Coca-Cola in Saudi Arabia Coca-Cola in Saudi Arabia - Olayan Group

Coca-Cola in
Saudi Arabia
Up, up, and away
Olayan Facets
Xerox Puts the Information
Explosion to Work
Issue No 10, Winter 1998/1999
INSide
OFC Ranked No.10
2
Exports to the World
6
Employee Service Honored
10
Celebrating Our 50th
12

2
Milestones
OFC Ranked 10th Among Saudi 100
Olayan Financing Company (OFC) was ranked No. 10 in a
recently released annual survey of top Saudi companies,
known as the Saudi 100.
The widely publicized rankings were announced in the
Dec. 21, 1998, edition of Arab News, a leading English-language
daily in Saudi Arabia. While the survey has been
conducted
annually for
several years,
this was the
first time OFC
participated.
While
ranked tenth
overall, OFC
came in at No.
4 among the
top 10 diversified
companies, with annual turnover of nearly $920 million
(SR 3.4 billion). It was ranked No. 8 among the top 10
employers in the Kingdom, with a total work force of 8,591
employees at its wholly-owned, majority-owned and affiliated
companies. OFC was ranked 19th overall in terms of
assets, which were listed at $1.676 billion (SR 6.287 billion).
Established in 1978 and headquartered in Riyadh, OFC
oversees all of The Olayan Group’s businesses and investments
in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. It is also the
vehicle for the Group’s joint ventures in the region.
Chairman Attends Landmark Events
Group Chairman Suliman Olayan attended several landmark
events last fall while in the U.S. during the course of his
heavy international business schedule.
He and his wife Mary were guests of the Bechtel Group
at that company’s centennial celebration in San Francisco in
late September. Less than a week later, Mr. Olayan attended
a dinner in Washington,
DC, for H.R.H. Crown
Prince Abdullah bin Abdul
Aziz Al Saud, who was on
a state visit to the U.S. as
part of a historic, 47-day
tour to seven nations on
three continents. Mr.
Olayan also attended the
annual IMF and World
Bank meetings in
Washington, DC, accompa-
nied by his daughter,
Hutham Olayan, president
of Olayan America Corp.
Suliman Olayan with Steve Bechtel, Jr.
at the Bechtel Group’s centennial
celebration last September in
San Francisco.
Finally, Mr. Olayan was among the guests of honor in
early October at the 15th Anniversary event in New York of
the Arab Bankers Association of North America. Mr Olayan,
who received the organization’s Banker’s Achievement
Award in 1993, was among 13 such distinguished awardees
who were asked to comment for the occasion on the
greatest challenge facing bankers in the Arab world. Noting
that the price for joining the global economy is having to
play on a level field, Mr. Olayan presented this as the overriding
question facing these bankers today: “When my protected
economy opens up, can I compete?”
Mr. Olayan in Washington, DC. From left: H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf,
Saudi Minister of Finance and National Economy; The Hon. Chas. W.
Freeman, Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; and the Hon.
John H. Sununu, former Chief of Staff to President George Bush.
Olayan-Bechtel Partnership Celebrated
Olayan and Bechtel teamed up on Dec. 8, 1998, to hold a
joint reception marking the close of Bechtel’s centennial
year, the passing of Olayan’s 50th Anniversary, and an association
between the two companies and their founding families
that dates from 1947.The event was held at the
Equestrian Club in Riyadh and attended by nearly 200 people,
including leading Saudi and international businessmen,
government officials, ambassadors and diplomats. A photo
display featured Bechtel’s landmark projects.
Khaled Olayan, chairman
of Olayan Financing
Company, and John Carter,
Bechtel’s regional president
for Europe, Africa, the
Middle East and Southwest
Asia, addressed the gathering.
Each stressed the commitment
of their respective
companies to the partnership
and the development
of Saudi Arabia.
Khaled Olayan and John Carter at
the Riyadh reception last December.
Communiqué is published for the employees and friends of The Olayan Group.
