NEOM, Saudi Arabia — NEOM has awarded placements with global sustainable motorsport team the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, for two talented Saudi nationals from its GrOW program. This announcement is part of the wider pioneering partnership between the two organizations and comes ahead of the highly anticipated Berlin season final on Aug. 15, where the team looks to clinch the championship and team driver Nyck de Vries to defend his lead position in the Drivers’ World Championship, following his astounding back-to-back podiums achieved in the London E-Prix. This placement is the first of several unparalleled opportunities at the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team’s UK offices, designed to offer a range of roles in the motorsport industry to high-caliber candidates who are part of NEOM’s GrOW program; an initiative designed to provide Saudi graduates with an opportunity to work alongside some of the world’s brightest minds at NEOM. The program starts with two top-performing candidates from the pilot GrOW batch (2020), Ahmed Alhussain and Duaa Alzaher, and aims to build on the work experience they have obtained throughout their year at NEOM. Ahmed is joining the placement at the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team in his chosen field of mechanical engineering, whilst Duaa will be joining the corporate IT department. Both placements will commence this August and are set to last 12 months, giving the graduates the chance to have a fully immersive experience with the racing team, taking key learnings back to their respective sectors at NEOM. Jan Paterson, managing director of sport at NEOM, said: “Among the numerous shared aspirations across our partnership with the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, one of the key areas we looked at when forming the relationship was to leverage opportunities for young Saudi employees. “At NEOM, it is important to us to be able to both inspire and nurture the next generation of Saudi talent — we are thrilled to provide our GrOW graduates’ placements in such a high-performance environment, which will be invaluable to their career development.” Ian James, Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team principal, said: “Since the beginning of our partnership with NEOM, we have been looking at how we can best deliver on the shared values for both of our companies. The team and NEOM share the ambition to create a greener future, and part of that is inspiring and enabling the next generation of talent. “We’re delighted to welcome two highly motivated individuals to our team this year, and not only offer them a great and valuable experience, but also benefit from the knowledge and insights they will bring to the team.” The GrOW program continues to bring in the top talent from across the Kingdom, with 70 graduates starting their journey in a fast-paced, world-class environment at NEOM this summer. These graduates will have the opportunity to bolster their on-the-job experience in parallel with their academic capital, while being a part of the journey of one of the world’s most ambitious projects. —SG