A Spotlight on KBR’s Integrated Solutions–International Business

In our first in-person interview since the podcast launched, host Joanna Bedford sat down (in the same room!) with the senior vice president of KBR’s Integrated Solutions – International business, Ahmed Al-Dadah. The discussion highlights Integrated Solutions – International’s exciting evolution over the past two years and details how it’s using digitalization, cutting-edge technology and deep domain expertise to deliver high-end, innovative engineering solutions for the world’s most complex energy projects, while also helping meet stringent safety and sustainability standards.

Transcript

IN ORBIT: A KBR PODCAST

Episode 8

“A Spotlight on KBR’s Integrated Solutions–International Business"

INTRODUCTION

Lubna Salim

Hi, I'm Lubna.

John Arnold

And I'm John. And this is In Orbit.

Lubna Salim

Hello. Welcome to the podcast. We're glad you're with us.

John Arnold

This is a podcast for everyone, inside and outside our business, that talks about what's happening around the world and in our various industries, and it keeps us all connected and in each other's orbit.

Lubna Salim

If you're new to the show, welcome. If you're tuning in again, thank you, and welcome back.

John Arnold

How are you doing, Lubna?

Lubna Salim

I'm very well, thank you, John. How was Thanksgiving? How was the weekend?

John Arnold

It was excellent. I always love a good day off, so it was nice to have a couple of days off in a row. And my girlfriend and I drove up to Tennessee. For those of you who aren't familiar with the United States geography, it's south and east and then just up a little bit.

Lubna Salim

Wow.

John Arnold

But yeah, we spent some time with my family up there and ate too much, and it was wonderful.

Lubna Salim

Amazing, amazing. I'm assuming you would've had lots of turkey?

John Arnold

Yes. I ate both of the large drumsticks. It was sort of like Renaissance festival in the Arnold household, with me walking around with two giant drumsticks. And you celebrated a birthday?

Lubna Salim

Yes, yes.

John Arnold

And how was that?

Lubna Salim

It was fun. It was on Diwali day, so I celebrated along with a lot of crackers and colors and all of that bundled in one.

John Arnold

Sounds beautiful.

Lubna Salim

Yep. So I think, John, let's get on to our episode, and as they say, the first are always special, John, and what makes this episode extra special is the fact that this is the first in-person In Orbit podcast.

John Arnold

I know!

Lubna Salim

Yeah. And I think Jo hosted it sitting in the same room with Ahmed Al-Dadah, who is the senior vice president for Integrated Solutions – International business.

John Arnold

Yep.

Lubna Salim

Which is the part of our Sustainable Technology Solutions (STS) business unit. And so Integrated Solutions is one of the four business units within the STS.

John Arnold

Right. And yeah, the others are technology led industrial solutions, advisory consulting, and then our technology business, which you'll hear more about in brief in this interview with Ahmed. But this was, I think, one of the best, clearest, and most concise explanations about …

Lubna Salim

Yes.

John Arnold

... the different parts of the Sustainable Technology Solutions business at KBR, what each of those does, and then really diving into how things have changed in the last couple of years — especially for Integrated Solutions – International and what that business does — is very, very interesting.

Lubna Salim

Absolutely. And what is I think more special about it is also how Ahmed talks about his personal experiences and his most memorable moments with the KBR since he joined, I think in 2018, and why he chose to work with KBR, so it has a little personal angle. And, as an added treat, I think he also reveals a fun fact about himself.

John Arnold

That's right. That's right. Yeah. At KBR, the focus is really always on people. And so it was really nice to hear Ahmed's personality and his passion for what he does in this interview. And without any further ado, why don't we give a listen now?

Lubna Salim

Absolutely.

TRANSITION

Joanna Bedford

Today I have Ahmed Al-Dadah joining me. Welcome.

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Thank you very much, Jo. Good to be here.

Joanna Bedford

And it's very nice to say that this is our first podcast that's actually in person instead of us both being on Teams recording it. So we're actually sitting in a room together, which is quite a big deal.

Ahmed Al-Dadah

In real life.

Joanna Bedford

In real life. So we will dive straight into the interview. Ahmed, you are based in the UK, in our Leatherhead office, serving as senior vice president for the Integrated Solutions – International business, which sits within Sustainable Technology Solutions. Ahmed joined KBR in February 2018 and has 20 years of experience, which currently serves in various executive roles, including as a board member on KBR, wholly owned entities and JV (joint venture) companies. As you'll be aware if you've listened to previous episodes of our podcast, KBR has been on a journey over the last 18 months. What has your personal experience been of this, Ahmed?

