys and girls, with a budget set by

the Company for financing such research projects.

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As part of GPIC’s efforts to enhance and improve the quality of its operations and to boost produc-tivity, the Company’s executive management and heads of departments held an extended meeting on Saturday 8th January, 2011.

The meeting focused on the most important achievements of 2010. The talks also dealt with the short-term plans and strategies due to be applied during 2011 and a review of the long-term five-year plans and strategies, with a view to promot-ing the Company’s operations and maintaining the high performance levels of its employees.

The meeting was opened by a presentation made by Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President. He conveyed to the participants in the meeting the best wishes of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to His Highness the Prime Minister for In-dustrial and Oil Affairs and GPIC Chairman and

GPIC Discusses Business Plans and Strategies in 2011 at the Strategic Extended Executive

Management Meeting

members of the Board of Directors. The Board had thanked Company staff members for their highly professional performance during the previous year, especially in the areas of productivity, export and occupational safety and health.

Mr. Jawahery praised all the employees in the Com-pany for their sincere efforts that had contributed to raising the levels of efficiency, profitability and productivity, while taking into account necessary safety measures and a rationalization of expenses.

The Company’s President talked about the most important tasks to be carried out in the near future and the challenges facing the Company during the coming phase of operations, which call for all members of staff to work cohesively as one team in order to realise the Company’s objectives and policies.

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Mr. Jawahery dealt with the Company’s policies and vision and noted that it was imperative to re-vise such policies to keep abreast of international developments in the petrochemical industry. He underlined the need to take into account all exter-nal effects and difficulties that may cast their shad-ows on the Company’s growth.

This was followed by a review, presented by de-partment managers, who compared past results and future plans with the actual results achieved during 2010. They talked about how to deal with the dif-ficulties faced by GPIC, while seeking to achieve its objectives.

The Company’s achievements came under review during the meeting and they were considered over-all to represent a continuation of the record suc-cesses realized by the Company during the last few decades, thanks to the contributions of the manag-ers and staff members.

The meeting dealt with the plans, strategies and proposals to be carried out during 2011. The objec-tives laid down for each of the Company’s depart-ments were discussed. Targeted growth was out-lined and much hope expressed about being able to achieve such growth during the current year.

Other topics on the agenda of the meeting included cases of absenteeism, the total management sys-tem and the General Employees’ Meeting 2011 and these were discussed to find out the best means of boosting performance and productivity.

At the end of the meeting, the executive manage-ment members and heads of department agreed to continue the policy of modernization and develop-ment of the Company’s operations whilst seeking to further enhance productivity and encourage in-novation as the established principles of running the business.

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Under the patronage of H.E. Shaikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Exter-nal Trade, the Gulf Petrochemi-cals and Chemicals Association held its 5th Annual Forum from 7- 9th December, 2010.

The event was organized by the Dubai-based GPCA and GPIC took part in it with a delegation led by Mr. Abdulrahman Jawah-ery, GPIC President and a num-ber of senior managers and offi-cials. This annual forum attracts worldwide interest from major international and Gulf compa-nies as it is attended by many

participants from different parts of the world, representing key in-dustrial companies.

Commenting on the conven-tion of this Conference, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, GPCA Board member and Chairman of the GPCA Re-sponsible Care Committee, said that GPIC’s participation in this event was a genuine example of the great concern shown by the Company to the importance of developing national manpower and giving national citizens the opportunity to gain the neces-sary experience and knowledge

to work in this industry. Since its launch in 2006, this Forum has witnessed a growing interest from international and Gulf companies and is well at-tended by many delegates repre-senting major industrial compa-nies from all parts of the world. The significance of this Confer-ence stems from its focus on dis-cussing key scientific and practi-cal topics that are of interest to leading global companies. Par-ticipants show special interest in sharing their expertise and learn-ing from papers presented at the annual event.

GPIC Takes Part in 5th GPCA Forum

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On the sidelines of the 5th Annual Forum of Gulf Petrochemical and Chemical Association which recently concluded its deliberations in Dubai, H.E. Mr. Mohamed Al Madhi, GPCA Board Chairman signed the renewal of the Memorandum of Under-standing with Mr. Cal Doley, President of the US Chemical Association in the area of Responsible Care. Signing this Memorandum is designed to continue the effective partnership with the US Chemical As-sociation and seeking to procure the transfer and making use of such expertise to meet the GPCA re-quirements. GPCA is seeking to set up responsible industrial organizations that care for the material, human and environmental aspects so that such or-ganizations can develop and enhance the commu-nity’s capabilities. Commenting on this occasion, Mr. Abdul Rahman Jawahery, GPIC President who is also chairman of the GPCA Responsible Care Committee said the signing of this Memorandum comes after GPICA realized the immense benefits gained from signing this Memorandum in the first instance with respect to its results as regards the exchange of responsi-ble care expertise and systems which fully comply with the requirements and nature of GPCA mem-ber organizations.

Renewal of Memorandum of Understanding between GPCA and US Chemical Association

Mr. Jawahery noted that GPIC was one of the lead-ing Gulf companies that has played a pioneering role in the creation of GPCA in addition to being the first Gulf company to obtain the Responsible Care certification in June 2010, after having ap-plied its requirements successfully and profession-ally. Dubai played host to the 5th Annual GPCA Forum during the period from 7 to 9th December, 2010 under the patronage of H.E. Shaikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qassimi, UAE Foreign Trade Minister. Taking part in the Forum were prominent speakers, decision-makers and world leaders of the chemical industry.

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President of ExxonMobil Chemical Steve Pryor visited the GPIC stand at the exhibition held in Dubai at the side lines of GPCA’s Fifth Annual Fo-rum.

The prominent guest was received upon arrival by the GPIC President Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery and members of the Company’s delegation to the Forum. He was briefed on the Company’s prod-ucts, activities, current and future expansions as well as the Company’s excellent performance in the areas of safety and quality.

Mr.Pryor cited the efforts exerted to get GPIC’s products delivered to the international markets

President of ExxonMobil Chemical VisitsGPIC stand at GPCA Forum and praises

GPIC achievements

in compliance with the world specifications and standards of safety and quality. He also expressed his admiration of the overall accomplishments of GPIC, which made it a wonderful example of fruit-ful Gulf cooperation, noting that the Company is now at the forefront of the regional petrochemical scene, and is one of the largest regional manufac-turers of basic petrochemicals and fertiliser.

During the tour, the two sides exchanged views on ways of further strengthening mutual cooperation and coordination. Mr.Pryor praised the presence of the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company in such significant gatherings. He also acknowledged the valuable efforts made by GPIC to protect the

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environment and observe environmental regula-tions, wishing the company all success. For his part, Mr. Jawahery expressed his sincere thanks and gratitude to the President of Exxon-Mobil Chemical for his kind visit to the compa-ny’s stand, stressing the company’s keenness to attend industrial events especially those hosted by Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Associa-tion (GPCA). He noted that such a gathering is a chance to exchange views with counterparts in the petrochemical industry, expressing the GPIC’s willingness to enhance closer economic relation-ships with ExxonMobil Chemical on the basis of mutual benefit.

