Yousef Abdullah Al-Benyan is the chief executive officer of Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) — one of the world’s largest diversified petrochemicals companies.  This week, Al-Benyan was a featured speaker at the inaugural Saudi Energy Forum (SEF) in Riyadh. The conference aimed to strengthen links between energy authorities. After earning a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in industrial management, Al-Benyan joined SABIC in 1987 as a business development specialist before joining SABIC’s corporate communications division. Al-Benyan then relocated to Stamford, Connecticut, in the US, where he served as SABIC’s operations manager. In 1994, he became a commercial manager for SABIC, representing both North America and Latin America, while based in Houston, Texas. In 2002, he was promoted to general manager of SABIC Asia, where he made significant contributions to SABIC’s growth in the Asian market, especially in China.  Prior to being named vice chairman and chief executive officer, Al-Benyan also served as vice president of corporate finance and CFO. Besides his position at SABIC, Al-Benyan is also chairman of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association, Yanbu National Petrochemical Co., the Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co., Saudi Iron and Steel Co., and the Petrochemical Manufacturers Committee.