Issue 10 2021

24 Acquisition International - Issue 10 2021 Best Corporate Turnaround CFO of the Year 2021 (Middle East): Balaji Prasad Balaji Prasad is Group CFO of Binladin International Holding Group (BIHG), which is one of the region’s largest diversified conglomerate consisting of 100’ s of companies and is also the parent company of the construction giant Saudi Binladin Group (SBG). he Saudi Binladin Group was founded in 1931 by Mohammed Binladin as a general contracting company, and the company’s history and growth has intertwined with the Kingdom’s ever since. As Saudi Arabia prospered, SBG evolved simultaneously. Under the leadership of the late Salem M. Binladen, the company’s activities expanded from road works and constructions to diversified activities with numerous offshoots worldwide. To prepare for an ambitious and more active international role, SBG was set up to incorporate various Binladen companies under a single association. Established in 2019, Binladin International Holdings Group has been overseeing five diversified sectors: real estate, construction, contracting, investment, and operations and maintenance. Notable projects by the company include the construction of the Abraj Al Bait Towers in Mecca, the Royal Terminal in Jeddah, Noura bint Abdul Rahman University, Jamaraat Bridge, Saudi Arabian Railways Projects CTW-100 and CTW-110, and Al Masjid Al-haram expansion. It has also been contracted to build the Jeddah Tower. Out of his career experience of 24 years, Group CFO Balaji Prasad has worked in the Middle East region almost two decades and brings with him extensive restructuring, corporate turnaround, business transformation and complex fundraising experience across diverse industries such as contracting, real estate, manufacturing, trading, and oil and gas. Before Balaji joined BIHG, he was the Group CFO of Abu Dhabi listed developer Manazel PJSC for last five years. Previously, he has held leadership positions in some of the blue chip companies like TYCO, Reliance Industries, Pentair, Sobha Group, Suhail Bahwan Group, as well as IndianOil. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant from India and CPA from US and holds a bachelor’s degree in applied sciences from Coimbatore Institute of Technology, India. He is also trained in FX, hedging and derivatives by Euro Money London, in addition to being a regular speaker in several international and regional conferences on finance and trade. Indeed, Balaji Prasad is an experienced, hard working leader. He is wise, sharp and bold in taking decisions, and has a fantastic ability to absorb technical matters which helps him to provide effective advice T Aug21257 and assistance to his colleagues as needed. He ultimately adds a distinctive quality to any organisation he works for.