Meanwhile, GPCA’s Fifth Annual Forum was held on December 7-9, 2010 in Dubai, UAE under the patronage of H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Min-ister of UAE’s foreign Trade.

Top-notch speakers, top-calibre networking recep-tions and special events took place during the two day event; all focused on growth in this extremely important petrochemical region.

The GPIC president Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery led the company’s delegation to the Forum which is considered to be the largest and most prestigious petrochemical gathering in the Middle East, if not globally.

The Company also participated in the exhibition held on the sidelines of the Forum. The GPIC stand highlighted the Company’s products, plants and environmental projects and it was visited by num-ber of guests and participants.

This year’s event brought together over 1300 dele-gates from various regional and international com-

panies. They discussed the future of the industry, growth areas and what companies can invest in in-novation centres to enhance their competitiveness in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

GPIC’s participation in this Forum came in ac-cordance with the directives of H.E Shaikh Isa bin Ali AL Khalifa, Advisor to HRM the Prime Minis-ter for Oil and Industrial Affairs and GPIC Board Chairman. Such participation also reflects the Company’s keenness to share and hear insight and experience from leaders of major global and Mid-dle Eastern companies as well as keeping abreast of the latest technological developments in this vi-tal sector.

Steve Pryor is the president of ExxonMobil Chem-ical, the company running several projects in the region, mainly in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, both in the refining and the petrochemical sectors.Currently, the company and its local partners (SAB-IC in Saudi Arabia and Qatar Petroleum in Qatar (QP)) are studying two new projects. The first one is a project with SABIC, which is estimated to cost $5bn, while the second is a petrochemical complex to produce polyethylene and ethylene glycol, with an estimated budget of $6 billion.

The project with QP will utilize feedstock from gas development projects in Qatar’s North Field and produce a range of premium products to serve global petrochemical demand, with a particular fo-cus on the growing Asian markets. In Saudi Ara-bia, its project with SABIC is going up for devel-opment.

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The 36th meeting of the International Fertilizer As-

sociation Board of Directors and Chairmen of the

Executive Committees of the International Fer-

tilizer Association was held in New Delhi, India,

from 2-4 December, 2010 to discuss the current

challenges facing the world’s fertilizer industry.

GPIC at the 36th Meeting of the IFA Board of Directors

The meeting was attended by a high-level group of

speakers, experts and decision makers in the IFA

member states.

The participants took part in discussing a number

of different issues and future plans for the develop-

ment of the fertilizer industry to meet the world’s

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76


growing food requirements.

The consensus was that the world’s fertilizer in-

dustry was going ahead with steady steps in spite

of difficult prevailing conditions and the conse-

quences of the financial crisis that swept world

markets in late 2008, helped by the steady price

of natural gas (which is the main feedstock for the

manufacture of nitrogen fertilizers) and owing to

its stable price in the foreseeable future.

The steady growth of the fertilizer industry and its

ability to adapt to various conditions have had a

great impact on attracting huge financial invest-

ments, amounting to $45 billion during the last 3

years, in addition to current investment projects

and plans estimated at around $85 billion, due to

be completed during the next 5 years.

In remarks given by Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery,

GPIC President, he spoke about how to overcome

the challenges faced by the fertilizer industry

worldwide. He said it must first start to acquaint

community organizations and groups with the im-

portance of the fertilizer industry and its links to

agricultural production and food security.

He added that it is imperative that all those con-

cerned with these issues look for ways and means

to provide secure water resources for farming and

to use modern and high tech irrigation methods to

prevent the waste of water.

The GPIC President further said that it is impor-

tant to provide farmers with suitable facilities and

to ensure the freedom of trade systems related to

agricultural products in addition to finding radical

solutions for minimizing the impact of farming on

global climatic conditions.

On the sidelines of the Conference, Mr. Jawahery

presented a commemorative plaque to Mr. Ajay

Shriram, IFA President in appreciation of his ef-

forts to sponsor this conference and organize it.

GPIC took part in this Conference through the

presence of a high level delegation led by Mr. Ab-

dulrahman Jawahery and consisting of Mr. Fadhel

Al Ansari, Technical Services Manager, Mr. Yas-

sir Abdul Rahim, Safety, Health and Environment

Manager and Mr. Khalid Al Binali, Engineering

Services Superintendent.

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GPIC Hosts US Energy Delegation

On Sunday 12th December 2010, GPIC played host to the US en-ergy delegation, led by Mr. Da-vid Philips, Board Chairman of the American-Arab Chamber of Commerce, who were on a visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain as part of a regional tour.

The delegation was received upon arrival in GPIC by Mr. Ab-dulrahman Jawahery, GPIC Pres-ident, members of the executive management and senior officials.

Mr. Jawahery welcomed the visiting US delegation and con-veyed to them the best wishes of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khal-

ifa, Advisor to H.R.H. the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs and GPIC Chairman. He assured them of the strong inter-est in strengthening ties of co-op-eration between the United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain in all spheres, especially with re-gard to the trade and industrial relations that the two countries seek to consolidate. Mr. Jawahery also expressed his pleasure at the visit of this se-lect group of the American-Arab Chamber of Commerce and noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain was a lucrative land of investment and successful joint ventures as it had an integrated infrastructure

and established systems for the protection of corporations and investors in addition to enjoying a secure and stable environment.

The GPIC President added that the free trade agreement between the two friendly countries had undoubtedly contributed to fur-thering and strengthening trade relations between the two sides, especially with regard to the petrochemical sector, consider-ing that the US is one of the key importers of GPIC products. He further said that US companies apply the Consumer Protec-tion Programme that allows co-operation only with companies

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that have quality certificates and apply social responsibility programmes. This has enabled GPIC to be one of the major sup-pliers of US companies.The Company’s President fur-ther said that his selection for membership of the US National Safety Council was also a further demonstration of the existing co-operation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States. Later, the visiting US delegation was given a briefing about the Company’s operations, produc-tivity and exports, covering a re-view of the key achievements of the Company in the areas of safe-

ty, quality and the protection of the environment. The group was later informed about the CO

2 Re-

covery project that was recently launched by the Company. Train-ing programmes offered by the Learning and Leadership Acad-emy and the E-Learning Centre were also highlighted during the discussions. At the end of their visit, the US delegation said that they were impressed by the high standards achieved by GPIC and its re-markable accomplishments in the areas of operations, productivity and environmental projects. Members of the American dele-

gation expressed their best wish-es to the Company, its manage-ment and staff for further growth and success.

