Shaping the Saudi future

After a successful, two decades long career in health informatics and management
consulting, Dr. Fadi Al-Buhairan (Class of 2007) made the leap into the logistics
industry in 2019 when he joined Saudi Post as Deputy CEO. Now, having successfully
transformed that organization, he has been named head of Saudi Arabia’s new Special
Integrated Logistics Zone.

In this conversation, Al-Buhairan traces his career path and the impact that studying at
the Faculty of Information has had on him.

How did you come to study at the University of Toronto?
Back in 2004, I decided to pursue my postgraduate education in North America. I was born in California and spent the first nine years of my life there, but I wanted to experience something different. Canada was appealing because of its reputation and the University of Toronto (U of T) was one of the leading institutes globally.

When you came to U of T, you had already worked in the health sector for several years. Were you looking to specialize in health informatics?
My first job was with Unilever in Dubai, but I then decided to move back home to Saudi Arabia and join the National Guard Health Affairs, where I worked in IT. I was looking to specialize in health informatics, and U of T’s strong reputation in healthcare was a big draw for me. The University Health Network, with all the affiliates, was attractive as well. I knew that I was coming to an institution that was very strong in healthcare.

Can you elaborate a bit on what specifically your area of expertise was back then?
It’s what we refer to as health informatics or health information systems – be it electronic medical records or laboratory information systems or radiology information
systems. It’s looking at core clinical information systems, not traditional back-office systems that any organization would use, but focused on the clinical side, and how we
can enhance the overall patient experience.

What stands out for you about your time at the Faculty of Information?
My degree at U of T was one of the most challenging I’ve ever undertaken. The blend of research and practical experience was very strong. The professors, especially in the Information Systems concentration, were extremely knowledgeable and demanding. This experience gave me a sense of maturity, discipline, and effective time management. There were students in museum studies, library science and information systems. It was a blend of art and science, creative and technical, and bringing it all
together was really valuable for me.

I’ve got to give credit to Professor Eric Yu. He was very, very talented, very knowledgeable, but absolutely kept us on our toes, which is part of why we pursue postgraduate education. If it’s going to be a piece of cake, then there really is no value to getting that degree. The more challenging it is, the more exciting and the more rewarding it is once you’re done.

You made a big career shift five years ago. What prompted that?
It was really two major shifts. I left management consulting after about 12 years in total, divided between my own practice and, then, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young. I also left healthcare and decided to do something different. I wanted to be more on the implementation side, rather than the advising side.

In 2019, I joined Saudi Post as Deputy CEO and helped transform it into a logistics company. We created new service lines. We established new subsidiary companies. We revamped 500 post offices across the Kingdom. We opened up state-of-the-art operational facilities. We rebranded. And the list goes on and on. It was one of the best decisions of my life, learning something new, and being exposed to a new industry, which for the Kingdom, is one of the key industries of the future.

Given where the Kingdom is, regionally and geographically, this should be a global hub, and that’s what we’re working on. This was a major shift, but it was exciting to take on new challenges and contribute to Saudi Vision 2030.

Can you tell us about your current role as CEO of the Kingdom’s Special Integrated Logistics Zone? The website says it’s being designed from the ground-up.

I was getting relaxed and comfortable [at Saudi Post], and the minute I get relaxed and comfortable, I realize I need to move on to something that will challenge me further. I had a number of opportunities over the last year, but the only one that excited me was the one that I joined, which is establishing the first special logistics free zone in the Kingdom. It’s a greenfield project in comparison to the brownfield transformation that I was in.

It’s on a land plot of about three million square metres. Unipart, the third-party logistics operator for Apple, has been here for two years. They’ve established their first distribution centre in the Kingdom. We’re focusing on a number of industries that carry out activities in light assembly, light manufacturing, repairs, storage and distribution. The industries we are primarily focused on attracting into the zone are information and communication technology, luxury goods, aerospace, and pharma/medical supplies and devices. The healthcare side never seems to leave me. Every time I feel like I’m moving away, it comes back again.

What are some of the challenges you face?
Developing a zone from the ground up is a challenge, an exciting one, but we have a good support system around us, whether it’s the government agencies or others. Finding the right talent, attracting investors and the lead time it takes to bring in an international company, get them interested, and then converting into a contract and moving forward. But I think the biggest challenge I have is that I like delivering fast, and I get challenged when I’m not going as fast as I want to be.

Are you still putting your U of T education to work?
Absolutely. The education I received at U of T, especially in information systems design and analysis, has been invaluable. It taught me to be a strong analyst and to design and construct effective systems, whether they are IT systems or organizational processes.
The exposure to different cultures and expertise also enriched my professional and personal growth.