Published on and written by Cyril Jarnias
Relocating to Saudi Arabia for work isn’t just about changing countries or climate. It’s entering an economic ecosystem undergoing a profound transformation, driven by Vision 2030, and a business culture where personal relationships often matter more than contracts. For an expatriate, building a strong network isn’t a bonus: it’s the key to lasting employment, promotions, projects, and, very concretely, solutions to almost all daily challenges.
To succeed at networking in Saudi Arabia, it is essential to understand the local context and networking culture. Intelligently use the available tools: participate in events, join professional associations, activate your network on LinkedIn, and seek mentorship. Adopt the right habits daily, whether you’re in Riyadh, Jeddah, or a large-scale project like NEOM.
Understanding the Playing Field: Vision 2030 and a Changing Market
Before even handing out business cards, you must grasp what is happening in the country. Vision 2030, the national strategy led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aims to transform the economy, disengage it from oil dependency, and turn it into a global investment hub.
Concretely, this translates into hundreds of billions of dollars being injected into technology, tourism, industry, renewable energy, entertainment, and logistics. Megaprojects like NEOM, Qiddiya, the Red Sea developments, or Diriyah Gate are reshaping the country’s map and creating tens of thousands of jobs.
This is the number of expatriates in millions, representing nearly half of the country’s workforce.
1. Opportunities truly exist, especially for qualified and international profiles. 2. Access to these opportunities overwhelmingly relies on relationships, recommendations, and reputation, more than anonymous applications.
To visualize the scale of transformations, a few key figures related to high-growth sectors and skilled employment can be useful.
| Key Indicator | Value / Estimated Trend |
|---|---|
| Startup ecosystem value | ~$7.7 billion |
| Annual venture capital growth | > 22% (2024–2025) |
| Increase in AI-related registrations | +53% in Q2 2024 |
| AI tech permits issued in Riyadh | > 5,000 |
| Alat (advanced tech) investment target | $100 billion by 2030 |
| New high-tech jobs projected (Alat) | ~40,000 |
| Relocation of regional HQs to Riyadh | > 400 international companies |
| Expatriates’ share of the workforce | ~50% of a total of 13 million |
Understanding this backdrop allows you to then adjust your networking strategy: where to go, who to meet, which communities to target.
The Golden Rule: In Saudi Arabia, Everything Starts with the Relationship
The first cultural shock for many expatriates comes from this: business is not just about a slick PowerPoint. Personal trust, loyalty, and reputation take precedence over a “one-shot deal” logic.
Wasta, Reputation, and the “Extended Family” Logic
The concept of wasta – influence and connections – is a pillar of professional life. It’s not merely nepotism in the Western sense, but a system of social capital rooted in tribal and family loyalty. Who you are, who you know, and who can vouch for you matters enormously.
Trust is built on several highly visible values in interactions:
To maintain harmonious professional and social relationships, it is essential to respect several key principles: preserve the honor and reputation of others by avoiding any public criticism; demonstrate long-term loyalty; act with honesty and transparency; and show respect for hierarchy, age, and titles.
A trusted partner or colleague is often symbolically integrated into an “extended family”. This is the goal your networking strategy should aim for: moving from the status of a passing stranger to that of a reliable, known, and recommended person.
Hierarchy, Titles, and “Face”
Both society and businesses are strongly hierarchical. You always greet the person who is highest-ranking or eldest first. You use honorific titles (Sheikh, Doctor, Engineer, Your Excellency, Your Highness, etc.) until explicitly invited to use first names.
In this context, it is crucial to preserve your own reputation and that of others. This means avoiding direct public criticism, not bluntly contradicting a superior, and banning any form of humiliation, even unintentional. This principle deeply influences negotiation methods, feedback delivery, and conflict management.
Indirect Communication and the Art of Conversation
Saudis are often very skilled communicators, capable of switching from a very formal register to a warm discussion. Communication generally remains indirect and diplomatic: an “Insha’Allah” or “we’ll see” might be a polite refusal, prolonged silence a thinking period, a raised tone a sign of enthusiasm rather than anger.
