Capital Consulting International expands into Saudi market
International construction consultancy Capital Consulting International (CCi) has launched a new office in Riyadh, its third in the Middle East alongside Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Headquartered in the United Kingdom, CCi provides claims and dispute resolution services to clients in the construction and insurance industries.
In the region, CCi works alongside project owners, developers, contractors, and professional services firms during the resolution of disputes – either through amicable settlement or formal proceedings such as litigation and arbitration.
With hundreds of billions in development projects either commenced or currently in the pipeline, and a given that a certain percentage of these projects will derail, Saudi Arabia’s capital-intensive sector (construction, infrastructure, engineering, etc) is in high demand for claims and dispute resolution services.
In anticipation of booming demand, Capital Consulting International plans to open three offices in Saudi Arabia in the “near future” said Alan Purbrick, President of CCi, with Riyadh the firm’s market entry locale.
“As Saudi Arabia works towards its own strategic vision for 2030, CCi is making a firm commitment to the Kingdom to assist with this strategic growth, in-country, and also to provide a level of expertise to Saudi companies around the world,” Purbrick said.
David Merritt, Head of Middle East and Asia, added: “The expansion into Saudi Arabia is a significant milestone in our global growth at CCi. This will enable us to better deliver world class solutions and localised strategies to new and existing clients in a truly exciting and thriving market.”
To kickstart its operation in Riyadh, CCi has built a team with “decades of experience” said Julian Haslam-Jones, CCi’s Managing Director for the Middle East, and notably, “we are one of the few firms that have Arabic speaking Experts across our services stream.”
Leading the local team is Country Manager Mohammad Alashhab, who has been involved in the contracts, planning and claims management of several high-profile projects in Saudi Arabia. “He is familiar with various contract types and the key principles of Shari’ah Law relating to construction projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” said Haslam-Jones.
Prior to joining Capital Consulting International, Alashhab served counterparts Driver Trett and Quantum Global Solutions as head of their Saudi practices.
Alashhab: “I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this expansion. I look forward to working with and supporting our clients with the resolution of complex commercial and contractual matters on some of the most unique giga-projects underway in the Kingdom as part of its Vision 2030 programme.”
“Our exceptionally talented team of professionals in Saudi Arabia bring our best-in-class delay, quantum, and technical services to the insurance and construction sectors in the country,” Merritt concluded.
The launch of the new Saudi office was celebrated on Monday this week, at a ceremony held at the British Embassy in Riyadh. The event was attended by several distinguished guests and colleagues, including Kabir Rahman (Chief Operating Officer and Head of Trade at the British Embassy).
Globally, CCi has around 200 staff in 20 offices worldwide. The firm is part of Rimkus, an American forensic engineering company with around 1,300 staff.
In recent months, CCi also launched new offices in Adelaide (Australia) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).