Ahmed Al-Balawi has been the director general of Mashroat — National Project Management Organization since May 2016. Al-Balawi did his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in 1989. Subsequently, he joined the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu as a mechanical engineer in 1997. During his tenure at the commission, he served in key positions and continued to climb the ladder to become the general manager of technical affairs in 2010. Mashroat is the government arm enabling infrastructure projects. It provides consultancy and technical support to government agencies in project management, operation, and maintenance to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the national infrastructure, as well as ensuring the projects are in line with global best practices and meet the aspirations of Vision 2030. Mashroat and King Fahd Causeway Authority (KFCA) signed a memorandum of understanding to raise the efficiency of KFCA’s facility and asset management as well as its overall operation and maintenance practices as it embarks on ambitious plans to build a second causeway linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Commenting on the deal, Al-Balawi said: “Our role will be to help them (KFCA) benefit from global standards and enhance the facility and asset management operation. “Our partnerships represent positive progress towards achieving facility management at an international level and raising the overall efficiency and sustainability of major infrastructure projects.”