Real people, real stories

Mr. Santosh Ambike

• Joined Saudi Aramco in 2020 as a Senior Financial Consultant in the Power Systems Planning Department

• Originally from Singapore

• Currently resides in Saudi Aramco's residential camp in Dhahran

Working at Saudi Aramco

What are your responsibilities at Aramco?
As a Senior Financial Consultant, I provide consulting, advice and analysis for decisions related to strategy, financial/commercial, transformation and investment matters, as well as studies on conventional and renewable/alternative energy value chain. Coaching other professionals and leaders in the areas of finance and governance is also part of my responsibility.

What is your team like?
The work environment is very friendly. Matters I deal with are very interesting and challenging, requiring real world strategic thinking, dilemmas and shaping of solutions. The best part is the people! It is truly rewarding to work with a mix of local Saudis and expats from different parts of the world. I appreciate meeting and engaging with Aramco professionals of all levels and collaborating with them to achieve our goals. I also enjoy the conversations with them and applying my own efforts to bring about the best outcomes.

What do you enjoy most about working in Aramco? 
It is very interesting to engage in conversations especially with the young generation of Saudis. They are incredibly energetic, well educated, curious-minded, willing to learn and keen to transform their lives as well as the society they live in. It is a good feeling to know that they share and fully support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 which itself is so much about progress, modernity and globalization, while respecting and maintaining Arabic values and its unique culture. I feel this is aligned with my own values and ideology.

What are your professional aspirations and how does working at Aramco help you achieve them?
I aspire to continue helping Aramco design and implement their strategies. I’m hoping that I will be able to represent them, and be involved in establishing and growing Aramco’s presence in my “home ground” i.e. Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent. I’d love to be a part of Aramco’s efforts in diversifying their portfolio.

Why Saudi Aramco

Why did you join Aramco?
I was approached by Saudi Aramco for this role. I realized it was a great opportunity to work in the world’s largest Oil and Gas company, and to make good use of the breadth and depth of my several years’ energy experience. 

Very importantly, it also provided me with the opportunity to learn about Saudi Arabia, to experience living in the heart of the Middle East and to understand the Arabian culture in its most original place.

What thoughts and insights can you share with those keen to join Aramco?
The scale and diversity of Aramco’s business activities and the important role it plays in the world’s hydrocarbon sector itself offer a vast and interesting playfield. Those who join earlier in their career should consciously self-manage their professional development. By navigating effectively in the company, they can learn, practice and sharpen their craft and obtain rich experience. 

For the more experienced professionals, Aramco offers good opportunities for them to share their experience and expertise in upholding the company's excellence among the world’s top energy majors.

Living in Saudi Arabia

Where are you and your family originally from? Where do you live in the Kingdom?
My family and I are Singaporeans. We live in Aramco’s Dhahran camp.

How have you and your family settled in the Kingdom? 
When we arrived, we had to face several challenges as would be expected of a momentous move before the outbreak of a global pandemic. However over a period of time we have settled down, figured out many things, made friends and managed to get into “cruise control”.

How is life in the community? 
Life is comfortable and quality of the accommodation is satisfactory. There are several essential, recreational and lifestyle facilities in the huge township of Aramco Dhahran Camp. It provides a remarkably safe living environment. While separate from the rest of the city, it still provides convenient access to the city - to all its shopping malls, food and entertainment complexes and a wonderful “Cornish” (a long seaside stretch of road along the waters of the Gulf and related promenades).

What do you enjoy doing? 
Our favorite activity is to go for long walks, explore new places, pursue music, watch movies and documentaries, make and socialize with new friends, read/learn about the history of Saudi Arabia, and stay in regular touch with friends and family back in Singapore. We also ensure that we find time for self-development as well as pursuit of things we are really passionate about such as arts.

Overall, how do you and your family feel about life in Saudi Arabia?
We feel good about life in Saudi Arabia.