Built three C-suite leaders into a Saudi logistics and industrial real estate developer running a five-year growth plan, in 11 weeks.

The mandate

A leading logistics and industrial real estate developer in Saudi Arabia engaged us in 2023 to support an ambitious five-year growth strategy aimed at expanding its footprint and enhancing its investment and operational capabilities. The mandate required a high-impact leadership team across investment, development and operational functions, with a key challenge sitting at the intersection of logistics and real estate, a niche combination within the regional market.

Three roles anchored the brief: a Chief Investment Officer with experience setting up regional real estate investment funds within the logistics space, a Chief Real Estate Development Officer (KSA national) with strong industry connectivity and dual fluency across logistics and real estate development, and a General Manager Bonded Zones (KSA national) with relevant connections across government entities.

Several roles required strong local market connectivity, including relationships with government entities and industry stakeholders, as well as the ability to operate within the broader context of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiatives. The search was further complicated by the need for candidates capable of operating at a strategic level while remaining hands-on, particularly inside a fast-growing and evolving organisation.

Our approach

The mandate ran across four phases.

01. Calibration

Two weeks. Joint calibration with the CEO and the Chairman, with separate sessions for the two KSA-national mandates given their distinct stakeholder maps. Output: three single-page briefs and an explicit nationality-lock confirmation for two of the three roles.

02. Market mapping

Two weeks, three parallel maps. The strong intersection between two niches (logistics and real estate development) compressed the global candidate pool meaningfully, putting more weight on regional credibility than international experience.

03. Longlist research

Three weeks of primary research, with the CIO map running international and the two KSA-national maps running domestic with selective inclusion of GCC-resident candidates carrying repatriation intent.

04. Shortlist and assessment

Four weeks. Final-round selection was sequenced by the institution’s investment committee cadence rather than search velocity. All three offers were signed by week eleven.

The other roles delivered

The talent market intelligence section below covers the Chief Investment Officer seat. The mandate also delivered two further appointments.

Chief Real Estate Development Officer (KSA national). Senior real estate developer with strong industry connectivity, dual fluency across logistics and real estate development, brought in to lead the institution’s development pipeline.

General Manager, Bonded Zones (KSA national). Operational leader with relevant government-entity connections, hired to lead the bonded zones operation and anchor regulatory relationships.

The outcome

Three offers were signed within eleven weeks of engagement. All three remain in seat at eighteen months. The hires have enabled the institution to advance its five-year growth plan, enhancing its leadership capability and positioning it for sustained success in the logistics and industrial real estate sector.

The team

The mandate was led by the partner heading our Logistics and Transport practice, supported by a research director (full-time across eleven weeks), a market analyst (full-time across five weeks) and a delivery PM (full-time throughout). Quarterly retention check-ins continue as part of our 24-month standing commitment.

We needed three different leaders covering three different problems, with two of the three nationality-locked. JOH ran the programme cleanly. Every shortlist was credible from the first candidate forward.