> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.saudiwins.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Nabilah Al-Tunisi: Aramco’s First Female Chief Engineer - URL: https://www.saudiwins.com/nabilah-al-tunisi-aramcos-first-female-chief-engineer/ - Published: 2026-10-13T06:30:21.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-13T06:30:20.000Z - Description: Discover Nabilah Al-Tunisi’s journey as Saudi Aramco’s first female Chief Engineer, pioneering Saudi engineering, energy innovation and Vision 2030. - Author: Ameer Albahouth - Tags: Inspiring Women, The Pioneer, Vision 2030 audi Arabia’s transformation is often associated with Vision 2030, but the technical foundations behind today’s ambitions were built over decades by engineers who developed the Kingdom’s industrial capabilities from within. Among them is [**Nabilah Al-Tunisi**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nabilah-al-tunisi-92898163/?isSelfProfile=false&ref=saudiwins.com), a Saudi engineer whose career has moved from computer systems and industrial automation to multibillion-dollar projects, executive engineering leadership, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing. She joined Saudi Aramco in 1982 as a computer systems engineer. More than three decades later, she became **Saudi Aramco’s first female Chief Engineer**, reaching one of the highest levels of technical authority inside one of the world’s most sophisticated energy companies. Her journey is bigger than a historic “first.” It is a story of technical mastery, continuous learning and a commitment to building Saudi capabilities for the future. --- ## **Early Life and Education: A Curiosity for How Things Work** Nabilah Al-Tunisi grew up in a family where education, discipline and national service carried enormous importance. Her father, Mohammed Makki Al-Tunisi, served in Saudi Arabia’s military establishment, and his emphasis on reading, learning and responsibility helped shape her approach to life. Her upbringing also exposed her to the wider world. She spent part of her youth in Madrid before moving to the United States as a teenager to continue her education. Medicine was initially her ambition. But a fascination with mathematics, physics and emerging computer technology gradually changed her direction. She wanted to understand not simply how machines were used, but how they worked. Engineering became her path. Al-Tunisi earned a **bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Portland** and a **master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Oregon State University**. She later completed an Executive Business Program at Stanford University. ![Nabilah Al-Tunisi: Aramco’s First Female Chief Engineer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/6c/ce6c2436-4214-427e-b133-5b1ce84d451f/content/images/2026/10/image-10.png) --- ## **Choosing Saudi Arabia and Building Technical Capability** By the early 1980s, computer engineering was emerging as one of America’s most exciting technical fields. Nabilah Al-Tunisi had opportunities to build a career abroad, but instead chose to return to Saudi Arabia. In 1982, she joined Saudi Aramco. Her early work placed her at the intersection of energy and computing. She developed specialized systems supporting petroleum engineers and the analysis of reservoir and oil-field information at a time when Saudi Arabia was increasingly building sophisticated technical capabilities inside the Kingdom. Her career soon expanded into **industrial computing and control systems**. She became involved in **SCADA** **technology**, systems capable of monitoring information such as pressure, temperature, flow and potential pipeline problems across large industrial networks. Long before “digital transformation” became a standard corporate phrase, Al-Tunisi was participating in the digitalization and automation of Saudi energy infrastructure. At around 25, she was entrusted with responsibility for a **multimillion-dollar gas-pipeline technology project** in Houston. The assignment pushed her beyond pure engineering into contractor management, project economics, decision-making and leadership. The specialist was becoming a project leader. ![Nabilah Al-Tunisi: Aramco’s First Female Chief Engineer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/6c/ce6c2436-4214-427e-b133-5b1ce84d451f/content/images/2026/10/image-8-1.png) --- ## **Engineering at Megaproject Scale** Over the following decades, NabilahAl-Tunisi moved through engineering, facilities planning and project management, developing an unusually broad understanding of Saudi Aramco’s operations. One of her most important assignments came through the **Saudi Aramco-Dow Chemical venture** that ultimately developed into **Sadara Chemical Company**. She held a senior Aramco-side role during the project’s engineering-development phase, contributing to early technical planning and infrastructure for what became one of the Kingdom’s largest industrial investments. Her project-management reputation was already gaining international attention. In 2006, the **Project Management Institute’s PM Network** selected Nabilah Al-Tunisi as one of **25 influential women in project management**. At the time, PMI highlighted her leadership of a 384-person organization supporting Saudi Aramco’s multibillion-dollar programs through project planning, cost and schedule control, surveying and engineering support. She later became **General Manager of Northern Area Projects Management**, with responsibilities connected to strategic developments including **Manifa, Shaybah, offshore infrastructure and major gas projects**. Aramco’s own Manifa materials identify her in a General Manager capacity while discussing the engineering innovations behind the development. Her work was no longer about individual systems. It was about delivering infrastructure central to the Kingdom’s energy economy. ![Nabilah Al-Tunisi: Aramco’s First Female Chief Engineer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/6c/ce6c2436-4214-427e-b133-5b1ce84d451f/content/images/2026/10/image-9.png) --- ## **Making History as Aramco’s First Female