Qazi Syed Naqiuddin - Corporate Leaders of the Year 2025

Leader at a Glance

Qazi Syed Naqiuddin, with 27 years of experience, is a finance leader specialising in strategy, governance, and transformation. He is highly experienced in enterprise-wide ERP implementations and financial transformation, enhancing reporting accuracy, operational efficiency, and scalability, earning a spot among Corporate Leaders of the Year 2025.

Name: Qazi Syed Naqiuddin
Designation: Finance Director
Company: Saudi Arabian Industrial & Trading Co. Ltd. (SAIT)
Industry: Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Power Utility Industries, and Marine Industry
Country: Al Khobar, Eastern, Saudi Arabia

Qazi Syed Naqiuddin - Corporate Leaders of the Year 2025

In today’s corporate environment, finance leaders are expected to do far more than safeguard numbers. Boards now look for executives who can bring predictability to volatile markets, translate data into direction, and enforce governance without slowing business momentum.

Those expectations are rarely met overnight; they are built through years of exposure to scale, regulation, and operational pressure.

That progression defines the career of Qazi Syed Naqiuddin. Beginning with hands-on roles in accounting and regional finance, he steadily expanded into managing large real estate portfolios, leading VAT and ERP transformations, and overseeing complex regulatory environments across Saudi Arabia. Each phase sharpened his command over control, compliance, and enterprise finance.

Today, as Finance Director and Board Secretary at Saudi Arabian Industrial & Trading Co. Ltd., part of the Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group, he applies these cumulative learnings to strengthen financial discipline and long-term resilience. In an exclusive interview with The Portfolio Magazine, he discusses this journey in detail.

Over the years in leadership roles, what key financial principles have guided you in maintaining SAIT’s reputation for strong financial stability and dependability?

Being part of the Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group means that SAIT operates under a legacy of trust built over generations. This legacy carries both privilege and responsibility. One of the most important financial principles guiding my leadership has been financial discipline with integrity. In an industrial and trading business, markets can be cyclical, and maintaining stability is essential to ensuring trust among customers, suppliers, and partners. For SAIT, stability has always taken priority over aggressive short-term growth, helping safeguard the company’s reputation and long-term sustainability.

Another guiding principle is cash flow management. Profitability is important, but liquidity ensures that the business remains resilient in all circumstances. By closely monitoring receivables, managing inventory carefully, and maintaining strong banking relationships, SAIT consistently meets its obligations and continues to operate reliably. Transparency, strong controls, and ethical financial practices have been central to protecting the reputation of both SAIT and the Kanoo Group.

How do you shape financial strategies to balance long-term stability with growth ambitions in such a diverse business? Any challenges that you face here?

Balancing stability and growth requires a deep understanding of the business and its risks. My approach has always been to build a strong foundation first, and then pursue growth strategically. Long-term stability comes from conservative financial planning, disciplined capital allocation, and prudent risk management. Growth comes from carefully evaluated opportunities that align with the company’s strengths, capabilities, and long-term strategy.

At SAIT, we operate across multiple sectors and regions, each with its own market dynamics and risk profile. The challenge is that not all businesses grow at the same pace or under the same conditions. To manage this, financial strategies are tailored by sector, with clear expectations for returns and defined risk limits. Growth initiatives are supported only when they strengthen the overall business and do not compromise liquidity or governance.

One of the hardest leadership challenges is saying no to opportunities that appear attractive in the short term but do not align with the long-term vision. Strong leadership requires patience, discipline, and alignment across teams to ensure that growth strengthens the company rather than exposes it to unnecessary risk.

Given fluctuations in global energy markets and regional supply chain pressures, what strategies do you use to forecast financial risks and ensure SAIT remains resilient and adaptable? Do you leverage technology to implement them?

Volatility in energy markets and regional supply chains is now a constant reality, and resilience is a key differentiator for any industrial and trading business. To remain adaptable, we focus on early risk identification, scenario planning, and stress testing. We regularly assess market trends, supplier dependencies, currency exposure, and customer credit risk to understand potential vulnerabilities and respond proactively.

Technology plays a critical role in this process. Financial dashboards, forecasting tools, and real-time reporting systems allow us to track performance, model different scenarios, and anticipate risks before they escalate. However, while technology is a powerful enabler, judgment and experience remain equally important. Data helps ask the right questions, but leadership ensures the right decisions are made.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a real test of this approach. Supply chains were disrupted, customers experienced operational challenges, and uncertainty dominated decision-making. SAIT’s proactive risk management, scenario planning, and disciplined cash flow management allowed the company to maintain stability, continue operations without interruption, and emerge stronger from the crisis. This experience reinforced the importance of building a resilient organization capable of weathering unexpected disruptions.

How is digital transformation shaping the finance industry, and what challenges do you see in implementing technology-driven financial decision-making?

Digital transformation is reshaping finance from a traditional reporting function into a strategic business partner. Automation, analytics, and integrated systems improve speed, accuracy, and transparency, allowing finance teams to focus on strategic insight, value creation, and decision-making rather than purely manual tasks.

The main challenge is change management. Technology alone does not create value—people do. Adopting new systems requires training, mindset changes, and alignment across the organization. In long-established organizations like SAIT, resistance to change can be a challenge.

Our approach has been practical and phased adoption. Digital initiatives are introduced gradually, ensuring they strengthen controls, support business needs, and enhance decision-making rather than adding complexity. Over time, technology enables better forecasting, faster reporting, and more informed financial decisions, allowing finance to act as a true strategic partner to the business.

What new financial opportunities do you foresee for the trading and industrial supply sector, and how are you positioned to lead future leaders within this transformation?

The trading and industrial supply sector is evolving rapidly. Opportunities lie in value-added services, localization initiatives, supply chain optimization, and partnerships aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. Customers increasingly expect partners who provide solutions and technical support, not just products.

From a financial leadership perspective, these changes allow the business to move up the value chain, improve margins, and strengthen long-term relationships. SAIT’s strong market presence and backing from the Kanoo Group position us well to capture these opportunities responsibly.

Equally important is developing future leaders. I strongly believe in sharing knowledge, mentoring teams, and empowering young professionals. Supporting aspiring leaders strengthens the organization and enhances leadership capability across levels. True leadership is not about individual success, it is about building institutions that endure. By fostering a culture of learning and empowerment, we ensure that SAIT remains adaptable, innovative, and prepared for the challenges of the future.

SAIT’s journey demonstrates the importance of financial discipline, strategic insight, and resilient leadership. By combining strong governance, careful risk management, adoption of technology, and investment in people, the company has consistently maintained stability and market leadership.

SAIT continues to honor the enduring legacy of the Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group while remaining agile, innovative, and prepared for the opportunities of the future.