theceomagazine.com | 137whereby experienced workers are taken to
new facilities to become familiar with them,
ensuring a constant flow of experience and
expertise between old and new facilities.
“One of PETRONAS’ strengths is
education,” he maintains. “We invest heavily
in attracting talent, and provide informal,
on-the-ground training alongside more
formal training. We have facilities not only
in Malaysia, but across the world, giving our
workers the opportunity to experience all
aspects of the business.” He notes, though,
that talent on its own is not enough, and
states PETRONAS’ expects its workers to
wholeheartedly respects to its values. “You
can’t have somebody who merely performs
without subscribing to our values.”
PETRONAS’ success rests on its ability
to meet consumer demands and expectations,
which shift in response to a constantly
changing technological landscape. This
current state of affairs, with its readily
available technologies, is also one of
heightened competition, with increased
competition meaning that there is a
diminishing tolerance for mistakes. “With the
margin of error getting smaller, understanding
and responding to customers’ needs will
involve knowing what these needs are before
the customer becomes aware of them,” says
Arif. As demonstrated by the shift towards
electric and hybrid cars, consumers’ changing
will drive the creation of new opportunities
and areas for growth, while at the same time
giving rise to the opportunity to nurture a
competitive mentality of playing to win.
In Arif ’s vision, the future will be “an
interesting and challenging time”. It will be
a survival of the fittest. “Everybody has a role
to play in ensuring that we do win, as we
gear up with new facilities and pursue
growth opportunities.”
PETRONAS is demonstrating a desire
to stay ahead of the game, and it is clear the
company will rise to the challenge of
meeting the other oil and gas corporations
in the world head-on. While this will involve
commitment to achieving a series of long-
term goals, one can only imagine that Arif
will continue to celebrate the small successes
and daily achievements along the way.“DIALOG’s partnership with PETRONAS dates back to 1997.
Our latest joint venture in the development of Pengerang
Deepwater Terminal in Johor is testament to the amazing
things we can achieve when we leverage each other’s
professionalism, capabilities and commitment.” – Chan Yew
Kai, Executive Deputy Chairman, DIALOG Group Berhad