Editor: Richard Hobson, New York
Correspondents: Samer Khalidi, Riyadh; Peter Crichton, Al-Khobar; Talal Munshi, Jeddah; Christine Childs, Athens; Gaye Rackham, London.
Design and Production: VAMCOM & Partners, Parsippany, New Jersey

ABM, AT&E Make Headlines
Arabian Business Machines (ABM) and its sister company,
Arabian Telecommunications & Electronics (AT&E), are featured
in the December 1998 issue of Saudi Commerce &
Economic Review. The magazine reported on the recent opening
of the concerns’ new flagship showroom for the Eastern
Province, located in Al-Khobar.
“The new showroom marks the launch of an extensive
expansion program for both ABM and AT&E in the
Kingdom, which will carry us into the 21st Century,” General
Manager Bakhit Al Farhan commented at the ceremony.
Meantime, Vivid Technologies Inc. of the U.S. has
announced an order completed by ABM for seven automated
explosives detection systems for King Khalid International
Airport in Riyadh. While Vivid systems have been selected
for use in 33 airports in 17 countries, this was the first such
sale to an airport in the Middle East. ABM is the exclusive
distributor for Saudi Arabia of Vivid Technologies, based in
Woburn, Massachusetts.
Khalid Al-Zamil, chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers and the
Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the Eastern Province, center,
cuts the ribbon with Khaled Olayan as Bakhit Al-Farhan looks on.
New Dimension in Coca-Cola Alliance
The Olayan Group has become a major stakeholder in Coca-
Cola Beverages Plc (CCB), the bottler for Central and Eastern
Europe. The move has given the Group instant exposure to
a whole new market while further bolstering its long-standing
relationship with The Coca-Cola Company, the world’s
largest beverage concern.
CCB was formed in July 1998 as a spin-off from its former
parent, Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd. of Australia. Olayan acquired
nearly an 11 percent stake in the new company, primarily
through a private transaction with the San Miguel Corp. of
the Philippines.
Olayan executives Samir Toubassy in London and John
Wolcott in New York coordinated the project, working with
respective offices of Credit Suisse First Boston, the Group’s
advisor in the transaction. Toubassy was elected to CCB’s
board last September.
CCB’s initial territory comprises 13 countries, including
Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Poland and Hungary.
“The Olayan Group is the largest shareholder after The
Coca-Cola Company, and we look at this as a long-term
strategic investment,” commented Toubassy.
The Olayan Group has long been an investor in The
Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola Enterprises in the U.S.
The relationship took an active turn in 1988, when Olayan
brought Coca-Cola back to Saudi Arabia after a market
absence of 25 years. That high-flying venture is featured on
our cover and on pages 4-5.
Participating in First Emergency Medicine Conference
The Saudi Red Crescent Society initiated the First
International Conference and Exhibition on Emergency
Medicine last summer, and naturally Olayan’s Arabian Health
Care Supply Company (AHCSC) was an active participant.
H.R.H. Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, Interior Minister,
inaugurated the event, held at the Saudi Cultural Center in
Riyadh on the occasion of the Red Crescent Society’s 65th
Anniversary.
AHCSC exhibited products from its major suppliers,
including Baxter, U.S. Surgical and Orthofix, as well as
ENAYAH, the local manufacturer of surgical disposables and
accessories from Kimberly-Clark in which Olayan plays a
major role.
Othman Abahussein, general manager of AHCSC, right, briefs Minister
of Interior H.R.H. Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, center, Minister of Health
H.E. Dr. Osama Shobokshi, and President of the Saudi Red Crescent
Society H.E. Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Suwailem, left, on the activities of
Olayan’s medical products company.
33

4
Coca-Cola in Saudi
Last September in Riyadh, Douglas Ivester, head of
the world’s largest beverage company, unveiled a
plaque commemorating his visit to the site of a
new, $20 million Coca-Cola bottling plant. He was
invited to do so by Khaled Olayan, chairman of
The Olayan Group’s operations in the Kingdom, which
include the bottling joint venture with Coca-Cola.
