Family offices · Saudi Arabia
Olayan Family Office: How The Olayan Group Works
The Olayan Group is a private investment group with single-family ownership, built on a company Suliman S. Olayan founded in Saudi Arabia in 1947; since 2024 its international business has invested on behalf of the third generation of his descendants, according to the group. Olayan Financing Company in Riyadh is the parent for its business in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, while international investments in listed shares, private equity, debt and real estate are run from offices including Olayan America in New York and Olayan Europe Limited in London. The group publishes no asset figure; Forbes Middle East ranked Olayan Financing Company fifth on its Top 100 Arab Family Businesses 2026 list. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
At a glance
| Family | Olayan family |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 |
| Headquarters | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (international parent in Vaduz, Liechtenstein) |
| Run by | Hani Lazkani, Chief Executive Officer (since January 2024) |
| Size | No public figure |
| Structure | Private group with single-family ownership; Liechtenstein parent abroad, Olayan Financing Company in Riyadh |
| Known for | 550 Madison (New York), The Knightsbridge Estate (London), Olayan Saudi Holding Company, Asurion |
How did the Olayan Group start?
Suliman S. Olayan set up the General Contracting Company, a trucking and supply business, in 1947, according to the group. Olayan Financing Company was established in 1969, and the group opened offices in New York in 1971 and London in 1975, the year Olayan Investments Company Establishment was set up in Liechtenstein. The founder died in July 2002; the group created a Corporate Board with independent directors in 2013, and in 2024 KHHL Legacy Establishment became the parent company of its international business, investing on behalf of a third generation of Olayan descendants. [2, 3]
Who runs the Olayan Group?
Hani Lazkani, previously the group's global head of alternative investments and at the group for 27 years, became chief executive on 1 January 2024, succeeding Camile Saba, who retired; Samer Yaghnam is chief operations officer, and Musa Zaghloul has been chief financial officer since 1 January 2026. The group's website lists Hutham S. Olayan as chair of the Shareholders Board and Lubna S. Olayan as chair of the Corporate Board; Forbes Middle East (2026) also names Lubna Olayan as deputy chair and chair of the executive committee of Olayan Financing Company. Nabeel Al-Amudi is chief executive of Olayan Financing Company in Riyadh. [1, 2, 5, 6, 7]
How big is the Olayan Group?
No public figure found. []
What does the Olayan Group invest in?
The group invests in listed equities, private equity, debt and real estate; its listed-equity team focuses on financial services, healthcare, technology and consumer companies. Real estate it names includes 550 Madison in New York, The Knightsbridge Estate in London (bought 2010), the Etoile portfolio of eight properties in central Paris (2014), the Mandarin Oriental Ritz hotel in Madrid, a shareholding in Greece's TEMES (2014) and more than 40,000 US apartments bought since 2014. In private equity it names Asurion (first invested 2012) and PurposeBuilt Brands, in which Olayan and Rock Mountain Capital bought a 48% stake in early 2022 and which the group says is now co-controlled by TA Associates and Olayan. In the region, Olayan Financing Company has more than 32 companies and investments, is the majority shareholder of Olayan Saudi Holding Company and holds stakes in many Saudi listed companies; Forbes Middle East reported a 20.3% stake in Saudi British Bank (renamed Saudi Awwal Bank in 2023) as of July 2022. [2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11]
How is the Olayan Group set up and regulated?
The Olayan Group is privately owned by one family and advised by a Corporate Board of senior family members and independent directors. Its international business is headed from Vaduz, Liechtenstein, where Olayan Investments Company Establishment has its parent-company office and where KHHL Legacy Establishment became the parent of the international business in 2024; it runs offices as Olayan America at 550 Madison Avenue in New York, Olayan Europe Limited at 140 Piccadilly in London, a branch in Athens and offices in Luxembourg and Singapore (opened 2019). Olayan Financing Company, managed from Riyadh with a branch in Al-Khobar, is the parent for Saudi Arabia, the wider Middle East, Turkey and India. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
What changed in 2025 and 2026?
Musa Zaghloul, who joined as group controller in March 2025, succeeded Nadim Tabbara as chief financial officer on 1 January 2026; Tabbara, CFO since 2009, became the first executive director of the Suliman S. Olayan Charitable Foundation. Board roles have changed: Hutham Olayan signed as chair of the Corporate Board in October 2023, Fortune described Lubna Olayan as chair of the corporate board in May 2025, and the group's website now lists Hutham as chair of the Shareholders Board. According to Forbes Middle East, Olayan Financing Company opened Mondrian Riyadh Al Malga with Ennismore in September 2025, Olayan Saudi Holding Company unit AMCO opened an energy components plant at King Salman Energy Park in December 2025, and the company bought a minority stake in MS Pharma in 2026; Forbes Middle East ranked it fifth on its 2026 list of Arab family businesses, the same rank as in 2024. [1, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13]
