Snowflake, the AI Data Cloud company, today announced the appointment of Ali Al-Ismail as Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, further highlighting the company’s commitment to growing the local business, being closer to local customers to maximise their data investment and business value with Snowflake’s platform, and aligning to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 to support industries with their digital economic growth. The appointment of Ali follows the company’s recent establishment of its regional headquarters in Riyadh, as well as the local deployment on Google Cloud Dammam (Saudi Arabia) to help customers meet data sovereignty and residency requirements within the Kingdom.
In his new role at Snowflake, Ali will be responsible for the growth of the company’s operations in Saudi Arabia, including developing relationships with customers and prospects — such as government entities and local businesses — expanding the local partner ecosystem, and growing the local Snowflake team. Ali will drive the adoption of Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud across various industries, including public sector, financial services, oil and gas, manufacturing, and retail.
Ali Al-Ismail, Country Manager for Snowflake KSA, said: “Saudi Arabia is a dynamic growth market that is rapidly transitioning to a data-driven economy. Snowflake is really at the forefront of this technological shift and this was a key driver in my move to Snowflake. As country manager, my top priority is to empower our customers to harness the full potential of their data to drive successful and actionable business outcomes to support the Kingdom’s digital transformation through Vision 2030.”
Ali brings nearly 20 years of experience in sales leadership and business development having held senior roles at leading technology companies, including Oracle, Microsoft, Cisco, and Alcatel, with a focus on the oil and gas industries, utilities, and mid-market growth companies. Most recently, Ali served as senior sales leader for Oracle in Saudi Arabia, where he built high-performing SaaS sales and channel teams from the ground up and achieved double-digit growth for the company’s cloud solutions. Ali is a graduate with a computer engineering degree from the King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM).
Mohamed Zouari, General Manager for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey at Snowflake, added: “Ali’s leadership comes at a pivotal time for Snowflake as we expand our footprint in Saudi Arabia to help customers in the Kingdom with their most important data challenges with faster, cost-efficient, secure, and compliant data solutions. His deep understanding of the local market and commitment to fostering innovation will play a vital role in enabling organizations to leverage Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud to drive business innovation while adhering to the highest standards of data security and sovereignty.”
Upskilling in High-Growth Markets
Doubling down on Snowflake’s commitment to Saudi, and to equip the global workforce with essential skills for the AI-driven future, Snowflake has launched its One Million Minds + One Platform program with the aim of certifying over 100,000 users globally on the Snowflake AI Data Cloud by 2027, and upskilling one million people on data and AI by 2029. The program offers free, live introductory training courses led by Snowflake-certified instructors, providing hands-on experience to empower participants to drive their organizations’ data transformation journeys. In a high-growth market like Saudi Arabia, where 67% of respondents in PwC’s Workplace Hopes and Fears survey believe upskilling will enhance their job performance in the next five years, this initiative aligns with the Kingdom’s vision to build a data-ready workforce and develop a data-driven economy.
Speaking about the One Million Minds program, Ali added: “Vision 2030 is focused on transforming the nation to a more diversified and innovative economy, and Snowflake’s One Million Minds + One Platform program is helping drive this aim forward. Data and AI are fundamental aspects of today’s business environment, and this program aims to democratise data and AI use, enabling people in the Kingdom the opportunity to build successful careers as the technologists and founders of tomorrow.”
For more information about Snowflake’s solutions and its growing presence in Saudi, visit Snowflake.com.
