Saudi Arabian Mining Company Ma'aden’s Technology and Innovation team won Team of the  Year Award at the Middle East Management Excellence Awards 2023 

Through meticulous strategy and a forward-thinking approach, they've redefined how innovation drives growth and sustainable impact.

The Middle East Management Excellence Awards has recognised the outstanding achievements of the  Technology and Innovation (T&I) team at Saudi Arabian Mining Company, Ma'aden. The Team of the Year  - Metals & Mining accolade is a testament to the team at Ma’aden’s unwavering commitment to pioneering innovation, leading the charge in bridging the gap between present challenges and future aspirations. 

Ma'aden's Technology and Innovation (T&I) team has made tremendous strides in driving the company's growth and supporting its ambitious 2040 strategy to grow 10x in scale, transforming the way it operates in an effort to unearth Saudi Arabia’s estimated $1.3trillion mineral reserves. Ma’aden is looking at a new accelerated growth strategy that will enable it to expand Saudi Arabia’s mining sector faster than ever, requiring new levels of innovation to rise to the challenges of both growth and sustainability.  

The business’s T&I team is crucial to this transformation and has successfully overseen a number of external and internal initiatives to drive efficiency and output in the business. One of their notable accomplishments has been implementing a streamlined system of end-to-end innovation and an automated gate process, revolutionising the way innovation opportunities are managed within the company. From concept to commercialisation, the T&I team ensures that innovative ideas across the organisation, from operations to management, are efficiently nurtured, evaluated, and brought to fruition. By adopting this process, Ma’aden has been able to embrace emerging and established technologies, staying ahead of the curve in the fast-paced world of innovation. 

Furthermore, the T&I team has been instrumental in fostering productive relationships with both internal and external partners. By collaborating with leading universities, research centres, industrial companies, start-ups, and government entities, Ma’aden has been able to tap into a vast network of expertise and resources. This collaboration has facilitated the identification of several new opportunities for value maximisation through innovation.  

The T&I team's analytical prowess was evident when, in a brief period, they distilled internal and external insights to pinpoint several viable business opportunities to leverage KSA resources, productivity drive, value focus, and ESG.

The development of end-to-end innovation and automated gate process enabled the team to address challenges within the business, creating a systematic approach which enables the team to capture,  evaluate, and allocate resources to each opportunity based on data-driven insights, ensuring that no valuable opportunity went unnoticed. 

The T&I team’s analysis of these internal and external insights has enabled them to identify several opportunities that have the potential to drive efficiency and increase performance in Ma'aden's business, spanning environmental stewardship, capacity enhancement, resource optimisation, and creating a competitive advantage. By capitalising on these opportunities, Ma'aden aims to improve its sustainability practices, enhance operational efficiency, and drive business growth. 

The Technology and Innovation Team at Ma'aden will continue to play a pivotal role in the company's growth, as it looks towards achieving its 2040 milestones. By embracing innovation and technology, Ma'aden is moving to the forefront of a rapidly evolving industry, positioning itself as Saudi Arabia’s sustainable mining champion with a global presence.

The Middle East Management Excellence Awards is presented by Asian Business Review Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2024 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's employee engagements and management initiatives, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].