Zamil gets top petrochemical prize

The Richard J. Bolte prize from the US Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been presented to Abdulaziz Abdullah Al-Zamil, chairman of Al-Zamil Group Holding Company, a Saudi industrial giant.
Al-Zamil received the prize for his contributions using the state-of-the-art technology toward the development of the petrochemicals industry in the Kingdom.
The award-giving ceremony was held in Philadelphia on May 14, on the occasion of the International Chemical Heritage Day.
Al-Zamil, a renowned Saudi chemical industrialist, was the first Saudi and Arab citizen to win the prize. He raised high the name of his country in the historic forum on the Saudi dream realized in the sector of petrochemicals.
Al-Zamil is credited with playing an exemplary role in the establishment, facilitation and encouragement of the industrial development of the Kingdom in general and in the petrochemicals sector in particular.
After obtaining his Bachelor and Master's degrees in industrial engineering from the University of South California in 1968, Al-Zamil joined the Industrial Development Research Center established by the Kingdom in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
In 1976, he was appointed deputy director of the center. In the same year, the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) was established and he was appointed its first CEO.
A number of people concerned with the petrochemical industries from all over the world attended the award-giving ceremony.
Representatives from the Zamil Group and members of his own family were also present. Among them were his son Ahmed and his brother Khaled.
The CHF awards the Richard J. Bolte prize annually to the industrial figures of the world who have made tangible contributions in the fields of chemistry and petrochemicals.