Six key executives working on road projects in the kingdom: Ghazi al-Ahmadi, Joseph Daher, Alaaeldien Waziry, Rasin Mufti, Shahid Khan and Saud al-Thunayan
Ghazi al-Ahmadi
Position: Chief executive officer, Al-Harbi Contracting Company
Biography: Ghazi al-Ahmadi is the chief executive officer of Al-Harbi Contracting Company, which was the most successful contractor in the Saudi road sector in 2011, winning more than $200m-worth of road deals, according to regional projects tracker MEED Projects. Prior to joining Al-Harbi, Al-Ahmadi worked in various other sectors, including oil and gas, defence, real estate and IT and communications. He graduated with an honours degree in systems engineering from the kingdom’s King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals in 1990, and in 1997, completed a master’s degree in IT and systems engineering from the University of Strathclyde in the UK. Al-Ahmadi has been involved in several major road projects in Saudi Arabia, including the dualisation of the Abha road and work on the Mecca-Jeddah-Medina dual carriageway.
Contact Tel: (+966) 1 477 5252
Joseph Daher
Position: Executive vice-president of operations, Almabani General Contractors
Biography Joseph Daher has been executive vice-president of operations for the local Almabani General Contractors since 2006. Almabani is a major infrastructure contractor and is currently working on the development of the eastern part of the King Abdullah road in Riyadh and the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. Daher joined Almabani in 1979, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. On one of his first major projects, he was appointed site manager for the King Abdulaziz Military Academy project in Salboukh, near Riyadh. Between 1986 and 1989, Daher was based in Taif, where Almabani built the aircraft shelters for the Saudi Royal Air Force. In 2000, he was appointed projects director for all of Almabani’s airport projects, which included work for the Civil Aviation Authority.
Contact Tel: (+966) 2 614 7801
Alaaeldien Waziry
Position: Regional director of transportation, Aecom
Biography: Alaaeldien Waziry is the regional director of transportation for US-based Aecom. Waziry has more than 26 years’ experience in the construction industry, 22 of these in the US and the last four in Saudi Arabia. Aecom has been heavily involved with the design work for the road infrastructure at King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh. The firm has also worked with France’s Systra on the feasibility study for the mass rail transit system planned in Mecca. Waziry graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the New York Institute of Technology in the US. He also has a master’s degree in business administration from Suffolk University in the US. In addition to his expertise in the transport and infrastructure sectors, Waziry has experience in social infrastructure projects such as hospitals and schools.
Contact Tel: (+966) 1 200 8686
Rasin Mufti
Position: Vice-president and technical director, Parsons International
Biography: Rasin Mufti is the vice-president and technical director for Parsons International and has previously worked in the kingdom’s road sector in a number of roles, including road infrastructure for King Abdullah Economic City. Prior to joining Parsons, Mufti was the director of study and design for the Abu Dhabi Municipality in the UAE for 10 years. From 1984-94, he was the senior UN adviser for transport planning and economics at the Saudi Transport Ministry. In this role, Mufti advised senior officials on transportation planning, economic feasibility and management for various transport projects. He is a graduate of the US’ Princeton University. In January, Parsons was awarded a contract for local infrastructure projects including designing and supervising the construction of roads, bridges and tunnels.
Contact Tel: (+971) 2 614 2416
Shahid Khan
Position: Projects director, Saudi Binladin Group
Biography: Shahid Khan is projects director for the local Saudi Binladin Group. Khan is currently working on the North-South Railways project and has previously been involved with several major road and airport schemes. After graduating with a postgraduate degree from Strathclyde University in the UK in 1970, he worked on road projects for the next nine years with the National Highways Board in Pakistan. In 1980, Khan went to the US to work for Bechtel and in his role there, he worked on major airport projects in Saudi Arabia and Dubai. In 1985, he left Bechtel to join the UN’s Department of Technical Cooperation for Development. In this role, Khan was assigned to Riyadh, where he was a technical adviser to the Transport Ministry until 1994. He joined the Binladin Group in 1995. Khan is an overseas fellow of the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank.
Contact Tel: (+966) 2 664 3033
Saud al-Thunayan
Position: Head of contracting, Al-Ayuni Investment & Contracting Company
Biography: Saud al-Thunayan is the head of the contracting division for the local Al-Ayuni Investment & Contracting Company. Al-Ayuni was awarded the highest value of contracts in the Saudi road sector from 2006-11, according to MEED Projects, winning more than $600m-worth of road deals. The firm has built more than 1,500 kilometres of roads in the kingdom. Al-Ayuni was established in the early 1960s and was a subcontractor in the road sector until it was registered as a general contractor in 1972. By 1976, it was the biggest road contractor in the kingdom and carried out various major road projects for the Communications Ministry and the Rural Affairs Ministry. The firm is one of the biggest local producers of asphalt, crushed gravels and other aggregate-based materials. Al-Ayuni is also heavily involved in the kingdom’s rail sector.
Contact Tel: (+966) 1 219 0000
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