Cisco has announced a key leadership appointment for its operations in Saudi Arabia. Bader Almadi will join as Vice President, Cisco Saudi Arabia.

Based in Riyadh, he will lead the company’s strategy and commercial operations. He will help customers unlock the full potential of technology to support Vision 2030. In addition, he will build key partnerships to drive critical AI infrastructure across priority industries. These include financial services, sports, entertainment, hospitality, and energy. He will also leverage Cisco’s partner ecosystem to help organizations compete and grow.

Bader brings more than 20 years of experience in technology and sales leadership. Previously, he served as Managing Director for Google Cloud Saudi Arabia. There, he led digital transformation initiatives across sectors such as finance, healthcare, entertainment, and telecom. He also achieved key milestones, including the launch of Google Cloud in Saudi Arabia in 2023 and Google Pay in 2025. Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at Dell Technologies, Oracle, and EMC.

Moreover, the Middle East continues to emerge as a hub for innovation and digital progress. This momentum has been driven by Saudi Arabia’s focus on digitization. Gordon Thomson, President, Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Cisco, said Bader brings strong leadership experience and deep knowledge of the Saudi ecosystem. He added that this will support the company’s next phase of growth in the Kingdom.

Bader said he is honored to join Cisco at a pivotal time for Saudi Arabia. He noted that the company has played a key role in building the country’s digital infrastructure. He added that Cisco’s technology, talent, and ecosystem will help advance the Kingdom’s digital economy and AI leadership.

In addition, Bader has contributed to shaping the Kingdom’s technology landscape. He has advised the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on international partnerships. He also represented Saudi Arabia at the G20 Summit’s Digital Economy Taskforce. Furthermore, he led initiatives at the World Economic Forum.

For nearly three decades, Cisco has supported Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation. Its efforts align with the goals of Vision 2030. The company continues to invest in AI infrastructure, including a 1 GW joint venture with AMD and HUMAIN. It is also fostering local manufacturing capabilities.

At the same time, Cisco is developing future talent through its Networking Academy. The program has trained around 500,000 learners across Saudi Arabia. Additionally, the company is powering national projects through its Country Digital Acceleration program. It is also establishing local data centers to deliver secure cloud services. Through these efforts, Cisco remains focused on enabling a secure and connected AI-driven future for Saudi Arabia.

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