Hiba Dialdin, section chairperson for the Saudi Arabia Society of Petroleum Engineers, addresses the SPE at one of its meetings. Dialdin is a petroleum engineer at Saudi Aramco's Advanced Research Center. (AN photo by Salah A. Al-Alwan)

A company’s culture can have a lot to do with its success. A firm that is prepared to give employees opportunities to develop and advance within the business is offering powerful motivation. Saudi Aramco, the Kingdom’s oil producer, has a long history of advancing young Saudis who demonstrate intelligence, dedication and commitment.

Many of its top executives today are proof of this. Saudi Aramco has long been at the forefront of the Kingdom’s drive for economic development. It continues to demonstrate that leadership by giving women the opportunities to pursue medical, financial, scientific and engineering careers in which ability counts for more than who you know or what your family name is.

Hiba Dialdin is a petroleum engineer at Saudi Aramco’s Exploration and Petroleum Engineering (EXPEC) Advanced Research Center. She also chairs the Saudi Arabia section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

The daughter of two longtime Saudi Aramco employees, Dialdin began her education in the company’s school system and then attended Dhahran Ahliyya High School. She later traveled to the United States where she graduated with honors from the University of Southern California and received two BSc degrees, in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering.

“I knew early on that I wanted to specialize in a technical or scientific field but originally planned to study computer science,” Dialdin told Arab News. “The ‘deciding moment’ to study engineering occurred in my orientation year at college. The guidance counselor conducted a tour of the engineering labs and departments and I was fascinated.”

With her family background, Dialdin considers herself well-versed in the Saudi Aramco culture and has never worked for any another employer. “I’m an Aramcon through and through — a product of this company like its oil and gas,” she says.

Although pleased with the working environment in her company, she notes that some obstacles do exist for Saudi working women. “The workplace today has evolved well for us,” Dialdin says. “But there are, of course, many steps that can be taken to further enhance it. I believe the most important is for women to have the opportunity to choose any field in which they feel they can contribute the most and excel. There are also lingering misperceptions about the abilities and dedication of women, especially if they are married or mothers.”

Dialdin says that today Saudi women have many career paths open to them. “Great opportunities abound everywhere for those who can bring them to fruition,” she says. “In general, if we are thinking short-term and with the current business environment, I think the greatest opportunities right now are in small retail businesses, finance, education, medicine, research and NGOs. Long-term, I hope this question becomes invalid as we become less gender-aware. I hope there comes a day when the best person for any field is there regardless of gender.”

She sees the barriers to entry for women coming down across the Kingdom: “I am confident that my beloved Saudi Arabia will continue to grow and flourish,” Dialdin says. “As we continue to progress and develop as a nation, barriers to women’s career aspirations will dissolve, mainly through education, dialogue and awareness. I am optimistic about the future and believe that the upcoming generations — who are increasingly brought up by working mothers and have strong female role models — will be accepting of women in, for instance, technical and management positions.”

Well satisfied with her own career path, she intends to continue to work for Saudi Aramco. “For now, I hope to continue to be involved in leading research projects to enhance oil and gas recovery,” she says.

The married mother of three lists health and happiness as her primary goals for the future. “Career-wise, I hope to have advanced as a leader and technical expert and to make a difference,” she says. “I also hope to be doing more charity work.”

Dialdin says women should consider scientific and engineering careers. “I find engineering fascinating and exciting,” she says. “I strongly encourage studying and working in this field, which is basically advancing technologies to make the world a better place. My advice is to focus and excel, speak up and always be yourself.”

When asked about the pace of reform in Saudi Arabia, she replied as any thoughtful researcher might be expected to reply: “Who can really judge what is appropriate while events are taking place? It is only in hindsight that we can say that change was too quick or too slow. I’m just an engineer — not a social scientist.”