What Saudi Arabia Is Teaching Global CEOs About Building in Public

In most markets, “building in public” means founders openly documenting their journey—from milestones and metrics to setbacks and lessons learned.

In Saudi Arabia, the idea takes on a different meaning. Building in public is less about narrating the journey and more about demonstrating commitment through a local entity, local hires, local capabilities, and a presence that endures beyond the initial growth phase.

1. Commit in the open, before the revenue arrives

36Zero CEO David Redmond is candid about how long it takes to see returns in Saudi Arabia.

The UK-based wearable workforce technology provider took its product to the Kingdom four years ago and invested time and money in a local office and entity before the market rewarded it.

Today it works with giga-projects, including NEOM, Red Sea, and New Murabba, and it recorded four go-live implementations across the Kingdom in May alone.

Redmond says the last four months of sales growth have more than covered the costs of the previous four years.

For global CEOs, the takeaway is clear: in Saudi Arabia, patience is demonstrated through sustained commitment. Redmond puts it plainly: “relationships can't be rushed, and those who win aren't racing the 2030 clock. They are building roots meant to last well beyond it.”

2. Back your commitment with local hires

The most credible signal a company can send about its long-term intentions is who it hires. With Saudization requirements now shaping how companies set up and operate in the Kingdom, local talent is both a mandate and a statement of intent.

Kanz built its business around exactly that need. The AI-powered platform helps employers identify, assess, and hire talent more efficiently. Its network spans more than 1.2 million candidates, including approximately 250,000 Saudi job seekers, and its 500-plus employers include international organizations such as Amazon, Novartis, Booking.com, the United Nations, and Cartier.

Kanz is also putting this approach into practice. It has already onboarded three Saudi team members and plans to keep expanding its on-the-ground team as it enters its next phase of growth.

3. Build capability the market can use

Several companies entering the Kingdom are looking beyond customer acquisition. They are building capabilities that strengthen the wider sector they operate in.

One example is Enhance Fitness. Shortly after its expansion to Saudi, it launched the Enhance Fitness Academy, which certifies trainers who can then join gyms or other personal training companies, including competitors. General Manager Naim Bourji says what sets the academy apart is that it was built from inside an operating business, grounded in real operational experience, client standards, and market needs.

That operating depth is what gives the academy credibility. As Bourji explains, the opportunity came not only from the scale of the market but also from a gap in how personal training was being delivered.

The company delivers personal training across homes, offices, residential communities, and partner gyms, while centrally managing quality, scheduling, trainer performance, and the overall client experience.

Companies that create value across the wider ecosystem can strengthen their contribution to Vision 2030 priorities, including economic diversification, local development, and quality of life.

4. Become part of the room, not a visitor to it

The difference between entering a market and becoming part of it is particularly clear in WHYFIVE’s approach to Saudi Arabia.

WHYFIVE's Raed Omar describes relationship building as a first-priority investment for the firm's first two to three years, through events, networking, and introductions.

For WHYFIVE, the Belgium-rooted consumer insights and marketing strategy consultancy, Saudi Arabia was never a cold start. Operating from its Dubai hub, the firm has served clients across the Gulf and wider MENA region since 2015, working with international and Saudi organizations across sectors.

Because its work centers on understanding people, Omar says, it wants to be part of the society it serves. A local presence also lets the team adapt its global research tools to Saudi culture and consumer behavior, which are at the core of what it does.

The firm's newly appointed CEO, Kurt Thompson, frames the strategy around people and priorities. One pillar is hiring the right local talent: WHYFIVE has already hired its first Saudi employee and plans to grow the local team to around five by mid-2027. The other is focusing on priority sectors under Vision 2030, such as tourism, along with government and PIF-related organizations.

Offering advice to companies entering the Saudi market, Ahmed Sulaye, Executive Director at WHYFIVE MENA, emphasizes the importance of understanding local culture, consumer behavior, and even the Saudi sense of humor. A rigid market-entry strategy is unlikely to work, he says; companies need a more human-centered approach that takes the local market on its own terms.

None of this works without the operational basics. Bourji lists what sits underneath the opportunity: hiring, visas, PRO and GRO requirements, government platforms, Saudization, payroll, contracts, and compliance.