Case Study

Rawabi Group

Services provided: Operating Model, Purpose Engineering, Corporate and Business Strategy, Corporate Governance, Process (Re)engineering, Institutional Diagnosis and Industry Analysis, PMO Setup and Execution Support, Restructuring and Organizational Development, Change Enablement

Institutionalizing Rawabi Group and its affiliates through a 15-year partnership

The Challenge

Rawabi Holding, a family-owned conglomerate operating across oil & gas, engineering & construction, power, telecom, industrial services, and logistics, experienced sustained expansion over more than a decade. As the Group grew in scale, geographic reach, and portfolio complexity, spanning Saudi Arabia, the GCC, Asia, and North America, the challenge was not only to grow, but to do so in a structured, repeatable, and well-governed manner.

Managing a portfolio comprising multiple sectors and more than a dozen lines of business required a clear corporate direction, a strong and value-adding Corporate Center, and consistent operating, governance, and management systems that could be deployed across affiliates operating in different regulatory, cultural, and market contexts.

The Transformation

Beginning in 2008, Rawabi Group engaged CDS as a long-term partner to support the institutionalization of the Group at both holding and affiliate levels, accompanying the Group through successive phases of growth and geographic expansion.

The transformation with CDS focused on:

  • Group-level purpose and strategy: Definition and refinement of corporate purpose, vision, mission, values, and Group-level strategy to guide decision-making across a diversified portfolio of businesses.

  • Corporate portfolio and business strategies: Structuring and strategic positioning of the Group’s portfolio spanning three sectors and fourteen lines of business, including the development of tailored business strategies for each line of business and affiliate to strengthen focus, prioritization, and resource allocation.

  • Corporate Center role and business model: Design of the role, scope, and operating model of the Corporate Head Office to act as a value-adding center to affiliates rather than a purely administrative layer.

  • Governance design: Establishment and strengthening of corporate and family governance mechanisms to support effective oversight, decision-making, and alignment between shareholders, the Board, and executive management.

  • Geographic scaling: Progressive extension of the institutional model from the Group level to affiliates in Saudi Arabia, and subsequently to international operations in Asia (including Singapore and North America Canada).

Building the Foundations

To translate strategy and governance into consistent execution across the Group, CDS supported Rawabi in developing and deploying the institutional building blocks required for scale.

This included:

  • Enterprise policies and procedures: Design and rollout of central policies, procedures, and operating standards for all Corporate Head Office / support functions to be adopted across affiliates.

  • Organizational and management systems: Design of organizational structures, role definitions, authority matrices, management committees, and reporting mechanisms at both holding and affiliate levels.

  • Operating and business systems alignment: Harmonization of operational, organizational, human capital (HRM), and management systems to ensure consistency while allowing for local adaptation across geographies.

  • Roadmaps and implementation support: Development of phased institutionalization roadmaps and hands-on support to guide deployment, adoption, monitoring, and compliance over time.

The Outcome

Over a 15-year collaboration, Rawabi Group progressively institutionalized its strategy, governance, and operating model across a highly diversified and geographically dispersed portfolio. The Group established a clear corporate direction, a strong and value-adding Corporate Center, and a set of reusable institutional assets that could be deployed across existing and new affiliates.

This long-term partnership enabled Rawabi to scale its businesses in Saudi Arabia and internationally with greater consistency, control, and strategic discipline, while preserving the entrepreneurial strength of its operating companies. Today, Rawabi operates as a mature, well-governed conglomerate with institutional capabilities that support continued growth across sectors and regions, including readiness for potential IPOs in selected lines of business.

An illustration of CDS’ support at the level of one of the Group’s affiliates can be found in a separate case study (RVOS)

Work With Us