NSG appoints Eng. Haithem Alfaraj as CEO

Neo Space Group (NSG), a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has announced the appointment of Eng. Haithem Mohammed Mojil Alfaraj as Chief Executive Officer, marking a strategic leadership transition aimed at accelerating the Kingdom’s space ambitions.

Alfaraj assumes his role effective April 9, 2026, succeeding Martijn Blanken, who has led the company since its inception. The planned transition reflects NSG’s evolution into its next phase of growth, reinforcing its commitment to strengthening Saudi Arabia’s sovereign space capabilities while ensuring continuity in vision and execution.

Stepping into the new role, Alfaraj commented, “I’m honored to join Neo Space Group at a defining moment in its journey. NSG is playing a critical role in advancing Saudi Arabia’s sovereign space capabilities and supporting the ambitions of Vision 2030. Building on a strong foundation, I look forward to working with the team to scale our impact, accelerate commercialisation, and further position the Kingdom as a key player in the global space economy.”

With more than two decades of leadership experience in telecommunications and technology, Alfaraj most recently served as Group Chief Technology Officer at stc. In this role, he spearheaded major digital transformation initiatives, including network modernisation, cloud adoption, cybersecurity advancements, and digital platform development, positioning stc as a leading digital technology group.

Earlier in his career, he held senior technology leadership roles at Mobily and began his professional journey at Saudi Aramco. 

Beyond his corporate responsibilities, Alfaraj contributes to global industry development as a member of the GSMA Technology Group Board and serves on the Board of the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), a partnership between King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and the World Economic Forum.