Saudi consultancy targets Vision 2030 growth

Thamma Al-Masar has launched in Riyadh as a Saudi-registered strategy and business consultancy, appointing Ross McAuley as managing director to support organisations building brands, destinations and customer experiences across Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf.

The firm, powered by Yonder, enters the market at a time when Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation is drawing global advisory, design, tourism, hospitality and technology groups into projects linked to Vision 2030. Its stated focus is on helping public and private-sector leadership teams convert large-scale ambition into practical strategies, sharper brand positioning and measurable customer or citizen outcomes.

McAuley brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the UK, with a career spanning destination development, commercial strategy, brand building, digital transformation and customer experience. His appointment gives the new consultancy an immediate regional profile, particularly in areas where Saudi Arabia is investing heavily: tourism destinations, entertainment, culture, sport, hospitality and digitally enabled public services.

Thamma Al-Masar said it has been established with a long-term commitment to building a Saudi-rooted business and nurturing local talent. The company’s model combines local market understanding with Yonder’s global capabilities in research, data science, strategy, brand and experience design. Yonder has offices in London and New York and works across insight-led strategy, innovation, customer behaviour and business transformation.

“Vision 2030 is creating significant commercial opportunity, and raising expectations for what great looks like,” McAuley said. “Thamma Al-Masar exists to help leaders turn ambition into results: clearer choices, distinctive brands, and experiences people genuinely choose.”

The consultancy will work across strategy, brand, insight and experience design, targeting organisations involved in giga-projects and destinations, government ministries and authorities, corporate transformation, culture and creativity, luxury hospitality, sport and entertainment. That scope reflects the breadth of Saudi Arabia’s diversification programme, which is reshaping sectors beyond hydrocarbons and creating demand for specialised advisory firms able to connect policy objectives with consumer behaviour and execution.

McAuley’s most closely watched role before this appointment was at Qiddiya in Riyadh, where he worked on commercial strategy and destination positioning while supporting visitor experience and commercial frameworks. Qiddiya is one of the flagship projects tied to Saudi Arabia’s push into entertainment, sport and tourism, designed as a major destination near the capital.

His earlier roles included chief executive of Scotland’s destination management and marketing organisation, senior leadership at Jumeirah Group, and chief marketing officer positions linked to large-scale travel, education and hospitality businesses. That background gives Thamma Al-Masar a leadership profile aligned with the market it seeks to serve: destination-led growth, experience-led transformation and brand development for high-visibility projects.

Saudi Arabia’s consultancy market has grown in step with the scale of Vision 2030 delivery. Government-backed projects, private-sector expansion and new investment platforms have created steady demand for international and regional advisers in areas such as governance, customer experience, brand strategy, data, tourism planning and operating models. The market has also become more competitive, with global consultancies, boutique strategy firms, design studios and communications agencies all seeking roles in the country’s transformation agenda.

Tourism is one of the clearest indicators of this shift. Saudi Arabia has raised its 2030 target to 150 million visits after passing the earlier 100 million milestone ahead of schedule. The sector’s expansion has been supported by destination development, new hotel capacity, international events, heritage projects, entertainment venues and religious tourism infrastructure in Makkah and Madinah.

The emergence of Thamma Al-Masar also reflects a wider localisation trend. Saudi clients are increasingly seeking firms that understand domestic expectations, regulatory priorities, social change and the pace of delivery, while still drawing on international benchmarks. That has opened space for hybrid models in which global expertise is delivered through locally registered entities with a mandate to develop national talent.

Michael Simmonds, chief executive of Yonder Consulting, said Thamma Al-Masar had been designed around Saudi and Gulf client needs while drawing on Yonder’s global standards. He said McAuley’s experience in destination development, commercial growth and experience-led transformation would support the firm’s plan to invest in Saudi talent and leadership.