Small talk – about family, health, sports, travel, the country’s news – is not a waste of time but a key moment to build the rapport that will make professional exchanges possible.
For an expatriate, knowing how to read these codes is as important as mastering your expertise.
Building Your Network Daily: Simple but Decisive Actions
Developing a network in Saudi Arabia is not a series of isolated “tricks,” but a consistent attitude over time. A few structuring principles can guide your first weeks and months.
Being Physically Present and Accepting the Long-Term View
Local culture favors face-to-face meetings and phone calls over purely written exchanges. A visit, a shared coffee, or a lunch is often worth more than a dozen emails.
In a family business, an important investment decision might require the agreement of several senior family members, which naturally extends the response time. Rather than perceiving this wait as inertia, a supplier can use it to strengthen the relationship through simple gestures: a phone call to check in without commercial pressure, an informal lunch invitation, or a discreet email follow-up to share useful information. This approach transforms a potentially frustrating delay into an opportunity to build trust.
Translating Trust into Actions
In this context, your word carries enormous weight. A broken promise, a vague commitment, or an unexplained delay can significantly damage your credibility long-term. Conversely, setting realistic expectations and exceeding them, honestly explaining difficulties, and keeping others informed in case of problems reinforce your image as a reliable partner.
Mastering Basic Codes: Greetings, Attire, Hospitality
A few seemingly simple gestures have a disproportionate impact on the first impression you make.
For greetings, use the traditional phrase “As-salamu alaykum” (you will be answered “Wa alaykum as-salam”). Shake hands with the right hand, leaving the initiative for physical contact to the woman. Put away your phone and take the time to greet each person, starting with the eldest. Wear modest and formal attire: dark suits for men, loose and covering clothing for women (in many contexts, wearing an abaya is still expected). Accept hospitality like Arabic coffee (qahwa) and dates, do not start eating before the host, and always use your right hand to eat or pass an object.
Nothing complicated, but these details show you are making an effort to respect the culture, which opens many doors.
Where Networks Are Made: Cities, Events, Associations
Saudi Arabia is vast and dynamics are not the same everywhere. For an expatriate, certain hubs are particularly strategic.
Major Cities and Giga-Projects: New Talent Magnets
Riyadh concentrates the headquarters of many companies, ministries, major conferences, and a large portion of recently relocated regional HQs. The King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), new business districts, hotels, and convention centers form a sort of permanent networking “circuit.”
Jeddah serves as the commercial capital on the Red Sea, with a strong expatriate presence, economic events, and significant social life, especially in affluent neighborhoods and compounds.
Megaprojects like NEOM, Qiddiya, The Red Sea Project, or Diriyah attract their own communities of executives, consultants, engineers, and entrepreneurs. Participating in them, even occasionally through conferences or missions, allows contact with often highly international profiles.
Major Trade Shows and Conferences: Accelerators of Encounters
The business event calendar in Saudi Arabia has expanded dramatically. For an expatriate, these gatherings are concentrated opportunities for meetings, connections, and visibility.
This section presents concrete and significant cases that perfectly illustrate the article’s main subject. These carefully selected examples serve to clarify the concepts discussed and anchor the discussion in reality. They offer a tangible reference for the reader, thus facilitating the understanding and memorization of key information.
– LEAP in Riyadh, a major tech event that has already attracted over 200,000 participants and brings together global giants, startups, investment funds, and ministries.
– Sector-specific exhibitions like industrial, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, or logistics shows, which gather the complete ecosystem of an industry in a few days.
– Investment forums like the Future Investment Initiative (“Davos in the Desert”), supply chain conferences related to NEOM or megaprojects, ESG and energy summits.
To visualize the interest of these events, one can look at the scale of a specialized exhibition like IFAT (water, waste, environmental technology), which expanded into Saudi Arabia:
| Element | Indicative Data |
|---|---|
| Number of exhibitors | > 450 companies |
| Professional visitors | > 18,000 |
| Countries represented (startups) | > 35 |
| Investment volume | Around 750 billion SAR in opportunities |
Multiplying this type of occasion across different sectors (healthcare, manufacturing, food, finance, etc.) gives an idea of the potential for those who come prepared.
