#8 Hamed Zaghw, CEO of AECOM

AECOM’s CEO, Hamed Zaghw ranks 8th of our annual list of the Middle East’s Top 60 most prominent contractors, real estate developers, consultants, and facilities management companies.

This the first time that AECOM has finished in the top 10 since the inception of the Power Hour List.

8. Hamed Zaghw, CEO of AECOM Middle East & Africa

Hamed Zaghw joined AECOM in November 2014 as the Chief Operating Officer and in January 2017, Hamed became Chief Executive Officer, AECOM Middle East and Africa. As the CEO, Middle East and Africa where his responsibility is to grow the business with an emphasis on quality and responsiveness to client needs.

Quality is what Hamed thrives on. He told Construction Business News: “Throughout my time at AECOM I have maintained a constant focus on quality. I have worked closely with our Quality and Delivery Excellence teams to improve our procedures and create tools that enable our people to deliver with excellence every time.”

In the past 12 months, AECOM has completed projects such as Warner Bros. World, Reem Central Park, Qasr Al Hosn, Al Maryah Central, and CMC Hospital, and projects in Bahrain such as Muharraq Central Market, Regency Intercontinental Refurbishment, and in Oman with Al Ansab Sewage Treatment Plant Phase 2 project.

AECOM MEA business has consistently delivered strong financial results under Hamed’s leadership.

“We reorganized the business within the region to be driven by end markets. This new structure is better aligned with our global organization and allows us to deploy the best resources wherever they may be needed in the region.”

Hamed further added: “A strong focus of mine is nurturing client relationships and becoming their partner in project delivery. I personally get involved in the delivery and follow-up of major programs and take accountability for their success. We have promoted a client-centric culture through our key Client Account Management (CAM) program and continuously seek client feedback through our Net Promoter Score (NPS) program.

We have also positioned AECOM as a leader in innovative digital solutions through our pioneering use of technologies such as 3D Printing, drones and Building Information Modelling (BIM).”

The company reported global revenue of $20.2 billion for FY18 (1 October 2017 – 30 September 2018).

Hamed concluded by telling us about their expansion plans: “We are rapidly growing our Saudi Arabia business to meet the resourcing requirements of recent strategic wins and upcoming opportunities. Such wins include key roles on the three giga cities being developed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) as well as large Program Management Organizations (PMOs) for entities such as Saudi Customs and the Ministry of Municipalities and Rural Affairs (MOMRA). We are well positioned for other PMO assignments with various ministries. Our headcount in Saudi Arabia is currently 820 and we plan to grow this by another 1,000 people over the next 12 months.”