Chief Executive Officer

The Mandate

The Board is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead a sovereign-backed enterprise operating in a nation-critical sector. The mandate is threefold:

1. Scale the enterprise — deliver sustained revenue growth and margin improvement across a multi-line P&L, while institutionalizing the operating discipline required of a national asset.
2. Strengthen the institution — build a leadership bench, governance framework, and risk posture that outlast any individual, positioning the enterprise for its next phase (expansion, partnership, or capital markets readiness).
3. Represent the enterprise at the highest level — serve as its principal voice with government, regulators, investors, and strategic partners, aligning commercial ambition with national priorities.

This is a transformation role, not a stewardship role. The successful candidate will be measured on outcomes, not activity.

Key Accountabilities:

Strategy & Growth

• Own the corporate strategy end to end: formulation, Board approval, capital allocation, and execution against a multi-year plan tied to national priorities.
• Identify and pursue growth vectors — new lines of business, strategic partnerships, and market expansion — with clear investment theses and stage-gated commitments.

Financial Performance

• Hold full P&L accountability: budgeting, forecasting, cost discipline, and delivery against Board-approved financial targets.
• Ensure financial reporting meets the standards expected of a sovereign-backed institution, including audit readiness and capital-markets-grade transparency.

Leadership & Organization

• Recruit, develop, and retain a high-caliber executive team; establish succession plans for all critical roles within the first 18 months.
• Set and enforce a performance culture: clear targets, honest reviews, and accountability at every level, including the C-suite.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Maintain full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and sovereign-entity governance requirements; own the enterprise risk register and its mitigation plans.
• Report to the Board on a defined cadence with candid assessments of performance, risk exposure, and market conditions — including bad news, early.

External Representation

• Act as the enterprise's principal spokesperson and relationship owner with ministries, regulators, sovereign investors, and key commercial counterparties.
• Protect and build the enterprise's reputation through consistent, transparent, and disciplined communication.

What Success Looks Like (First 24 Months)

• A Board-approved strategy in execution, with quarterly milestones met or transparently reforecast.
• Measurable improvement in the enterprise's core operational and financial KPIs against a baseline agreed with the Board in the first 90 days.
• A complete executive team in place with documented succession coverage.
• Zero material compliance findings; a risk framework rated satisfactory or better by internal audit and relevant regulators.
• Demonstrably stronger standing with government stakeholders and investors, evidenced by expanded mandates, partnerships, or capital access.

Candidate Profile

Must have:

• 15+ years of executive leadership, including at least 5 years as CEO, Managing Director, or equivalent P&L owner in a regulated or nation-critical sector (e.g., energy, infrastructure, financial services, telecom, defense, or a government-related entity).
• Direct ownership of a large P&L with a verifiable record of growth, margin improvement, or turnaround.
• Experience reporting to and advising boards, government bodies, or sovereign investors.
• A demonstrated track record of building executive teams and leading enterprise-wide transformation.
• Deep working knowledge of the regulatory and governance environment applicable to sovereign-backed enterprises in Saudi Arabia or comparable jurisdictions.

Strongly preferred:

• Experience in Saudi Arabia or the GCC, with fluency in navigating government stakeholders and Vision 2030-aligned mandates.
• Bilingual Arabic/English.
• Exposure to capital markets events (IPO readiness, sukuk/bond issuance, or major M&A).

Personal attributes:

• Direct, decisive, and accountable — comfortable being measured against hard numbers.
• High integrity and political judgment; able to balance commercial ambition with public-interest obligations.
• A builder of institutions, not a caretaker of them.