Contact
Registered Office
The Executive Centre
Level 7, Building 3.09, District 3
King Abdullah Financial District
Riyadh 13519, Saudi Arabia
Inquiries
contact@arabian-private-holdings.com© 2026 Arabian Private Holdings. All rights reserved.
The firm
What the firm is
The firm exists because certain problems do not fit the large-firm model. A board facing a succession question does not need a team of twelve. A family group weighing whether to bring in outside capital does not need a methodology deck. A holding company that has lost sight of its portfolio economics does not need more data. These situations need someone who will sit with the problem, form a view, and defend it.
We take on a limited number of mandates. Each one receives direct attention from the principals who will be accountable for the outcome. We do not hand off work after the proposal is signed. We do not staff projects with people learning on the job. We do not pad teams to justify fees. The economics of a smaller practice allow us to be selective about the work we accept and thorough about the work we do.
The work
Situations where we are typically brought in
The board cannot agree on what the company actually is
Holding companies accumulate businesses over time. At some point the portfolio stops making sense. Returns get buried. Capital gets trapped. The question becomes whether to rationalize, and no one wants to start that conversation.
Growth created problems the founders did not anticipate
The business scaled but the management model stayed the same. Decision-making is slow. Accountability is unclear. Good people leave because they cannot get things done. The structure that worked at SAR 50 million does not work at SAR 500 million.
The family is discussing what happens after the patriarch
Succession planning in family enterprises is rarely about org charts. It is about ownership, control, compensation, roles for the next generation, and what happens to the businesses that do not fit the future structure.
Costs were cut but nothing actually changed
The company ran a cost program. Headcount went down. Budgets were reduced. But operating habits stayed the same, and within eighteen months the costs came back. The underlying system was never touched.
The regulator is asking questions the company cannot answer
Regulatory scrutiny in the Kingdom has increased. Some companies are not ready. Governance documentation is thin. Board minutes do not reflect actual deliberation. Risk frameworks exist on paper but not in practice.
Technology spending is high but no one can point to the return
The company invested in systems, platforms, and digital initiatives. The spending was significant. But the business case was never rigorous, adoption was uneven, and the CFO cannot connect the investment to measurable outcomes.
Services
Core areas of work
Corporate Strategy
Where should the company put its capital? What should it own, operate, or exit? How does the center add value to the parts?
Growth & Market Entry
Is this market worth entering? What is the right sequence? Who are the actual competitors? What will it cost to win?
Operating Model & Efficiency
How do decisions get made? Who is accountable for what? Why does execution stall? Where is the organization slower than it needs to be?
Organization & Talent
Is the structure fit for the next phase? Are the right people in the right roles? What happens when key individuals leave?
Digital Strategy
What technology investments are actually necessary? Which ones are producing returns? Where has spending outpaced capability to absorb it?
Performance Improvement
Where is the business losing money? What does a sustainable cost base look like? How do we avoid cutting muscle instead of fat?
Governance & Risk
Does the board have the information it needs? Are controls adequate for the risk profile? What would a regulator find if they looked closely?
Clients
Organizations we typically work with
Most of our clients operate in the Kingdom or have significant interests here. They come to us when a decision is too important to delegate, when internal perspectives have converged prematurely, or when the situation requires someone from outside the organization who can ask the questions that people inside cannot.
Family groups and their holding companies
Publicly listed corporations
Private equity portfolio companies
Banks, insurers, and asset managers
Government entities and sovereign-linked institutions
Industrial and infrastructure operators
Process
How an engagement begins
First conversation
We start with a call to understand what you are dealing with. This is not a sales pitch. We ask questions, listen carefully, and tell you honestly whether we think we can help. If the fit is poor, we say so.
Scoping
If there is a fit, we define the work precisely: the question we are answering, the information we will need, the people we will talk to, the timeline, and the fee. Nothing starts until both sides agree on exactly what we are doing.
Analysis and recommendation
We do the work ourselves. We interview the people who know the situation. We look at the numbers. We form a view. Then we present it directly to the decision-makers, explain our reasoning, and answer the hard questions.
Follow-through
On many engagements, clients ask us to stay involved as decisions are implemented. We can attend board meetings, review management progress, pressure-test plans, or simply be available when new questions arise.
Focus
Industry focus
Industry familiarity matters because strategic options, regulatory realities, capital structures, and operating constraints differ sharply by sector.
Insights
Recent perspectives
Strategy
Portfolio clarity in a diversification era
Diversification is not a strategy unless the corporate center can allocate capital, govern performance, and make exit decisions with discipline.
Organization
What gets lost in succession
Succession in family enterprises is too often treated as a handover event. In reality it is a multi-year design problem involving governance, capability, incentives, and authority.
Digital
The cost of premature AI investment
AI spending before data quality, process discipline, and management ownership are in place tends to create activity instead of value.
Governance
Board composition as competitive advantage
Boards assembled for representation alone rarely improve judgment. Composition should reflect capability, challenge quality, and the actual risk profile of the institution.
Performance
Why cost programs fail the second year
Year-one savings fade when management systems, accountability, and operating habits do not change.
Advantages
How we differ from larger firms
The person you meet is the person who does the work
We do not operate a bait-and-switch model where partners sell and associates deliver. The principals who scope the engagement are the ones who execute it.
We form views, not options
Clients do not hire us to present three scenarios and ask which one they prefer. They hire us to study the situation, reach a conclusion, and defend it.
No adjacent business to protect
We do not sell software, audit services, implementation capacity, or outsourcing. Our only interest is giving advice that serves the client.
We say no to work that does not fit
A small practice cannot afford to take on mandates where it cannot add value. We are direct about what we can and cannot do.
Support
Frequently asked questions
If you are weighing a decision that matters, we should talk
Initial conversations are confidential and without obligation. We will tell you honestly whether we can help and, if we cannot, we will try to point you in a useful direction.
Contact the firm