“It is a clear indication of the success of
The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Saudi
Arabia (CCBCSA) that we are building this
plant, and we should recognize its symbolic
value,” said Mr. Olayan. “By building a stateof-the-art
facility in Riyadh, we send an
unmistakable signal. As the unified bottler
for the whole of Saudi Arabia, we are
determined to establish our presence in all
parts of the country with the goal of serving
every customer.”
The plant, which is scheduled to open in
March 1999, is the third Coca-Cola bottling
facility in the Kingdom and the first in the
central region. The others are in Dammam
and Jeddah. The Riyadh facility is being
built from scratch on a large parcel of
Olayan land adjacent to the Olayan Saudi
Holding Company complex in the capital.
The Saudi Arabian Bechtel Company, another
Olayan joint venture, is managing the
construction project.
Growth in a sizzling market
According to a recent report in the
Financial Times, the soft drink market in the
Middle East and North Africa as a whole has
grown 50 percent since 1991 and is expected
to expand 85 percent more by 2005. This
region, which runs from Morocco to Oman,
has benefited from $400 million in strategic
investments by the Coca-Cola system over
the past five years. Nearly one-quarter of
this investment has gone into the Saudi market,
which Ivester, who is chairman and
chief executive of The Coca-Cola Company,
called the fastest-growing for Coca-Cola
products in the region. A further major infusion
in the region is scheduled over the next
three years.
That type of commitment has already paid off. Coca-Cola
products now represent nearly 40 percent of all carbonated
soft drink sales in the region as a whole. In Saudi Arabia,
CCBCSA’s share of sales, including Coca-Cola Lite, Sprite and
The “Coca-Cola Giants” attract a crowd.
Douglas Ivester and Khaled Olayan after
unveiling the plaque at the Riyadh plant.
Fanta, have grown to about 28 percent from zero a little
over a decade ago. And that has been against tough
competition from an entrenched rival, which enjoyed a
quarter-century head start.
Celebrating its soaring success
Last April, Coca-Cola celebrated its ascendancy by choosing
the skies over Jeddah to introduce the
world’s largest bottle-shaped hot air balloons.
It would take 2 billion liters of
Coke to fill each one! Known as the
Coca-Cola Giants, the twin balloons
kicked off a Middle East tour in Saudi
Arabia as a special “thank you” to its loyal
customers there for helping lead the
region in sales growth.
During their two-week stay in the
Kingdom, the Giants were part of a new
world’s record. At an altitude of 5,000
feet, Coca-Cola stuntman Ian Ashpole successfully
performed the world’s highestever
somersault trapeze act. Then he
jumped from the balloons with Saudi
parachutist Mubarak Al-Suwailem, the first
Saudi daredevil to attempt such a feat in
the Kingdom.
After their stint in Jeddah, the balloons
moved on to Riyadh and Dammam. More
than 100,000 people participated in the
festivities, and more than half a million
residents got a chance to see the Giants
as they flew over the Kingdom.
Commitment to Community
“As we focus on our business we
have not lost sight of our
community,” Khaled Olayan stated
last fall during a tour of the new
Coca-Cola plant in Riyadh. “The
Olayan Group is very proud of its
long-standing tradition of contributing
to the development of the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia, a history that
Coca-Cola shares in its home markets.”
In Saudi Arabia, Coca-Cola is
actively supporting community
services, especially sports and
education, even as it finds innovative
ways to serve customers. Snapshots of
this work appear here.

Arabia
Up, up, and away
Up, up, and away
Nearly 1,000
contestants
competed in the
fifth Olympic Day
Run held last
August 13 in
Dammam. The
event was organized
by the
Saudi Olympic
Committee and
by Coca-Cola.
Saudi children participated last
May in the first Annual Young
Scientists Fair, held at the Jeddah
Science and Technology Center as
part of a unique Al Baik/Coca-Cola
program. The Grand winner, Jawad
Al Shamali, 11, attended the Nasa
Space Camp in Alabama last
September. It was his first trip to
the U.S.
