Built for the complexity
of the Saudi market.
Sakina was founded by practitioners who have led market entry programmes for Fortune 500 companies, sovereign wealth funds, and government-linked entities across the Gulf.
Why we exist
Saudi Arabia's transformation under Vision 2030 has created extraordinary opportunities for international organisations. But the regulatory environment is sophisticated, the cultural dynamics are distinct, and the cost of a misstep at the entry stage is high.
Generalist consultancies offer Saudi Arabia as one line in a global capability statement. We offer it as our entire focus. Every adviser at Sakina has spent the majority of their career working in or directly on the Kingdom.
We founded Sakina because we saw too many capable organisations make avoidable mistakes — not from lack of intelligence, but from lack of the right local knowledge at the right moment.
How we operate
We are a boutique advisory firm. We do not have hundreds of consultants. We have a small team of senior practitioners who take a limited number of mandates at any one time.
This means every client receives direct access to the people whose names are on the door. It also means we are selective about the mandates we accept — we only take work we are confident we can execute with distinction.
Our clients include multinationals entering the Kingdom for the first time, established international businesses restructuring their Saudi operations, and sovereign entities seeking independent governance advice.
What we stand for
Senior-led delivery
Every mandate is led by a partner or director. We do not delegate client-facing work to junior analysts.
Conflict-free advice
We take no referral fees from law firms, banks, or real estate agents. Our only commercial interest is your successful establishment.
Institutional discretion
Many clients require confidentiality during the entry phase. We operate with the discretion of a trusted adviser, not a marketing-led consultancy.
Honest scoping
If we cannot add value to your specific situation, we will tell you. We do not take mandates we cannot execute with distinction.
Senior practitioners. No juniors on client work.
Suzi Holden
Having spent her entire career across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Suzi has operated at the most senior levels of advisory, executive search, and strategic consultancy throughout the Gulf region. Her deep-rooted presence in both markets, built over decades of living and working in the Kingdom and the Emirates, has positioned her as one of the most trusted and well-connected figures in the region's institutional and commercial landscape.
Suzi's network spans the highest echelons of government and the private sector. She maintains close relationships with Deputy Ministers across Strategy, Sport, Advanced Manufacturing, and International Relations, as well as the CEOs and board members of leading Saudi and Emirati banks, key principals within major sovereign investment institutions and their portfolio companies, and the patriarchs and decision-makers of the most prominent Saudi and Emirati business families.
Beyond access, Suzi is a trusted broker of high-level introductions, connecting senior government officials, institutional leaders, and notable figureheads who would not otherwise be brought together. She has played a pivotal role in facilitating landmark deals, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships between regional and international counterparts, quietly shaping some of the most consequential commercial relationships in the Gulf. Her ability to navigate the cultural, political, and commercial sensitivities of both markets with discretion and authority is what sets her apart.
For those seeking genuine influence and introductions at the very top of Saudi Arabia's and the UAE's institutional and commercial hierarchy, Suzi provides access that is simply unmatched.
James Hardy
James has over 25 years' experience overseeing complex commercial transactions across international markets, and is also a UK-qualified lawyer. He combines an understanding of Saudi Arabia's relationship-based business culture with hands-on deal experience.
He was Head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Alibaba. He went on to co-found and run a cross-border e-commerce business which won the Queen's Award for Export in 2020, and most recently ran the consumer business of a multi-billion-dollar fintech operating across more than 30 countries, where he built its remittance arm. Earlier in his career he was North American General Counsel of an LSE-listed group, where he led M&A.
His connection to the Kingdom goes back two generations: his father worked in Riyadh for five years, and his grandfather was Professor of Surgery at the University of Riyadh and helped to establish its school of surgery.
Work with us
Initial consultations are confidential and obligation-free.