As Saudi Arabia builds its industrial future, a new generation of leaders is emerging
John Crane highlights how developing leaders from within is supporting the next generation of industrial talent in the Kingdom
Saudi Arabia’s industrial transformation is reshaping more than factories, infrastructure and supply chains. It is creating new opportunities for talented professionals to build leadership careers across manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, procurement and operational business functions.
John Crane, a global leader in flow control technologies and a business of Smiths Group plc, is supporting that transformation by developing local leaders from within its own business. The appointment of Bedour Bubshait as Regional Procurement Manager reflects both her career progression and the wider opportunities emerging across the Kingdom’s industrial sector. It also aligns with Smith’s commitment to building a more diverse engineering workforce and creating an inclusive environment where talented people can develop, lead and thrive across engineering, manufacturing and technology.
Under Vision 2030, the Kingdom has accelerated investment in industrial capability, local production and workforce development. Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Strategy is focused on strengthening global supply chains, expanding local manufacturing and increasing the export of advanced products. At the same time, the country’s labour market is changing rapidly, with the General Authority for Statistics reporting that Saudi female labour force participation reached 36.2% in the third quarter of 2024.
As more women build careers across manufacturing, supply chain, procurement and operational business functions, companies have an opportunity to develop leaders who bring broader experience, customer understanding and different perspectives to the future of industry.
Bedour’s promotion recognises an eight-year career built on curiosity, resilience and continuous learning. It also marks an important milestone for John Crane in Saudi Arabia, with Bedour becoming the first woman to hold a management position within the company’s Saudi Arabian business.
For Bedour, the journey began not in procurement, but in customer service.
When she joined John Crane in 2018 as a member of the Customer Service Team, procurement was already her ambition. Earlier in her career, while working in retail administration, she had become fascinated by the movement of products, the complexity of supplier relationships and the commercial decisions that keep businesses operating. Rather than waiting for the ideal procurement role, she chose to learn John Crane’s business from the customer’s perspective first.
“Starting in customer service gave me an understanding of our customers and our business that I still rely on today,” said Bedour. “It taught me that every decision we make ultimately affects the customer. That experience has shaped how I think about procurement and how I want to lead.”
After four years supporting customers, Bedour moved into procurement, progressing through increasingly senior roles as the function evolved to support a changing regional business. She helped navigate organisational transformation, supported the development of new procurement capability and gained experience across a function that is now central to resilience, supplier partnerships, operational performance and long-term value creation.
The route to leadership was not always straightforward.
During a period of significant organisational change, Bedour found herself managing operational responsibilities while supporting the recruitment and development of new teams. The workload was demanding, and there were moments when she questioned whether she should continue. Instead, she chose to stay, keep learning and trust that the experience would make her stronger.
“There were times when I questioned myself,” she said. “But every challenge taught me something. I learned to stay patient, keep developing and believe that if I continued to work hard, opportunities would come.”
A defining influence was the support of her former manager and mentor, Abdullah, whose belief in her potential helped Bedour see a future for herself in leadership.
