Haroon Niazi (HKA) recognised as a leader in construction sector

Haroon Niazi, the Middle East leader of consultancy HKA, has been named one of region’s top leaders in the construction sector by an industry publication.

In its annual Power List 100, industry platform Construction Week recognises the leading individuals in the Middle East’s construction scene. A total of 100 leaders are showcased from across all segments of the landscape, including design & architecture, contracting, building & development, and professional services.

Among the ten most influential consultants in the 2022 edition is Haroon Niazi, a partner at HKA, a consulting firm specialised in risk mitigation and dispute resolution services within the construction sector.

Niazi has been with HKA for over a decade, initially at Hill International and transitioning to the independent HKA when Hill International spinned off its consultancy business in 2017.

A Chartered Quantity Surveyor with more than fourteen years of experience in the construction industry, Niazi is one of the region’s more well-known quantum experts. He has during his career acted as quantum expert for disputes in excess of $300 million, both in the United Kingdom (where he initially practised as a barrister) and the Middle East.

Niazi has experience in all forms of dispute resolution and has a knowledge of the JCT, NEC, FIDIC, MPW contracts in Kuwait, Saudi Public Works Contract and the Saudi Aramco standard form contracts, as well as various ad hoc contracts. His specialisation is in the quantification of construction cost claims.

Notable recent projects under his belt include working on major railway projects in Saudi Arabia, and advising on a number of large-scale engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) transactions in the oil & gas landscape.

For Niazi, who co-leads HKA’s business and six offices in the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Manama and Muscat), the recognition comes hot on the heels of being named one of the world’s leading Construction Expert Witnesses for 2022 by Who’s Who Legal (a recognition he also received in 2021).

For HKA, the award continues its streak in the Power List 100. Last year, the firm’s other Head of Middle East – Jad Chouman – also ranked in the consultants category of the list. Taking to LinkedIn to congratulate his colleague, Chouman stated, “Congratulations to Haroon for this milestone. We’re proud of his achievement at HKA.”

Meanwhile, HKA last month was named one of the Middle East’s top construction consulting firms by ConsultancyME in its inaugural industry ranking.

Alongside his role at HKA, Niazi is a Non-Executive Board Member for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Working Group in Saudi Arabia.