Saudi Awwal Bank becomes first Saudi organisation to achieve CIPS Procurement Excellence Gold Award

15 May 2025

Milestone achievement reflects SAB’s world-class procurement practices and leadership

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 14- May- 2025: Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB), one of the Kingdom’s leading financial institutions, has become the first Saudi entity and the 11^th worldwide to be awarded the Gold Certification from the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) under its global Procurement Excellence Programme (PEP).

This recognition highlights SAB’s leadership and ongoing commitment to embedding global standards in procurement and supply chain practices. It reflects the bank’s strategic focus on governance, ethical sourcing, and sustainable procurement, all central to SAB’s broader vision of operational excellence and innovation.

The Gold Award is one of the highest levels of certification offered by CIPS and is awarded to organisations that demonstrate robust procurement leadership, effective integration across the business, and strong performance management aligned with global best practices.

Ghada Al Jarbou, Chief Operating Officer at SAB, commented: “The CIPS Advanced Gold Certification validates the strength of our procurement transformation. It reflects our focus on building robust governance, enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring our procurement function supports long-term innovation and resilience. This achievement demonstrates SAB’s commitment to operational excellence and strategic growth, which in turn strengthens our ability to deliver sustainable value to our employees, customers and shareholders.”

Ben Farrell, CIPS CEO, said: “This is a proud moment for SAB and a milestone for the wider procurement profession in the Kingdom. SAB’s achievement of the CIPS Gold Award is a clear indication of its commitment to placing procurement at the centre of business strategy and transformation. This award recognises SAB’s excellence in governance, strategic alignment, and operational delivery.”

The CIPS Procurement Excellence Programme is an internationally recognised framework used by public and private sector organisations worldwide to benchmark, assess and enhance their procurement functions. It evaluates performance across leadership, strategy, people, process, and systems – providing a roadmap for continuous improvement.