Hani Abdulaziz Hussein was undaunted by the challenges and difficulties that lay ahead when he agreed to become KPC's chief executive officer and take the reins from his predecessor and friend Nader Sultan.

He began this new phase of his prolific career with determination and unyielding commitment to lead the oil sector to new heights and achievements and to help shape a bright future for this thriving industry.
He believes that to ensure his goals he has to work at building the oil sector from both the inside and outside.
In an interview, Hussein explains that his work strategy operates on two fronts.
On the one hand, he will oversee the
fulfillment and execution of strategic plans and projects to ensure overall business development while, parallel to that, he strives to create the most ideal work environment, one which stimulates creativity, draws out the best work performance, and ensures optimum work satisfaction levels.
On the business front, Hussein points out that the Kuwaiti oil sector follows a simple plan aimed at attaining growth in all activities: production, exploration, refining, marketing and transportation. KPC has several plans and projects to develop the sector in all realms.
The corporation's priority is to increase production capacity from 2.6 million bpd to three million bpd in the coming few years.
He said the goal is to reach four million bpd by the year 2020.
Internationally, KPC is working to increase its activity overseas in refining and exploration.
Locally, plans are underway to increase refining capacity, which currently stands at 920,000 bpd, by building a fourth refinery which will add a further 450,000 bpd to the existing levels.
KPC's CEO is aware that the corporation will face great challenges down the way.
He, however, optimistically stresses that the future holds even greater opportunities.
"The oil industry is expected to keep going from strength to strength at the same pace as seen today for the coming few years. Performance in the refining, petrochemicals and transportation sectors will keep developing. Consequently, the time is ripe to make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead."
Hussein says that the greatest challenge facing KPC at present is to keep moving on the same track and to maintain its performance level. This will require finishing all projects successfully and on time.
"The projects KPC has at hand are large scale projects, and implementing them will not be easy at all. However, KPC is fully set to achieve all of its ambitions," Hussein said.
Another important challenge KPC has to offset is offering the private sector a bigger role to take part in key oil projects. Market observers will note that KPC is forming several joint ventures for major projects. These include the First Local Fuel Marketing Company, the calciner coke plant, the salt and chloride plant and the petrochemicals projects where KPC has formed an alliance with Dow Chemicals.
In just a few months as KPC's CEO, Hani Hussein has introduced several initiatives that have worked wonders for the morale of employees.
He firmly believes that creating the right work environment in which an employee feels motivated, rewarded and appreciated cannot be overestimated.
His biggest concern is creating a one team spirit and a sense of belonging to one family amongst employees. Another goal is bridging the communication gap between staff and management.
His new initiatives are the `Team Briefing' information dissemination system, the `Thank You Card' reward system, holding the first open day between Upper Management and staff and installing suggestion boxes in several departments.
Hani Hussein affirmed that the management believes in the significance of communication with all employees and updating them of major developments in the organisation and their departments. "Understanding is an essential prerequisite to successful involvement and empowerment," he said.
This conviction stems from actual experiences, which indicate that employees will be more committed to their work if they fully understood the reasons behind what is happening in their corporation and how it is performing, particularly in their level.
"We have decided to concentrate on improving communication systems as a priority. Consequently, we have decided to install a system of management driven communication known as "Team Briefing" which is a process used by many of the world's top organisations.
"This system underlines the role of leader, builds motivation and gives a sense of common purpose to our teams. The most effective proven method of shaping employees into a team is to talk as a team, about team goals. Briefing the team and facilitating any subsequent discussion is a practical and effective way of reinforcing the position of our leaders," he said.
Hussein expressed confidence tht benefits to all employees and contribute to continued success.
"Team Briefing relies on all members of the organisation, from the members of the top management team right through to Coordinators, Superintendents and Supervisors communicating face to face with all employees, in their teams on a regular basis," he says.
Another initiative Hussein took personal interest in applying was the `Thank You Card' as an added reward system to the existing incentive perks KPC offers employees.
This system is part of the overall strategy to raise employees' morale, motivate them in carrying out their duties, and grant them material and moral support.
The "Thank You Card" system consists of a letter of thanks and appreciation and a financial or moral reward.
Under this system, KPC executives are authorised to grant recognition to their employees without having to seek approval from their respective superiors. By achieving higher standards of job satisfaction, KPC also hopes to boost performance levels and better achieve its business objectives.
In another move to bolster communication between management and staff, KPC recently held its first open day with management and senior officials at the corporation's Spring Camp at Bneider.
This event clearly demonstrated Hussein's determination to strengthen the spirit of one family team amongst staff and open direct channels of communication between management and employees.
Employees were pleasantly surprised with the fun-filled programme, competitions, prizes and entertaining activities organised for them and most of them stayed well after the programme ended.
With his characteristic candour, Hussein delighted the staff with his wit and some unconventional games that were both entertaining and challenging.
During the event, Hussein underlined key issues of relevance to the employees; firstly, following the HSE precautions to ensure the safety of employees during the exceptional security situation the country is experiencing and, secondly, KPC's keenness to invest in the human element and provide employees with the training and skills they need.
Investing in the human element
In conclusion, the CEO stressed that the strength of any company comes from its people and that KPC therefore pays close attention to developing its employees and providing them with the necessary training tools and methods that enable them to progress in their careers.
Training and career development has become an important element, which the corporation is constantly striving to develop.