JEDDAH — King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has appointed Abdullatif Al-Othman as Governor of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) at the rank of minister, Abbas Hadi as Deputy Minister of Housing at the excellent rank, and Dr. Khalid Taher as Mayor of Madinah at the excellent rank.

Abdulaziz Al-Hussayen was relieved from his post as Mayor of Madinah upon his request.

The Royal Decrees are effective immediately, said a Royal Court statement issued Friday.

Al-Othman is a 1979 graduate of KFUPM with a B.A. in civil engineering. In addition, he earned his master’s degree in business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a Sloan Fellow in 1998.

Al-Othman began his career with Saudi Aramco in March 1981 and in June 2001, he was named executive director of Saudi Aramco Affairs and its vice president.

Abbas Hadi graduated from KFUPM in 1987 and worked in Aramco’s Yanbu Oil Refinery. He joined the Ministry of Housing in May 2011 as an adviser to the minister.

Dr. Khalid Taher obtained a doctorate’s degree in construction management engineering in 1991 from Colorado University. He became adviser to the president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and supervisor of tourism development authorities in the Kingdom.

In 1990, Dr. Taher co-authored a book entitled “Risk management in construction projects” published by American Institute of Construction Industry. — SG/SPA