Dr. Najib Khatib, CEO of Khatib & Alami has made one of the biggest jumps on our annual Power Hour List. Previously ranked 27th, Dr. Najib has now secured the number 10th spot our list of the Middle East’s Top 60 most prominent contractors, real estate developers, consultants, and facilities management companies.
10. Dr Najib Khatib, Chairman and CEO of Khatib & Alami
As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Khatib & Alami, Dr Khatib is responsible for guiding the company forward, driving long-term growth and ensuring it is equipped with the skills and capabilities needed to support clients with their most challenging projects.
Having led K&A since 2011, he has been integral to the company’s ongoing growth and emergence as a global player, with headcount currently of 6,076 and more than 30 international offices. Dr Khatib led the change in jurisdiction of K&A’s Holding Company from Lebanon to Singapore, which means K&A is subject to the city-state’s rigorous legal and governance frameworks, while gaining access to international capital markets.
Major projects completed over the last 12 months were Haramain High-Speed Rail (Phase I) in Saudi Arabia, Saadiyat Rotana Hotel & Resort Complex, UAE and New Port and Dry Dock Complex at Duqm, Oman, and Al-Mahsama Water Reclamation/ Treatment Plant, Egypt.
Dr Khatib has also overseen K&A’s investment in deep technical expertise and technology – capitalizing in particular on the company’s world-class capabilities in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial systems integration as it supports clients with the design and development of smart cities. In March 2019, K&A developed smart navigation tools which were deployed to support the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.
“Yes, we have a very clear strategy for market and geographic growth, which is taking us from being a multi-national player to a truly global organization.
We are already seeing growth outside our core region through projects such as Valetta Harbour in Malta (our first project in the European Union), the Salang Pass in Afghanistan and a major masterplanning project in Malaysia. We envisage strong opportunities for growth in Asia, which is part of the reason for our decision to place our holding company in Singapore,” Dr. Khatib said about the company’s expansion plans.