Rezayat
Encyclopedia
Rezayat Group is a group of companies which are headquartered in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia
. Originally called Ali Reza Group, it was founded by Abdullah Alireza in 1949 in the British Protectorate of Kuwait
, the Rezayat Group is active in the industries of oil & gas, water, power generation, engineering and transportation with over 16,000 employees and operations in 13 countries. It is a family owned business descended from the from the House of Alireza
trading family.
merchant family with trading interests in the Gulf and India. Abdullah was educated in Bombay and began his career as the secretary for Karl Twitchell, Director of the Saudi Arabian Mining Syndicate. Twitchell had previously been the local representative of Californian Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), one of the four partners which in May 1933 created what is now Saudi Aramco
Abdullah became liaison officer for CASOC, serving His Majesty King AbdulAziz as an interpreter, most notably at the historic ceremony in Dhahran
on 1 May 1939, when the King turned the wheel to load the first shipment of Saudi oil. During a trip to Iran during the Second World War, Abdullah was asked to join the Allied administration with responsibility for the distribution of essential foodstuffs and supplies throughout the country.
On a visit to Kuwait in 1949, Abdullah saw opportunities to develop business in the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone. He decided to base the Group in Kuwait, and with the help of his sons, Teymour and Fahd, steadily expanded its operations into other Gulf states, in addition to Saudi Arabia, where the Group's headquarters are now located. The Group built up important relationships with major Western and Asian contractors and industrial companies, which provided not just a solid foundation for its growth in the Middle East, but also a springboard for its expansion into other continents.
The group was known as the Ali Reza Group until 2005 but since this caused confusion with a similarly named Reza Group in Jeddah
is was decided to use the name Rezayat in order to give a distinct identity.
Each company within the group has its own identity and branding.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. Originally called Ali Reza Group, it was founded by Abdullah Alireza in 1949 in the British Protectorate of Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, the Rezayat Group is active in the industries of oil & gas, water, power generation, engineering and transportation with over 16,000 employees and operations in 13 countries. It is a family owned business descended from the from the House of Alireza
House of Alireza
The House of Alireza, Founded in 1845 by Zainal Alireza, is reputed to be Saudi Arabia's oldest organized commercial enterprise. Initially a food importer with suppliers from the Indian sub-continent, the House of Alireza expanded their businesses to include, real estate, representative agency...
trading family.
History
Abdullah Alireza was a member of the prominent House of AlirezaHouse of Alireza
The House of Alireza, Founded in 1845 by Zainal Alireza, is reputed to be Saudi Arabia's oldest organized commercial enterprise. Initially a food importer with suppliers from the Indian sub-continent, the House of Alireza expanded their businesses to include, real estate, representative agency...
merchant family with trading interests in the Gulf and India. Abdullah was educated in Bombay and began his career as the secretary for Karl Twitchell, Director of the Saudi Arabian Mining Syndicate. Twitchell had previously been the local representative of Californian Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), one of the four partners which in May 1933 created what is now Saudi Aramco
Abdullah became liaison officer for CASOC, serving His Majesty King AbdulAziz as an interpreter, most notably at the historic ceremony in Dhahran
Dhahran
Dhahran is a city located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, and is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Large oil reserves were first identified in the Dhahran area in 1931, and in 1935 Standard Oil of California drilled the first commercially viable oil well...
on 1 May 1939, when the King turned the wheel to load the first shipment of Saudi oil. During a trip to Iran during the Second World War, Abdullah was asked to join the Allied administration with responsibility for the distribution of essential foodstuffs and supplies throughout the country.
On a visit to Kuwait in 1949, Abdullah saw opportunities to develop business in the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone. He decided to base the Group in Kuwait, and with the help of his sons, Teymour and Fahd, steadily expanded its operations into other Gulf states, in addition to Saudi Arabia, where the Group's headquarters are now located. The Group built up important relationships with major Western and Asian contractors and industrial companies, which provided not just a solid foundation for its growth in the Middle East, but also a springboard for its expansion into other continents.
The group was known as the Ali Reza Group until 2005 but since this caused confusion with a similarly named Reza Group in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
is was decided to use the name Rezayat in order to give a distinct identity.
Activities
The Rezayat Group consists of 25 companies:- 14 wholly owned
- 11 joint ventures
- Over 16,000 employees
Group Activities
- Trading
- Manufacturing
- Construction, Contracting and Engineering
- Industrial Services
- Logistics & Transportation
- Catering & Facilities Management
- Finance
- Insurance & Risk Management
- IT & Telecommunications
Primary Target Markets
- Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals
- Water
- Electricity
- Finance
- Information Technology
Logo and Identity
The company logo is four blue colored letter "A"'s which represents the first letters of the founders name and also symbolizes the oil drill heads which were to be found in Saudi Arabia.Each company within the group has its own identity and branding.