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
With senior relationships spanning multiple government ministries and entities, including Deputy Ministers across Strategy, Sport, Advanced Manufacturing, and International Relations, as well as the CEOs and board members of leading Saudi banks, key figures within major sovereign investment institutions and their portfolio companies, and prominent Saudi business families, she provides unparalleled access and influence at the highest levels of the Kingdom's institutional and commercial landscape.
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.