David Grover, group CEO of ROSHN who joined the company in May 2020, is strongly rumoured to have left the company.
Sources suggest the departure was not planned, and that an internal announcement has been made to staff with a decision over a replacement CEO having been made.
The company did not respond to PropertyEU's calls and emails seeking clarification and details behind the rumoured departure, which is said to have occurred abruptly in the last few weeks. Grover could not be contacted.
Riyadh-based ROSHN took part at the Mipim trade show in Cannes last week, where Grover has previously attended but was notably absent this year.
The developer was part of the largest-ever Saudi delegation to the event showcasing huge developments at the 'Invest Saudi' pavilion.
ROSHN is owned by PIF and has a landbank of over 200 mln m2 in the Kingdom. By 2030, it aims to develop over 400,000 homes as well as 1,000 kindergartens and schools and over 700 mosques. The company’s chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose Vision 2023 programme is set to transform the country.
Among key projects is Sedra, a flagship 35 mln m2 community in Riyadh launched in 2021 whose first phase has been completed.
Grover is one of a handful of Western CEOs hired by Saudi giga-project developers.
He joined ROSHN nearly four years ago having held high profile roles in the UK including as CEO of Mace Group for seven years, where he achieved landmarks such as establishing the business in Asia, and worked on the London 2012 Olympic Games, Canary Wharf, the Shard, and Paddington Basin.
He was featured in PropertyEU magazine in an interview with ROSHN last November talking of further growth plans for the company.
Other examples of Western property figures taking senior roles at Saudi giga-project developers include Jayne McGivern, who was once in charge of the Millennium Dome in London later renamed The O2, and the new Wembley Stadium.
She is now CEO of Sports Boulevard, which will boast the world's largest ever linear park, and will run like a 'green spine' through Riyadh.
Jerry Inzerillo, an Italian American, is CEO of Diriyah Company, which is behind a $63.2 bn project, The Diriyah Gate.