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On Tuesday 11th January 2011, a delegation from Toastmasters International made an inspection tour of the GPIC Complex. Upon the team’s arrival, Mr. Ahmed Abdulla Nuruddin, Gen-eral Manager Manufacturing, welcomed the visiting delegation that included Mr. Daniel Rex, Executive Director of the Organ-isation’s World Headquarters, Mr. Theo Black, International Affairs Director and a number of the Organisation’s members, in

addition to its Bahrain represen-tatives. During the meeting, which was attended by senior officials in the Company, in addition to GPIC Toastmasters Club members, Mr. Black praised the effective role played by this organization in developing leadership skills and promoting its members’ personal public speaking skills. He praised the vital role played by the GPIC Toastmasters not only in the development of the

employees’ skills but also in the development of community members through holding edu-cational workshops and holding joint meetings that contribute to the development of human re-sources in the Kingdom. Mr. Daniel Rex expressed his appreciation of the continuous support provided by GPIC to Toastmasters International in the region. This support has enabled the continuous growth of Toast-masters and public speaking

GPIC Hosts Top Toastmasters International Executive Team

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81

clubs. He added that the corpo-rate concern with toastmasters’ activities enhances the organisa-tion’s objectives in promoting a public speaking culture among members of the international community. He noted that though its serious and genuine interest in the Toastmasters programmes, GPIC had encouraged the or-ganisation to ensure that this programme becomes an integral and basic part of higher educa-tion programmes in universities. This enables students to keep pace with the requirements of the world labour market that suffers from scarcity of leadership skills capable of communicating tech-nical ideas to the management and consumers. The Company President Mr. Ab-dulrahman Jawahery attended part of this meeting and thanked officials of Toastmasters Interna-tional for their visit to the Com-pany, to learn about its role in the manufacture and export of high quality petrochemical products. He added that GPIC considered the Toastmasters’ programmes as an integral part of the training and development of young man-agers.

Mr. Jawahery added that GPIC is always keen on urging and encouraging young Bahrainis to join Toastmasters’ Clubs and

to take advantage of the golden opportunities offered by the pro-grammes provided by such clubs.

During the meeting, Mr. Ahmed Nuruddin, Mr. Daniel Rex and Mr. Theo Black honoured a num-ber of GPIC Toastmasters Club members for their achievements in the areas of leadership and public speaking during 2010. Later, the visiting delegation was briefed about production, opera-tion and exports operations and reviewed achievements in the ar-eas of safety, quality and the pro-tection of the environment. The discussions also dealt with the recently launched CO

2 Recovery

Plant Project and the training ac-tivities offered by the Academy of Leadership and Learning and the E-Learning Centre.The guests made an inspection tour of the Complex, during which they visited the plants and environmental projects within the Complex, where both indus-try and the environment exist harmoniously side-by-side. They also visited the H.R.H. Princess Sabika Perfumed Plants Garden and then inspected the Medical Herbs and Plants Gar-den, where rare and almost ex-tinct medical herbs are grown.

The guests visited other projects such as the Charity Fish Farm

and the Bird Sanctuary. This was followed by a visit to the Com-pany’s Club that offers well-equipped facilities for employ-ees’ use. The Toastmasters International’s Executive Director expressed on behalf of the delegation mem-bers his sincere admiration for this major industrial complex, which is considered as a model example of joint Gulf co-opera-tion. He described the visit as a good opportunity to have a close look at a striking example of a successful Bahraini company that is committed to the protec-tion of the environment. He also praised the interest shown by GPIC in extending its support to Toastmasters’ programmes.

This was the first time that the Toastmasters International Exec-utive Director had visited one of the Toastmasters’ Clubs outside the United States, which was a demonstration of the high status of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Toastmasters and leadership ac-tivities. The first Toastmasters Club in the Middle East was set up in Bahrain in 1964 and was followed by the creation of some 50 clubs that included the GPIC Toastmasters Club in early 2008. It is the only Toastmasters Club in Bahrain that holds its meetings in both Arabic and English.


On the sidelines of the 5th Annual Forum of Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) which was recently concluded in Dubai, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Yousuf Al Mulla, of the Qatar Petrochem-ical Company (Qapco) visited the GPIC stand at the exhibition, held on the sidelines of the Forum. Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, who briefed him about GPIC’s High quality exhib-its, welcomed him. Dr. Mohamed saw a scale model of the Com-pany’s plants and environmental projects in the GPIC Complex. H.E. Dr. Mohamed Yousuf Al- Mulla exchanged talks with Mr. Jawahery about means of further enhancement of bilateral rela-tions between GPIC and Qapco. Mr. Al Mulla praised the regular presence of GPIC at such events. Meanwhile, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery expressed his thanks to Dr. Al Mulla for his visit to the GPIC stand and praised the close ties with the Qatari Company in the field of exchanging expertise. He underlined the strong interest

Qatar Petrochemicals Chief Visits GPIC Stand at GPCA Forum

of GPIC in participating in GPCA sponsored events. Mr. Jawahery noted the huge projects carried out by Qapco which contributed to bringing about a qualitative shift in this growing and prosperous industry worldwide, making the Gulf region one of the most vital regions in the petrochemical in-dustry. Dr. Al Mulla is in charge of the management of numerous multimillion-dollar projects some of which are operational and oth-ers still in progress. In addition to Qapco, Dr. Al Mulla also manages Ras Laffan Olefins Company and the Qatofin Project. During the Forum, GPIC set up a special stand displaying the Company’s products, plants and environmental projects. Several prominent figures and participants at the Forum visited the stand. GPIC’s participation in this event is a true demonstration of the in-terest shown by the Board of Di-rectors led by H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, GPIC Chairman in taking part in such events for the exchange of ideas and expertise.

Visits

These events are an excellent op-portunity for the Company’s Bah-raini employees to gain an insight into this specialized industry. The Company was represented by a high level delegation led by Mr. Jawahery and a number of se-nior executives and officials of the Company. Dubai played host to the 5th Annual Forum of Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association from the 7th to 9th De-cember, 2010 under the patronage of H.E. Shaikha Lubna bint Kha-lid Al Qassimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade and attracted the participation of a group of reput-ed speakers, decision makers and leaders of the petrochemical in-dustry from around the world. Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemi-cals Association (GPCA) is the first association of its kind in the Middle East. Since its inception in March 2006, its activities have witnessed a great deal of growth and opened up a new era of fruit-ful co-operation among the Gulf States in the chemical and petro-chemical industries.

