Business Chief Europe Magazine June 2015 | Page 39

INTERVIEW WITH STÉPHANE AUBARBIER ,

ASSYSTEM STEPS UP ITS PRESENCE IN SAUDI ARABIA

INTERVIEW WITH STÉPHANE AUBARBIER ,

Executive Vice-President of Assystem and CEO of the division Energy & Infrastructure
In January this year , Assystem , an international engineering company , completed its acquisition of 75 % of the Saudi Arabian design company Radicon Gulf Consult . Stéphane Aubarbier , Assystem Vice-President explains why it was a “ win-win ” for all parties .
“ As the 4th independent nuclear engineering company worldwide , Assystem wanted to strengthen its footprint in the GCC region- which is currently developing strongly in the nuclear energy sector . The company ’ s business model relies on building long-term links with local clients , which only an acquisition enables . Radicon , a 400-strong Saudi engineering company , fulfilled this need ; since they understood the local market and had a reputation for quality and excellence , they were the natural choice .”
the group ’ s outreach in Saudi and more globally in the Arabian Gulf , enabling us to support our clients locally in this region . Moreover , the
namely in the fields of nuclear but
also in project management and
systems
integration
to
local
experts .”
© Photo Credits : Assystem
“ Radicon was enthusiastic too as some of its main clients wanted them to join forces with a western engineering company to bring in complementary skills . Today , Assystem - Radicon together are winning contracts that neither could hope to win alone .”
Assystem-Radicon brings a new engineering offer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . “ In the Gulf , there is still enormous potential for investments in energy , infrastructures and transports . Our strategy is to build a high-performance engineering company that is destined to last .”
“ Indeed , Radicon will strengthen
strong technical expertise of Radicon in infrastructure ’ s design as well as its understanding of the local environment combined with Assystem ’ s international reputation and historical expertise in complex project management , namely in nuclear , will enable us to be a reliable and efficient partner to our Saudi clients .”
Assystem ’ s model is to transfer its expertise to local delivery centers . “ We aim to place a strong emphasis on recruiting local engineers and implement different training programs to transfer Assystem ’ s historical expertise
Assystem was first active in the Gulf in 2011 through its participation in the UAE nuclear programme and its technical assistance subsidiary , MPH Global Services . In September 2013 , Assystem relocated its energy and infrastructure division ’ s global headquarters to Dubai . Today , Assystem has more than 1200 employees in the MEA region across its offices in the UAE , Qatar , Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ...
www . assystem . com www . radicongulf . com
@ Assystem