Three lucky young
soccer fans won a
trip to the World
Cup in France last
summer as part of
Coca-Cola’s Youth
Program. Two of
the boys were on
the field at Cup
matches as Ball
Kids. The third
played in a selected
Pre-Match Match.
They were among
560 young fans to
represent their
countries at the
world’s most
watched sporting
event.
Promotions like this one -
“Collect 3, Get 1 Free,” which
was launched in late 1998 -
have proven enormously
popular with economizing
families in Saudi Arabia.
5

Exports
Saudi Arabia
Olayan has shipped diapers to Russia, disposable surgical suits to the
6
to the World
U.S., plastic pipes to Hong Kong, and personal care products to Djibouti.
Even today, at the dawn of the 21st
Century, most people can easily conjure up an
image of ancient camel caravans criss-crossing
Arabia’s desert terrain in a slow but steady movement from
oasis to oasis, transporting goods from east to west and back. So
famous and deeply rooted in history is this scene that it often represents
the nascent point of world trade.
Flash to the present, at any of Saudi Arabia’s gateway airports or seaports,
and the image is much different. Jumbo cargo jets, tractor-trailers, supertankers,
and container ships have long since displaced the caravan. What has not
changed is that the Arabian Peninsula today, like its counterpart of old, is a major
hub of world trade.
In the holds of cargo carriers are not just the hydrocarbons that have long made
Saudi Arabia the world’s largest oil exporting nation, but also several billions of dollars
worth of non-oil exports a year. The volume of these non-oil merchandise exports has
been on the rise. So has their proportion of total Saudi exports. Moreover, with the
recent decline in world oil prices to near historic lows in real terms, exports of Saudimade
goods have taken on national strategic importance.
The Olayan Group is not just doing its part. It stands foursquare in the export torrent.
The goal of the Group has always been to bridge the Saudi, Gulf and global economies.
It has driven commercial and industrial pylons deep into the markets of the Kingdom
and the Gulf. As the Saudi economy has developed, the traffic across this bridge has
become distinctly two-way. The Group is actively promoting Saudi exports at many
of its affiliated companies in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
Every year, the companies of The Olayan Group together export thousands of
tons of manufactured goods to Gulf countries, the wider Middle East and well
beyond. Key manufacturers contributing to the push appear on the facing
page. The Group also exports services. For example, it recently expanded
its master franchising agreement with Burger King to include not only
the Gulf countries, but also Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria
and Iraq. Olayan-Descon, an industrial maintenance
concern based in Jubail, has won contracts
throughout the Gulf.

OLAYAN KIMBERLY-CLARK
SAUDI BOX CO.
NABISCO ARABIA CO.
STEEL PRODUCTS CO.
ARABIAN PAPER PRODUCTS CO.
ARABIAN MEDICAL PRODUCTS MANUFACTURING CO.
OLAYAN ARABIAN PACKAGING CO.
SAUDI PLASTIC PRODUCTS CO.
UNITED ARAB CAN MANUFACTURING CO.
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE ARABIA LTD.
ALUMINUM PRODUCTS CO.
ALUMINUM MANUFACTURING CO.
7

8
Introduced
several years oiii
ago, the Xerox “X”
symbol appears to be
solid and diaphanous,
constantly assembling and
disassembling itself from
floating bits of
information.
In Saudi Arabia, this dynamic digital
signature is more appropriate than ever.
More and more documents are being
created, shared, distributed and printed on networks.
The movement of the document from the
printed form to digital has fueled an explosion
in the volume of useful information we all have
at our disposal.
Because it has prepared for the communications
thunderbolt, and even seeded the clouds
for it, Saudi Xerox Agencies Co. has been able
Farid Moharram
to anticipate the demand for the new technologies
and offer equipment and systems that fulfill
it. It meets this demand through nationwide coverage by
highly motivated teams. Headquartered in Al-Khobar, Saudi
Xerox also has offices in Jubail Industrial City, Riyadh, Jeddah
and Makkah. Founded in 1986, this Olayan-Xerox partnership
is now in its 13th year.
