SAUDIA’ chooses King Abdullah Economic City as home to its ‘Digital transformation and Services’ departments

aleqtsad

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) has made King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) the new home of several digital transformation-related divisions within the company, along with a host of newdepartments formed to meet the corporation’s rapidly growing needs. The company’s new divisional locationcan accommodate 1,000 employees. This strategic step will see SAUDIA capitalizing on the many benefits of KAEC’s advanced infrastructure to further enhance its overall performance.

The new division headquarters, located in KAEC’s business building (Bay Views), was formally inaugurated by His Excellency the Director General of the SAUDIAGroup, Eng. Ibrahim bin Abdulrahman Al-Omar, in the presence of Mr. Cyril Piaia, CEO of Emaar the Economic City, Mr. Mazen Al Saleh, The Vice Secretary General of The Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority(ECZA) and senior executives from all parties.

Under SAUDIA and KAEC’s strategic cooperation agreement, the Bay La Sun district workplace will be dedicated to IT, data analysis, and guest services sector employees.

“We are pleased to have SAUDIA as the newest members of KAEC’s business and investment community and look forward to welcoming its employees to their new offices and homes. SAUDIA is one of many prestigious national and international companies that have chosen the city as a major center for their business,” Cyril Piaia, CEO of Emaar the Economic City commented. “We will continue to cement KAEC’s position as the Red Sea coast’s premier business and investment hub”, he added.

KAEC is constantly seeking to develop its business environment and attract more quality investments, both locally and globally. The signing of this agreement with one of Saudi Arabia’s leading companies represents a major milestone in KAEC’s journey towards becoming a multifaceted economic power that will play a major role in helping realize the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives.

His Excellency Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar, expressing his views in the decision to move several strategic SAUDIA sectors to the city, said: “We aim to derive every benefit and advantage from KAEC’s advanced, one-of-a-kind infrastructure which will enhance our sectors’ overall operations and bring us one step closer to achieving our national aviation strategy objectives. This new optimized work environment with state-of-the-art technological developments will facilitate SAUDIA’s progress towards achieving its Vision 2030 goals.”

ECZA’s Vice Secretary-General for Economic Cities, Mazen Al Saleh, said: “SAUDIA’s decision to select KAEC as the base for a number of its sectors comes as a culmination of the city’s efforts to attract value-added strategic partnerships, one of its key Vision 2030 objectives. We at the Economic Cities & Special Zones Authority reaffirm our commitment to helping create an attractive regulatory environment with a range of incentives and competitive capabilities that directly benefit each economic city’s strategic sectors.”

With the Public Investment Fund (PIF) emerging as a major development partner, KAEC is currently experiencing a major strategic transformation. This has allowed the city to explore new sustainable development solutions which aim to benefit all of society. The city, as an integrated business and investment platform that benefits greatly from its strategic location along the Red Sea coast, has become a leading business, residential, touristic, and entertainment destination. Thanks to its numerous successful public and private sector partnerships, KAEC has also been widely recognized as a modern urban planning success story.

KAEC, in its bid to attract major corporations and business leaders, relies on the many advantages provided by its Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority (ECZA). Companies operating in KAEC enjoy access to every governmental service under one roof, in addition to governmental financial and regulatory incentivesprovided by ECZA and partnering government bodies. This comes as part of the ECZA’S efforts to offer an attractive regulatory environment for investment,supported by competitive incentives and capabilities that contribute to the localization of national capital. These offerings are all expected to help diversify sources of income and provide quality jobs for the Saudi youth.