Profile Total transformation Louise Parfitt chats to Khalid Al Ammar, Assistant Deputy Minister for Technical Affairs at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) and chair of the new IAM KSA Chapter, about how asset management can help make the world a better place You have to have a robust, supportive and resilient supply chain so during any maintenance breakdown or any operation efficiency project, you have the right material available at the right time Our manual, the National Manual for Assets and Facilities Management, takes from many nice gardens the best of the flowers and turns them into our language, into our technical local experience. I hadnt associated asset management with horticulture before, but the way Khalid Al Ammar describes one of his proudest career achievements is quite beautiful. The National Manual for Assets and Facilities Management was a significant undertaking involving engagement with more than 16 entities in the Saudi government, a great number of field visits to see the actual assets and many maturity assessments. Its creation began in 2018, when Al Ammar became the Executive Director of Engineering for the National Programme to Support Project and Operations Management in Public Entities, which became Expenditure and Projects Efficiency Authority (EXPRO). The programme aimed to transform the public sector through full alignment with the Saudi governments Vision 2030 objectives. The mission was to drive the operations and maintenance sector towards excellence in Saudi Arabia, and globally. IAMdowntime On involvement My son was born in September 2021 and he has changed my life! He and his mum are the centre of my world. I really love football, both playing and watching it. I cheer for two football clubs: Al-Shabab and Manchester United. My son already has a Manchester United t-shirt, so we are embedding his support for the team early! I also love to travel: it gives you great experiences. You are introduced to different cultures, religions, people, and arts. I like the UK in particular, maybe because when I am there it is easy for me to watch Manchester United! Also, the people are friendly and God has given the UK the best of nature with marvellous gardens everywhere: it makes me feel really peaceful. I have a great love of the west coast of the US and especially Los Angeles because I spent six years there when I was growing up. This is achieved by adopting the best practices and creating the right standards for asset and facility management, capturing future growth and improving citizens quality of life. A tall order, but Al Ammars passion for getting this right and also not being afraid to ask for help and learn from past experiences is evident. I was delighted to take on this challenge, he says. There had been issues in the past because of improper management practices. Assets built just a few years before needed to be rehabilitated and the value chain to the government was negative: there were no tangible benefits. The team and I consulted with other experts in the field, and we brought operations maintenance, asset management and facilities management all under the same umbrella. The power of partnership Al Ammars team developed a request for proposal (RFP) document for the market, and used it to select international partners that were best placed to support them in the Kingdoms asset and facilities management transformation journey. They helped us learn more about international asset management and project management standards. We had to make sure that not only did we take the best out of each global standard but that we also applied it to our situation because it needs to be easy to implement for the people on the ground looking after the assets, Al Ammar says. It was challenging but it was really important for us to put the right engineering tools in the hands of our professionals looking after the entity to transform their current state of asset management to the international excellence level that we are now. The National Manual for Assets and Facilities Management was a labour of love, involving months of work and many late nights. It was published last year and has become a transformational tool that can be used for any critical assets from airports and bridges to schools and roads. It both explains asset management principles and provides templates and checklists for engineers and operatives to use. Its a joyful moment where you can see your impact on a wide spectrum of customers and for the benefit of the Kingdom economy, says Al Ammar. We are now starting to enjoy the fruit of what we are doing, which is all driven by the Vision 2030 directive. On social responsibility One of our aspirations down the road with the Saudi Chapter is to launch programmes for people who are hearing impaired so they can learn asset management skills and knowledge to become asset management professionals and active citizens. Its about promoting inclusion and transforming lives across society. I have recently started volunteering with local projects: planting trees and cleaning up the streets. It feels good to be able to give something back and improve the lives of people who are not as fortunate. Its a joyful moment where you can see your impact on a wide spectrum of customers and for the benefit of the Kingdom economy I strongly believe asset management has a significant role to play to support society transformation and social inclusion as we forge ahead towards Vision 2030 Developing asset management standards This drive for improvement for all is something Al Ammar comes back to throughout our conversation and indeed it would seem, throughout his career. After graduating in 2005 from the King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals with a degree in chemical engineering, his first decade in the workforce was all about his passion for transforming raw materials into valuable products. He worked for the SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation), turning natural gas into plastics, and then moved into the oil and gas industry when he joined Schlumberger. It was here that asset management first appeared on his radar. I was exposed to many critical assets that needed to be maintained to a high standard, for example the diamond components used for drilling. Schlumberger had a very robust asset management system that really guaranteed the reliability and sustainability of each asset. Al Ammar then spent 14 years at Saudi Aramco, starting off as an oil and gas facility operations and maintenance engineer. He was promoted to management positions, where he developed his knowledge of asset management, including ISO 55001 and global practices more generally. It is really the core of all operation and maintenance strategies. The supply chain factor features in that process: our assets are distributed across the Kingdom in very remote areas, which shows the importance of the supply chain in asset management. You have to have a robust, supportive and resilient supply chain so during any maintenance breakdown or any operation efficiency project, you have the right material available at the right time. This was another of Al Ammars achievements: developing a process involving all stakeholders to ensure operability, maintainability and asset criticality reports are reflected in the maintenance regime when the assets are in operation. We ensured asset management is considered as a total cost of ownership in the management and decision-making at the beginning of each project. It meant that right from the start, we had the correct tools to operate and maintain assets within the manufacturers requirements. It was a game-changer, and I feel very proud of that. On a new IAM chapter For a long time, it has been my dream to have a platform here in the Kingdom where we can come together to develop our knowledge and expertise, and share our experiences, both in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East North Africa (MENA) regions as well as more globally. I believe it is very much a two-way street in terms of learning and imparting knowledge in order to ensure best practice and continual improvement in the asset management community. We submitted an entry to the IAM Excellence Awards in 2019 and were fortunate to attend the awards ceremony. It was here that we started having conversations with the other IAM members, including the IAM President, about setting up a Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Chapter. We submitted a business case and we are now in the final stages of getting it established. I am so proud and excited to have a space where young people can be equipped with the asset management skills and knowledge to become part of the success story of assets where they are impacting lives in a positive way or helping to combat climate change or fulfilling the important objectives of Vision 2030. Delivering excellence In May 2022, Al Ammar was appointed as Assistant Deputy Minister for Technical Affairs at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD). He works with facility managers in 13 administrative regions across the Kingdom to oversee facilities such as rehabilitation centres, administration office buildings and community centres to help deliver best-in-class asset and facility management services for all MHRSD beneficiaries, especially for those living with disabilities. I strongly believe asset management has a significant role to play to support society transformation and social inclusion as we forge ahead towards Vision 2030, Al Ammar says. The challenge is how we make sure asset and facility management are customer-orientated in their approach, practices and standards. In addition, part of the challenge is how we make sure our staff are equipped and trained to run and manage our facilities in the right manner and approach. Al Ammar adds that if you do not have the right facility with the right assets, you have already lost the client before you start providing the service. The integration of the physical place with individual attitude is key to delivering an outstanding five-star service, he says. One of the most important strategic objectives we have in the ministry is how to ensure our customer is happy and fulfilled with the service they received, whether they pay for it or it is free. So, when you talk about customer experience, customer satisfaction and customer excellence, its all linked directly or indirectly with asset management. One of our aspirations down the road with the Saudi Chapter is to launch programmes for people who are hearing impaired so they can learn asset management skills and knowledge