Chambers of Commerce, Associations, and Professional Clubs
Beyond the major events, the fabric of professional associations is extremely rich: local chambers of commerce (Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam…), the Council of Chambers, AmCham Saudi Arabia for American companies, bilateral councils (Saudi-British, Saudi-American, Saudi-German, etc.), medical societies, managers’, accountants’, and engineers’ associations.
These organizations facilitate the integration and networking of expatriates by offering regular events and often being open to their participation.
Friendly events to exchange and learn in an informal setting or during meals.
Training sessions or collaborative work to develop specific skills.
Professional communities focused on a specific industry for targeted networking.
Many structures accept individual members or recurring guests among expatriates.
In the events domain, the Saudi Exhibition & Conference Association (SECA) or platforms like Eye of Riyadh list an impressive volume of professional meetings. For a newcomer, subscribing to these calendars and setting the goal of attending one or two events per week is a good start.
Compounds, Clubs, and Expatriate Networks
The social life of expatriates remains heavily concentrated in private spaces: residential compounds, sports clubs, international schools, nationality-based associations. Many of these places organize tournaments, parties, informal talks, charity fundraisers, etc.
These are not just spaces for relaxation: they foster an extremely useful parallel network, especially for:
– understanding the “unwritten rules” of a particular sector or company,
– spotting job opportunities before they are published,
– finding partners for a project, a side business, or a community initiative.
LinkedIn: A Central Lever for Networking in Saudi Arabia
Even in a culture that values face-to-face interaction, LinkedIn has become the digital backbone of the qualified job market and business development.
Massive Usage, Especially Among Young Professionals
The kingdom has several million active LinkedIn users, with a majority under 35. Studies conducted among tech professionals in Saudi Arabia show, for example:
– nearly 70% report having received at least one job offer via LinkedIn,
– 64% believe the platform enhances their professional knowledge and creativity.
For an expatriate, not leveraging this channel means missing out on an entire field of opportunities.
Profile Optimized for the Saudi Market
The first step is to adapt your profile to the region. A few simple but very effective rules:
To maximize your visibility and appeal to recruiters in Saudi Arabia, several elements of your LinkedIn profile are essential. Use a clear, professional photo, as it significantly multiplies views and connection requests. Write a detailed headline including your role, specialties, sector, and regional anchor. In the summary, use the first person to highlight your quantifiable results and projects relevant to the country. Complete the skills section with technical expertise and soft skills valued locally, like cross-cultural communication. If possible, opt for a bilingual English/Arabic profile to boost engagement. Finally, set your location precisely to the Saudi city where you are targeting a job.
The figures on the recruiter side are telling: approximately half of recruiters use skills as a primary search criterion, and local recommendations play a very powerful “social proof” role.
Approaching the Right People at the Right Time
“Cold” outreach works if it’s personalized. Regional statistics show that connection requests with a tailored message have an acceptance rate approximately three times higher than generic invitations.
A few principles:
For successful networking in Saudi Arabia, reach out directly to local recruiters, managers in your target companies, HR managers, as well as peers (expatriates or Saudis) in your field. Your first message should be concise (under 400 characters) and very concrete about the reason for contacting. Avoid any immediate sales pitch: introduce yourself briefly, demonstrate you’ve researched your contact, and simply propose a short exchange (call or videoconference) to get acquainted.
The same reasoning applies to business development: in an environment where a B2B decision might require 4 to 5 touchpoints with a brand, LinkedIn is a good support for alternating valuable content, event invitations, and targeted meeting requests.
Connecting Online and Offline
The real return comes from the combination: meeting people at a trade show, meetup, or chamber of commerce meeting, adding them to your network the next day with a personalized thank-you note, and then staying present through regular interactions (commenting on a post, sharing a relevant article, congratulating on a promotion).
In practice, establishing a simple discipline – for example, systematically adding people met during the week and sending a follow-up message – multiplies your relationship capital within a few months.
Mentorship: A Discrete but Powerful Accelerator for Expatriates
In a country where hierarchy and personal trust are central, having a local mentor (Saudi or a very integrated expatriate) can transform your trajectory.
