Savills makes key appointments to Saudi office
Property management is an area of growing focus for Savills’ operations in Saudi Arabia
Savills Middle East has announced two key appointments to lead its property and facilities management functions in Saudi Arabia. The firm said that Laszlo Fulop joins as Head of Property Management and will oversee the department in Saudi Arabia, ensuring stability and consistency of the service for landlords and tenants, while Benjamin Blackaby will take over as Head of Facilities Management in the Kingdom.
In his new role, Fulop will focus on tenant relationship management, policies, and processes, EHS/ESG, cost management, and commercial lease negotiations, the statement said.
He brings more than 20 years of experience in managing and leasing properties across multiple asset classes, as well as providing consultancy services to developers and occupiers. Fulop was previously Head of Property Management at Budapest Airport where he oversaw the management of a portfolio of 80 assets across office, retail, and industrial sectors led to over 120 tenants, the firm noted.
In January 2022, Savills said three new locations were in operation in Pakistan.
Laszlo Fulop, Head of Property Management, Savills Saudi Arabia
Property management is an area of growing focus for Savills operations in Saudi Arabia. The project management team currently handles the Tadawul Tower in KAFD with a total GFA of 130,000sqm. Other assets under management include The Business District in Riyadh and other business and logistics parks around the Kingdom, the firm pointed out.
The firm stated that Benjamin Blackaby will oversee all aspects of implementation of the company’s strategy to ensure a smooth and seamless flow of operations. He joins from Savills in the UK where he had spent over six years and was most recently Operations Director.
Prior to this, Blackaby worked as the General Manager of The Royal Exchange, where his role encompassed management of service charge budgets and reconciliation, while preparing year-end packs.
In February 2022, the firm said it was bolstering its global residential development consultancy team with hires and restructuring.
Benjamin Blackaby, Head of Facilities Management, Savills Saudi Arabia
Welcoming the duo, Ramzi Darwish, Head of Saudi Arabia stated, “Savills Saudi Arabia is gearing up for the next stage of growth, and their appointment is testament to our expansion story. Both of them bring a high level of expertise to the business which will be an invaluable asset in further expanding their respective service lines.”
“Whilst our main focus has been on commercial assets, we have also built strong relationships across the residential sector with landlords of key compounds and have formed closed connections with top residential developers. The residential sector is key in expanding the breadth of PM and FM services that Savills has to offer,” he concluded.
In October 2022, the firm revealed its top second home locations with an emphasis on wellness.
