Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi was 12 when he joined a training program offered by the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Aramco), the world’s largest energy company. Through the program, he studied at the International College, Beirut, and the American University of Beirut before receiving a B.S. in geology from Lehigh in 1962 and an M.S. from Stanford University in 1963.

Al-Naimi rose through the ranks at Aramco, serving as CEO from 1988 through 2015. He is currently the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources for Saudi Arabia.

In 2008, Al-Naimi was named one of TIME Magazine’s most influential people. In 2012, he was invited to deliver the address at Lehigh’s 144th commencement. “Very few people reach the position you have reached,” he told the graduates. “With that comes wonderful opportunities. But it also brings a responsibility to use your knowledge, as I have tried, to bring about progress and positive change.”