Saudi Arabia’s transformation is visible in new destinations, expanding cities and landmark developments. Yet some of its most meaningful progress can be measured on a more personal scale: a family receiving the keys to its first home, a small contractor securing an opportunity to grow, or a resident completing a municipal service without visiting a government office.

Behind this interconnected transformation stands Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Municipalities and Housing and chairman of the Real Estate General Authority. His career has moved through accounting, central banking, corporate finance, real-estate development and public leadership, giving him an unusually broad perspective on what it takes to build not only properties, but functioning communities and sustainable cities. His journey embodies a central principle of Vision 2030: national progress depends on institutions that convert ambition into measurable improvements in people’s lives.

Early Life and Education

Majed Al-Hogail’s professional foundation began with accounting. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from King Saud University in 1985, establishing the financial discipline that would shape his approach to leadership. He later continued his education in the United States, earning a Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign after studying there during 1998 and 1999. He also obtained a professional accounting qualification in New Mexico in 1999.

In 2007, he participated in the Program for Executive Development at the International Institute for Management Development, better known as IMD, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The program added an international management dimension to his experience in finance and administration. Together, these experiences gave Majed Al-Hogail a combination of financial knowledge, strategic thinking and executive development. That combination would become especially valuable as Saudi Arabia began treating housing as an ecosystem involving finance, land, regulation, construction, technology and quality of life.

Building a Career Across Finance and Industry

Before becoming known for housing and urban development, Majed Al-Hogail developed his leadership credentials in financial administration. From 1990 to 1998, he served as Deputy Chief Financial Officer at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, now the Saudi Central Bank. Working within one of the Kingdom’s most important financial institutions exposed him to public finance, institutional controls and the systems that support national economic stability.

He later joined Al Safi Danone, a Saudi company specializing in dairy products, where he worked from 2003 to 2007 in senior roles spanning financial affairs and export management. During this period, he served in positions including director of financial affairs, executive director of financial affairs, general manager of exports and vice president of finance. His wider corporate record also included board and leadership positions connected to Bank AlJazira, Wafa Insurance, Credit Suisse, AlJazira Capital, NAS Holding and flynas. He additionally participated in professional organizations including the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration and the Riyadh Chamber, where he served on the Real Estate Committee and chaired the Real Estate Developers Committee.

Leading a Landmark in Saudi Real Estate

In 2007, Al-Hogail became managing director and chief executive officer of RAFAL Real Estate Development Company, a position he held until his appointment to government in 2015. His eight-year tenure represented a defining transition from financial leadership to large-scale real-estate execution. During this period, RAFAL developed and inaugurated Burj Rafal, a tower rising approximately 300 metres over Riyadh. The project reportedly received seven architectural awards in 2015 is famously home to the five-star Kempinski Hotel, residential apartments, and luxury amenities.

Burj Rafal demonstrated the complexity of Majed Al-Hogail’s emerging leadership profile. Delivering a major tower required more than architectural ambition. It involved financing, investment strategy, construction management, commercial positioning and coordination among multiple stakeholders. By the time he left RAFAL, Al-Hogail understood real estate from the developer’s perspective. He knew the obstacles that could delay supply, raise costs or prevent investment. That practical knowledge would later inform his approach to housing policy.

A National Mission in Housing

Al-Hogail was appointed Minister of Housing on 13 July 2015. The appointment moved him from developing individual projects to helping shape the housing opportunities available to families across the Kingdom. Housing was no longer viewed simply as a construction challenge. Increasing homeownership required a complete system: more financing options, stronger developers, clearer regulations, digital services, available land and productive partnerships between government and the private sector.

Majed Al-Hogail’s responsibilities expanded further in February 2020, when he became acting Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs while continuing as Minister of Housing. A royal order merged the two ministries on 24 January 2021, bringing housing, municipal services and urban development under one leadership structure. Today, the official ministry identifies him as Minister of Municipalities and Housing. The merger reflected a powerful idea: a home cannot be separated from the city around it. Families also need roads, public spaces, efficient services, commercial opportunities and well-planned neighbourhoods.