According to General Manager Farid Moharram, who joined
the Saudi agency four years ago, the group is well positioned
to take a leadership role in the digital era. “We have the
expertise, the products and most importantly the after sales
support. The year ahead holds its challenges from the standpoint
of the general economy but offers great promise for
those who weather the storm and stay firm.”
Saudi Arabia’s Team Xerox is preparing its customers
for an information mix that is rapidly
tilting toward the digital networked side of the
information equation, even while the amount
of information in paper form is still growing
rapidly.
“In fact, the use of e-mail and the Internet
has increased the use of paper!” Moharram
exclaims. “For instance, we know that most
people print their e-mail first when they
receive it.”
Information as a resource has been recognized
as the biggest capital asset a company
can have. It has become the competitive edge in the world of
today’s business. Critical information is captured in documents
and, to the extent that a company can leverage technology
to improve document work processes, it will be vital
in the growth of the company’s intellectual capital.
Xerox has a heritage built on the invention of the laser
printer, fax, mouse, graphic user interface and Ethernet network
(precursor to the Internet), not to mention the xerographic
copier!
But the speed of change is increasing.
“In the past we could develop and launch a product in
three years. Once it was launched, we could keep it going
for five to 10 years,” notes Moharram. “This is no longer the

Volume of useful information
case; the rate at which products are launched and replaced
will probably be five times faster. In addition, many
customers do not buy in face-to-face situations.”
As a result, according to Moharram, the traditional copier
suppliers are no longer the competitors of tomorrow: “The
business models to watch are those established by companies
such as Hewlett Packard, Microsoft and Dell,” he says.
Saudi Xerox has entered the fray with an entire family of
products based on a 100 percent digital platform. They work
as a bridge between the paper-based document and the
electronic document. To introduce the products, Saudi
Arabia’s Team Xerox organized a roving exhibition called
DigiteX ‘98 (Digital Products Exhibition of Xerox). Events
were run in Al-Khobar, Riyadh and Jeddah.
The heart of the new digital technology is CenterWare,
which comes with all Document Center products.
CenterWare brings incredible productivity to small and large
companies alike. A version of CenterWare that will work via
the Internet is planned for release shortly.
The challenge for Saudi Xerox is to help their customers
learn new ways of acquiring and managing this new kind of
office equipment. In the typical company, functions are still
rather distinctly divided among such departments as office
services, telecommunications and information services.
Xerox CenterWare and Document Center products now
blend all these functions.
Saudi Xerox sales consultants recommend that to smooth
the way for greater efficiency, their customers should create
a cross-functional “big four” steering committee. The committee
should comprise representatives from procurement
plus office services, telecom and information services. The
committee creates standards to incorporate multi-tasking
technology for new locations and to upgrade existing locations.
This planning technique -— really a consulting function —
can help guide forward-looking companies to new
efficiencies.
DIGITAL DOCUMENTS TO SOAR
Useful documents
in paper form
Useful documents
in digital form
1995 Data Point =>5.4 Billion
Business Dcuments Created
(worldwide)
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Time
Research by Data Point
Held in Al-Khobar, Jeddah and Riyadh, DigiteX ’98 was instrumental
in positioning Saudi Xerox as a pioneer and market leader in digital
technologies.
Some of the members of “Saudi Team Xerox” choose their own way to
dramatize the information explosion chronicled more dryly in the chart
at left.
One in a series of company profiles highlighting the
integrated facets of The Olayan Group. 9

10
Inside Olayan
In conjunction with its 50th
Anniversary, The Olayan Group
held a series of celebrations in six
cities on three continents to honor
its exceptionally dedicated, multinational
work force. The New York
office kicked off the program at the
end of 1997, and events followed in
Athens, Al-Khobar, Jeddah, Riyadh
and lastly, in November 1998,
London.
Bashir Ahmed, the Group’s longestserving
member after its founder, presents
Khaled Olayan, left, with his 20-year
award. Bashir Ahmed, who is from the
Sudan, has been with the Group since
1959, all of that time with General
Contracting Company, the original
Olayan enterprise.