82


During the annual function held recently by GPIC, the manage-ment selected the wife of our em-ployee Mr. Abdullah Husain to be the ideal mother of the year owing to her sincerity and sacrifices. Commenting on this choice, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, said that the Company is not only concerned with making profits but it is also interested in showing that it is a caring employ-er when it comes to its national human resources. They are indeed the real wealth and assets of the Company on all levels, he added. Mr. Jawahery further said that the Company provides its employees with convenient working condi-tions in addition to offering train-ing opportunities at the E-Learn-ing Centre and the Leadership

Academy or through sending them on overseas scholarships. Care for the employees extends to their families as the Company makes sure of organizing recre-ational and social events for fami-lies on various national and social occasions. Special programmes and events are organized for the employees’ children during the summer holidays and the GPIC Club plays host to some of these events in the summer. Commenting on the scholarships offered by GPIC to gifted stu-dents, Mr. Jawahery said that the Company has been keen for many years on sending abroad employ-ees’ children on scholarships to at-tend university courses to achieve the highest academic degrees. Higher education is therefore a

Ideal Mother Honoured by GPIC

Rewards

83

possibility for many of the em-ployees’ children. Concluding, the GPIC President said that the Ideal Mother Com-petition is a new award and yet another way of expressing the management’s appreciation of the employees’ contributions in all circumstances. Bahraini mothers are known for their sacrifices and care in looking after their family members, in addition to playing an effective role in the Kingdom’s development. The event was held on the occa-sion of the Company’s 31st an-niversary, under the patronage of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khal-ifa. H.R.H. the Prime Minister’s Advisor for Industrial and Oil Af-fairs and GPIC Chairman.


In the presence of GPIC Presi-dent Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery and Mr. Khalid Al Qaoud, Depu-ty Governor of the Toastmasters for Sector 79 for Education and Training, the GPIC Toastmasters Club held its final meeting for 2010.

The 51st meeting was held in English on Wednesday 29th De-cember at the GPIC Club House, concluding yet another eventful year.

GPIC Toastmasters Club Concludes its 2010 Meetings

On this occasion, Mr. Jawah-ery delivered a speech in which he said he was happy with the continuous achievements of the Club and the efforts of its mem-bers to raise the standards of public speaking in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The Company President dealt with the effective role played by Toastmasters Clubs in general in enhancing personal skills and fa-

Toastmaster

84


cilitating the acquisition of effec-tive communication skills with others in addition to increasing self-confidence.

Mr. Jawahery added that the Company was seeking to pro-vide suitable conditions for Club members to play their role in the community and to further their experience in this vital field. He pointed out that GPIC gave the Club every possible support by sponsoring Toastmasters Confer-ences hosted within Bahrain. In addition, GPIC always co-oper-ates with the Education Ministry by organizing joint events in the art of public speaking for stu-dents of government schools.

Meanwhile, Mr. Khalid Al Qa-oud praised the outstanding per-formance of the Club members during 2010 at the level of the Gulf in particular and the Arab world in general. He recalled the successful presentation of the

GPIC Club representatives at the public speaking contest held re-cently in Kuwait. The meeting included a num-ber of educational items that in-cluded pre-prepared speeches depending upon public speak-ing skills acquired during earlier meetings.

The winner during the meeting was Mr. Mohamed Al Maskati as the Best Speaker and Mr. Ali Fakhro, of GPIC Maintenance Department as the Best Im-promptu Speaker.

At the end of the meeting, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery hon-oured all the winners and thanked all the participants at the meeting for their invaluable efforts.

Toastmaster

85


As part of the GPIC Safety, Health and Environ-ment Week, the Company distributed gifts of home fire extinguishers and smoke detectors as part of the management’s concern with using such items at home for safety following a recent spate of house fires which could have been avoided if such vital items were available at home.

Meanwhile, GPIC distributed brochures explain-ing how to avoid fires and how to deal with them in case of such unfortunate incidents. Also present-ed were brochures covering a wide range of safety topics in easy-to-understand language for the em-ployees and their families. The Company firmly believes in the importance of enhancing safety awareness in the local community.

At the Annual Safety, Health and Enviroment WeekGPIC Distribuutes Safety Equipment

to Employees

Activities

86


This year’s events coincide with achieving 12 million man-hours without lost time accidents culminating in a whole year of unprecedented achievements in the areas of safety, health and the environment. In an unprecedented event in the Middle East and the Arab world, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, has been appointed as a member of the Board of the National Safety Council in the United States, in addition to his appointment as a mem-ber of the Board of Trustees and a member of the Council’s Strategic Committee, which is an inter-national recognition of Mr. Jawahery’s contribu-tions and the outstanding level achieved by Bah-raini citizens in the areas of safety.

During 2010 GPIC’s achievements included ac-quiring full membership of the international Re-sponsible Care initiative, designed to activate the role of chemical companies in partnership with the community in the areas of safety, health, environ-ment and security within a record period of time. In addition, GPIC won the safety shield for the

chemicals sector from the Royal Society for Pre-vention of Accidents (RoSPA) for the ninth time in 10 years and the Safety Award from the British Safety Council for the third successive time. Such awards are a worthy recognition for the Company. During the Company’s maintenance turn around in March 2010, GPIC was able to complete all main-tenance operations safely, smoothly, with a high level of efficiency and without any lost time ac-cidents.

Activities

87


On Sunday 26th December 2010 senior managers, led by Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, paid a visit to Al Wafa Centre. They were welcomed on arrival by Mrs. Farida Abdul Rahman Al Moayyed, Board Chairperson of the Al Wafa Autism Centre, who welcomed the GPIC group and briefed them about the Cen-tre’s operations. During the meeting, Mr. Jawa-hery presented the Company’s contribution in support of the Association’s efforts to help spe-cial needs children and to pro-vide care and rehabilitation ser-vices to them, in order to enable them to lead a happier life in the community.

Mr. Jawahery said that this con-tribution was in response to the directives of H.E. SHaikh Isa bin

GPIC Supports Al Wafa Centre

Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.H. the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs and Chairman of the Company. It is also on confir-mation of the Company’s policy of undertaking its social respon-sibility by providing all possible support to all humanitarian insti-tutions and charities in the King-dom. For her part, Mrs. Farida Al Moayyed expressed her thanks

and appreciation to GPIC for its efforts and support to various sectors of society at large, espe-cially in backing voluntary orga-nizations and charitable associa-tions. She added that this generous support would be used to pro-vide better quality services to the Centre’s children and expressed the hope that other private sector companies and firms would fol-low GPIC’s example. The Bahrain Association for Mental Retardation was estab-lished in 1992 by a group of specialists. The Association’s objectives include offering re-habilitation, education, training and recreational services to this group of special needs children by providing counselling for the families of such children. The Al Wafa Centre is an offshoot of this Association.

Support

88


GPIC’s President Mr. Abdul Rahman Jawahery received in his office a delegation from the EUC Vest Training Institute in Denmark, currently vis-iting the country to exchange training experience and skills between the Danish institute and Bahrain Training Institute (BTI). Present were members of the GPIC’s executive management and senior of-ficials.