Why Mentorship is Particularly Strategic Here
International research shows that with a mentor, people progress faster in terms of promotions, salaries, and career satisfaction. In Saudi Arabia, the added value is twofold:
– deep understanding of corporate culture and social codes,
– indirect access to closed circles (decision-makers, influential families, sector networks) via the legitimacy your mentor lends you.
The country itself presents mentorship as a strategic necessity for achieving the Vision 2030 goals in talent development and leadership.
A telling example is Saudi Aramco’s mentorship program for its female employees: cohorts of 10 to 15 mentor-mentee pairs, mentors handpicked with at least ten years of experience, year-long relationships, with concrete results in internal mobility, assumption of responsibilities, and self-confidence. Even if you’re not at Aramco, it shows how seriously this type of program is taken.
Saudi Aramco Mentorship Program for its Female Employees
Where and How to Find a Mentor in Saudi Arabia
Several avenues exist, both formal and informal:
Different types of structures and circles allowing one to find a mentor or develop their professional network within the Kingdom.
Like the Misk Foundation, which connects young talent with high-level Saudi leaders.
Such as the International Mentoring Center (IMC), which develops chapters in Riyadh and Jeddah, with mentor accreditations.
Such as Endeavor Saudi, which brings together CEOs, investors, and experts.
From exchange programs, grandes écoles, or universities with links to the kingdom.
An open senior manager, a respected senior in your company, an association or community leader.
The key is to take the time to clarify your objectives (cultural integration, career progression, understanding a specific sector, etc.), let the relationship build before making a formal request, and then genuinely commit for the long term.
Getting the Most Out of the Mentoring Relationship
For mentorship to work, a few ingredients are essential:
– regularity of exchanges (e.g., once a month),
– preparation for each meeting (questions, concrete situations, decisions to be made),
– honesty about your difficulties, including cultural ones,
– ability to accept sometimes uncomfortable feedback, delivered in a space of trust.
In return, the mentor also gains: better understanding of the new generation or foreign cultures, expansion of their own network, validation of their experience. This reciprocity strengthens the solidity of the bond – and thus the network you share with them.
Networking with Cultural Respect: Religion, Gender, Language
Building a network in Saudi Arabia involves navigating an environment where religion, gender norms, and language notably influence professional daily life.
Religion and Work Rhythms
Islam is at the heart of social life and the calendar. The five daily prayers structure the days, Friday is a day of rest, and the month of Ramadan changes schedules and slows the pace of business. During fasting, eating, drinking, or smoking in public during the day is prohibited, even for non-Muslims.
Adapting your meetings, follow-ups, and even your online availability to these rhythms shows you take this framework seriously. It’s a form of respect… and a way to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings (canceled meetings, unreachable contacts, etc.).
Women and Professional Networks
The landscape is changing rapidly: women’s share of the workforce has increased from about 17% to over 35% in a few years, and they now represent nearly 40% of business founders in the country, a level higher than many European countries.
For a female expatriate, this means two co-existing realities:
– doors opening more and more (right to drive, employment reforms, pay equality enshrined in law),
– cultural reflexes still present (varying degrees of being taken seriously, sometimes needing to do more to prove one’s competence).
Joining women’s networks (tech, entrepreneurship, finance, etc.), participating in mentorship programs targeted at women, or relying on visible Saudi female business role models can help build a network that fully recognizes you.
Language: Is English Enough?
In business, English is widely used, especially in major cities and international sectors. But Arabic remains omnipresent in daily life, small businesses, government offices, and informal exchanges among Saudi colleagues.
Not speaking the common language, like Arabic in certain contexts, can lead to feelings of isolation and misunderstandings. Studies on multilingual teams confirm that these barriers harm trust and hinder cooperation.
Learning a few basic phrases, understanding greetings and polite expressions, or even taking Arabic classes to gradually grasp nuances is a very worthwhile investment: you gain autonomy, credibility, and closeness with your contacts.
Simultaneously, intelligently exploiting digital tools (translation apps, visual aids to present an idea, rephrasing) can compensate for some of the gap at the beginning.
