Doing business in Saudi Arabia: viewpoint by Bahra Cables

Talal K. Idriss, CEO of Bahra Cables talks about doing business in Saudi Arabia and challenges.

He says, “Reducing all dependence on foreign labor, which means improving our capabilities as a nation across the borders. If you go to Switzerland, you have to be a natural Swiss in order to be given the honor to be a garbage collector. They don’t give that job to you otherwise. I don’t know how long it will take us to get there, but that is the kind of mentality that we need. We need to go to a restaurant and be served by Saudis. It is a cultural change, but I believe that reducing dependence on foreign labor is the greatest challenge we face. Everything else will sort itself out. You have to get your people to accept jobs on every level, without discriminating between jobs taken by a particular races.

The most difficult element in any business is to find the right people. If you have a large operation like us, being lucky enough to find a series of good people is the biggest challenge. After that, it is the financing to put it together. I also find execution the most difficult thing to do. You might have the greatest idea, the best financing, all the good concepts, but you fail to execute.”

Full Interview: Bahra Cables: One of the Largest Cable Companies in Saudi Arabia