Mr. Jawahery welcomed director of EUC-Vest Peter Armstrup and his delegation and acknowl-edged the importance of this visit. He conveyed to him the best wishes of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.R.H. the Prime Minister

A Delegation from EUC Vest visits the GPIC

for Industrial Affairs and GPIC Chairman, stress-ing the need to enhance co-operation in training by making good use of the experience of the two countries, as it represents the basis for developing human resource skills consistent with latest admin-istrative and technological systems.

The GPIC official admired the broad selection of vocational training programs offered by the In-stitute, which is considered to be one of the most modern vocational training centers in the world. Later, the guests were briefed on the Company’s operations and the adopted institutional work which has enabled the Company to win impressive

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89


awards, highlighting the company’s global reputa-tion. Then, Danish delegation was briefed on the Company’s achievements in the areas of produc-tion, safety, marketing and environment.

Mr. Jawahery then explained to the guests the inten-sive and comprehensive training programs offered by the Academy of Leadership Learning and the E. Learning Center. This was followed by a tour to the Company’s plants and environmental projects such as the Princess Sabeeka Aromatic Plants Garden, Charity Fish Farm and Bird Sanctuary.

At the end of the day’s visit, the visiting delegation toured the Company’s club where they attended a luncheon held in their honour.

On behalf of the delegation, Mr. Armstrup ex-pressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali AL Khalifa, Advisor to H.R.H. the Prime Minister for Oil and Industrial Affairs and GPIC Board Chairman.

He also expressed his admiration for the overall ac-complishments of GPIC, which made it a wonder-ful example of fruitful Gulf cooperation.Starting in 1883, EUC Vest is considered to be one of the modern vocational training centers in the world. A complete new building was opened in 2002 with an open learning centre that includes areas for IT, library and book, stationery and tuck shop.

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Today EUC Vest is offering a broad selection of vocational training programmes, four study areas at the technical upper secondary school level and three programmes at the technical academy. Vocational training is provided within six cat-

egories that include craft and engineering trades, building and construction, transport and logistics, Service industries, technology and Communica-tion as well as food production and catering.

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As part of its efforts to support the Bahraini community, GPIC sponsored the First Conference of Self-Enhance-ment and Development due to be held in the Kingdom of Bahrain from the 11th to 14th January, 2011.

The sponsorship was in the form of financial support to meet the costs of the participation of 100 women in this international conference that was held at the Bah-rain International Convention and Exhibition Centre. This support reflects GPIC’s determination to support events that promote creative practices that may ensure a life free of tension and also support individuals in discovering their inherent skills and unleashing their abilities to lead a better life and to enjoy better com-munity conditions.

In his remarks, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, said that this support comes in recognition of the role of Bahraini women and in appreciation of their

contributions over a long history of sacrifice and self-denial in all areas of development, including the indus-trial sector. Although women account for only 10% of the workers in industry, they have played a key role on many occasions. He attributed the decline of this percentage to the fact that working in industry requires work on a shift basis round the clock. Indeed, this is not possible for Bahraini women owing to their social and family duties, in addition to the fact that the Bahrain Labour Laws do not allow women to work on shiftsin industry.

Mr. Jawahery further said that Bahraini women have great potential and have creative capabilities that need support in overcoming all obstacles and providing the necessary climate for innovation and contribution. In this context, he praised the significant role played by the Supreme Council for Women led by H.R.H.Princess Sabika bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa, wife of His

GPIC Sponsors the First International Self-Development Conference

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92


Majesty the King and the efforts made to enhance the role of women and their status within the community. Meanwhile, the GPIC President stressed that the Com-pany was very keen on contributing to the different social, sporting and cultural events organized by civ-il societies organizations, with the aim of spreading knowledge and awareness among community mem-bers. He added that this prudent strategy as pursued by the Company focuses greatly on social responsibility, which is an integral part of the Company’s mission. The Company does not seek only to make profits but also strives to develop Bahraini human resources and the Bahraini community as a whole. Mr. Jawahery praised the policies pursued by H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali AL Khalifa, Advisor to H.R.H. the Prime Minister for Oil and Industrial Affairs and GPIC Chairman, who always ensures that the Company gives its support to various events in the community to pro-mote awareness and knowledge among Bahrain com-munity members. He stressed that the Company would support the community and all its groups for the re-alization of human development as called for by the country’s leadership.

For his part, Mr. Ebrahim Al Dosari, Chairman of the Bahrain Meditation and Self-Development Society expressed his thanks to H.E Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khal-ifa, Chairman and Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President for the generous support to the Conference, which is the first international conference of its kind to be held in Bahrain. He added this is not unusual for the Company, which is known for its sense of initia-tive, to support local events of various kinds. He called upon other private sector companies to follow suit by co-sponsoring this event.

The Conference of Self-Enhancement and Develop-ment was held under the patronage of H.E. Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minis-ter and was attended by experts and professionals from different parts of the world. The Conference, held under the theme “Invigorating Your Inner and Potential Strength,” also attracted del-egates from different parts of the Middle East and in-cluded workshops for the participants to explore and develop their skills and means of self-development.

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93


As part of GPIC’s policy of enhancing “one fami-ly” ties and feelings and in order to further develop social interaction among the employees and their families, GPIC organized the first of its annual eve-nings for the Company’s employees at the Spring Camp held in Sakhir. The event was also held to recognize the efforts of hard working employees in

GPIC Holds its Annual Camping Event

the Company. The event was held in a pleasant spring atmosphere and was attended by senior managers and a large number of employees and guests.On this occasion, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, praised the thorough organiza-tion of this year’s camp and noted in particular the efforts and contributions of the Social Activities Committee’s members. He added that the event was a good opportunity for staff members to enjoy themselves by attending such recreational events. He also thanked them for their remarkable achieve-ments during 2010. GPIC holds this event on an annual basis in the desert and the camping event is known for its orga-nization and recreational programmes, offered as part of its annual activities. Folk music is usually played and raffle draws are held, offering attractive prizes to the winners.

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Electrical Maintenance Superintendent Mr. Abdul

Amir Al Mulla took part in judging the 10th Envi-

ronmental Toastmasters Contest for Colleges and

Universities held in Dubai, UAE from 29th to 30th

November and which was organized by the Emir-

ates Environment Group. 300 people, from all the

GCC States, attended the event.

GPIC Participates In Judging Environmental Public Speaking Contest

In a statement, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery said

that participation in this event is an integral part of

GPIC’s duty to promote awareness of the environ-

ment in the Arabian Gulf region and also supple-

mented the environmental awareness programmes

already implemented by the Company. It is also the

outcome of experience gained by the GPIC

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95


Toastmasters Club members.

