TAQA

MoutazM Mashhour

The 1000-Day Journey

December 11, 2006 marked a historical day in the world of academia when the late King, Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, issued a Royal Decree establishing “King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)”. A world-class, graduate-level research university created to inspire a new age of scientific achievements in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the world.

Built on the shores of the Red Sea, KAUST is the hub for the worldwide exchange of ideas that will stimulate scientific advancements aimed to benefit the economic and social development of the country as well as the region and the world. KAUST, a dream for King Abdullah, wanted it to be a unique learning place where passionate people can transcend the boundaries of their fields to transform their own lives—and the lives of others through knowledge and innovation. 

In less than six months of the Royal Order, this extremely exciting and challenging project was assigned by the late King to the Saudi Arabia Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) to build a greenfield university from the ground in 1000 days! Wok began immediately with the strategies and planning for the Facilities/campus, Academic and Research Programs, Information Technology and Finance. Nine months later, the need to form the Human Resources organization and select its leader became evident to the then KAUST leadership.

“Building the HR infrastructure was recognized to be the most complex challenge at KAUST.  It required performing multiple tasks simultaneously and in parallel, while at the same time managing the change in order to meet the overall project timeline.”

On March 14, 2007, I received a call from our then Saudi Aramco HR Vice President’s office requesting that I come to his office immediately. As I arrived at Vice President office, I noticed the presence of the then Interim President of the university, it became apparent that the task awaiting me was KAUST! My thoughts then floated around this historic opportunity of becoming part of a legacy!

Once assigned to lead this massive task, I had many questions to ask and documents to read through to get up to speed and be able to establish this new Human Resources organization, in which I was the only member of at the time! I had to learn, develop and deliver in a very accelerated pace to achieve a number of objectives consistent with the mandated timeline.

Building the Human Resources Infrastructure

Building the HR infrastructure was recognized to be the most complex challenge at KAUST.  It required performing multiple tasks simultaneously and in parallel, while at the same time managing the change in order to meet the overall project timeline. To achieve such objective, building the HR team was considered the highest priority.

The next priority was to have external expertise in human resources specialized in the world of academia to work together with the HR team at KAUST.  The combined team developed systems, policies, procedures, compensation and benefits programs and recruitment plans leveraging global best practices in the academic arena.

On June 29, 2007 the Human Resources Strategy and Plans were presented and approved by the Board of Trustees to be implemented over the next five months.

On October 6, 2007, another HR milestone was achieved when the then Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, approved the human resource total rewards program for the university.

With such approval and after adopting to the university’s vision, goals, and mission, recruitment started, the Human Resources team was able to attract the best candidates with relevant experience and competencies to fill the university’s administrative and leadership positions. On October 28, 2008, my secondment assignment as the KAUST Interim Human Resources Vice President concluded and I returned to Saudi Aramco. 

Arriving to Destination

September 23, 2009 marked a historic date! Not just because it was the national day of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as the day the university opened its doors to the world!

On that significant day, the King’s dream was realized as he stated in the inaugural speech:

“The idea of this university has been a dream of mine for more than 25 years. It has been a persistent desire that has lived with me ever since. And I thank God, the Great, the Merciful, that he enabled us to embody it as a reality that stands mightily, with God's will, on our soil today. On behalf of the Saudi people, I would like to express our deepest thanks for your presence here and your participation in the birth of our dream”

The entire nation stood proud of this accomplishment. Everything the Interim Leadership developed was a success, all efforts and plans converged, with valuable learning attained throughout this exciting 1000-day journey!

Today, after more than fifteen years since this unique experience, I still remember this period in my career with pride as being one of the founding leaders of what became a world class academic organization. I am most grateful to the leadership of Saudi Aramco at that time for providing me this unparalleled opportunity that enriched my experience and reshaped my leadership capabilities.