In a message to employees
inaugurating the Employee
Recognition Program, Group
Chairman Suliman Olayan stated:
“Fifty years ago, I embarked on a
journey and was fortunate enough
to have several able and dedicated
people accompany me. That journey
has taken me far, and today
there are a lot more people
involved in the enterprise. But I
have never lost sight of the fact
that you and your fellow employees
have made the journey possible
and have helped propel The
Olayan Group to where it is today.
Just as importantly, we depend
upon you to identify new paths for
our organization and to guide us
forward along them.
Employee Service Celebrated
Accounts Assistant Ghazala Qureshi accepts her five-year award from John Dunbar, managing
director of Olayan Europe Ltd., at a celebration held last November at the Tower of London.
Gabriel Saba, vice president of Olayan
Investments Company Establishment, left,
receives his 30-year award from Group
President Aziz Syriani in Athens.
No matter what position you personally
hold, you are vital to the overall success
of the journey and to our reaching
every milestone along the way.”
Out of a total eligible work force of
3,310 from 25 Olayan companies, 1,427
employees, or 43 percent, received
awards for five or more years of service.
More than 20 percent received awards
for 10 or more years of service and 5
percent for 20 or more years. Eighteen
employees were honored for having
reached the 25-year milestone, eight
for reaching 30 years, and one for
reaching 35.
That is a remarkable record,
considering that the average U.S. corporation
currently loses about half its
Alice Fontaine, the longestserving
member of Olayan’s
New York team, has been a
special assistant to the
Group Chairman’s Office for
more than a quarter century.
employees every four years,
according to one widely cited
estimate.
Recognizing an exceptionally
loyal work force, Mr. Olayan told
employees, “We will continue to
depend upon you as we move forward
to take up the challenges of
the new century. Those challenges
are many and diverse, but, with
your continued dedication, all is
possible. I am confident that our
Group will achieve even greater
success in the years ahead.”

Animal Magnetism Senior Management Changes
(L–R) Kelsey Burns, Jake Burns, and Carl Fusco spend quality time
with an Australian wallaby.
Offspring of employees at Olayan America Corporation got
up close and personal last December with a number of
“exotic” animals rarely seen in the Big Apple. It was all part
of the Annual Children’s Holiday Party, held at the company’s
Park Avenue office. Both animals and children scurried
through the premises, and all strays were safely recovered.
Realtors Battle Sizzlers in Basketball Final
Nine companies participated in the first Inter-Olayan
Basketball Tournament last summer at the Al-Bustan residential
complex in Al-Khobar. The home team, the Al-Bustan
Realtors, won the championship, while the youthful, crowdpleasing
Burger King Sizzlers came in second. The Coca-
Cola Bottlers defeated the GCC Turbo Chargers for third
place.
Burger King’s Edward Torres was judged the most valuable
player, while the Xerox Duplicators were a unanimous
choice for the sportsmanship award. Other teams in the
tournament, held from April 30 to July 9 and organized by
the Group’s Human Resources Department, were the AMCO
Metals, GTC Leone Tea Traders, Olayan Kimberly-Clark
Super Trims, and VETCO Inspectors. OSHCO Chairman
Khaled Olayan, President Clive Minto and then Group Vice
President of Human Resources Amr Al-Taher were all on
hand at the awards ceremony.
Akram Hijazi
After 30 years of service to
The Olayan Group,
including more than 20 as
chief financial officer,
Akram Hijazi relinquished
his day-to-day duties at the
end of July 1998. However,
he remains on the Board
of Directors and continues
to counsel the Group as a
consultant.
In announcing the
change, Group President Aziz Syriani said, “Akram’s
achievements over an extraordinary career will serve
The Olayan Group well into our second 50 years...
While he will be missed, it is good to know that we will
continue to benefit from his association with us in his
new role.”
During Akram’s tenure as CFO, the Group experienced
extraordinary growth, averaging 23 percent per
year over the past quarter century. “The results, both
qualitative and quantitative, speak for themselves,” said
Syriani.