The environment awareness enhancement pro-

grammes are divided into two parts. The first one

is internal and focuses on educating the workers

and their families about the environment through

regular environmental lectures and by attracting

employee participation in environmental projects

launched by the Company. These include the Prin-

cess Sabika Perfumed Plants Garden, the Charity

Fish Farm, the Bird Sanctuary, the Medical Herbs

Garden and the Olive Oasis. The employees’ fami-

lies participate annually in safety, health and en-

vironmental competitions through writing essays,

paintings and the best kept home garden event,

with prizes given to the winners.

The second part of this effort focuses on commu-

nity relations such as the close relationship main-

tained with the Ministry of Education to promote

environmental awareness. As part of this plan, our

engineers visit more than 30 schools annually to

deliver lectures about the environment, which has

so far benefited more than 16,000 students. Every

week, hundreds of students visit the GPIC environ-

mental projects to become acquainted with the role

of industry in serving the environment. Addition-

ally, the GPIC-Education Environmental Research

Programme is now in its sixth year and has so far

been very successful. Through it, students have

contributed numerous innovative ideas. The GPIC

President praised the Emirates Environment Group

for organizing this event and sponsoring annually

the Arabian Social Responsibility Award, which

was won by GPIC in 2008. Mr. Jawahery also con-

gratulated the University of Bahrain for winning 3

prizes in this year’s competition.

The Environmental Toastmasters Contest for Col-

leges and Universities was held for the tenth time,

with the participation of more than 60 colleges and

universities from all the Arabian Gulf states and

has the aim of enhancing environmental aware-

ness. The Bahrain colleges and universities that

took part in this year’s event were the University

of Bahrain, Ahlia University and the Health Sci-

ences College.

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96


GPIC Women’s Committee members visited the Al Rahma Centre to participate with its members in celebrating the 39th National Day and Accession Day. The event was organized as part of the Company’s policy to attract the participation of all community groups in various so-cial and national events.

During the visit, Committee members distributed presents to the Centre’s members and en-

GPIC Joins Hands with Al Rahma Centre to Mark National Day

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97


joyed with them a number of rec-reational events held on this fes-tive occasion.

Commenting on such participa-tion, Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President, expressed his sincere thanks to the Women’s

Committee for this humanitarian initiative and praised the steady and continuous efforts made by the Committee. He added that, under the direc-tives of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.R.H. the Prime Minister for Industrial and Oil Affairs, the Company was keen on providing all kinds of support to local charities and women’s organizations. He con-sidered that this humanitarian gesture was a demonstration by the Company of its social mis-sion to serve the Bahrain com-munity. On this occasion, the Centre Di-

rector Mrs. Nadia Al Bakr said she was delighted with the initia-tive of the GPIC Women’s Com-mittee to celebrate National Day with the Centre’s members. She said she can always rely on the Company to provide support for the less fortunate members of the community.

The Al Rahma Centre for Youth Care was established in March 2003 to provide services and programmes targeting young-sters suffering from moderate to severe levels of mental dis-ability, through offering day care services. It caters for youngsters of both sexes, with ages ranging between 15 and 35 years.

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Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery, GPIC President re-cently received Ali Al Raies, a GPIC employee who won the Bronze Medal for being a Competent Arabic Speaker from Toastmasters International to become the first Bahraini to win this prestigious international title. Mr. Jawahery congratulated Mr. Al Raies for this win and for his efforts at the GPIC Toastmasters Club. The Company President said that the Company is very happy with the achievements of the GPIC Toastmasters Club’s at both local and regional lev-els. On the local level, the Club was able to qualify a number of its members had and discovered a sig-nificant number of talented speakers with skills in leadership and public speaking. The Club’s servic-es are not only limited to its members also but also extend to the local community at large. The mem-bers regularly organize training courses and work-shops for schools and civil society organizations. In this context, Mr. Jawahery praised the role

Ali Al Raies: First Bahraini Competent Arabic Speaker

played by Dr. Majid bin Ali Al Noaimi, Minister of Education who encouraged the art of public speak-ing among students as he honoured a number of students who had participated in public speaking workshops. Continuing, he said that the Compa-ny’s winning of this award had given a big boost to the GPIC Toastmasters Club and was proof of the strong concern and interest of GPIC in developing this activity. This is an embodiment of the Bahrain Vision 2030, which was launched by His Majesty the King. He added that GPIC had made the Toast-masters programme a basic element in the devel-opment of young managers in the Company and so far this exercise had been quite successful. It should be noted that GPIC has provided generous financial and material support to the annual con-ferences of the Toastmasters Clubs over the last 3 years and has played host to a number of renowned international champions of public speaking who had performed in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

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On the 23rd November 2010 a 14-member group of students from the Health Sciences College vis-ited the GPIC Complex to have a close look at the occupational safety and health systems adopted by GPIC at the Medical Centre.

The visit’s itinerary included a tour of the Training Centre, the Company’s plants and the Medical Cen-tre. The students were welcomed by Dr. Mohamed Salem and the Acting Training Superintendent Ab-dul Ameer Al Mulla. The Centre’s officials briefed the students on the occupational health services provided to all the Company’s employees. All the students expressed their satisfaction with the inter-national standards adopted by the centre for health in its monitoring services of the employees.

GPIC President Mr. Abdulrahman Jawahery said that the Company does not spare any effort to support students and youngsters in general as it opens its doors to students in different academic

Health Sciences College Students Visit GPIC

institutions to learn and to take advantage of the programmes offered by the Company. GPIC gives ample opportunities to students to learn about its products, services and the standards adopted in its operational activities, to enable them to conduct their research assignments.

Mr. Jawahery pointed out the major support given by GPIC to regular students on the Crown Prince’s International Scholarship Programme by playing host annually to a number of candidate students prior to their going on scholarships. This is part of GPIC’s contribution to ensure the success of this ambitious programme.

He also noted GPIC’s co-operation with the Min-istry of Education through environmental lectures for students and the GPIC Award for Environmen-tal Research. The Company also offers summer training opportunities to hundreds of school and university students.

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GPIC’s specialist independent broker Miller In-

surance Services Limited (Miller) has finished the

year 2010 on a high note by having its unique ap-

proach and achievements acknowledged with a

number of prestigious industry awards.

In December 2010, Miller was awarded the title of

Company of the Year at the Insurance Day Lon-

don Market Awards 2010. This is a key event in

the insurance calendar and recognises excellence,

achievement and innovation within the industry.

The judges felt that Miller’s successful strategy

GPIC’s Insurance broker wins several awards

demonstrated very clearly the appeal of an alterna-

tive broking proposition for clients and employees

alike.

Earlier in the same year and for the third consecu-

tive time, they were named best direct and rein-

surance claims broker in the 2010 Global Broker

and Underwriter London Market Leaders survey.

This was a strong endorsement from peers in the

London market for their wealth of experience in

managing and collecting extremely complex and

ground-breaking claims.

