Loay Mashabi has been the Deputy Minister for Logistics Services at the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services since April 2021. He has also been a board member of Saudia Cargo since August 2021 and a board member of Saudi Exports from June 2021.
Prior to his current position, Mashabi was the deputy governor for planning and development at Saudi Customs from September 2019 to March 2021. He served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Al-Soudah Development project, later known as Al-Soudah Development Co., at the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, from February 2019 to August 2019.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Connect with the Guest:
Mr. Loay Mashabi: LinkedIn
Some of the highlights from the podcast:
- Navigating a career both in the public and private sectors
- Regulatory, economic policies, and infrastructure point of view
- Saudi Arabia Vision for 2030 – working closely with neighboring countries
- Why should companies invest in Saudi Arabia
- Initiatives in developing talents in the logistics sector
Show notes:
- [00:45] When you look back at your career, what are some inflection points or some key moments that made a difference and shaped who you are?
- [02:45] “It was a new government on which as a private sector, we used to go and show them opportunities, they would respond quickly and we would launch products together. It was a very fruitful and successful few years. This is when I fell in love with working in the government sector.”
- [04:24] “Many companies in the private sector started integrating vertically, horizontally, diagonally, you name it- the logistics sector was reshaping quite drastically. The scope of work of freight forwarders was also expanding quite significantly. And as regulators, we’ve decided we need to unify as well.”
- [05:26] Tell us a little bit about some of the key achievements after you launched the National Transport and Logistics strategy.
- [07:58] “The beautiful thing about the logistic performance index is that it’s perception based. It showed us that on the ground performance, the improvement is better, but we still need to do more marketing.”
- [10:13] What would be some of the biggest projects from a logistics and transport perspective you are most proud of?
- [12:08] “Those who bring in value economically; those who bring in job opportunities; those who bring in significant global or foreign direct investment; and those, frankly, who are quite governed in their monetary transactions and in their businesses, are the ones we allow to come in.”
- [13:35] “We’ve also changed the regulation regarding transshipment transit and transfer all of these numbers in transshipment, it is more than 100% more this year than last year, and it was already more than 100% more last year than the year before that.”
- [14:30] “Almost all operators now in the sea and air, their revenue share model with the asset owner is based on performance and not as if it was in the past, just a price tag or a flat rate.”
- [18:08] “Everywhere you look, there is a potential for logistics to play a significant role in better trade and better economic strife and growth. And this is the mentality we’re approaching those connections.”
- [20:27] What’s the ultimate goal? What is the 2030 vision, after all the projects are completed and what will it look like?
- [24:12] If I was speaking as a private company within transport and logistics, looking to come to Saudi Arabia or looking potentially to invest in Saudi Arabia, what would you say are the top three points which would attract us to invest?
- [26:26] Specifically for logistics and supply chain, are there certain initiatives that you’re taking at the government level to train and upskill talents in general?
- [28:55] “If you create so many jobs but the pay is low, then your score is low. You need to fix that. This is something we are asked to look into as well.”
- [31:33] What one piece or two pieces of advice would you give somebody who wants to make a great career, whether it’s private or public? What would you say helped you the most in your career?
- [33:23] The Saudi Arabia football transfer market is the hottest in the world. What’s your favorite team?
Quotes from the Episode:
About the Host:
The host, Radu Palamariu is the co-author of “From Source to Sold – Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain”. He has been named one of the top 3 Global Supply Chain Influencers on LinkedIn and was featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, WEF, Bangkok Post, and MIT Supply Chain Talent magazine. Radu invites executives to share stories and perspectives around technology, logistics, e-commerce, supply chain, and manufacturing, and their views on how the future will look.
Alcott Global connects and upgrades the supply chain ecosystem by finding the right talent through executive search, developing talent through learning solutions, and meeting supply chain technology needs through a comprehensive crunch base marketplace.
The supply chain executive search has been our focus since the very beginning, offering recruitment services for top-tier supply chain roles at every level of the end-to-end supply chain: plan, source / procure, make, and deliver. Our consultants have years of experience in placing top talent, in North America, LATAM, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and APAC, and besides speed, one of our biggest strengths is our network within the supply chain industry, and we capitalize on it to find the best solutions.
Through the years, we have grown as an organization and our offerings with it. One of our initiatives, the learning solutions- training and supply chain academy, is focused on transforming leadership- self-leadership, executive presence, influence capital, and business acumen. Through Supplify, we aim to match corporations with the top technology companies to solve their supply chain and logistics challenges with a focus on innovation and digital transformation.
We are in constant touch with the leaders in supply chain, inviting them to inspire the supply chain professionals in thought-provoking podcast episodes and events, and showcasing what is possible at the yearly Leaders in Supply Chain Awards.
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