(Fixes typo in paragraph four)

By Barbara Lewis and Simon Webb

LONDON/SINGAPORE, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian OilMinister Ali al-Naimi helped to calm a record price rally, halta record crash and restore OPEC's damaged credibility.

Repeated rumours the 75-year-old minister plans to retirefrom the top of the world's most powerful oil ministry have sofar proved unfounded.

One of the leading oil exporter's highest rankingnon-royals, the technocrat commands respect for his market savvyand deft handling of OPEC politics, notably between Riyadh andTehran, the group's second biggest producer.

For the OPEC press corps, which has pursued Naimi aroundluxurious hotel lobbies across the world, an interview with himis the ultimate scoop and every syllable he utters to the unrulyscrum is instantly flashed on to the wires.

"Naimi is doing a superb job. Everyone in the kingdom hasthe highest regard for him," said Sadad al-Husseini, a formertop official at Saudi state oil giant Saudi Aramco.

"When your horse is winning you don't get off your horse."

Naimi was promoted to the top oil job in 1995 after spendingnearly half a century making his way through the ranks.

He had joined Saudi Aramco at the age of 12 as an officeboy, was sponsored by the company to take a master's degree atthe prestigious Stanford University in the United States, andeventually became CEO.

"When I started I was moving paper from one office toanother. Now, I'm still moving paper from one office toanother," Naimi told journalists early this year at a meeting ofthe Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in Vienna.

Those who work with him admire him for having started at thebottom and for his deep understanding of the oil business.

"He's a smart man and knows the market inside out. Themarket can never bluff Naimi," one of his secretaries toldReuters.

"He worked his way up and that's what earns him the mostrespect among all of us. Power wasn't just handed out to him, heworked hard for it."

DISCIPLINE

Naimi demonstrates his discipline in vigorous early morningexercise.

Journalists used to accompany Naimi on a run beforebreakfast around the Ring, the circular road around Vienna. Now,it is more of a speed-walk, although some reporters stillstruggle to keep pace.

As they panted behind him, Naimi once asked those in theaccompanying pack if they had seen the film 12 Angry Men inwhich one juror convinces the others a defendant is not guilty.His point was that of the 12 OPEC members, he had the tenacityto convince the others of his reason.

Analysts across the energy sector agree he has often beenright.

"He is the most consummate and professional oil minister,"said Lawrence Eagles of JP Morgan.

"The hardest thing is for Saudi Arabia to find a successor."

ENGINEERED PRICE RECOVERY

Naimi faced one of the biggest challenges of his career whenthe oil price crashed to the low 30s in December 2008 from arecord rally to nearly $150 a barrel in July the same year.

In response, Naimi led OPEC as it implemented its biggestever supply cut and ensured it was followed by unprecedenteddiscipline from a group famous for latitude in implementingoutput curbs.

Compliance with the targets has since lapsed, but only afterthe market recovered to levels widely viewed as comfortable forboth producers and consumers.

The speed of recovery from the most recent crash is in sharpcontrast to the crisis of the late 1990s when OPEC, under the defacto leadership of a then less experienced Naimi, agreed to asupply increase as Asia went into economic collapse.

After the oil price dropped to single digits, Naimi steeredaggressive supply cuts and sought the cooperation of non-OPECoil producers, albeit with limited success.

While Saudi Arabia does not want oil to be too cheap, itsneed to retain long-term customers for its massive oil reservesmeans it is also nervous about price spikes that can destroydemand.

It has repeatedly said it will supply the market what itneeds and during the record rally of 2008 promised at speciallyconvened talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to pump extra oilprovided there was customer demand.

Another long-held policy is that the upstream is sacrosanct,and as its gate-keeper, Naimi has fended off aggressiveovertures from the world's oil majors.

But he has brought international companies into thedownstream to help develop refinery projects designed to supplythe large Asian market, where oil demand is expected to soarlong after the developed world has curbed its use.

Naimi has also looked beyond oil to a more diverse energyfuture.

Last year, he took part in the inauguration of the KingAbdullah University of Science and Technology.

One of the ambitions of this project to modernise theeducation system is to position itself as a leading solar energyresearch centre.

Some observers viewed this as a final crowning project andthat the father of four, married for nearly 50 years might beabout to begin his retirement. They were wrong. (Additional reporting by Amena Bakr in Dubai; editing by JamesJukwey)