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Environmental Science Environmental science is an interdisciplinary aca-demic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, (including physics, chemistry, biology, soil science, geology, and geography) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environ-mental problems. Environmental science provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems.Related areas of study include environmental stud-ies and environmental engineering. Environmental studies incorporates more of the social sciences for understanding human relationships, perceptions and policies towards the environment. Environ-mental engineering focuses on design and technol-ogy for improving environmental quality.

Environment Committee Newsletter

GPIC Environmental Strategy Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company has felt the need for maintaining an environmental balance. The project’s environmental impact was thoroughly examined and studied. All the necessary measures and steps were than taken to maintain such a balance. Although more than 25 years have passed since the plants (Ammonia, Methanol & Utilities) went on stream, all the plants are still operating according to the strictest local and international environmental standards. Gas emissions, waste water release and liquid effluents resulting from various processes have been minimized and are constantly monitored and controlled. The urea plant, which came into operation in 1998, was subjected to the same system of environmental review at the design stage.

Environmental scientists work on subjects like the understanding of earth processes, evaluating alterna-tive energy systems, pollution control and mitigation, natural resource management, and the effects of global climate change. Environmental issues almost always include an interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Environmental scientists bring a systems approach to the analysis of environ-mental problems. Key elements of an effective environmental scientist include the ability to relate space, and time relationships as well as quantitative analysis.

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5 Reasons to Never Start Smoking:

•Even one cigarette slows down your cilia (the little “brooms” in your lungs). Heavy smoking kills the cilia. •Mucus and dirt pile up and germs don’t get swept out. •Tar sticks to the insides of your lungs and can cause cancer. •Nicotine makes your blood vessels smaller. •Formation of Carbon Monoxide.

Health Committee Newsletter

Effects of Smoking on the Lungs & HeartLung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, are largely due to smoking. Heart disease, which includes cor-onary artery disease, heart attack and stroke are far more common in smokers. One of the effects of nicotine is constricting the blood vessels, which in turn causes high blood pressure. Another effect is raising your heart rate, which adds extra stress on your heart.

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The south west coast adjacent to the complex at-tracts various migrating & resident bird waders that feed on marine creatures. This coastal strip was de-clared in 2002 to be a bird sanctuary in order to pro-tect these birds & preserve their food supply.

Fish Farm and Bird Sanctuary Committee Newsletter

Local names: Sobaity (adult). Emzaizy (young)Physical appearance :Body oval, elongated, Eyes small. Standard length of 2.6 to 3 inch-es. Head and body marks: Silvery dark grey with Light bluish tinge; belly whitish. Scales on sides of body Dark spots, forming dark lines along each row of Scales. A dark spot at pec-toral axial. Snout and nape darker than other parts on head. Dorsal spines silvery, Membrane grey with blackish free margin. Soft dorsal and caudal fins dark grey.

The fish farm at GPIC is an Environmental project, with its aim to increase fish resources in Bahrain. GPIC Fish Farm is an enclosure with a surface area of 2225 Sq. meters and is made of steel pipes, concrete, rocks, wood and synthetic materials. The first phase was constructed in October 1996 (600 Sq.meters). The second phase in January 2001 (1,000 Sq Meters) and in the final phase in May 2010, 625 Sq. me-ters was added. This project involves the culture of known species of fish in a fixed enclosure, exposed to all natural climatic conditions for a considerable length of time, spe-cifically from the months of November to July. Each year we release 60,000 fish into the deep sea with a weight of 0.750 Kg to 1 Kg of each fish.

Bird Sanctuary

Fish Farm

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GPIC has an honourable safety track record and seeks to continually improve all safety aspects. In the coming months GPIC will introduce the ma-turity ladder to have a clear goal to aim for and to measure performance. The maturity at the compa-ny will be assessed by questionnaires and improv-ing existing systems. A main feature will be the introduction to zero tolerance to unsafe conditions, actions and behaviour. For this to improve GPIC’s maturity in Safety requires full commitment from all employees and those who work at GPIC. This article explains about the Safety Maturity Ladder. With your help GPIC will ascend and continue to improve to achieve the pinnacle of success in Health and safety

Safety Maturity Ladder and the new challenge

Ten elements of the safety culture maturity model

•Management commitment and visibility

•Communication

•Productivity versus safety

•Learning organization

•Safety resources

•Participation

•Shared perceptions about safety

•Trust

•Industrial relations and job satisfaction

•Training

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Emerging

Level1

Managing

Level2

Involving

Level3

Cooperating

Level4

Continually

ImprovingL5

SafetyCultureMaturityLadder

Develop

Management

commitment

Realisetheimportanceof

frontlinestaffand

developpersonal

responsibility

Engageallstaffto

developcooperation

andcommitmentto

improvesafety

Develop

consistencyand

fightcomplacency

Increasing

Consistency

Improving

SafetyCulture


Level One: Emerging (Pathological)

Safety is defined in terms of technical and proce-

dural solutions and compliance with regulations.

Safety is not seen as a key business risk and the

safety department is perceived to have primary re-

sponsibility for safety. Many accidents are seen as

unavoidable and as part of the job. Most frontline

employees are uninterested in safety and may only

use safety as the basis for other arguments, such as

changes in shift systems.

Level Two: Managing (Reactive)

The organisation’s accident rate is average for its

industrial sector but they tend to have more serious

accidents than average. Safety is seen as a business

risk and management time and effort is put into ac-

cident prevention. Safety is solely defined in terms

of adherence to rules and procedures and engineer-

ing controls. Accidents are seen as preventable.

Managers perceive that the majority of accidents

are solely caused by the unsafe behaviour of front-

line staff. Safety performance is measured in terms

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106


of lagging indicators such as LTI and safety incen-

tives are based on reduced LTI rates. Senior man-

agers are reactive in their involvement in health

and safety (i.e. they use punishment when accident

rates increase).

Level Three: Involving (Calculative)

Accident rates are relatively low, but they have

reached a plateau. The organisation is convinced

that the involvement of the frontline employee in

health and safety is critical, if future improvements

are going to be achieved. Managers recognise that

a wide range of factors cause accidents and the root

causes often originate from management decisions.

A significant proportion of frontline employees

are willing to work with management to improve

health and safety. The majority of staff accept per-

sonal responsibility for their own health and safety.

Safety performance is actively monitored and the

data is used effectively.

Level Four: Cooperating (Proactive)

The majority of staff in the organisation are con-

vinced that health and safety is important from both

a moral and economic point of view. Managers and

frontline staff recognise that a wide range of fac-

tors cause accidents and the root causes are likely

to come back to management decisions. Frontline

staff accept personal responsibility for their own

and others health and safety. The importance of

all employees feeling valued and treated fairly is

recognised. The organisation puts significant effort

into proactive measures to prevent accidents. Safe-

ty performance is actively monitored using all data

available. Non-work accidents are also monitored

and a healthy lifestyle is promoted.

