Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region development entity – the Sharqia Development Authority – has appointed Talal Almaghlouth as Chief Executive Officer, with immediate effect.

Announcing the appointment, the authority shared, “Under the chairmanship of His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province and Chairman of the Eastern Province Development Authority, the Board of the Authority appoints Dr. Talal bin Nabil Al-Maghlooth as Chief Executive Officer of the Authority.”

Almaghlouth also shared, “I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Eastern Province and Chairman of the Eastern Province Development Authority, and to His Deputy Prince Saud bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz — may God protect them — as well as to Their Highnesses, Excellencies, and esteemed members of the Board of the Eastern Province Development Authority, for their trust in appointing me as Chief Executive Officer of the Authority.

I also thank everyone who offered their congratulations and prayers. I ask God for success in fulfilling this responsibility, serving my country and its leadership, and contributing to achieving the development goals of our beloved region.”

In his new role, Almaghlouth brings over a decade of leadership experience across both the private and public sectors in Saudi Arabia. He joined the SDA in July last year as Vice President of Urban Planning and Development.

Before joining SDA, he worked with the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services as Head of the Roads Transformation Office for over three years, and prior to that, served as Director of the Transportation Department at SDA. Earlier in his career, he worked with Saudi Aramco and as a Research Assistant at Western Michigan University.

On the academic front, Almaghlouth holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Engineering Management from the University of Bahrain, a Master of Science in Civil and Construction Engineering, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Western Michigan University.

He also holds key certifications, including High Impact Leadership, Negotiation and Influence, and Financial Data Analysis for Leaders from UC Berkeley Executive Education, along with additional programs in strategy, leadership, project management, and engineering from prominent institutions.

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Almaghlouth had been serving as the Acting CEO after Eng. Omar Alabdullatif stepped down from the position last month.

Eng. Alabdullatif had assumed the role following the departure of former CEO Fahad Almutlaq in 2023, who was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Urban Planning and Land at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing in Saudi Arabia.