Deloitte appoints Mazen Pharaon to lead Saudi Arabia digital centre

Deloitte has named seasoned technology expert Mazen Pharaon as the leader of its new Digital Delivery Centre in Saudi Arabia.

Following an agreement signed earlier this year with the Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) to establish a digital delivery centre in Riyadh, Deloitte has now appointed seasoned technology expert and Saudi national Mazen Pharaon to lead the initiative.

Pharaon has two decades worth of IT experience in various roles across Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

“I am pleased to welcome Mazen to lead the Deloitte Digital Center in Riyadh and I have full confidence that his leadership, along with Deloitte’s experience globally and regionally in digital transformation and change, will create the most capable center for the delivery of innovative digital solutions, in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030,” said Deloitte Middle East CEO for Consulting, Tim Parr.

Specialised in among other areas IT and business strategy, digital transformation, networking, and IT infrastructure and management, Pharaon has since graduating King Saud University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering worked for a number of financial institutions, including the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), Samba Financial Group, and the partially state-owned Alinma Bank.

Pharaon’s most recent position prior to joining Deloitte (and before undertaking a confidential role for the past seven months), was as the Chief Technology Officer for Samba Financial, a position he took on after serving for nine years as the IT Infrastructure Director for Alimna. Earlier in his career, Pharaon spent four and a half years with SAMA, after initially getting his break as a Network Engineer for Siemens.

Pharaon will now be tasked with overseeing the operations of the new Digital Delivery Centre for Deloitte, which will include the latest in digital disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, data analytics and cloud computing, as well developing the centre’s digitally focused talent initiative which aims to provide local capacity-building in line with the Kingdom’s ‘Saudization’ goals.

“The DDC will provide employment and training opportunities for hundreds of Saudi nationals, as well as attract the best digital talent from abroad,” said Deloitte Digital Leader and partner for the Middle East, Rushdi Duqah. “With the experience Mazen brings with him, he will lead the Deloitte Digital Center’s operations to deliver on its promise to our clients and the market.”

Pharaon responded in kind: “An exciting future lies ahead as we open the next chapter in shaping digital transformation and applying cutting edge technologies in Saudi Arabia. I am honored to join Deloitte in such a strategic initiative for Saudi Arabia and the entire Middle East region. With a diverse digital workforce coupled with the depth of expertise across multiple industries, we are energised to launch a set of compelling new offerings from the Deloitte Digital Center.”

Recently, Pharaon’s former employer SAMA signed an agreement with Deloitte to help develop a fintech ecosystem in the Kingdom, hoping to position Riyadh as a fintech hub rivalling those in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai while also attracting top talent. Meanwhile, Deloitte has expanded its own Women in Cyber programme to the Middle East, an initiative which seeks to encourage diversity in the cybersecurity domain.