Resilience through diversification in Saudi Arabia and beyond

Saudi Arabia

Samer Abdul Samad, president and CEO of Nesma & Partners, talks to The Energy Year about penetrating high-growth sectors through acquisitions and pursuing deeper engagement in the Saudi construction and energy spaces. Nesma & Partners is a provider of integrated project solutions for the energy, oil and gas, buildings and infrastructure sectors.

How do you assess the readiness of the Saudi market to adopt digital technologies at scale?
The Saudi market is hungry for technology, as it is part of its strategic objectives. Stakeholders are ready and eager, investors are willing to engage, and the overall drive is strong. There is an appetite here that is unmatched by many other countries.

What role will digitalisation and data centres play in your strategy going forward?
We have prepared ourselves for the fast pace of growth expected in Saudi Arabia’s demand for AI tools, digital services and data infrastructure through Kent’s February 2025 acquisition of Sudlows Consulting, now called Kent Data Centres.
Nesma & Partners is advancing virtual design and construction, integrating BIM [building information modelling], VR [virtual reality], as well as 4D and 5D planning, to enhance project co-ordination and reduce reworks. In 2026, we are targeting to execute all our projects using BIM.
Efficiency is one of our main concerns in construction. Better designs reduce clashes and reworks; they improve quality and cut costs. To that end, we are testing the use of holograms and other technologies for infrastructure visualisation.
Meanwhile, Kent is pioneering remote tech. The company has used robots and drones to monitor projects and set up a command-and-control centre that has reduced the workforce on one project site from around 300 to around 10. The savings are a game-changer.

Are you considering any further acquisitions in the near term?
Nesma & Partners has already made two acquisitions – Kent in 2024 and AYTB in 2025 – and Kent itself has made two more: Sudlows Consulting and, in August 2025, Exceed, which is a world-class provider of well management and decommissioning engineering services.
These deals add muscle in high-demand sectors. Exceed is already helping us bid for new work. With the market for data centres booming, we are now positioned to serve it from the engineering side as well.

What role will the energy industry play in your growth following these acquisitions?
Energy represents around 35% of Nesma & Partners’ construction business. With Kent and AYTB added, its share exceeds 50%. Kent brings strong capabilities in renewables, especially offshore wind, and has much potential in the hydrogen sector, reinforcing our profile across conventional and low-carbon sectors.
The National EPC Champion Programme will help us become a bigger player across energy sectors through our joint venture, NesmaKent, and we aim to use its Saudi office to support projects in Saudi Arabia at the consultancy, pre-FEED, FEED and detail design stages, and to export our technical capabilities abroad.
Kent already operates internationally, and our goal is to grow that footprint further. We are already pursuing an international turnaround project with a partner, building on Kent’s international experience and AYTB’s shutdowns, turnarounds and O&M experience in Saudi Arabia.

What impact is the Saudi Aramco National EPC Champion Programme having on your business?
Being selected as the local contractor for Aramco’s National EPC Champion Programme is certainly a highlight for us. We have had teams embedded in Aramco for a year, carrying forward a project involving several gas and oil separation plants.
This engagement is more than a project win. It is a localisation success story, where the full design is being done in-kingdom. We are intent on developing local content and have achieved 44% Saudisation among engineers, and involved 70 Saudi SMEs in the project. In addition, through Kent, we are sending Saudi engineers for training in the UK, Canada and the US. They return equipped with international expertise that will power future projects at home.

How are you approaching global expansion and diversification?
As Nesma & Partners, we still haven’t fully tapped our domestic potential. Our priority is to maximise our presence in our home market and use it as a base to grow. Kent’s presence in 38 countries will allow us to explore a broad range of international opportunities.
Preparation has been a key driver of our growth over the years. We geared up early for the type of work the Saudi market would demand, and the commitment paid off. The structure we created has allowed us to participate in most of the country’s mega- and giga-projects across energy, construction, and infrastructure – three divisions of our group that function as one cohesive unit.
Today, we are adapting to a new market dynamic. We have bolstered our backlog with major projects such as the Qiddiya City Performing Arts Centre, the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, the Riyadh Metro Line 2 extension with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and our ongoing work at King Salman Park.
In energy, our portfolio of ongoing projects includes the Master Gas System and the expansion at Fadhili and Central Arabia. To stay resilient, we prepare not only for upturns but also downturns. Diversification across sectors and early readiness are how we will continue to thrive.

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