Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts appointed experienced human resources professional, Abdul Rahman Al Harbi, as its new director of Saudization.

He will liaise with all hotel HR departments in Saudi Arabia and ensure training programs are developed and delivered according to Mövenpick’s Saudization Strategy. Abdul Rahman will also spearhead the company’s ongoing Saudi National recruitment drive.

With more than 14 years of experience, including roles with Mövenpick in Saudi Arabia, Al Harbi is now responsible for leading the Swiss hospitality firm’s Saudization Strategy, which is aligned to the kingdom’s Vision 2030.

This includes leading Mövenpick’s Saudisation programmes and practices across its 11 current and five upcoming properties in Saudi Arabia, ensuring a consistent, strategic and coordinated country-level approach is delivered and that Saudi talent is nurtured with long-term career prospects in mind.

Al Harbi, the former HR manager at Mövenpick Hotel City Star Jeddah, is a prime example of this successful strategy in action. Having participated in the company’s recently-introduced Saudi Development Centre (SDC) – an intensive training program that provides career development coaching for Nationals with strong leadership potential – he was promoted to his new role.

“Mövenpick has made strong headway with is Saudization strategy to date and appointing a Director of Saudization will further enhance and streamline our activities in this area, ensuring we continue to employ more Saudi talent in a variety of roles and provide them with accelerated career progression opportunities,” said Alex Rawson, VP Human Resources Middle East & Africa, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts.

“Abdul Rahman is an experienced and passionate Human Resources expert who we have identified as a high-potential leader and I wish him every success in his new role. Not only will he spearhead the continued success of our wide-ranging Saudization initiatives, but his promotion encourages other Saudi Nationals to pursue their ambitions, providing current and future colleagues with an inspirational role model.”