Level Five Continuous improvement (Generative)

The prevention of all injuries or harm to employ-

ees (both at work and at home) is a core company

value. The organisation has had a sustained period

(years) without a recordable accident or high po-

tential incident, but there is no feeling of compla-

cency. They live with the paranoia that their next

accident is just around the corner. The organisa-

tion uses a range of indicators to monitor perfor-

mance but it is not performance-driven, as it has

confidence in its safety processes. The organisation

is constantly striving to be better and find better

ways of improving hazard control mechanisms. All

employees share the belief that health and safety

is a critical aspect of their job and accept that the

prevention of non-work injuries is important. The

company invests considerable effort in promoting

health and safety at home.

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Under the patronage of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, Advisor to H.H. the Prime Min-ister for Industrial and Oil Affairs and GPIC Chairman, the Com-pany marked its 31st anniversary at a major ceremony held at the Ritz Carlton. In a speech at the opening of the event, the President Mr.Abdulrahman Jawahery wel-comed the guests and conveyed to them the best wishes of the Board Chairman. He seized the opportunity to express his thanks to the Board of Directors for his

Ceremony Marking GPIC’s 31st AnniversaryLong Serving Employees Honoured

appointment as President of the Company. He also congratulated the executive management on the new administrative struc-ture which was approved by the Board and which will keep pace with the aspirations of the Board and shareholders for the expan-sion of the Company. In his speech, Mr. Jawahery re-viewed the achievements of GPIC during the year, achieve-ments which enable the Com-pany to occupy a unique position among industrial firms in addi-

tion to being a model example of joint GCC co-operation. He also said he was delighted and proud that the Company’s ceremony coincided with the National Day and other national cerebrations in the Kingdom. He expressed his best wishes to the wise leadership of the Kingdom and the people of Bahrain.

The President said that everyone was proud of the achievements of the Kingdom of Bahrain dur-ing 2010. The most significant of these achievements is the

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Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 which prudently translates the clear vision and foresight of Bah-rain’s wise leadership in a move that everyone hopes and expects will achieve fruitful results. In this regard, this Economic Vi-sion does not overlook the role played by Bahraini women who have been able to occupy key and leading positions, even Min-isterial offices, in the country. He praised the move to dedicate the first day of December as Bahraini Women’s Day and commented that this is an initiative that re-flects the extent of the respect held for women in Bahrain and an appreciation of their key role. In the area of the oil and gas sec-tor, the framework agreement for the deep gas project, which was concluded under the directives of His Majesty the King, will cer-tainly provide the Kingdom with its local gas requirements. He described the agreement as a his-toric document that would meet GPIC’s requirements for natural gas in order to fulfill its future expansion projects. In his speech, Mr. Jawahery praised the tremendous efforts made by the Company’s employ-ees and their contributions to the team spirit enabling the Compa-ny to win numerous prestigious prizes at regional and interna-tional levels.

He added that, in spite of the global financial crisis that swept the markets, GPIC had contin-ued its declared strategy, mak-

ing 2010 a year of achievements. Armed with the ambitions and efforts of its staff members, who showed a sincere desire to main-

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tain the success and gains of this pioneering company, all these achievements had been made possible.Mr. Jawahery said that the main achievements of the Company represented a golden recognition of Gulf industry in general and Bahraini industry in particular. This includes but is not limited to the Outstanding Organisation Award for Training and the De-velopment of Human Resources from the Bahrain Ministry of La-bour. In 2010, for the second year in a row, GPIC won the GCC Award for Best Gulf Company for the Localisation of Jobs and the Development of Manpower.

On the international level, the Company was proud to win the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Award for the Best Company in the World in the Chemical Industries Sector. This Award focuses on the fields of occupational safety, health and the environment. GPIC also won the International Safety Award from the British Safety Council for the third successive time. An-other award, this time for effec-tive communication, was won by the GPIC toastmasters Club from the International Toastmasters Board. Moreover, GPIC was also selected to become the first Mid-dle East organization to receive the RC 14001:2008 certification

for Social Responsibility from DNV. In addition to production, safety, environmental and marketing achievements, GPIC was able to make high levels of profits. The urea plant was able to register international records for continu-ous production by registering 820 successive days of produc-tion without any shutdown. The year also witnessed full operation of the Carbon Dioxide Recovery Unit with a high level of effi-ciency and a production capacity exceeding 450 tons daily. This project, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East, contrib-uted to an increase in the outputs of the urea and methanol plants of around 8%. Production of am-monia amounted to 417,591 met-ric tons, methanol output totaled 406,215 tons and production of urea reached 611,593 tons. GPIC’s President underlined the

fact that GPIC is a living embodi-ment of joint Gulf integration, hence it enjoyed considerable support from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain, H.R.H. Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khali-fa, Prime Minister and H.R.H. Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Dep-uty Supreme Commander. He also paid tribute to the wise di-rectives of H.E. Shaikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa that made such progress and excellence possi-ble. In addition, the National Oil and Gas Authority led by H.E. Dr. Abdul Husain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Oil and Gas Affairs, had played a key role in drawing up a sound approach to the future for the Company, side by side with sister companies in NOGA. Mr. Jawahery praised the signifi-cant efforts made by the execu-tive management and all the staff

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members. However, the ambi-tions of the Company do not stop at this point; hence a long-term strategy has been drawn up, ex-tending to 2020, for developing on a firm footing the future vi-sion of expansion with the sup-port of home-grown skills and with valuable contributions from experienced members of staff. Their efforts will surely contrib-ute to the training and qualifica-tion of local national manpower for the operation and manage-ment of this industrial concern.

Meanwhile, the achievements of GPIC highlight a major respon-sibility of all its employees who thus have a duty to safeguard such successes in spite of all the different forms and shapes of the challenges to come.The President called upon ev-eryone to make more efforts and sacrifices to overcome the con-sequences of the unprecedented global financial crisis. He ex-pressed faith in the ability of all the workers and employees to maintain the Company’s gains and to work hard to shoulder this responsibility.

Mr. Jawahery wished everyonea happy new year and expressed his best wishes to the staff mem-bers who had just retired after many years of continuous ser-vice in the Company. There is

no doubt that GPIC appreciates the loyalty of all the staff mem-bers who have done everything possible to assist the growth and progress of the Company. Concluding, the GPIC Presi-dent expressed his thanks to the Board members for their atten-dance at the ceremony and for their unwavering support for the Company’s operations. All this had played a significant role in GPIC’s achievements. He thanked the GPIC Workers Trade

Union for its exemplary efforts and for its trade union activities not only on the local level but also on the regional level. During the event, long serving employees who had completed 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of continuous service were hon-oured. Also recognized at the ceremony were recently retired employees, hard working em-ployees and the Best Department in the year 2010.

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Documents

Khaleejieh Issue 75 English