Russ McMeekin is mCloud’s co-founder, President, and CEO. His career includes executive roles as President of Honeywell’s Advanced Software Division and Digitalization, the Executive Director of Yokogawa Venture Group, and President and CEO of ViaFone (acquired by Sybase then SAP).
I made my first trip to Saudi Arabia after Covid restrictions began to lift earlier this year. I really wanted to get there to start setting up locally and determine how best to implement our AssetCare management solution throughout the region. I am confident that mCloud can drive business and help the Kingdom become more sustainable, attract more talent and transform the country into a hub connecting Afro-Eurasia.
The Kingdom has an initiative called Saudi Vision 2030 that sets out to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism. Saudi Arabia is very serious about ESG. Through their Vision 2030 initiatives, they are helping to drive an even stronger economy, a healthier place to live, and attract more investors and talent to drive growth and innovation across the Kingdom. mCloud shares the same vision of enabling safer, more energy-efficient communities that will help power economic growth.
Earlier this year, mCloud applied for a Ministry of Investment (MISA) license, which enables mCloud to operate in the Kingdom. The license enables us to work directly with Saudi companies as well as hire local employees to drive business opportunities. We received our MISA license in October this year – the first cloud asset solution provider to receive one.
Soon after receiving our license, I traveled back to the Kingdom for a second trip, this time with our mCloud President of MENA, Ibrahim Al-Hindawi. Together we toured the Kingdom to meet and discuss with various organizations in different industries how our AssetCare management solution can help drive better ESG, close operational gaps, provide better air quality and accelerate digital transformation. We met with 14 different organizations in five cities in the east, west and south areas of Dammam, Khobar, Jubail, Dhahran and Riyadh.
Our AssetCare management solutions were discussed with leaders from industry companies from such sectors as petrochemical, restaurants, commercial buildings, manufacturing facilities, automotive manufacturing, healthcare and lifestyle centers such as malls. In fact, while in Dhahran, we hosted an event at the Dhahran Mall, where we had installed the first indoor air quality solution with AssetCare in a restaurant in the Kingdom – a Chick ‘N Dip operated by AFCO Restaurant Group.
mCloud has the potential to have a great impact on helping companies increase their ESG scores and advance their digitalization ambitions. Through our AssetCare platform, mCloud offers complete asset management solutions that help critical assets in all these venues and more achieve optimal performance.
mCloud is dedicated to building a sustainable society that also results in new economic opportunities and a higher quality of life for everyone. More to the point - mCloud is partnered with those in KSA who are equally dedicated to building such a society.
What this trip has shown me is that the opportunity for digital transformation in all industry areas is there now. Saudi companies want to collaborate and find ways to improve their efficiencies, monitor their systems, provide healthier and safer environments for customers and employees while also using cutting-edge AI and the cloud to frame their data so they can craft how to tell their ESG story. I was also impressed by how modern and digital their infrastructure is -- everything is done on mobile phones and is paperless. In some ways, they are even further ahead of their peers in the Western world.
We have many opportunities in the Kingdom and entire Middle East. We will continue to help drive change and be a valuable partner in helping countries and businesses meet their objectives of building a sustainable future worldwide.