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Yeah. So fantastic question to kick off on, Joanna. Thanks for the kind introduction, and it's great to be here today and for everyone to take the time out and listen in, which is super.

So back in 2020, KBR completely reimagined the business. And a significant move that we made was the deliberate and clear exit from lump-sum EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) and direct construction in the energy part of the business. And what we've done is we've really transformed to be a future-focused company in delivering science, technology and engineering to governments and companies to make a really positive impact across the world.

But strategically, we've focused on sustainability and long-term sustainability. We've done some amazing work in that. And also, at the top of our agenda is our people culture with a real emphasis on truly living to our values.

Joanna Bedford

And before we look further into your specific business unit, can you tell the listeners a little more about who the Sustainable Technology Solutions are?

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Sure. So it's led by a gentleman named Jay Ibrahim, and this is one of KBR’s two business segments, along with Government Solutions, globally. So in Sustainable Technology Solutions, our main objective is basically to support the creation of a sustainable energy mix in the world in order to meet the overall climate objectives.

So technology has a huge role to play in how we decarbonize energy assets and move forward to create commercially available, new and renewable energy sources. So some examples of the really exciting areas that we're working in at KBR with our clients and partners are hydrogen, in ammonia. We're also working integrated gas programs and creating a circular economy via plastics recycling technologies. And then you combine all of that with a deep domain expertise, we are able to form some really good and innovative solutions.

Joanna Bedford

Brilliant. Thank you. And that leads very nicely into my next question, which is how does the Integrated Solutions – International business fit into this?

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Well, of course that's very dear to my heart, and it's what I live and breathe and enjoy every day. So Integrated Solutions is one of four business units within the Sustainable Technology Solutions business segment. The other three, of course, being Technology, where we have over 70 licensed proprietary process technologies. Also into Advisory Consulting, where we work with governments and customers really at the strategic, long-term planning level. And of course, Technology-Led Industrial Solutions, where we support clients and really maximizing performance in the operation.

So Integrated Solutions – International, we work with partners and clients. We deliver high-end engineering solutions for the world's most complex energy projects. We've got almost 2,000 people based in several locations internationally, such as Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan — where I'm actually visiting tomorrow — in the UAE — I'm going to be out there on Sunday — Iraq, hopefully in December, and then Singapore into the new year, once we're hopefully all back in offices over in the far east. So all of these projects are supported from our thought leadership hub where we're sat today in Leatherhead in the UK, and of course our engineering powerhouse in India.

Joanna Bedford

We really do have a global footprint.

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Yeah, absolutely.

Joanna Bedford

And how does ISI differentiate itself from its competitors?

Ahmed Al-Dadah

So I'd start with our strategic discipline. That's key. We deliberately exited low-margin, high-volume, commoditized work. Now what that has done is it's allowed our business to steer well clear of future oil price cycles. So what we do is we target top quartile projects in terms of capital efficiency and safety performance. We also work with clients who are absolutely committed to sustainability. So what all of this has done is it's allowed us to have a high-performing and viable business in the long term.

So in terms of some of our key differentiators — well, we combine our digitalization with our technology and our thought leadership to get to innovative solutions. For example, we have got our not-normally-crewed approach to offshore production. And we're also building digital twins for assets right at the engineering phase, which will take through to be the real world counterpart in operations.

Joanna Bedford

Great. Thank you. So I know why it is having worked there myself, but why is the Integrated Solutions – International business a great place to work?

Ahmed Al-Dadah

So, thanks Joanna. It is a great place to work, and I, and I absolutely love working with the people around me every day. We talked about the stability in business performance and the predictability that's allowed us long term. And so what that does is that allows us to focus on our team of teams in Integrated Solutions – International. So we've got a wonderful group of people who will be the future of delivering on our strategy, and I'm sure that there's going to be great opportunities to add to this team with the exciting opportunities and projects we've got in our sales pipeline, and these new people are going to have key positions in the Leatherhead organization specifically, and also as we look to grow other locations, and indeed, into India for the main engineering work as well.

So we've got great plans to invest in our people, to make sure that they're achieving their aspirations through clear learning and development, and much of this is going to be targeted towards allowing people to build the transferable skills for the energy projects of the future.

Joanna Bedford

Exciting place to be.

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Absolutely.

Joanna Bedford

Yeah. And what has been your most memorable moments since you joined KBR a few years ago?

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Oh gosh, there've been so many.

Joanna Bedford

I’m hoping you're going to say the family safety day that we did in Abu Dhabi.