Personal Strategy: Setting a Realistic Network Development Plan
Faced with a density of opportunities, the risk is spreading oneself too thin. Better to establish a simple plan, tailored to your profile, and adjust it over the months.
Clarify Your Targets
Not everyone needs to know everyone. Your time is limited, so is theirs. Ask yourself a few very concrete questions:
– In which sectors are opportunities most aligned with my experience (tech, construction, healthcare, education, energy, finance…)?
– In which territory will I primarily operate (Riyadh, Jeddah, Eastern Province, a specific giga-project)?
– Who are the key players in this environment: large corporations, local SMEs, ministries, investment funds, incubators, professional associations?
After this step, it becomes easier and more logical to choose which events to follow, LinkedIn groups to join, and professional associations to become a member of, based on relevant criteria rather than impulses.
Establish a Weekly Discipline
A network is built less by grand gestures than by an almost “administrative” consistency. For example:
– Attend at least one event per week (conference, breakfast, meetup, workshop) relevant to your goals,
– contact 5 to 10 new people on LinkedIn, with a targeted message,
– arrange at least one coffee or lunch with a key person (colleague, recently met contact, potential mentor),
– invest one hour to participate in an online community (sector-specific LinkedIn group, tech forum, expatriate network).
This is the time it takes for the number of people who know you personally to increase significantly, often triggering recommendations.
Focus on Follow-Up
Follow-up is probably the most neglected part of networking, yet that’s where all the value is. After a promising meeting:
– send a personalized thank-you message within 24 to 48 hours,
– note in a simple journal or CRM who is who, where you met, topics discussed, what you offered or received,
– schedule a reminder (one month, three months later) to check in, share relevant information, or suggest another point of contact.
This kind of rigor eventually sets you clearly apart in an environment where many exchange business cards without creating a real connection.
A Few Frequent Mistakes to Absolutely Avoid
Even with good intentions, certain reflexes can damage your image and your nascent network.
First, arriving as a “know-it-all” about how things should work in Saudi Arabia, constantly comparing to your home country, guarantees polite but firm rejection. The transformation is real, but it is happening based on well-established local values.
In a cultural context that values patience and consensus, demanding immediate answers, following up aggressively, or creating pressure is counterproductive, whether in negotiation or within a team.
Another pitfall: ignoring or downplaying hierarchy. Interrupting the senior person in a meeting, approaching a high-level manager directly without going through the usual intermediaries, harshly contradicting a manager in public can close doors for a long time.
Finally, treating LinkedIn as just a job application tool, without human interaction, is a mistake. In a country where the line between personal and professional relationships is blurrier than in the West, warmth, consistency, and loyalty in online exchanges matter at least as much as the CV.
In Conclusion: From a “Useful” to a “Meaningful” Network
Developing your professional network in Saudi Arabia as an expatriate means accepting to play on several levels at once: understanding the macroeconomic vision (Vision 2030, Saudization, giga-projects), mastering cultural codes (wasta, hierarchy, indirect communication, religion), fully exploiting modern tools (LinkedIn, incubators, major trade shows), and betting on subtler levers like mentorship.
Over time, a network transforms into a fabric of meaningful relationships, far beyond a mere list of useful contacts. These relationships become people you can turn to for advice, an opportunity, support in a crisis, or simply to exchange perspectives. In a context where personal trust is the true currency of exchange, this relationship capital constitutes your most valuable asset.
And it’s often here that expatriation stops being temporary and becomes a truly formative stage in an international career.
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Cyril Jarnias is an independent expert in international wealth management with over 20 years of experience. As an expatriate himself, he is dedicated to helping individuals and business leaders build, protect, and pass on their wealth with complete peace of mind.
On his website, cyriljarnias.com, he shares his expertise on international real estate, offshore company formation, and expatriation.
Thanks to his expertise, he offers sound advice to optimize his clients' wealth management. Cyril Jarnias is also recognized for his appearances in many prestigious media outlets such as BFM Business, les Français de l’étranger, Le Figaro, Les Echos, and Mieux vivre votre argent, where he shares his knowledge and know-how in wealth management.
