Agenda
Saudi Business Services Summit
3-4 December 2025
“KSA BPO & Shared Services 2030: From Transformation to AI-driven Digital Leadership”
The summit, taking place on December 3-4, will feature keynotes, case studies presentations, and expert panels, exploring the future of business services in the region.
VIP Companies atttending include:
Tasama, SERA, Thiqah, AHAD Business Services, Riyad Bank, Argon & Co, Daily Food Ltd, Applus+, Alissa Group, Royal Court, GOSI, Samama, Motakamila, Thabat Construction, National Grain Company, Kafaat Business Solutions, NHCI, Naqel Express, Saudi Water Authority, Olayan Financial Holding, Al Razi Bank, Saudi Olympic Organization, Saudi Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, Tadawul/Saudi Stock Exchange, MassMutual, ORLEN, Polish Saudi Business Club, and European Union-KSA Business Council.
3 December:
8:00–9:00 Registration and Coffees/Teas
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome and Opening Comments
Thom Barnhardt, ceo, European Business Services Association, and Organizer, Saudi Business Services Summit
9:15 – 9:45 From Cost Centres to Value Creators: The evolution of Shared Services globally, and how KSA’s corporates are driving further changes.
Speaker: Romek Lubaczewski.
Romek Lubaczewski. Mr. Lubaczewski is considered the “godfather” of the GBS sector in Central Eastern Europe, advising on the first centre opening in 1996, and subsequently 55+ GBS setups or transformations. Recently retired, he speaks at global GBS events, and has been advisory to STC.
9:45 – 10:45 Lessons from Building a World-Class SSC in KSA
Panelists: 3 KSA-execs with experience in creating SSCs in KSA.
- Thamir Alhammad, Vice Governor, Consumer Affairs, Saudi Electricity Regulatory Authority (SERA). Before joining SERA, Thamir held multiple leadership roles at Solutions by STC, including Chief Business Diversification Officer, Chief Business Outsourcing Officer, and Telecom Business Unit Vice President. Under his leadership, he drove multi-billion SAR revenue growth, and launched Saudi Arabia’s first nearshore outsourcing center.
Marc Elhaddad, Head of People and Culture advisory, Kafa’at Business Services
Yasser Aljumaiah, CEO, Ahad Business Services
Moderator: Wissam Abdelsamad, Strategy& (Middle East).
10:45 – 11:15 Coffees, Teas, and Conversations.
11:15 – 12:15 Case-studies from large European corporates (with advanced GBS operations)
Panelists:
- Michael Makar, former Head of MassMutual Romania (Romania)
- Tomasz Horacek, Head of Centre, Board Member; Orlen Shared Services Centre (Poland)
Orlen: Saudi Aramco holds a significant strategic presence in Poland-based Orlen operations—especially in refining, wholesale, aviation fuel, and crude supply.
MassMutual. MassMutual Romania was launched in late 2020, growing from 0 to 550 employees in 4 years, despite the pandemic, boosting the Group’s operational excellence and optimizing costs. The captive GBS has contributed to MassMutual’s digital transformation and advanced technology innovation across the global enterprise.
12:20 – 12:40 Data-Engineering applied to Enterprises & Business Services sector: Empower BI (Romania) delivers advanced BI and data-engineering services — from data warehousing & ETL to migration and analytics — helping enterprises turn raw data into actionable business insights. Particularly strong focus on Microstrategy technologies.
Speaker: Iulian Lixandru, ceo, Empower Business Intelligence.
12:45 – 14:00 Prayer, Lunch and Networking Break.
14:00–14:45 Innovative Technologies driving efficiencies in the Industry. A “toolbox” of technologies and AI-tools driving digital transformation.
Speaker: Rakesh Sangani, CEO and Founder, Proservartner.
Proservartner, based in London with offices in Riyadh, is an international consulting firm, helping clients solve their operational
challenges through automation (including robotics); shared services and outsourcing models; and improvements to processes, systems and data quality.
14:45 – 15:00 Closing Presentation: Saudi Arabia as the GCC Hub for Global Business Services – What Will It Take?.
15:00 – 16:00 Closing Reception: Coffees, Teas, and Conversations.
4 December:
8:00–9:00 Registration and Coffees/Teas
9:00 – 9:15 Welcome and Opening Comments.
9:15– 10:00 Opening Keynoter: Raghavan Iyer, Head – Service Delivery, Tasama.
Speaker: Tasama is a Public Investment Fund company delivering integrated shared-services across finance, HR, procurement, customer operations, and enterprise digital services—helping Saudi organizations – both public and private organizations – strengthen efficiency, governance, and scale through world-class service-delivery models.
10:00 – 10:20 Business Services Trends for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Speaker: Rakesh Sangani, CEO and Founder, Proservartner.
Proservartner, based in London with offices in Riyadh, is an international consulting firm, helping clients solve their operational
challenges through automation (including robotics); shared services and outsourcing models; and improvements to processes, systems and data quality.
10:30 – 11:00 Coffees, Teas, and Conversations.
11:00 – 11:45 “From Automation to Advantage: How Arabic AI and Local Talent can Redefine GCC Business Services“
Gaurav Pagaria, Strategy& (Middle East)
11:45 – 12:15 The Evolution of Customer Experience: Changing Expectations & Technology with a Human Touch
Sterling (Awarded Europe’s Top Customer Experience Provider Europe in 2025) will explore how customer experience has evolved over time, the ever-changing expectations of clients, and the role technology can play in the journey – while maintaining the vital importance of a human-centric approach.
Speaker: Harry Virdee, CEO, Sterling
Sterling is a provider of scalable business process outsourcing (BPO) and debt recovery solutions, primarily based in UK and Europe.
12:30 – 14:30 Prayer, Lunch and Networking.
MEDIA PARTNERS
