Salesforce And ServiceNow Join A Growing List Of Global Tech Giants Establishing Regional Headquarters In Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s growing role as a business hub – both regionally and globally – can be seen in the number of multinational companies that have announced the the establishment of their regional headquarters (HQs) in the Kingdom in the recent past. 

Salesforce – which bills itself as “the world’s #1 AI CRM” – is one of the latest global tech giants to make such a claim, with the company, a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and customer relationship management (CRM) for more than 10 years, announcing its plans to open a new regional headquarters in Riyadh in January this year. 

The company also announced plans to collaborate with global technology innovator IBM to establish an AI Innovation Center of Excellence, and, in addition, it has also committed to upskilling 30,000 Saudi citizens by 2030. 

In a statement, Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO, Salesforce, said, “We’re excited to expand our presence in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East region, and help drive innovation, enhance productivity, and support key digital transformation initiatives with our Agentforce digital labor platform. This is a moment where productivity is no longer tied to workforce growth, but to intelligent technology that can be scaled without limits, a new era of humans with agents working together to drive customer success. I look forward to seeing the fruits of our partnership with IBM and our customers in the region.” 

Commenting on the development, KSA Minister of Investment HE Khalid A. Alfalih said, “Salesforce’s decision to establish its regional headquarters in Riyadh, combined with its partnership with IBM to launch an AI Center of Excellence, marks yet another milestone in Saudi Arabia’s journey toward becoming a global hub for investment in technology, in innovation, and, most importantly, in Saudi talent. Today’s welcome news not only highlights the Kingdom’s competitive advantage as a destination for investment, but also underscores the confidence that leading global firms have in our transformative Vision 2030 agenda and our National Investment Strategy. Our Regional Headquarters Program has already attracted more than 500 global companies, and we’ve achieved our target for this program six years ahead of time.” 

KSA Minister of Communications and Information Technology HE Abdullah Alswaha added, “We thank Salesforce and IBM for their commitment to fueling the Kingdom’s thriving digital economy through the upskilling of 30,000 Saudi talents and supporting innovators who are shaping our digital future. This partnership strengthens Saudi Arabia’s position as the largest digital economy in the Middle East, home to the region’s biggest tech talent pool, and a global hub for innovation. Through this partnership, we are building a sustainable future by empowering our youth, fostering entrepreneurship, and offering businesses a gateway to markets across continents.” 

Salesforce is set to open its new regional headquarters, including a physical office in Riyadh, in 2025. Mohammed Alkhotani, a seasoned tech leader in the region, has been appointed as Salesforce’s Senior Vice President of the Middle East to lead regional strategy, operations, partnerships, and customer engagement. As for the AI Innovation Center of Excellence, by integrating Salesforce’s AI capabilities with IBM’s AI and consulting expertise, it will focus on advancing Agentforce, Salesforce’s digital labor platform, to develop AI-driven solutions for selected industries. 

In terms of its development strategy for the Saudi workforce, Salesforce plans to upskill 2,500 of the country’s citizens by 2026, and expand training programs to more than 15,000 individuals by 2030. To achieve these goals, Salesforce is partnering with local universities and institutions, including the KSA Ministry of Education, National Information Technology Academy, Saudi Digital Academy, Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, National eLearning Centre, and the FutureX initiative. The company will also collaborate with IBM and Al Baha University Talent Center to provide training and certification programs. Additionally, Salesforce’s Trailhead platform will train another 15,000 individuals, making AI and digital skills accessible to a broader workforce across the Kingdom. 

As Salesforce gets set to open its new headquarters in 2025, 2024 saw American digital workflow company ServiceNow officially inaugurate its regional headquarters in Laysen Valley, Riyadh, with it set to oversee the company’s operations in the Kingdom as well as the wider MENA region. Prior to the opening of the office, ServiceNow had also previously announced a US$500 million investment to drive business and government transformation, job creation, and digital skills development in the region. 

The Saudi Press Agency reported that Mohammed Al Robayan, Deputy Minister for Technology at MCIT, noted the opening of ServiceNow’s regional headquarters as a key step towards achieving the Kingdom’s goals of becoming a leading regional center for advanced technologies. “We welcome ServiceNow as a core member of the KSA tech business community, and look forward to their contributions in advancing digital innovation, fostering local talent, and driving positive impact across the Kingdom,” he said. 

Other notable companies set to launch their regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia include Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. Tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have also secured licenses to establish their regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia. Naver Corporation, South Korea’s leading internet portal operator, has also announced plans to open a regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia.