This conversation features Strategy & Execution consultant Saleh Fakeeh and analyst Sultan Al Saud, as they share their experiences working in Saudi Arabia. They share insights into their background, their work, and what led them to join this emerging team. They also reflect on the company culture and offer advice for aspiring professionals.

“My name is Saleh Fakeeh. I’m a Strategy & Execution Consultant in Riyadh. I was the first employee to join Metyis in Saudi Arabia.”

“My name is Sultan Al Saud and I’m a Strategy & Execution Analyst based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I joined Metyis in early 2025."

The journey to impact

Saleh Fakeeh

"I studied political science in King Abdulaziz University. They call it the Founder University in Saudi. I started my career while I was studying as a marketing trainee in a plastic factory. Actually, it's a family business. And then after my graduation, I moved to Riyadh. I'm from Jeddah, the second biggest city in Saudi.

After my graduation, I moved to Riyadh to work as an intern in the Ministry of Economy and Planning of Saudi Arabia. I worked there in developing and making partnerships for sustainable development goals, as the Ministry of Economy and Planning is responsible for these goals in Saudi Arabia. So, I was working there to build strategic partnerships to achieve the 17 goals of sustainability.

Then I had a short virtual internship programme with the MiSK Foundation, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation. I worked there also in strategy to build partnerships. My real career started with Kaizen Consulting Firm or Kaizen Institute here in Saudi. I worked there on a big project in the governmental sector for a year. Then I worked in Monster Lab, where I focused on multiple projects with government entities on increasing FDI and developing labour policies here in Saudi.

The reason I wanted to join Metyis was because I met many people who inspired me greatly. I wondered where all these fantastic people were graduating from and realised that they were all part of Metyis.

After joining Metyis and becoming the first employee in the Saudi office, I recognised that this is the place where I want to grow and take on a senior leadership role someday. It will be a great pleasure to build this company's impact in Saudi Arabia and align with my country's Vision 2030.”

Sultan Al Saud

“I’m very new to consulting. This is actually my first job. I recently graduated from Alfaisal university in May last year. I studied Business Project Management. Then in November 2024, I had an opportunity to have a short trial run with Metyis, after which, I discovered I liked consulting, so I decided to turn it into a full-on career.

In my school, we had an IB Programme, International Baccalaureate. It's a British programme, and in high school, you pick what subjects you want to study for your major. It prepares you for university. So, I picked business. But at first, I picked engineering. But I didn't like it, so I switched to business, and I liked the subjects and fell in love with business. So, I decided to have it as a major in university.

I've been at Metyis for a few months, and it's been a great experience so far. Everyone has been super friendly and super informative. Everyone's been showing me around, guiding me. If I need help with something, there is always someone available, which is very nice and very encouraging. I found that very welcoming from the Metyis team.”

Behind the scenes in Rhyiad

Sultan and Saleh share some what they are working on and the impact we are making in Saudi Arabia.

Saleh Fakeeh

“At the moment I'm working on a project with two sister companies in the events industry. We're working to develop and transform their operations. So, we've reached the fifth phase of the project that is focused on execution. In the execution part, we are building a business acceleration office for both companies.

We divide each company into three waves. Inside each wave, there are around 20 to 30 initiatives. Right now, we are in the first wave, trying to execute around 20 to 30 initiatives in each company.

The previous phases were about market assessment to see where the two companies are positioned in the market and to analyse the market to see what is missing in the two companies so Metyis could develop. So, what we are doing right now is executing the initiatives we have identified for them, and one company already has around 40 initiatives.”

Sultan Al Saud

“At first, I was working on benchmarking the water industry and looking at different countries and their smart water metering. But now I've moved on to the reporting sector. I'm working on the annual reports for the water sector, trying to see how Saudi Arabia evolved from 2016 until now, which is when Vision 2030 started.

So, we're researching how everything evolved from that time until now and how it will evolve in the future. It's my first time ever thinking about the water sector in general, which is new to me and very interesting. I'm learning a lot of information about it, and it makes you appreciate water in general and how you use it.

Researching was totally new to me. I didn't know how to research and find key information, but everyone was very helpful in teaching me how to get relevant information, and I'm slowly learning.”

What’s so special about Life@Metyis

Although they are at different stages of their career, both Saleh and Sultan have found an appreciation for the opportunity to grow and learn at Metyis. Being a small team opens up so many doors as they can help shape how it develops.

Saleh Fakeeh

“What I found so interesting about Metyis early on was the focus on building great relationships with clients. That's one of the reasons I joined. That's the thing I'm really interested in. Plus, as Metyis consultants, we deliver.

One of the other things I really like so far is working in the client sector. I worked before in nonprofit sectors, labour affairs, and ports sector in my previous companies. But now it's my first time working with a company. Usually, my clients are government sectors. So, this is the first time working with the private sector. It's also my first time working in something related to entertainment or event management and so far, it's been good to work with and learn from them.

Another reason that made me want to be a part of Metyis is that I knew I would be the first employee. Once I applied, I wanted to be the person who makes the change in building the company here in Saudi. So, I can tell my kids after 20 years that I helped built this team in Saudi Arabia. I want to focus on more than the execution. I also want to be in a position to help build partnerships with new clients and search for potential projects in the future.

I can see myself staying at Metyis until have a chance to become a Partner, whenever it will be. From the support I’m getting from my direct managers so far, I feel like I could reach any position. The support that I'm getting from the top gives me a good push, and I feel that I could reach a leadership position one day.”

Sultan Al Saud

“Many different factors make it special for me. First, consultancy in general is nice because you can work on so many different projects and fields and gain so much knowledge. So that's what interested me in consultancy. But joining Metyis, specifically, was special because of how we work with clients.

We don't just give clients solutions; we actually help them reach their goals and build relationships with our clients. So that's what interested me when I joined. I would love to be in different projects to learn as much as I possibly can. That is my main goal.

And overall, the people at Metyis make it very welcoming and friendly, which makes you want to stay longer. It's not an environment where you feel you want to get away. Everyone wants to help everyone, and it's just an amazing culture.”

Some words of wisdom

Saleh and Sultan each offer valuable insights from their journeys like the importance of seeking new opportunities and learning new things.

Saleh Fakeeh

“My advice is to focus on the new things that the market requires these days. For example, not only in Saudi Arabia, but globally around data, AI, etc. You must be aware of new things at least. At Metyis, even with a young team that may not be very experienced, they have awareness of new trends. So even when you don't have the experience, it doesn't matter if you have passion for learning.

So, I believe this is what’s important for us to reflect on to become a leading company in the market."

Sultan Al Saud

“My only advice when starting a career would be to try it out first somehow.

Many companies open internships or trial opportunities for young people, so they can try it and then form their own opinions, like I did.”

It’s been truly insightful to hear from these team members experiences and seeing how we are growing in Saudi Arabia. We hope their efforts in shaping this team will result in a strong presence in Rhyiadh, with new opportunities, partners, and ambitions.