Who’s Who: Dr. Abdullah Hamad Mohammed Al-Fozan, chairman of KPMG in Saudi Arabia

Dr. Abdullah Hamad Mohammed Al-Foza
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Updated 09 September 2021
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Who’s Who: Dr. Abdullah Hamad Mohammed Al-Fozan, chairman of KPMG in Saudi Arabia

Dr. Abdullah Hamad Mohammed Al-Fozan is chairman of KPMG in Saudi Arabia. He also chairs the firm’s operations in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq as part of the Levant cluster.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from King Saud University and holds an MBA from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris and the University of Edinburgh.

For his doctorate in business administration from the UK’s Nottingham Trent University, he wrote his thesis on “Unemployment and Saudization in the private sector,” addressing the impact of government labor policies in Saudi Arabia on creating job opportunities in the private sector and reducing unemployment.

Since becoming a managing partner for the Riyadh office in 2000, he drew on his expertise to make significant strides toward nationalization programs and developing national talents.

Under his guidance, KPMG increased the nationalization rate from 7 percent upon his arrival to 42 percent in 2020, with strategies in place for stronger growth in the years to come.

Al-Fozan held the chairmanship of KPMG’s Middle East and South Asia board of directors from 2014 to 2018 and was also a member of the board of directors of KPMG International, both highly regarded positions in the global company that is home to more than 220,000 employees across over 150 countries.

Under his leadership, KPMG became the first professional services company in the Kingdom to transform from a partnership into a joint-stock company, enabling the audit, tax and advisory firm to expand across Saudi Arabia and the regional market.

Before joining KPMG, Al-Fozan was associated with the Saudi Industrial Development Fund for eight years.


Fragrance artisans weave heritage into Jazan Festival experience

Updated 02 January 2026
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Fragrance artisans weave heritage into Jazan Festival experience

Riyadh: Perfumes are emerging as living connections to ancestral memory at the Jazan Festival 2026, which opened on Friday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

A narrative rooted in botanical origins is unfolding as veteran craftswomen showcase decades of accumulated wisdom, transforming the contents of native plants into small vessels that distill the human bond with terrain.

Aromas wafting through the space suggest imagery of regional ecosystems — fragrant vegetation cultivated across highland and lowland zones, harvested during optimal periods, then subjected to extended drying and distillation processes before materializing as perfumes and essences embodying geographical character, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Arranged fragrance containers resemble nature’s output, composed by skilled practitioners versed in harvest timing, plant dormancy requirements and scent extraction methods, yielding products preserving organic integrity and territorial identity.

Craftswoman Fatima bint Mohammed Al-Faifi has dedicated two decades to perfume production, characterizing regional practice as social custom interwoven throughout daily existence — deployed in guest reception, featured at celebrations, accompanying community gathering — elevating scent to cultural signature, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Festival attendees are discovering aromatic botanicals, absorbing production methodology explanations and discerning nuanced olfactory distinctions, demonstrating how craftsmanship blends persistence with expertise, tradition with innovation.

Perfume artisan involvement aligns with Jazan Festival’s initiative repositioning traditional crafts as dynamic, evolving culture while spotlighting women’s contributions safeguarding regional inheritance and expressing this through modern methods, the Saudi Press Agency reported.