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Yeah, that was amazing, and that's definitely in the top three or in the top five. But I guess I would have to reflect on when I first joined KBR, and then we had a global gathering, probably about two weeks after I joined the company. And I was big into the listening mode and really trying to understand what was going on, and that was back in early 2018, in Abu Dhabi, again, actually, and much of that was setting out the vision for the company and the energy part of the business in particular. So if I look back at that meeting and my almost four years with the company and I reflect, it's absolutely amazing to see the breadth of change that's happened in KBR, and I'm super proud of working with all the people who were brought together to get to these achievements for a client across all locations in Integrated Solutions. So reflection and looking back is something that's fantastic.

Joanna Bedford

Yeah. We were just saying the other day that I joined within a few months of you, and it really has changed since then.

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Yeah, that's right. That's right. You joined, I think, two months after.

Joanna Bedford

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And why did you choose KBR to come and work?

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Oh gosh, it was my fantastic boss, obviously. No. So in addition to that, KBR's got a fantastically proud history with the work that's been done over a hundred years, actually. And then when I was speaking with people about potentially coming on board, I really felt that passion for doing something really meaningful, and that really came across to me through the recruitment cycle.

And being in the company, there's a drive throughout the people in KBR to be a company that is continuously evolving, that's innovative, to really make a difference in the world. And then looking back, this has proven true, with this being such a dynamic and fun place to work, actually. So the other thing I would say about it, which I really, really feel, is that we're champions of inclusion and diversity. And I honestly, every day, I see teams working together, and they're really excelling beyond the imagination. And I really put that down to the fact that we've embraced diversity in what we do.

Joanna Bedford

Yeah. I think there are always opportunities here, you just have to put your hand up for them. No idea is ever said no to as long as you’ve got good reason.

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Yeah. So I was chatting to Josh and Rob at the strategy off-site dinner we did on Friday about how to shape a future career. They're in the impact team, which is our group of younger professionals in the business, and I kind of still count myself in there, although people say I'm clinging on a bit too hard. But really the conversation was about having a long-term vision for yourself and really driving to make the best of the opportunities and keep doing great things and enjoy yourself at the same time.

Joanna Bedford

Definitely. So to wrap-up, let's have a fun fact about you.

Ahmed Al-Dadah

There's too many to choose from, Joanna. Honestly!

Joanna Bedford

You’re a bowl of fun!

Ahmed Al-Dadah

I’m so much fun! So obviously, outside of KBR, I was at my was fun when I was playing football. And I was never very good to be honest, but I absolutely loved playing. And I played for some pretty good teams at a decent level, and I loved every minute. But I guess that I came to an early retirement in 2010, so I had to hang my boots up and exit the beautiful game because I injured my knee. But yeah, I guess I clearly missed my calling to play right midfield for Manchester United. But yeah, absolutely love playing football, and there was many good moments doing that.

Joanna Bedford

Well, we have some employees that play on a Tuesday afternoon if you want to go and join them.

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Well, if they let me come along, I can maybe go and goal tend then they can kick balls at me.

Joanna Bedford

Well, thank you so much for joining me, Ahmed. I think that was really insightful, and it was great to let the listeners know a little bit more about who Integrated Solutions – International is.

Ahmed Al-Dadah

Indeed. No, I really enjoyed that, Jo. And again, thanks everyone for tuning in and for your time, and hope to get to speak to you soon. Thank you.

Joanna Bedford

Thank you, and thank you for listening.

TRANSITION

Lubna Salim

Well, wasn't that an amazing interview, John? I think it packs in everything that anybody would want to know and understand about the Integrated Solutions – International business of KBR, and including why the team is a great place to work.

John Arnold

I completely agree. I was also very, very interested to hear about how KBR is using its EPC and engineering capability to really further KBR's sustainability initiatives. I thought that that was a very, very interesting part of the interview and something that I was really eager to hear more about. And I always love to hear from Ahmed anyway. And so yeah, I agree, it was a great interview. Jo did a great job as well.

Lubna Salim

Yes, absolutely. And I think our listeners would also have benefited and understood and learned more about Integrated Solutions, like I have definitely got a clearer picture of a lot of things through Jo's questions and Ahmed's responses.

John Arnold

Absolutely. And if you, listening along, are interested in learning more about KBR's Integrated Solutions business, or any other part of our business, we encourage you to visit kbr.com. The website's gotten a spiffy new update recently. And if you go to the homepage, you can meet more of our employees, including Lubna Salim. She is one of our featured employees on the homepage now. It's really, really interesting and fun to go and explore what they've done with the updated website. Go check us out. And also, if you have any ideas for stories that you would like to hear about on the podcast here, please let us hear from you at inorbit@kbr.com.

Lubna Salim

Until then, stay safe and stay healthy.

John Arnold

Bye everyone.