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Saudi Binladin Group names new chief transformation officer

RIYADH, February 24, 2021

Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), a subsidiary of the Binladin International Holding Group (BIHG) and also the largest construction company in the kingdom, has appointed contracting industry veteran Grigoris Christofides as its new chief transformation officer.
 
Christofides has spent more than 35 years in the contracting industry, and joins SBG at a crucial time in its history; amidst a group-wide transformation programme designed to see BIHG absorb, rebuild, and reinvent SBG under the mandate of its board of directors.
 
BIHG is a diversified conglomerate, established in 2019, in collaboration with the Istidama Holding Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Finance, which holds a 36.22% stake in the Group.
 
Christofides officially took up his position at the beginning of this month. In his new role, he will work closely with SBG's management and BIHG’s board, along with appointed advisors, to oversee the execution of the transformation of SBG, to ensure value maximisation for all concerned stakeholders, said the statement from BIHG. 
 
Working with the CEO of SBG Contracting, he will lead the business’ repositioning efforts to achieve a sustainable balance sheet across the organisation’s global, financial and operational divisions, it stated. 
 
Welcoming the appointment, CEO Khalid Al Gwaiz said: "The appointment of Christofides comes as part of several critical measures taken by BIHG to drive the successful transformation of the business and reposition SBG as the kingdom’s national construction champion."
 
Christofides was formerly the CEO of J&P, as well as Arabtec Construction (a fully owned subsidiary of Dubai-based Arabtec Holding) that constructed the Burj Khalifa , in UAE.
 
Having begun his career with US engineering and management firm Bechtel in 1986, Christofides joined the UK’s Ove Arup & Partners, as a structural design engineer before moving to the UAE with Al Habtoor, said the statement. 
 
He later joined the UK's WS Atkins & Partners as a construction manager for the Burj Al Arab hotel.
 
Joining Arabtec Construction in 1996, as a project manager, Christofides served as an Executive Director for the next decade, ahead of being appointed CEO in 2011 and departing in 2014.
 
As CTO, Christofides joins a team mandated to regain SBG’s position as the kingdom's national, and the wider GCC's regional, construction champion, while underscoring its vital role in the country's economy in support of the Saudi Vision 2030.
 
"Christofides is a seasoned industry veteran and brings the necessary in-depth sector, and turnaround experience, to the organisation," stated Al Gwaiz.
 
"We look forward to seeing the fruits of his dynamic and focused leadership, at a time when SBG is undergoing a challenging and complex transformation and restructure, which is a first in its 90-year history," he added.-TradeArabia News Service



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