The AEI Team

Stuart is a co-founder of AEI and has lived in Saudi Arabia for over a decade. He is a well known member of the expatriate community and is a regular contributor and commentator on all things Saudi. He has held a number of senior commercial and business winning posts in the Kingdom for both Western and Saudi companies. As such, Stuart has a substantial understanding of the challenges of doing business in Saudi Arabia. Stuart advises clients seeking to unravel the intricacies of Saudi legal and procurement practices as well as navigating the regulatory environment with regard to finding the optimum operating model in the Saudi market place. For those clients focusing on particularly complex or governmental sectors, Stuart is often called upon to explain and give his views on the Saudi political and geo-political situation. In addition to his role as CEO, Stuart has worked as an adviser to the Ministries of Defence in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. Stuart is based in Riyadh at AEI’s Residency.

Adam has lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for many years and since his first visit, he saw the need for a company like AEI to support foreign companies seeking to do business in Kingdom. He co-founded AEI in 2013 following a career in the security and IT industry in the UK and the Middle East. He has worked in technical and business development roles and soon discovered that Saudi Arabia was a market not to be overlooked. Moving from a global security provider based in London to lead the Business Development team at a Saudi company aligned to the Ministry of Interior, Adam has a substantial amount of experience of business winning in the Kingdom. Adam leverages this experience by providing our clients with informed, impartial and insightful advice and guidance particularly in the areas of market entry and capture strategy. Adam leads our international presence from the UK and his team are usually the first point of contact for potential clients.

Jim has been part of the AEI team almost from the start and now focuses on business development in the UK working closely with Adam. Jim lived and worked in Saudi for 5 years as the Senior British Army Advisor to the Ministry of the National Guard and was awarded the Order of King Abdulaziz for his service to the Kingdom. A former British Army Brigadier, Jim has an extensive understanding of the defence sector in the Kingdom and the challenges of delivering in this complex area of the Saudi market place. Jim is now based in the UK but remains a regular visitor to the Kingdom.

Jo joined AEI in early 2016 following a career in the financial services sector based in the City of London. As our Head of Business Operations, Jo is responsible for the effective running of our business from policies and processes to reporting and performance. She has worked for some of the biggest banking names in the world (JP Morgan, Barclays, Deutsche Bank) and brings the rigour and discipline of the financial sector to our business. Jo lives in Riyadh on a full time basis.

Responsible for the smooth running of AEI’s support services, Ali is the difference between ‘normal’ Saudi service levels and the superior service provided by AEI. Ali joined AEI in 2014 after a successful career in the customer service and hospitality sector culminating in a senior role within the Four Seasons Hotel & Resort Group in Riyadh. In addition to running our substantial support services business, Ali is also our lead supply chain and procurement manager responsible for engaging and negotiating with Saudi suppliers either for AEI or on behalf of our clients. Ali is based in Riyadh on a full-time basis.