Transforming the Housing Ecosystem

Majed Al-Hogail’s influence extends across institutions that address different parts of the housing journey. He chairs the Real Estate Development Fund, which supports eligible families through housing-finance solutions and partnerships with financial institutions. He has also chaired the Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company, created to strengthen the secondary mortgage market and improve liquidity for lenders.

As chairman of the Real Estate General Authority (REGA), Al-Hogail has helped guide an institution responsible for regulating and developing the Kingdom’s non-governmental real-estate sector. REGA’s work includes professional licensing, real-estate brokerage, title registration, market regulation and strengthening confidence among consumers and investors. He also heads the Housing Program under Vision 2030, which is working toward raising Saudi family homeownership to 70 percent by 2030.

The results show significant progress. Saudi family homeownership rose from a baseline of 47 percent in 2016 to 65.4 percent in 2024, exceeding that year’s target of 64 percent. The rate reached 66.24 percent in 2025, again exceeding the annual target. These achievements reflect the work of an extensive national ecosystem of government agencies, financial institutions, developers and service providers operating under Vision 2030. For families, however, the impact is not merely statistical. Each percentage point represents thousands of households moving closer to stability, security and a lasting personal asset.

Opening Opportunities through Benaa Housing

One example of Majed Al-Hogail’s approach came in March 2019, when he and then-Commerce and Investment Minister Majid Al-Qassabi launched Benaa Housing. The digital platform was created to help construction companies and contractors participate in developmental housing projects. It aimed to accelerate the construction of 10,000 housing units across Saudi Arabia, with projects estimated at SAR3.5 billion.

Importantly, Benaa Housing opened opportunities to small and medium-sized construction businesses. Instead of relying only on major developers, the initiative sought to broaden participation and connect social housing delivery with SME growth. The initiative reflected Al-Hogail’s ecosystem-based thinking. Housing could simultaneously support families, create contracts for Saudi companies, generate employment and strengthen regional economies.

From Housing to Better Cities

Majed Al-Hogail’s mandate now reaches far beyond residential ownership. Municipalities shape the everyday experiences of citizens and residents, from licensing and cleanliness to public infrastructure and urban design. Under his leadership, the ministry has advanced digital municipal services and worked to make government interactions faster and more accessible. This transformation supports Vision 2030’s focus on efficient institutions and improved quality of life.

His international engagement has also connected Saudi development with global expertise. Official ministry records document discussions with international partners in areas such as housing, municipal affairs, digital transformation, construction and urban development. During a 2024 visit to China, Al-Hogail witnessed agreements with major construction companies intended to support investment in Saudi communities and suburbs. This global-local synergy is central to the Kingdom’s transformation: attracting international knowledge and capital while designing solutions around Saudi needs, identities and ambitions.

Leadership Across Vision 2030 Projects

Majed Al-Hogail’s experience has included board positions connected to some of the Kingdom’s most ambitious national developments, including Qiddiya Investment Company, Red Sea Global, AMAALA, ROSHN and NEOM. He served on NEOM’s board from October 2017 to September 2025. These roles connected his housing and real-estate expertise to projects spanning tourism, entertainment, residential communities and economic diversification.

Yet his most important legacy may not be a single tower, destination or institution. It is the connection he has helped build between them: finance that supports ownership, regulation that strengthens confidence, developers that increase supply and municipalities that make communities more liveable.

Building More Than Homes

Majed Al-Hogail’s journey shows how cross-sector experience can serve a larger national purpose. His career also reflects the scale of Saudi Arabia’s transformation. Vision 2030 is not only building globally recognized destinations. It is creating the financial systems, regulatory institutions, digital platforms and urban services that allow people to build secure lives.

Through housing reform, real-estate regulation and municipal development, Al-Hogail has helped move the Kingdom closer to cities where opportunity is accessible, services are efficient and more families can call a home their own. That is more than real-estate development. It is nation-building.

Discover more inspiring stories at Saudi Wins, where Vision 2030 comes to life.