JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the UK Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan visited the headquarters of BAE Systems in the north of England on Thursday.
Prince Khalid was received by the company’s chairman, Sir Roger Martyn Carr, its CEO in Britain, Charles Woodburn, and Andy Carr, the managing director and CEO of BAE Systems in the Kingdom.
The ambassador toured the company’s academy, where he met with Saudi trainees and employees of BAE Systems in the UK.
He praised their roles in the technology transfer and settlement programs, which are part of the company’s support for Saudi Vision 2030.
Prince Khalid said the company offers “a comprehensive system to transfer technology and knowledge to Saudi Arabia,” and to qualify Saudi youth to work with that technology and knowledge locally.
These efforts have resulted in the successful assembly of the first training jet aircraft in Saudi Arabia, which was launched earlier this year by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, deputy prime minister and minister of defense.
Prince Khalid also visited BAE’s Typhoon and Hawk aircraft factories, as well as its “Factory of the Future,” which develops cutting-edge defense system technology.
Prince Khalid was briefed on the company’s plans and strategies in Saudi Arabia, where BAE has a long-standing partnership of more than 50 years with the Saudi Armed Forces.
BAE Systems is one of the world’s largest aerospace, science and technology companies.
BACKGROUND
• BAE Systems is one of the world’s largest aerospace, science and technology companies in the UK.
• It has made numerous contributions to the local manufacturing movement in the Kingdom, transferring many industrial engineering tasks to Saudi companies.
It has made numerous contributions to the local manufacturing movement in the Kingdom, transferring many industrial engineering tasks to Saudi companies.
BAE is also keen to encourage activities of interest to the community, including supporting social responsibility programs as part of its business system and not as charity works carried out by courtesy.
One example is the company’s partnership with a number of Saudi universities, with the aim of enabling students to meet the changing requirements of the labor market within the framework of Saudi Vision 2030.
Prince Khalid was accompanied by Saudi Military Attaché Air Commander Riyadh Abu Abaya; BAE’s director of engineering Ian Muldowney; the vice president for strategic planning for military and government affairs, Abdulaziz Al-Faraj; and director of human resources at BAE Systems in Saudi Arabia, Maaber Al-Awaji.
