PETRONAS Townhall 2012

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Assalamua’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Salam Sejahtera

Dan Salam 1Malaysia

Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dato’ Shamsul Azhar Abbas, President dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan PETRONAS

dan Yang Berbahagia Puan Sri Datin Sharifah Salwa Syed Kamaruddin, YDP PETRONITA

Ahli-ahli Lembaga Pengarah PETRONAS

Yang Berbahagia Datuk Wan Zul, Datuk Anuar, Datuk Wee dan Datuk George

Ahli-ahli barisan kepimpinan kanan PETRONAS

Saudara-saudari yang saya hormati sekalian

Alhamdulillah, bersyukur kita ke hadrat Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala, kerana dengan limpah Rahmat serta keizinan Nya jua, dapat kita bersama-sama pada hari ini.

2.      Izinkan saya untuk memulakan ucapan ini dengan merakamkan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan kepada semua ahli-ahli Lembaga Pengarah, Kepimpinan PETRONAS dan semua warga kerja PETRONAS di atas segala usaha-usaha dan bantuan yang diberikan, sama ada secara langsung, ataupun tidak langsung, sejak saya menyertai PETRONAS pada bulan Julai tahun ini.

3.      I thank you for the warm reception extended to me and my wife since I joined the PETRONAS family in July this year. Thank you also for your assistance and patience in educating me on the nuances of this very complex industry that we operate in. It has been a very enlightening few months, getting to know oil and gas with some depth, and of course meeting many of you. I am indeed very heartened by what has been shared with me in the Boardrooms and meeting rooms. Be it our performance, safety culture or people development. And my recent visits to Kertih, Melaka and Tronoh were an opportunity for me to witness the manifestation of these. And more. I also saw the camaraderie amongst the staff and management, the most important resource of our company, which, I believe, is key towards achieving these results.

4.      I am grateful to Allah Subhanahu Wata’ala for giving me this opportunity to serve PETRONAS. And through PETRONAS, to continue to serve our Nation. This appointment is indeed very humbling, to be the Chairman of the only Malaysian flag-bearer in Fortune Global 500 ranking. Becoming a Fortune 500 company is no mean feat. I am very proud of PETRONAS, for what it has achieved and more importantly, how it has achieved it in a short span of 38 years. In fact, we are not only in Fortune 500. We are Fortune 68. Number 68 in the world, number 12 most profitable in the world. And the most profitable in Asia.

Colleagues,

5.      I spent close to 4 decades in the Civil Service of our country. I thank the Almighty for what He gave me. I tried to give my best as a Civil servant. I am now part of PETRONAS family, and equally proud of it! And by PETRONAS family I do not mean the 44,000 people who work with PETRONAS. I mean the 44,000 families who are associated with PETRONAS. I subscribe to PETRONAS Vision and Values as much as you do. The Government, the Rakyat and the Nation are fortunate that PETRONAS performed and delivered as we did, and Insya Allah, as we will continue to do. It is in the interest of the Government, the People, and our Nation that PETRONAS continues to deliver outstanding performance.

 6.      Ours is an organisation that was built through hard work and sweat. Through determined resolve of the pioneers who never gave up in the face of challenges and hardships. The likes of Tun Azizan, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Datuk Rastam Hadi should never be forgotten. Tun Razak, Raja Tun Mohar and so many more. It is their vision and determination that has brought us where we are today. And their stories need to be retold and repeated, lest we forget our roots and our raison de’atre. Our reason for existence. It is in their stories we will find strength to face our future challenges. To these pioneers, the success of PETRONAS meant success of the country. And its People.

7.      The story of PETRONAS is still developing. We are only in the very early chapters.  The storyline is still being crafted by you, us the 44,000 strong cast, around the world. Our every action, and inaction, will have a direct consequence to what the PETRONAS story becomes. Being a member of PETRONAS family is a weighty responsibility. It is an amanah. The Petroleum Development Act (PDA) has entrusted upon us the oil and gas wealth of the nation. We are expected to deliver on this amanah, with utmost integrity and professionalism. And deliver we must. However to attribute our outstanding financial record to PDA alone is not the full story. Acts and policies don’t deliver results. People do. Our Actions do. Quality of our People will determine the quality of our performance.

8.      We may be 68 in the world today, but our rank next year could be 50, or, could be 80. There are many external factors that will determine our rank, not least the global crude prices. But that is not the most important thing. Our strategies and decisions are not chasing the ranking. What is more important is that we do our utmost, our best, with factors that are within our control, like people development and HSE performance. What we do in these areas, and how we do it, will have a much more lasting impact than the fickle ranking numbers. That means having the mindset and attitude of a Fortune 30 or 10, no matter what our rank is.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

9.      I want to emphasise on the mindset and attitude of Fortune 10. I did not say their structure, funds or size. I truly believe, what differentiates those at the top are the little things. The intangibles. In the 100 metre Olympic dash, the difference between the gold and bronze is sometimes split seconds. But the split second advantage is gained only by those who go the extra mile. In training. In practice. In the real action.

10.    Going this extra mile requires commitment. From every one of us. Commitment from all of us to innovate and improve, continuously. To be accountable for results achieved and targets missed. Only by having accountability we will learn from our mistakes. Commitment to reward the extraordinary, and replenish where necessary!

11.    And of course, commitment from our families. Our achievements will not be as fulfilling as it could be, without their support. There will be times that require their sacrifices. It is important that they feel appreciated for their support and sacrifices. It is our collective responsibility that everyone in this extended PETRONAS family supports our aspirations. And owns it. And they in turn, get our support. A happy, caring, compassionate family.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

12.    As an organisation, we have very high ambitions. The Board and the Management is committed to our Championship journey. However, the Management alone cannot achieve this. It requires our collective resolve. And we are counting on your commitment to get us there.

13.    On that note, I want to thank you for your attention and I look forward to opportunities to meeting many more of you soon, Insha Allah.

Wabillahi taufik walhidayah

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.