ABU DHABI, 16 June 2013

Arabtec Holding PJSC ("Arabtec" or "the Company"), a leading MENA construction company specialising in complex projects, announces today the appointment of Samer Abu-Hijleh as regional director to head Arabtec's construction business in Qatar.

In his new role, Mr. Abu-Hijleh will be responsible for the strategic growth of Arabtec's construction operations in the Qatari market, drawing on more than 22 years of successful experience in the development, master planning and delivery of large-scale and complex engineering and construction projects in the power, water, oil& gas, transportation, infrastructure, and building sectors throughout North and South America, China and the Middle East.

Commenting on Mr. Abu-Hijleh's appointment, Arabtec Holding Managing Director and CEO Hasan Abdullah Ismaik said: "As we forge ahead with our growth strategy, we are confident that Samer's leadership, business development, commercial and technical expertise will play a significant role in achieving our strategic footprint expansion across the region, diversifying our client base and extending our operations in Qatar specifically. Samer will oversee the operational delivery of Arabtec's expanding portfolio of real estate and infrastructure construction projects, to ensure successful execution and client satisfaction. He will also direct the executive management and technical teams in all aspect of these projects."

Mr. Abu-Hijleh has held a number of senior leadership roles with global engineering giants such as Bechtel, where he has developed a solid track record in the development and delivery of a range of multi-billion dollar, highly-complex, multi-stakeholder developments in some of the world's most challenging environments. 

Some of the milestone projects include the Jubail Industrial City, several LSTK EPC power generation projects in Abu Dhabi, Brazil and China alongside major infrastructure and aviation projects such as the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, the Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, the Hong Kong International Airport, Dubai International Airport and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and several landmark real estate developments in Abu Dhabi. With his strong regional market expertise, Mr. Abu-Hijleh will also oversee Arabtec Construction's operations in other countries in the Middle East including Jordan.

He has also acquired substantial business experience in establishing and leading joint ventures, and Public-Private Partnerships in commercial and government initiatives. These include the JV agreement between Mubadala Development Company and Wood Group PSN for oil and gas upstream and downstream, onshore and offshore, brownfield production and facility management services as well as the master planning of the privatization and expansion of utilities and infrastructure in Jubail and Yanbu Industrial Cities in Saudi Arabia and the Daxei Island in China.

Mr. Abu-Hijleh was previously General Manager of Saudi Oger in Jordan and most recently at Saudi Oger in Saudi Arabia as Senior Advisor to the BOD and executive management on operational effectiveness and successful project execution.

Prior to that, he was the Chief Operations Officer for Sorouh Real Estate, where he managed the design, construction and overall quality execution of a portfolio of real estate development projects in the UAE.

He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from University of California at Berkeley.

Building on its 35-year heritage in the UAE, Arabtec has been steadily growing its footprint across the region and is currently working on some of the most prestigious projects in Qatar such as the World Trade Center and the Mesheireb downtown project.

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About Arabtec Holding
Since 1975, Arabtec Holding PJSC (Arabtec) has completed a number of iconic projects within the residential and commercial space. Projects include hotels, airports, higher education developments, residential buildings and distribution facilities, amongst others. Arabtec is also renowned for its expertise in industrial and infrastructure works including oil and gas, pipeline construction, power generation, marine works and general manufacturing facilities.

Arabtec was listed on the Dubai Financial Market in 2005, and at the time, was the first private construction firm to go public. Today, Arabtec Holding consists of many subsidiaries, with specialisation in all construction sectors. The Company currently operates in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Jordan, Palestine, Russia and Syria. Arabtec continues to expand into additional markets; Arabtec recognises that this growth presents a new set of challenges but is cognisant of the endless opportunities this growth also allows.

For more information, please visit www.arabtecholding.com

For further information on Arabtec please contact:
Alex Blake-Milton / Dominic Whiting
Mobile:  +971506947589 / +971561740293
Email:    arabtec@brunswickgroup.com

© Press Release 2013