Ibrahim Al-Buainain has been president and CEO of Aramco Trading Co. since July 2016.
He was recently chosen, alongside six other industry leaders from the energy, shipping, storage, and refining sectors, to be part of the international selection committee for the Aramco Trading New Silk Road CEO of the Year Awards 2020.
The awards were founded in 2017, in partnership with the Port of Fujairah in the UAE, to recognize the outstanding achievements of business leaders from around the world in the categories of trading, refining, storage, and ports.
Al-Buainain has more than 26 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and has served in a number of key roles at Saudi Aramco.
He gained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, an MBA in global management, and a masters’ degree in innovation and global leadership from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also took part in an executive management program at the IMD business school in Switzerland.
Al-Buainain joined Saudi Aramco as an operations engineer at its Ras Tanura refinery in the Eastern Province and in 1995 he became lead project engineer for the Shaybah program. From 1998 through 2004, he worked for the Saudi Aramco Joint Venture Co. in South Korea as general manager.
In 2004, he was appointed as portfolio manager for all Saudi Aramco international joint ventures and three years later was named as director of the Asia joint venture department, managing Aramco business in the Asia Pacific region out of Hong Kong.
In 2009, Al-Buainain was made director for the Rabigh Phase-II development project. After holding several key positions, he was promoted to the position of global head for transaction development in 2015.
Ibrahim Al-Buainain, president and CEO of Aramco Trading Company
https://arab.news/6ebr7
Ibrahim Al-Buainain, president and CEO of Aramco Trading Company
- Al-Buainain has more than 26 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and has served in a number of key roles at Saudi Aramco
Where We Are Going Today: Ana Starter Sourdough Factory in Dammam
Since returning to live in the Kingdom after years abroad with the best bakeries at my fingertips, I have been on a mission to find suitable sourdough locally. I sampled many mediocre ones, but one would rise above the rest: Ana Starter Sourdough Factory.
I first met founder Aisha Al-Omair at the Juthoor Farmer’s Market and tried her bread then. I liked it immediately.
“Ana Starter Sourdough Factory started as a passion for creating and fermenting the healthiest bread and introducing it to the Saudi market,” she told me at the time.
It began as a personal mission then expanded — like the dough — to serve the community.
“For a long time, I’ve suffered feeding my kids proper bread. The breads that were available at the supermarkets or at local bakeries had instant yeast, that never really took time to ferment, and therefore, when you consume the average bread, you notice some stiffening, you notice indigestion, you notice bloating and heartburn.”
Indeed, I did not feel any bloating or heartburn after devouring a slice or a few so I recently went on a quest to find more.
I ventured to Dammam to find her factory shop. It is a tiny slither of a place — I almost missed it while driving past factories in the Industrial City.
The shop comes with a decadent whiff of delicious bread.
Upon entering, you will see fridges stocked with bread and goodies like jams and butters (from other brands) that complement the bread well.
The sourdough offerings include jalapeno cheddar, zataar, plain and about a dozen other flavors.
The hassawi sourdough, made with local dates from neighboring Al-Ahsa, quickly became my favorite. It has little bits of dates tucked inside like tiny treasures.
Each slice is separated with a sheet, making it easy to freeze and pull out what you need without slices sticking together.
Fluffy with a rustic crust, it is great for sandwiches, dipping in olive oil, or slathering with salted butter.
My freezer is now packed with loaves.
At around SR45 ($12) per loaf, the price is slightly steep for the local market, but the superior quality is worth the extra dough.
Each day, they post on Instagram Stories showing what is available for pickup — and the quantity of each item.
Ordering is easy: Send a DM to reserve a loaf, swing by the shop, or opt for delivery.
• For more details, check their Instagram @anaastarter.
