Amin Nasser, born in Saudi Arabia, is currently one of the most recognized voices within the energy industry, especially in the oil market. The Arab executive is president and chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco, a highly important oil company in the sector. Since 1982, when he joined the company as a petroleum engineer, Nasser has remained active and has become a relevant figure.
Nasser graduated in petroleum engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and then developed his entire career within Saudi Aramco. Production operations, drilling and reservoir management marked his early years of work, and over time he rose to positions of increasing responsibility until becoming chief petroleum engineer in 2004, vice president of engineering and development in 2007 and senior vice president of upstream in 2008.
From 1982 to 2015, Nasser built a rising career within the company. Eleven years ago, a turning point came when he became CEO of the company and later president. Among his achievements, the company went public, a historic move for Saudi Aramco.
Nasser’s four decades at Saudi Aramco
Nasser joined Saudi Aramco in 1982, recently graduated as a petroleum engineer from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and from then on he continued to grow and rise through different levels within the organization. He began as a petroleum engineer, with administrative tasks, until becoming CEO of the company many years later.
Between 1982 and 1991, he worked in technical areas linked to production engineering, drilling and reservoir management. During the 1990s, he began his transition toward supervisory and management positions. Between 1991 and 1997, he held several positions of responsibility within engineering and production areas. The first major leap came in 1997, when he was appointed manager of the Ras Tanura Production Department, one of the most important areas of Saudi oil infrastructure.
In 2007, another turning point occurred. Nasser was appointed acting head of the Exploration and Production business, the historic core of Aramco. Shortly afterward, he became senior vice president of upstream. As CEO, Nasser significantly expanded the company’s international reach. He oversaw Aramco’s historic initial public offering in 2019, led the acquisition of the petrochemical company SABIC and promoted investments in refining, petrochemicals and liquefied natural gas.
The weight of his rise within the company is highly significant. The company is one of the most essential players in the sector within the Middle East. Nasser has gone through practically every level of the organization. That trajectory largely explains why his opinions on the oil market are listened to carefully by governments, investors and energy industry leaders around the world.
The oil market situation according to Nasser
Different armed conflicts and major international escalations altered the geopolitical context. The Strait of Hormuz, the most important oil corridor in the world, was blocked for several days by Iran’s reprisals against the United States. In this context, Aramco’s CEO warned that recovery would take a long time.
“The longer supply disruptions continue, even for just a few more weeks, the longer it will take for oil trade to rebalance and stabilize,” the president of the Saudi company said. In line with his remarks, Nasser warned that the market lost nearly one billion barrels of oil due to logistical disruptions and restrictions on maritime transport. According to his estimates, even an immediate reopening of trade routes would not allow the market to normalize quickly.
Despite the current situation, the Arab executive maintains his long-term strategic vision based on three pillars: energy security, sustained investment and gradual emissions reduction. He does not deny the need to move toward cleaner energy sources, but maintains that oil and gas will remain fundamental to the global economy for several decades.
For that reason, Aramco still invests in oil production, petrochemicals, carbon capture, hydrogen and emissions-reduction technologies. Nasser considers that the solution does not lie in abruptly eliminating hydrocarbons, but in producing them more efficiently while viable large-scale alternatives are developed.
Despite his global warnings over the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the businessman remains calm and says that oil demand remains firm and that he “would not call it demand destruction” but rather “demand rationing.”
From his perspective, energy security will continue to be one of the central strategic challenges of the 21st century, and those who underestimate that reality could face increasingly frequent supply crises. In the meantime, avoiding further blockages within the corridor through which tons of barrels pass remains essential.
