advised the state-owned oil company, Aramco, as it underwent a massive expansion and also won business to help the kingdom plan its transition from a nation of Bedouin nomads to a modern, urban economy.2 More than forty years later, McKinsey’s work in Saudi Arabia still revolves around those two pillars, the closest thing in consulting to a perfect hedge: advising Aramco and the Energy Ministry and helping the government move away from an economy totally dependent on Aramco’s oil.