The CFO functions, located in Athens, have been
reassigned to four OICE vice presidents. Roger Fipps has
accounts, finance, control and risk management. Sari
Sahyoun and Nadim Tabbara co-manage fixed income
investments, including foreign exchange and derivatives.
Makram Musallam continues to handle the treasury function.
Abdallah Al-Mouallimi
With expanded duties in
the public domain,
Abdallah Al-Mouallimi has
stepped down as vice
chairman of Olayan
Financing Company (OFC).
While he has relinquished
his day-to-day responsibilities,
he remains closely
affiliated with the Group
as a member of the
Executive Committee of
both OFC and OSHCO and as managing director of The
Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Saudi Arabia. In addition,
he serves in a significant senior liaison function in
the important Olayan-Bechtel relationship.
The change occurred in the wake of Abdallah’s
appointment in mid-1997 to the Majlis Al-Shura or
national consultative council and, in April 1998, to the
Board of the newly created Saudi Telecommunications
Company.
He has served The Olayan Group since 1987, following
10 years as general manager of the Aluminum
Products Company Ltd.
11

Reaching out on our 50th
THE OLAYAN GROUP’S 50TH
Anniversary, marked during late
1997 and in 1998, was in many
ways a private affair. But the Group
also reached out to the public to
recount its history, explain its
philosophy and recognize how its
relationships with its customers and
business partners have enabled the
Group to grow from modest local
beginnings to global stardom.
Following coverage in The Wall
Street Journal and an advertising
supplement in Forbes during mid-
1997, the Group concentrated on
reaching the Saudi, Gulf and Middle
Eastern markets. Most seen were a
series of advertisements built
around four themes that capture
the essence of the Olayan
enterprise: Vision, Alliances, Impact
and Strength.
The ads were run in two international
Arabic dailies, Asharq Al-
Awsat and Al-Hayat, as well as in
Middle East Economic Digest
(MEED) and Gulf Business. The ads
also appeared in Saudi newspapers
and magazines, including Al-Youm,
Okaz, Al-Riyadh, Tijarat al-Riyadh,
Tijarat Jeddah, Al-Iqtisad
Dammam, Al-Iqtisad wa Al-Amal,
and Ahlan wa Sahlan, the in-flight
magazine of Saudi Arabian Airlines.
In addition, in-depth profiles of
Group Chairman Suliman S. Olayan
appeared during 1998 in
Al-Yamamah, Al-Iqtisad wa Al-
Amal, and the U.K. and U.S.
editions of the Financial Times.
Finally, a video documentary
was produced, offering in eight
minutes an enlightening and
entertaining glimpse of how a small
trucking business launched by
Mr. Olayan in 1947 became a
global enterprise.
RIYADH
P.O. Box 8772
Riyadh 11492
Saudi Arabia
Fax: (966-1) 478-0988
AL-KHOBAR
P.O. Box 1520
Al-Khobar 31952
Saudi Arabia
Fax: (966-3) 857-5834
JEDDAH
P.O. Box 1227
Jeddah 21431
Saudi Arabia
Fax: (966-2) 660-5483
Art Enlivens the Enterprise
The Olayan Group commissioned a series of
paintings to illustrate the four core themes of its
50th Anniversary — Vision, Alliances, Impact,
Strength — plus a fifth element, Opportunity, a
reminder of the Group’s entrepreneurial origins
and abiding spirit.
Artist David Cutler captured these five
concepts in symbolic paintings, each offering a
distinctive metaphor that is at once whimsical and
philosophical. At right, for example, Alliances is
depicted as a balloon lifted by the draft of a
thousand birds.
Artist Cutler has been commissioned to convey
thematic messages by many other corporate
clients such as AT&T, Bank of America and IBM.
The recipient of numerous awards, he is a member
of the internationally recognized Society of
Illustrators.
The paintings were made into posters which
have been framed and mounted on the walls of
many of the Group’s offices.
ATHENS
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Athens 17610
Greece
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VIENNA
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A-1010 Vienna
Austria
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United Kingdom
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New York, NY 10022
USA
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