The real estate development industry is an essential component of global economic growth, shaping the urban environment and driving infrastructural advancements. With urbanization on the rise and increasing demand for modern living spaces, the industry continues to grow by incorporating innovative design, financial feasibility, and sustainable development practices. This progression is fuelled by a shift towards development projects that meet current market demands and align with future growth trends. Developers are constantly exploring new approaches to integrate efficiency, functionality, and aesthetics into large-scale projects, creating a balance between profitability and long-term viability.
Amr Younes, the Executive Director for Real Estate Development, plays an important role in shaping the future of the industry. His leading approach focuses on aligning strategic goals with market needs, ensuring that projects are financially feasible and aligned with the broader trends in real estate. Amr is known for his forward-thinking vision, which drives his ability to manage intricate developments while maintaining a keen understanding of financial and technical aspects. His leadership focuses on collaboration, bringing together diverse teams to achieve common objectives.
At Rakayiz Development Co., Amr leads real estate initiatives that are crucial in redefining the sector in Saudi Arabia. The company is dedicated to delivering high-quality, large-scale projects that cater to various market segments, including hospitality, residential, and mixed-use developments. By utilizing strategic partnerships and focusing on financial performance, Rakayiz Development Co. is deemed to continue to strengthen its position as a leading developer, contributing to the country’s economic diversification efforts. Under Amr’s guidance, the company is well positioned to meet the growing demands of the real estate market while ensuring sustainable development practices.
Let’s delve into Amr’s transformative journey in the field of real estate development:
Managing Large-Scale Projects and Financial Feasibility
Amr has over 15 years of experience in real estate development, urban planning, business development, and contract management. His foundation in Mechanical Engineering from West Virginia University provided the technical skills that served him well during his early career in construction, where he honed his technical skills in managing challenging engineering projects.
His career shifted towards real estate development, overseeing project studies, proposals, budgeting, and financial feasibilities. This scope marked the beginning of his involvement in real estate development and set the stage for future leadership roles in some of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent real estate development companies.
The journey involved progressively more roles in landmark organizations where he managed large-scale projects with notable impact on the real estate market in the kingdom. This experience was essential for building his expertise in mixed-use developments, large-scale project management, and financial feasibility studies.
The combination of technical experience, financial modelling, and real estate acumen eventually led him to his current role at Rakayiz Development Co., where his skills in managing real estate projects, understanding market needs, and driving financial performance came together under one leadership banner.
Ensuring Compliance and Alignment with Business Goals
As the Executive Director for Real Estate Development at Rakayiz Development Co., Amr oversees the company’s real estate development portfolio, manages internal and external stakeholders, and drives the financial and strategic direction of various development projects.
Given his previous roles, he is heavily involved in the conceptualization, planning, and execution of real estate development projects, including overseeing construction, ensuring alignment with the company’s business goals, managing timelines, and working closely with urban planning and design teams. Additionally, he ensures compliance with regulatory requirements.
His responsibilities include managing partnerships with third-party developers and ensuring that all project outputs meet the strategic and financial goals of the company. His role also extends to maintaining investor relationships and securing funding for projects.
Financial Planning and Market Alignment
He has a broad and diverse background in real estate development, which has profoundly shaped his strategic and practical approach to managing intricate projects. His experiences span across multiple companies and project types—from hospitality and residential developments, to landmarks, to large mixed-use and urban projects, each requiring a different set of strategies, timelines, and financial considerations.
This diversity provided him with the ability to look at development projects from multiple perspectives—technical, financial, operational, and strategic—making his approach both comprehensive and adaptable.
All of Amr’s work experiences allowed him to navigate large-scale developments in a competitive market. These roles required extensive interaction with multiple stakeholders—government agencies, construction teams, and financial partners—helping him develop a holistic perspective on project execution.
Additionally, his deep involvement in financial feasibility studies, budgeting, and revenue projections shaped his ability to balance ambition with realistic financial expectations, ensuring that developments are not only visionary but also a viable and sustainable investment and utility of land assets.
A key feature of Amr’s approach is the focus on market absorption rates—an important factor in ensuring that projects align with current and projected market demand. He understands that without a clear grasp of market trends, development projects risk underperformance in both sales and operations.
Moreover, funding strategies play a crucial role in the development process. Structuring financial models and sourcing investment opportunities ensures that projects are financially sound and well-positioned to attract investors.
Whether through private equity, joint ventures, or public funding, he ensures that each project has a solid financial foundation before moving forward. His understanding of the cost of development and financial returns allows him to make informed decisions that maximize profitability without compromising quality.
