WASHINGTON — A former executive of Airbus Group has been named the next chief executive officer of Saudi Arabian Military Industries.
Andreas Schwer, who held multiple executive management positions within Airbus, will be involved in selecting SAMI’s senior management, seeking new partnerships and progressing existing memorandums of understanding into full partnerships.
SAMI has previously signed memorandums of understanding with Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and General Dynamics, and the company is working with Rosoboronexport of Russia to help accentuate the development and expansion of its business units.
Schwer worked for Airbus Defense and Space as its vice president of electronics and avionics. He also served as the chairman of the board and the president of Rheinmetall International at Rheinmetall Group, as well as the CEO of its Combat Systems Division.
“I am proud and delighted to join SAMI at this important stage of the company’s development,” Schwer said in a news release. “SAMI has a clearly defined strategy and business targets, including to become a top 25 global defense company by 2030, and I look forward to working with the Board of Directors to realize these goals.”
The company also named a number of new board members, among them the new board chairman H.E Ahmed Al Khateeb, who serves as an adviser to Saudi Arabia’s defense minister.
SAMI is a relatively new government-owned military industries firm focusing on air and land systems, weaponry, missiles, and defense electronics. The goal is expansion of Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product and domestic job opportunities in engineering and technology.
