Two days prior to our conversation, Fadle Saad was back on a golf course, but not for leisure. He was celebrating his channel partners at HP’s annual awards ceremony.

It’s a fitting metaphor for how the Managing Director of HP MENA Regional Headquarters approaches business – strategic, relationship-focused and always looking ahead to the next opportunity.

That opportunity, in Saad’s case, happens to be one of the world’s most notable economic transformations. When HP’s strategic planning team gathered a few years ago to assess global growth markets, Saudi Arabia stood out for its potential, certainly. But even more, it was the sheer velocity of its change that caught their eye.

“There are very few countries out there that are transforming at the speed and size of Saudi Arabia,” Saad tells The CEO Magazine. “The shifts here are tectonic to a level where we are still impressed and surprised with what’s happening.”

An unprecedented horizon of opportunity

For most executives, such rapid transformation would trigger caution. Saad and HP saw it as a catalyst for bold investment.

Since 2003, when Saad assumed his current role, HP has established manufacturing facilities in the kingdom, developed a research and development center of excellence and more than doubled its workforce.

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Supplying the infrastructure that allows HP’s computing power to thrive. Supplying the infrastructure that allows HP’s computing power to thrive.

The decision wasn’t made lightly. Saudi Arabia is one of a select group of high-growth countries HP has identified as critical to its future. The reasoning becomes clear when examining the numbers: the region receives more than 19 million annual visitors, has one of the world’s fastest rates of new company creation, and is backed by significant government investments in education and infrastructure.

“The opportunities are multi-layered and everything feeds into the other,” Saad explains. “Consumer behavior and growth, the expanding tourism sector, the surge in new company formation and the wave of infrastructure projects all converge to create a wave of opportunity across the kingdom.”

The talent wars

Even in a market brimming with opportunity, challenges persist. The biggest, according to Saad, is the competition for skilled professionals.

“Everybody in Saudi Arabia is trying to attract top talent, just like we are,” he points out.

Interestingly, the problem isn’t scarcity. The biggest challenge is fierce competition due to the kingdom’s rapid job creation. To address this, HP’s solution involves extending capability-building beyond its own organization to its entire partner ecosystem.

“We are working very closely with our channel to help them develop specific expertise and capabilities quickly enough to seize the opportunities available in Saudi Arabia,” Saad reveals.

“For example, the demand for cutting-edge technologies and advanced systems in the kingdom is growing at an incredibly fast pace. The level of expertise and the expectations for innovative products, software and solutions are highly sophisticated.

“To keep up with this rapid evolution, we must ensure that our capabilities align with both the country’s ambitions and HP’s vision.”

Rethinking work with AI

While technology has rapidly evolved, transforming the workplace – from mobile phones to cloud computing, hybrid work and now AI – Saad says most discussions continue to focus on the tech itself and its efficiencies. He believes not enough is communicated about how it changes the way people work or how it affects employee experience and engagement.

And it turns out, his instincts were right. HP’s ‘Work Relationship Index’ reveals that roughly 20 percent of employees are content with how they work.

“When I saw this number, I couldn’t stop thinking about its business impact,” he says. “I immediately thought, ‘What if we could raise that number to 50 percent or 70 percent – how much better would organizations perform?’”

The solution, Saad believes, could lie in AI.

“With AI now, we believe this commercial-grade technology will be adopted even faster in business than earlier waves of consumer tech,” he says.

“After all, recent reports show that roughly 78 percent of organizations are already using AI in at least one business function – up significantly from a year ago – and companies are increasingly scaling AI across operations to boost productivity, cut costs and drive innovation.

“AI is already influencing nearly every aspect of our lives, and it’s poised to transform not just how we work, but also how we define productivity and efficiency.

“That’s why it’s crucial to examine how these technologies affect the workforce, so we can drive greater engagement and fulfillment in the workplace.”

Intelligent risk-taking

Beyond the latest technologies, HP fosters a strong culture built on employee empowerment and experimentation. Saad notes that this approach is something employees consistently appreciate and value.

“HP is a place where people are encouraged to try, learn and grow,” he says. “We recognize and reward initiative, not just outcomes.

“Innovation is rarely a straight line; employees may stumble many times before a breakthrough. But at HP, every attempt is valued and every success is celebrated.”

This philosophy has been instrumental in enabling Saad’s vision for HP’s expansion in Saudi Arabia. When he outlined his ideas for strengthening HP’s presence in the kingdom, the company responded with clear support and a focus on what would be required to bring the plan to life.

Saad notes that this spirit of empowerment and forward-thinking is a core driver of its enduring success.

“HP’s culture of embracing new ideas and bold initiatives has allowed the company to navigate challenges, seize opportunities and continuously evolve,” he says.

More than a transaction

That same philosophy of trust, empowerment and shared vision extends beyond HP’s internal culture to its relationships with channel partners. It brings partners into strategic planning, supply chain discussions and capability development.

“At HP, partnership means much more than a business conduit – it reflects a shared commitment and mutual value,” Saad emphasizes.

“They’re fully integrated into our operations and strategy. We grow together, and the way we work with them feels like we’re all on one team.”

This philosophy is far more than rhetoric; it has been fundamental in sustaining the resilience of HP’s ecosystem when it mattered most. The company’s deep integration with partners enables it to deliver the highest level of service to its clients.

For many partners, this level of collaboration is a defining strength of the HP ecosystem. As one partner remarked during HP’s recent awards ceremony, “In this region, you truly become a significant player in the IT industry when HP is part of your portfolio.”

In collaboration with

STC

Supplying the infrastructure that allows HP’s computing power to thrive. Supplying the infrastructure that allows HP’s computing power to thrive. Read More