King Abdullah Financial District welcomes Roland Berger

Saudi Arabia’s flagship new business centre – the King Abdullah Financial District – has added a global strategy consultancy to its roster of tenants.

A multi-billion-dollar project announced some fifteen years ago, King Abdullah Financial District is on the verge of opening up for business, with construction now at the very final stages.

The district is gearing up to become one of the region’s leading centres for prime business (the area will comprise 90+ towers with 1.6 million square metres of office space) and lifestyle (housing for 12,000 residents, 110,000 square metres of space for entertainment, culture and nature including a tree-lined walkway).

The mammoth development in the heart of Riyadh plays a central role in Saudi Arabia’s drive to bring up to 500 international companies to the capital city, with many expected to be based in King Abdullah Financial District.

Joining the likes of large banks, the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), the Capital Market Authority, and the Saudi Research & Media Group as one of the early tenants in the King Abdullah Financial District is Roland Berger, a strategy and management consulting firm that already is involved in several initiatives of Saudi’s Vision 2030 agenda.

“We are delighted and honoured to welcome Roland Berger to the King Abdullah Financial District,” said Gautam Sashittal, the CEO of the district. “As a key strategy consultant in the region, Roland Berger contributes to Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure and the fulfilment of Vision 2030.”

“Saudi Arabia is a key market for Roland Berger,” said Rene Seyger, Managing Partner at Roland Berger in the Middle East. "We have successfully developed and delivered multiple projects at a national level in support of the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030.”

While Roland Berger is traditionally secretive about its client base, known is that the European-origin rival to the ‘MBB’ (McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company) has supported projects including: advising on the establishment of Saudi Arabia’s national waste management company, supporting the rollout of the Kingdom’s affordable housing schemes, and laying the foundations for the country’s first electric vehicles manufacturing facility.

But the firm’s local work extends further, pointed out Seyger: “Our track record spans a broad spectrum of topics, from sustainability and social infrastructure to mobility, renewable energy and next-generation manufacturing.”

From its fresh base, Roland Berger aims to expand its presence in the region’s largest economy. “Our establishment in the district demonstrates our focus on Saudi Arabia and our deep commitment to growing our presence in the Kingdom,” said Michael Caracache, a Partner at Roland Berger and General Manager of the Saudi market.

Jawad Shaikh, a Riyadh-based Partner, added: “Our new office in the King Abdullah Financial District cements our presence in Saudi Arabia and puts us in the heart of the new epicenter of business in Riyadh and the Kingdom.”

“We are particularly proud of our innovative office design that harmoniously combines the dynamic global Roland Berger DNA with key design elements that are uniquely Riyadh, providing our consultant and client teams a pleasingly modern yet connected-with-tradition thinking and working space to collaborate in.”

Beyond Saudi Arabia, Roland Berger also has regional offices in Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, among its 50 offices worldwide.