Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has appointed Abdul Rahman Al Harbi as its new director of Saudisation.

An accomplished HR expert 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 Saudisation Strategy, which is aligned to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

“Mövenpick has made strong headway with is Saudisation strategy to date and appointing a Director of Saudisation 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 Saudisation initiatives, but his promotion encourages other Saudi Nationals to pursue their ambitions, providing current and future colleagues with an inspirational role model.”

Educated in both Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, with a focus on HR and communication skills, and fluent in both Arabic and English, Abdul Rahman started his career as a human resources specialist with Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts in Saudi Arabia.

He then honed his craft working in senior HR roles for major hospitality firms and private sector business groups in the kingdom before returning to the Swiss hospitality firm in 2015 as HR Manager Mövenpick Hotel City Star Jeddah. As director of Saudisation, he will liaise with all hotel HR departments in Saudi Arabia and ensure training programmes are developed and delivered according to Mövenpick’s Saudisation Strategy. Abdul Rahman will also spearhead the company’s ongoing Saudi National recruitment drive.

Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector, which has been earmarked as a key growth driver in the government’s Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy, is expected to generate around 1.2 million jobs for Saudis from now until 2030.