Mott MacDonald gets regional HQ licence in Saudi Arabia

Mott MacDonald, a leading global engineering, development, and management consultancy, has had its regional headquarters (RHQ) licence approved as it continues to strengthen its presence in Saudi Arabia.

Mott MacDonald is one of the first 40 UK companies to receive a RHQ licence from the Ministry of Investment (MISA) in Saudi Arabia.

The licence enables Mott MacDonald to expand its business by continuing to engage directly with government entities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

This follows the opening of the consultancy’s new office in Riyadh last September at the start of an important phase of further investment in the country.

The employee-owned consultancy has a team of more than 70 people based at its Riyadh office, which is the headquarters of Mott MacDonald’s Saudi business, formed in 2022 under the Ministry of Investment scheme for foreign-owned entities.

The company has been providing strategic advice and engineering consultancy in Saudi Arabia since the 1960s, helping to accelerate economic, social and environmental development, said the company in a statement.

Its international advisory and sector specialists have been providing strategic support to key public and private sector clients and partners over the past year and it is a key partner in delivering Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 growth and development plans, including its giga projects.

The company plans to significantly grow its Saudi business over the next 12 months by creating career development opportunities for Saudi nationals on major projects, it stated.

Rick Hopper, the Managing Director for Saudi Arabia, said: “We have been involved in projects that support economic growth and social development in the kingdom for many decades, and being granted the RHQ licence enables us to build on this legacy by supporting its transformation.”

“We are creating a sustainable business that is led locally, drawing on our international engineering and advisory expertise to push new boundaries of technical excellence,” he added.

According to him, Mott MacDonald has a strong focus on attracting and training recent Saudi graduates as well as adding mid- to senior-level experts.

The British company launched its graduate programme, LEAD, in January to mentor and develop early career professionals and support young engineers to achieve chartership.

Over the past year, the firm has made several senior management appointments, including sector leaders for energy, the built environment and transport, as well as recruiting senior project leaders, it added.