I like the insight you have shared. Somehow I am aware of this style but never practice it. You make it evident that this is true and it will work.
I think you are @Adil Salih doing a great job.
My curiosity on Saudization: the question is, what if a person is an expert in his or her subject and has to leave the profession because of a directive? What solution do you offer?
Great question Kamran, and a real tension in Saudization.
My take: the directive isn't meant to sideline expertise, it's meant to force knowledge transfer. So the real solution is a transition model, not an exit:
Phased handover – the expert trains a Saudi counterpart over 12–18 months instead of leaving overnight, with KPIs tied to the successor's readiness, not just headcount.
Advisory/consultant status – many companies retain the expert part-time or on retainer once the full-time seat goes to a Saudi national, preserving institutional knowledge.
Move up, not out – shift the expert into mentorship, strategy, or a regional/HQ role where nationality quotas don't apply the same way.
The companies getting Saudization right treat it as a capability-building exercise, not a swap. The ones getting it wrong just do a headcount trade and lose the expertise for good.
Indeed, the way you explain it makes sense, but in my experience it is going aggressively with short notice. It is not good for three parties: the successor, who would be under pressure to perform; the organization, which now has a high probability of dropping the quality; and the expert. For an expert, how to secure a next job is a challenge.
Fair pushback: in practice the "phased" version is often the exception, not the rule. Short-notice enforcement puts all three parties at risk, and the expert absorbing that cost with no safety net is the real gap. Curious what you think a fairer transition window would look like: 6 months? Tied to successor readiness rather than a fixed date?
I like the insight you have shared. Somehow I am aware of this style but never practice it. You make it evident that this is true and it will work.
I think you are @Adil Salih doing a great job.
My curiosity on Saudization: the question is, what if a person is an expert in his or her subject and has to leave the profession because of a directive? What solution do you offer?
Great question Kamran, and a real tension in Saudization.
My take: the directive isn't meant to sideline expertise, it's meant to force knowledge transfer. So the real solution is a transition model, not an exit:
Phased handover – the expert trains a Saudi counterpart over 12–18 months instead of leaving overnight, with KPIs tied to the successor's readiness, not just headcount.
Advisory/consultant status – many companies retain the expert part-time or on retainer once the full-time seat goes to a Saudi national, preserving institutional knowledge.
Move up, not out – shift the expert into mentorship, strategy, or a regional/HQ role where nationality quotas don't apply the same way.
The companies getting Saudization right treat it as a capability-building exercise, not a swap. The ones getting it wrong just do a headcount trade and lose the expertise for good.
Indeed, the way you explain it makes sense, but in my experience it is going aggressively with short notice. It is not good for three parties: the successor, who would be under pressure to perform; the organization, which now has a high probability of dropping the quality; and the expert. For an expert, how to secure a next job is a challenge.
Fair pushback: in practice the "phased" version is often the exception, not the rule. Short-notice enforcement puts all three parties at risk, and the expert absorbing that cost with no safety net is the real gap. Curious what you think a fairer transition window would look like: 6 months? Tied to successor readiness rather than a fixed date?
Rather, I am thinking nothing happened in a vacuum or in isolation. The mistake is a mistake;
Taking responsibility is the right option; it helps to admit and move on.
Moving on has a cost, which is unavoidable.
I like having your consultancy; I feel it is creating more clarity and allowing me to think in the right direction.
Thank you.