Adopting a strategic mindset extends to partnership development as well. His experience working with third-party developers and consultants ensures the success of collaborative efforts. This ability to form strategic partnerships not only reduces risks but also brings in new ideas and best practices, enriching the development process.
In summary, his approach to real estate development is shaped by:
- Diverse project experience with different types of developments (hospitality, residential, mixed-use).
- Strong financial planning involving feasibility studies, budgets, and financial modelling.
- Strategic thinking, ensuring alignment with market demand and investor expectations.
- Effective stakeholder management means maintaining clear communication and collaboration with all involved parties.
These elements together form a well-rounded approach that allows the delivery of successful projects that are both innovative and practical, achieving a balance between ambition and feasibility.
Creating a Collaborative Environment
He believes that leadership is not merely a position, title, or target to seek but a calling that some are able to answer by presenting their skill set and confidence and earning enough trust to be placed in a leadership role. It involves mastering the art of balancing service provision to the team and the business without compromising one for the other. Historically, both in corporate and social structures, leaders are only as strong as the team they stood before.
It involves the careful selection of a diversified team with different backgrounds and expertise to ensure that deliverables are the best possible. Leading a team of individuals with different personalities and skill sets requires a balance of confidence in leading the team and trust and enablement the allows the team to perform. It also involves providing the space and freedom required to manage their own contributions while offering guidance and clarity on the targets and goals of the project.
Amr’s philosophy is built on creating a collaborative environment where everyone has room to thrive while ensuring that they work toward a common goal. This leadership style not only promotes innovation but also aligns well with the overall objectives of any organization by enhancing efficiency, accountability, and teamwork. The ability to lead teams with different expertise makes it easier to meet the diverse needs of real estate development projects, particularly in areas like design, finance, and construction.
Maintaining Focus and Energy
In Amr’s view, work-life balance is a growing concept, one that shifts and changes depending on the demands of both work and life. For him, it is not a strict dividing line but rather a fluid area where both aspects take precedence at different times. Achieving a healthy balance is about constantly making decisions that prioritize both work and personal life in such a way that neither gets left behind.
This fluid approach to balancing work and life allows him to remain flexible and adapt to the needs of his demanding role while keeping his personal life in check. The ability to navigate this balance helps maintain the focus and energy needed to lead large-scale projects without sacrificing his well-being.
Leadership and Strategic Vision
He agrees that real estate development is a key building block of the economy. With Rakayiz Development Co., the goal is to play a major role in shaping Saudi Arabia’s real estate sector under the leadership of CEO Eng. Basim Al Shareef, and with the support of the board of directors, Rakayiz aims to become a major contributor to the country’s economy by developing high-quality real estate projects that meet the needs of Saudi citizens and businesses.
In the long term, Amr envisions Rakayiz as one of the leading developers in the western region of Saudi Arabia and potentially expanding to other regions of the Kingdom. This vision aligns with the broader economic goals of Saudi Vision 2030 as it continues to diversify its economy away from oil dependency and invests heavily in other sectors, such as real estate and infrastructure development.
Proactive Professional Development
Amr believes that to stay updated, it is important to maintain visibility of the local and regional real estate markets while learning from ongoing projects and activities, attending industry conferences and events, and keeping in close contact with colleagues in the industry. These actions provide valuable insights into emerging trends and best practices, which he can then contribute to the success of their development projects.
This proactive approach to professional development ensures that he remains ahead of the curve in terms of market trends, regulatory changes, and innovations in the real estate sector.
Passion for Continuous Learning
He advises professionals aspiring to reach senior leadership roles in the real estate development sector to never let their passion for learning wane. He encourages aspiring leaders to always strive to learn something new—whether from a person, a task, or an experience. It is important to observe professionals around you, be selective in what you choose to adopt, and never become complacent.
Amr strongly believes that progress in one’s career is not measured by titles, but by the confidence, one develops in their profession and the quality of their work. He also highlights the importance of gaining deep knowledge of the industry and developing a professional network that will help professionals grow.
Supporting Economic Diversification with Quality Assets
Amr’s immediate goal at Rakayiz Development Co. is to firmly establish the company as a major player in the western region of Saudi Arabia and launch it to the market with a strong presence via a diversified project pipeline. Over time, the plan is to expand its reach to become a nationally recognized real estate developer.
This ambition aligns with the company’s broader mission of contributing to the development of Saudi Arabia’s real estate sector and supporting the country’s economic diversification efforts while providing top-quality real estate assets in all asset classes and types.
