Atkins, a leading global design, engineering and project management consultancy, is boosting its presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the opening of a new office in AlUla. 

 

Located in the Alruzayqiyah area, the workplace boasts several top-class facilities and will be able to house more than 100 employees. 

 

The office space enables the company’s agile working model, collaborating with regional and global expertise to deliver RCU’s projects in sustainable and efficient ways, said the statement from RCU. 

 

The new office will play a key role in supporting the existing and new projects of the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), thus boosting the country’s socio-economic development agenda and creating job opportunities for Saudi talent, in particular AlUla residents, it stated.

 

RCU oversees the comprehensive regeneration of AlUla County, a region of outstanding natural and cultural significance in north-west Saudi Arabia. 

 

The new office was inaugurated in the presence of Mohammed Altheeb, Chief Development and Construction Officer of RCU, Philip Hoare, the President of Atkins, Campbell Gray, the CEO of Atkins (Middle East & Africa), Paul Doherty, the Country Director of Atkins, Saudi Arabia, and the regional Atkins and Faithful+Gould leadership team and employees.

 

In addition to the new office, more than ten buildings, complemented with day-to-day lifestyle services, have been secured for Atkins’ employees in AlUla to support talent attraction and local community development and growth, it added.  

 

Royal Commission for AlUla CEO Amr AlMadani said the opening of Atkins’ office here builds on the collaborative partnership between the duo which will continue to prosper thanks to this permanent presence on the ground. 

 

"This office will further shape the growing business ecosystem within AlUla, strengthening the county’s positioning as a key business hub for north-west Saudi Arabia. We welcome Atkins’ expanded team and look forward to the benefits of their presence for our projects and our community," he stated.

 

The most well-known site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first Unesco World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and features around 100 well-preserved tombs with elaborate facades cut into sandstone outcrops.

 

On the new office, Hoare said: "AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage, and we are extremely proud to be opening this new office in partnership with RCU. The new office will help us to attract and develop top local talent who can help us engineer a better future for our planet and its people." 

 

"Over the past decade, we have significantly expanded our presence in Saudi Arabia to play an active role in supporting Vision 2030 to accelerate the Kingdom’s economic growth and transformation." he added.

 

Gray said the new office in AlUla was a testament to its continued commitment to supporting RCU and its sustainable development plan. 

 

"We look forward to working in a long-term partnership with RCU on future projects and programmes by providing our technical excellence, underpinned by digital solutions and net zero best practices, he added.

 

Over the past three years, Atkins and its sister company Faithful+Gould have established a strong relationship with RCU, supporting its existing and new projects in AlUla. 

 

Atkins’ AlUla office is a key addition to its existing presence in Saudi Arabia, with offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and AlKhobar, as well as significant site offices. 

 

With more than 1,000 employees in the kingdom, the company is committed to building local capabilities and talent of the future through its Graduate Development Programme, it added.