13-05-2025
Saudi Giga Projects 2025 Opens with Visionary Leadership and Global Momentum - Middle East Business News and Information
MEED's annual conference kicked off today in Riyadh focusing on national transformation through the Kingdom's most notable projects
Saudi Giga Projects Summit is set to host 70+ speakers over the 3-day event
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia –May 2025: Saudi Giga Projects Summitt 2025 (12-14 May) kicked off today in Riyadh, bringing together senior leaders from construction to drive forward an agenda focused on the Kingdom's development. With $288,592 billion worth of projects awarded in the last 12 months, the event falls at a particularly crucial time to focus on construction and development throughout the Kingdom.
Day One welcomed over 500 leaders from 150 companies, setting the tone for a three-day programme featuring more than 70 speakers, including CEOs, policymakers, and global technology pioneers.
The day one agenda focused on progress updates from Saudi Arabia's most renowned projects. Executives from ROSHN Group, NEOM, Diriyah, and Red Sea Global offered rare insight into the challenges of delivering large-scale developments. Projects such as Roshn's Sedra community and Red Sea Global's zero-emission resorts are already welcoming residents and visitors, signalling a shift from planning to reality.
The panel discussion highlighted a common thread: the need for integrated collaboration, scalable delivery frameworks, and innovation in everything from workforce development to infrastructure logistics. Philip Gullett, Executive Director and Region Head of Trojena at NEOM, described progress as 'a military operation,' referencing the complexity of managing roads, dams, hotels, and homes within a remote mountain terrain.
Key insights also came from Kingdom Holding Company, which confirmed that construction on the Jeddah Tower, poised to become the tallest building in the world at 1,005 metres, is well underway. In a fireside chat with Colin Foreman, Editor at MEED, Talal Almaiman, CEO of Kingdom Holding, described the project as a powerful statement of national pride, remarking: 'Height is pride… and we are very proud of this country. I think Saudi Arabia deserves to have the tallest building in the world.'
A panel of C-suite executives, including Charles Trad, CEO at UNIMAC; Ashraf Alameria, CEO at El-Seif Engineering Contracting; Husam Gawish, Partner and Head of Operations at HKA; Edward Surgeon, Regional Director MENA at Procore and Saurabh Shekar, Principal at Kearney Middle East, met to discuss explored the perception of a slowdown in giga projects, with experts asserting it is a recalibration, not a retreat. With $1.3 trillion in construction forecast by 2030, Saudi Arabia remains the world's most dynamic market. Edward Surgeon remarked that 'the ambition here rivals Apollo 11.' The challenge now lies in building an ecosystem that invites greater international participation.
A key thread across all sessions today was the emergence of AI as an important factor in development. This was particularly crucial in a session with Howard Wu, Executive Director for International Investments and Manufacturing at Oxagon and Abdulaziz AlMubarak, Head of Business Development KSA at DataVolt, chaired by MEED's Energy and Technologies Editor, Jennifer Aguinaldo. The session included key insights from Oxagon and DataVolt, looking at the importance of AI in today's project, and how this can be used responsibly as part of sustainable development.
The first day concluded with a session on Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) outlining their Plan of Work, benchmarking this across entities across the globe. Speaker Dale Sinclair, Head of Digital Innovation at WSP, outlined RIBA's process through 7 key stages of work.
As the summit continues, Day Two will include key updates and insights from Nemetschek Group, project showcase and updates from ROSHN Group, AlUla and Sports Boulevard and a series of panel discussions including 'Securing the Future Beyond 2030' and 'The Role of Private Sector Investment and PPPs in Delivering Giga Projects'.
About MEED:
MEED is the Middle East's leading business intelligence and events platform. Since 1957, it has delivered essential news, analysis, and data on the region's biggest projects, economies, and business trends. MEED Events convene decision-makers, project leaders, and innovators to shape the future of the region through curated summits, awards, and insight-led
