Six key people involved in the development of the kingdom’s downstream industry: Prince Saud bin Abdullah Thunayan al-Saud, Mohamed al-Mady, Azzam Shalabi, Mohammed al-Suwaiyel, Moayyed al-Qurtas and Amr al-Dabbagh
Prince Saud bin Abdullah Thunayan al-Saud
Position Chairman, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY)
Biography Prince Saud has been the chairman of the RCJY since 2002. He is also chairman of petrochemicals giant Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) and the Power & Water Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu (Marafiq). As head of Saudi Arabia’s two major industrial cities, Prince Saud has a broad mandate to develop fully integrated downstream industry in the kingdom. Prince Saud graduated with a degree in civil engineering from King Saud University in 1977. He started his career working as an engineer with Riyadh Municipality. While at Riyadh Municipality, he worked in a number of roles, including director-general for survey and drawings and director-general for operation and maintenance. In 1989, he was appointed under-secretary for planning and programmes at the Municipality & Rural Affairs Ministry.
Contact Tel: (+966) 2 665 9084
Mohamed al-Mady
Position Vice-chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), Sabic
Biography Mohamed al-Mady has been vice-chairman and CEO of Sabic since 1998, having joined the firm in 1976. Al-Mady has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado and a master’s degree, also in chemical engineering, from the University of Wyoming, both in the US. As the kingdom’s largest petrochemicals firm, Sabic has a key role to play in the development of downstream industries in the kingdom. Sabic has said it will offer assistance to firms looking to enter Saudi Arabia and start a business in either automotive or electronics manufacturing. Its new facilities in Yanbu and Jubail will provide synthetic rubber and carbon black to support the nascent Saudi automotive industry. Al-Mady is chairman of the Dubai-based Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association and a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum.
Contact Tel: (+966) 1 225 8000
Azzam Shalabi
Position President, National Industrial Cluster Development Programme (NICDP)
Biography Azzam Shalabi was appointed president of the NICDP when it was set up in 2007. Previously, he spent more than 25 years working in the oil industry with the state-owned Saudi Aramco. His last role at Aramco was as director of the new business evaluation department. Shalabi has an engineering degree from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in the US. NICDP has been given a five-year mandate from the Council of Ministers to turn the kingdom’s hydrocarbons-dominated economy into a regional industrial powerhouse. Shalabi’s remit is to develop five specialised industrial clusters throughout the country. The sectors to be represented at the clusters include automotive, construction, metals processing, packaging and consumer goods.
Contact Tel: (+966) 5 0491 1339
Mohammed al-Suwaiyel
Position President, King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST)
Biography Mohammed al-Suwaiyel’s mandate is to ensure Saudi Arabia’s downstream industry is supplied with adequate numbers of science and technology graduates. He has a degree in general engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM). Al-Suwaiyel has a master’s degree and doctorate in computer science from the US’ University of Southern California. As one of Saudi Arabia’s foremost academics, Al-Suwaiyel has worked at KFUPM as chairman of the systems engineering department, chairman of computer science department and dean of the computer science and engineering college. In 1991, Al-Suwaiyel moved to KACST, where he served as vice-president for research institutes. In 2003-07, he was governor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission, the kingdom’s telecoms regulator. Al-Suwaiyel assumed his current role in 2007.
Contact Tel: (+966) 1 488 3555
Moayyed al-Qurtas
Position Vice-chairman and CEO, National Industrialization Company (Tasnee)
Biography Moayyed Al-Qurtas is vice-chairman and CEO of Tasnee, one of Saudi Arabia’s most diverse petrochemicals and minerals companies. Tasnee plays an important part in the development of the kingdom’s downstream sector. It has interests not only in conventional chemicals, such as ethylene and polyolefins, but also in packaging, batteries and metals. Before joining Tasnee in 1998, Al-Qurtas was director of research and development at Sabic, supervising the establishment of its research complex. He also oversaw the execution of several high-profile projects, including a fertiliser scheme and polyvinyl chloride project in Jubail. Al-Qurtas has a degree in chemical engineering and a doctorate in administration. He is a board member of the National Company for Titanium Dioxide and the National Industrialization and Oil Services Company.
Contact Tel: (+966) 1 476 7166
Amr al-Dabbagh
Position Governor and chairman, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (Sagia)
Biography Amr Al-Dabbagh was appointed head of Sagia in March 2004, replacing Prince Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki. The authority was created in 2000 to support and encourage investment in key economic sectors in the kingdom. A key remit of Sagia is to aid the development of a broader petrochemicals and industrial manufacturing base. Al-Dabbagh has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. He also studied at Harvard Business School in the US. He began his career working in his family business, the Dabbagh Group, and served as its chief executive officer from 1991 to 2002. Al-Dabbagh was the founding chairman of the Jeddah Economic Forum and served as a member of the regional council in the Mecca Province. He is a founding chairman of the Stars Foundation, a UK-registered charity.
Contact Tel: (+966) 2 653 9510
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