LABUAN: Hailing from an island in Sabah, Datuk Bacho Pilong stands as a testament to how Petronas has shaped his journey to success.
Sebatik island, with an area of about 452.2 square kilometres, is located on the east coast of Sabah and is split between Indonesia and Malaysia.
Bacho, the senior vice-president of Malaysia Petroleum Management, was a recipient of a scholarship given by the oil and gas giant to pursue tertiary education in the United States.
In 1987, he graduated with a chemical engineering degree from University of Texas at Austin.
"Our (Petronas') 50th anniversary is not just about celebrating a milestone of achievements but is also a reaffirmation of our commitment to cultivating the potential of tomorrow's leaders," he said at the launch of the celebrations.
Bacho also spoke about the company's role in driving societal progress, shaping industries and nurturing talent.
The event also included Discover PETRONAS @ Schools, a one-day programme aimed at encouraging secondary school students to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics as well as technical and vocational education and training (TVET), by highlighting diverse careers in the oil and gas and energy sectors.
It also aimed to provide information on Petronas' educational sponsorship, featuring interactive career forums and booths as well as experiential learning.
The programme was a collaboration between the Education Ministry, Petrosains and TVET institutions under the Petronas Vocational Institutions Sponsorship and Training Assistance.
Earlier, the launch was marked by the ignition of a commemorative torch.
The torch, one of two, will be taken on a nationwide tour called "The Journey of the Twin Torches".
The second torch will be ignited at Malaysian Refining Company Sdn Bhd in Melaka on May 2 and will commence its own journey before converging with its counterpart in Kuala Lumpur at Petronas' 50th anniversary celebration on Aug 17.
