Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Zamil

Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Zamil (1942 – October 6, 2019) was an industrial engineer, whose work in industry and government was important to the industrial development of Saudi Arabia. Zamil Group, which now employs more than 12,000 people in 60 countries, is involved in diverse sectors including general construction, paints, plastics, petrochemicals, shipbuilding, and port management. He was awarded the King Abdul Aziz Medal, 1984 and the Richard J. Bolte Sr. Award for supporting industries in 2015.

Early life and education Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Al Zamil was born in 1942 in Bahrain. He was the fourth of twelve sons of Abdullah Al-Hamad Al Zamil, originally from Onaiza, Central Arabia. Abdullah Al-Hamad Al Zamil established a food and textile trading entity in Bahrain in the 1930s, later expanding into real estate investment. Upon his death in 1961, the family chose to continue operation of his business as a group, under the leadership of the eldest son, Mohammed.

Abdul Aziz Al Zamil attended primary school in Bahrain, where he also began his secondary school education. However, he completed his final year of high school in 1959 in Kuwait, together with his brother Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Zamil. After briefly studying business at Cairo University in Egypt, Al-Zamil decided to pursue studies in Great Britain. He attended a technical college in Salisbury and then enrolled in Concord College, where he studied math, biology, zoology, physics, and chemistry, and where he also strengthened his English language skills. In 1963 he received a scholarship from the government of Saudi Arabia to study at the University of Southern California (USC) in the United States. Because of the strong English language skills he had developed in Great Britain, he was able to complete his bachelor's and master's degrees within five years, receiving his bachelor's in industrial engineering in 1967, and his master's in 1968 from the University of Southern California. That company, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), was formally established by royal decree in 1976. In 1983 he was appointed Minister of Industry and Electricity for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and became Chairman of SABIC. He remained in these positions until 1995. During his tenure SABIC's first generation and second generation of manufacturing operations came on line and then expanded, producing such products as polyethylene, propylene, ethylene glycol, ethylene dichloride, methyl tertiary butyl ether, vinyl chloride monomer, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, ammonia, and urea. During this time he traveled extensively, supporting the training and recruiting of young Saudis in technical and professional fields, as well as promoting economic and industrial development. In 1984, he received the King Abdul Aziz Medal from King Fahd. Al Zamil jointed the family business, Zamil Group Holding Company, and supported its expansion into the newly accessible area of petrochemicals. He established the Saudi International Petrochemical Company (Sipchem) with his brother Abdulrahman, and became Chairman. He served as Director; Chairman of the board; and President, Chief Operating Officer and Director of the Zamil Group Holding Company. He was awarded the Richard J. Bolte Sr. Award for supporting industries for 2015 by the Chemical Heritage Foundation (today Science History Institute).