Chief Engineer** In 2015, Nabilah Al-Tunisi reached the milestone that would define her place in Saudi engineering history: she became **Saudi Aramco’s first female Chief Engineer**. The significance went far beyond gender representation. The role placed her at the center of technical authority across engineering standards, specialist disciplines, critical equipment and the complex systems required to support industrial operations. Her responsibilities extended across more than a thousand engineers working in different technical fields. Remarkably, Nabilah Al-Tunisi had initially been reluctant to leave project management. She loved the process of beginning with engineering plans and eventually seeing major facilities physically emerge. But the Chief Engineer role gave her an opportunity to influence Aramco at an even wider level. After more than three decades of technical and project experience, she had reached the top tier of engineering leadership. ![Nabilah Al-Tunisi: Aramco’s First Female Chief Engineer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/6c/ce6c2436-4214-427e-b133-5b1ce84d451f/content/images/2026/10/Feature-Images---Arbaaa-Platform.pdf--6--1.jpg) --- ## **From Aramco to NEOM and a New Energy Era** After leaving Aramco in 2018, Nabilah Al-Tunisi carried that experience into one of the Kingdom’s most ambitious new developments. She became the **Executive Director of the Energy and Water Department at NEOM at Ma’aden**. There, her work moved into areas including renewable energy, smart infrastructure and the development of new approaches to energy and water systems. The transition captured the evolution of her career perfectly. An engineer who began by applying computing to the oil industry was now contributing to the development of next-generation energy infrastructure. Her influence also extended into the wider Saudi engineering profession. In 2018, Nabilah Al-Tunisi was elected to the **Saudi Council of Engineers’ board** for its 2018–2021 term, representing the private sector. > [@mekhyal\_sba](https://www.tiktok.com/@mekhyal%5Fsba?refer=embed&ref=saudiwins.com "@mekhyal_sba") هكذا بدأت قصتي في نيوم! 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She was the founder of **MANAT Nabilah Al-Tunisi General Contracting** and **ENAT Engineering and Consulting**, as well as CEO of **Hithium & MANAT Manufacturing Company**. Through Hithium MANAT, she is now connected to another emerging Saudi industry: **battery energy storage**. The venture announced plans to establish Battery Energy Storage System manufacturing facilities in Saudi Arabia targeting **5 GWh of annual production capacity**, combining international technology with localized Saudi manufacturing. Hithium explicitly linked the initiative to industrial localization and Vision 2030\. It is a remarkable progression, from helping digitalize oil and gas operations in the 1980s to helping develop the Kingdom’s future energy-storage manufacturing capacity four decades later. ![Nabilah Al-Tunisi: Aramco’s First Female Chief Engineer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/6c/ce6c2436-4214-427e-b133-5b1ce84d451f/content/images/2026/10/image-5-1.png) --- ## **Recognition and Influence Beyond Aramco** Nabilah Al-Tunisi’s engineering achievements have been recognized internationally throughout her career. Oregon State University inducted her into its **Academy of Distinguished Engineers in 2010**, an honor recognizing sustained contributions to engineering and society. In 2014, **Forbes Middle East ranked her joint No. 4 among its 200 Most Powerful Arab Women in Executive Management**, when she was General Manager of Northern Area Projects Management at Saudi Aramco. In 2015, she received the **Arab Woman Award – KSA for Energy**. Her influence today also extends into corporate governance. As of 2026, she serves on the board of **Ma’aden** and chairs its **Safety and Sustainability Committee**. She also serves as an independent director of **Saudi Aramco Base Oil Company – Luberef** and chairs its Remuneration and Nomination Committee. These roles demonstrate how her engineering experience is now informing strategic decision-making across mining, energy and industrial development. --- 💡 ****How Nabilah Al-Tunisi Advanced Saudi Engineering** ****1\. Pioneering Industrial Technology** From petroleum computing to advanced control systems, Al-Tunisi helped bring digital and automation capabilities into Saudi Aramco’s industrial operations decades before digital transformation became mainstream. ****2\. Leading Engineering at the Highest Level** As Saudi Aramco’s first female Chief Engineer, she oversaw technical standards and expertise across more than 1,000 engineers, after years of leading major energy and petrochemical projects. ****3\. Developing Saudi Engineering Talent** Through Aramco leadership and her service on the Saudi Council of Engineers’ board, she has helped strengthen the profession while supporting generations of Saudi engineers moving into greater responsibility. ****4\. Building the Industries of Vision 2030** From NEOM’s energy and water sectors to mining governance and battery-storage manufacturing, Al-Tunisi continues applying her engineering experience to localization, sustainability and Saudi Arabia’s next industrial era. --- ## **Engineering a Legacy for Vision 2030** Nabilah Al-Tunisi’s career spans several eras of Saudi Arabia’s industrial development. She entered Aramco as the Kingdom was strengthening domestic technical capability. She helped introduce sophisticated computing into industrial operations. She managed projects as Saudi Arabia expanded its downstream industries. She became Aramco’s first female Chief Engineer. And today, her work reaches sectors at the center of Vision 2030, from mining and localization to renewable-energy infrastructure and advanced manufacturing. Yet perhaps her most enduring contribution is not a single facility, project or title. It is the example she created for the engineers who followed. --- ***Discover more inspiring stories at*** [***Saudi Wins***](https://www.saudiwins.com/)***, where Vision 2030 comes to life.***