Management Team

Sheikh Tariq Abdel Hadi Al-Qahtani

Chairman

A true visionary and entrepreneur, Sheikh Tariq Abdel Hadi Al-Qahtani entered the industry at an early age and has been spearheading the success of the Abdel Hadi Al-Qahtani Group, growing the organisation to greater heights.

Multi-national experience and distinguished leadership skills has seen him excel in the role of  Chairman and member of the board of various prestigious local and international companies and business organisations.

He identified the need for a new airline that meets the growing travel demands of the nation, leading to the birth of SaudiGulf Airlines in the year 2013.

Salah Abdel Hadi Al-Qahtani

Vice Chairman

A leader and industrialist, Mr. Salah Abdel Hadi Al-Qahtani is the Vice Chairman and one of the main pillars of the Abdel Hadi Abdullah Al-Qahtani & Sons Group of Companies headquartered in Dammam, Saudi Arabia with branches in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Abha, Yanbu, Madinah.

A partner in various successful joint ventures, he is also Member of the Board and Founder of United Gas Technology Co. in United Arab Emirates. 

Mr. Al-Qahtani holds a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration (University of Houston, Texas USA).

Samer Majali

President & Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Majali has a wealth of airline industry experience with successful stints as the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Jordanian Airlines and Gulf Air.

His illustrious career has seen him hold executive positions across flight operations, corporate planning, information technology, passenger services, engineering and maintenance.

The former Chairman of IATA’s Board of Governors and a fellow and board member of various high profile aviation organisations and business councils, he is currently President & CEO of SaudiGulf Airlines.

Abdulmohsen Mahmoud Jonaid

Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Abdulmohsen Mahmoud Jonaid brings a wealth of aviation experience to the table. For more than three decades, he has held several positions, ranging from an aircraft electronics engineer to an executive director of Saudi Airlines, passing through many operational and executive positions such as maintenance control and technical support and operations and marketing, Network, Revenue and sales planning, as well as contributions to many boards and committees in airline alliances.

 Currently, he is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at SaudiGulf Airlines.

Karim Makhlouf

Chief Commercial Officer

From being a part of the Star Alliance Project to being former Vice President of Network Management and member of the founding team of Lufthansa’s startup airline German Wings, Mr. Makhlouf has been part of challenging projects that shaped Europe’s airline industry.

His successful career has also seen him in the role of Chief Commercial Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Sky Europe Vienna and Malev Hungarian Airlines.

He was the Chief Commercial Officer at Gulf Air before taking charge as Chief Commercial Officer at SaudiGulf Airlines.

Ismail Karimi

Chief Finance & Administration Officer

Mr. Karimi has held several distinguished positions in his long career including being the Head of Treasury and Investments, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance & Administration at Gulf Air, Managing Director of IKMS Aviation, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Nile Air. 

Currently he is the Chief Finance and Administration Officer at SaudiGulf Airlines. 

Capt. Mohammed A. Motab Alshehri

Advisor Operations, Security, Safety & Quality

Capt. Alshehri brings with him insightful knowledge and practical knowledge in the field of aviation security & safety.

He has held several distinguished roles in his long career including General Manager Corporate Safety, Assistant General Manager Flight Safety & Quality in Saudi Airlines. The career history of the captain has also been characterized by the membership and presidency of many specialized committees inside and outside the country at the industry level, which has had many positive contributions in the field of flight safety and quality.

currently he is the Adviser Operations, Security & Quality at SaudiGulf Airlines.

Dr. Ali Hassan Alzahrani

Chief Strategy Officer

A distinguished aviation career has seen Dr. Ali Alzahrani handled key directorial and advisory roles including the Head of Advisers for GACA Board Chairman and Saudia Board Chairman, Director - Air Transport Research and Advisory Centre and Director Strategic planning and Developments.

Apart from being a Communications Engineer and Senior Technical Advisor at Air Navigation Services, Dr. Alzahrani has also been a Transformation Program Manager, Management Service Provider Project Director and Strategic Business Units Corporatization Program Leader.

In his new role, he is Chief Strategy Officer at SaudiGulf Airlines.