Bakr bin Laden, Saudi Binladin Group

Bakr bin Laden is chairman of Saudi Arabia’s largest contractor, the Bin-ladin Group. Its GCC-wide turnover alone topped $4bn in 2006, nearly twice that of its nearest rival, Saudi Oger. Bin Laden is the son of the company’s founder, Mohammed bin Laden, and has run the company since taking over from his eldest brother, Salem, who was killed in a plane crash in 1988. Together with his brothers, Bin Laden runs the business, which has subsidiaries across the region including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the UAE. The company is engaged in a range of major infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia. These include the $5bn Saudi Landbridge project, the $27bn King Abdullah Economic City and the $1.6bn Abraj al-Bait residential project in Mecca. An increasing number of its schemes are being undertaken in joint ventures with developers.

Contact - Tel: (+9662) 664 3033

Farid Chaker, Saudi Oger

As the assistant general manager for operations, Farid Chaker is responsible for all the construction activities of Saudi Oger, reporting to general manager Saad Harris. He is also involved in establishing new business lines for the recently established Oger Dubai. A structural engineer by training, he began his career with Saudi Oger in the design office in Paris before moving to Beirut to become head of the Oger Liban (Beirut) structural engineering section in 1983. In 1991, he moved to Riyadh to work in the procurement division. From here, Chaker was promoted to the position of procurement division manager at Saudi Oger in 1995 and was involved in several turnkey projects in the kingdom, including the National Museum, and many residential and office schemes. Chaker graduated in civil engineering from L’esil (Ecole Superieure d’Ingenieurs de Marseille) University in France.

Contact - Tel: (+9661) 477 3115

Khaled Musaed al-Seif, El-Seif Engineering Contracting

Khaled al-Seif is chairman of the El-Seif group of companies. Since the construction arm was established in 1975, the business has grown to cover all types of building and civil works. It has offices throughout Saudi Arabia, in Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Lebanon. Landmark projects include Riyadh’s Kingdom Tower and Qatar’s Silhouette Tower. Al-Seif, a key member of the kingdom’s business community, is also chairman of the Saudi Committee for the Development of International Trade (CIT) at the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce & Industry, and chairman of the Saudi-British Joint Business Council. He also acted as an adviser to the private sector committee that supported the World Trade Organisation negotiating team. El-Seif has a civil engineering degree from the American University of Beirut.

Contact - Tel: (+9661) 454 9191 ext 240 or E-mail: kalseif@el-seif.com.sa

Said Bahjat Said, Al-Arrab Contracting Company Group

The company is headed by chief executive officer Said Bahjat Said, an engineer. One of the biggest contractors in the kingdom, with a GCC turnover of $599m in 2006, it works across a variety of sectors, including real estate, healthcare, education, power, water and roads. It recently signed a deal with the Saudi Health Authority - along with local companies Haif Trading & Construction and Al-Mansouri Contracting - to build 1,030 healthcare centres. The group is part of the Ahmad bin Sulaiman al-Rajhi group of companies. Said is also chairman and president of Qatar-based The Land Company. Established in Qatar, under his guidance the company diversified into Jordan in February 2007. Palestine is the next country on its agenda. In December, it signed a $200m contract with the Palestinian Investment Fund to develop real estate on the West Bank.

Contact - Tel: (+9661) 460 6272

Nehme Thome, Almabani General Contractors

Almabani was established in Jeddah in 1972 and has since expanded to become a major contractor in the kingdom and Lebanon. Its headquarters are in Jeddah but it has offices in Khobar, Riyadh, Jubail, Beirut and Qatar. As a general contractor, the company carries out construction work in sectors including water, transport, structural, mechanical and electrical. It is particularly active in the aviation market and is working on contracts at the new Doha airport in Qatar, King Abdulaziz International airport in Jeddah and Yanbu airport in the north of the kingdom. It is also carrying out work for the Royal Saudi Airforce at the King Khalid and Prince Sultan airbases. General manager Nehme Tohme, a graduate of the American University of Beirut, has led the company’s growth into new markets. He is also president of the AUB Alumni Indep-endent Group.

Contact - Tel: (+9610) 452 1181

Fawwaz al-Khodari, Al-Khodari Sons Company

The company was founded in the mid-1950s by the late Abdullah al-Khodari as a small contractor to the industrial sectors of the Eastern Province. It remains family-owned and has since grown into the Al-Khodari Group, consisting of two main companies, five subsidiaries and a range of joint ventures. Fawwaz al-Khodari is president and chairman of the company, which operates in general construction and contracting, waste management, steel manufacturing, industrial services, transportation, shipping, insurance and travel services. It employs more than 10,000 people. The company is engaged on projects such as the North-South railway and the Abqaiq/Dhahran Industrial City Interchange project, known as the Diamond Interchange. Al-Khodari, who is also a board director of industrial trading consultant Zedan Group, has a business administration degree from a UK university.

Contact - Tel: (+9663) 895 2840