When Sami Younis joined DG Jones & Partners as a trainee in the Dubai office in 1977, he could not have imagined the journey ahead. Nearly five decades later, stepping back from his roles as Director of Business Development and General Manager of the firm's KSA operations, a position now taken over by Ahmad Hariri, Younis reflects on a career shaped by the construction industry across the Middle East, from Beirut to Dubai, Paris to Riyadh, and says he would not change a moment of it.
When Sami Younis joined DG Jones & Partners as a trainee in the Dubai office in 1977, he could not have imagined the journey ahead. Nearly five decades later, stepping back from his role as Director of Business Development, Younis reflects on a career shaped by the construction industry across the Middle East, from Beirut to Dubai, Paris to Riyadh, and says he would not change a moment of it.
Younis’s trajectory through DG Jones mirrors the firm’s own expansion across the region. After joining the Dubai office, he moved to Portsmouth Polytechnic in England a year later to study for his BSc, completing it in 1980. From there, he joined the Beirut office, the firm’s original base, established in 1962 by its founder, Donald George Jones. Those early years grounded him in the fundamentals of quantity surveying and cost consultancy, giving him a deep appreciation for the standards and rigour that have always defined the company.
By 1985, Younis was asked to establish the firm’s Paris office. He managed that operation for over a decade, building relationships across European and Middle Eastern markets before returning to Beirut in the late 1990s, where he helped set up the firm’s claims department. It was during this period that DG Jones grew from roughly 16 offices to the 22 it operates today worldwide.
The chapter Younis is most proud of began in 2017, when the board asked him to establish operations in Saudi Arabia. He arrived in the Kingdom without a single contact on the ground. Everything had to be built from scratch, through door-to-door outreach, leveraging relationships from other DG Jones markets, reaching out to previous clients, and simply making the case for what the firm could deliver.
In seven years, the Saudi operation grew from nothing to over 160 staff across two offices. That growth, Younis explains, was not a matter of luck. “Get close to your clients, earn their trust, and keep them as friends,” he says. It is a principle he has carried throughout his career. In a market as competitive and fast-moving as Saudi Arabia’s construction sector, those relationships are everything.
Two projects stand out as defining achievements during the firm’s time in the Kingdom. The first is the Haramain High Speed Railway, the largest horizontal construction project in the world, connecting Makkah and Madinah. The second is the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, a vast and technically demanding programme.
Beyond these flagship projects, there have been dozens more across the Saudi market, each reinforcing the firm’s position as a trusted construction consultancy in one of the world’s most ambitious building environments. The scale of development in the region, driven in large part by Saudi Vision 2030, is unlike anything the industry has seen before, and Younis considers it a privilege to have contributed to it.
If there is one lesson Younis would pass on after nearly five decades in the industry, it centres on people. “When you meet a client, you try to get as close as possible to them, keep them as a friend, and win their trust,” he says. That philosophy opened doors for DG Jones & Partners in every market he worked in, from Beirut to Paris to Riyadh.
His other piece of advice is about stamina. Working in the construction industry, particularly in the heat of the Gulf, requires endurance, both physical and professional. “You must be willing to push through when conditions are demanding, and results are not immediate,” Younis reflects. “Those who persevere are the ones who succeed.”
One of the strengths of DG Jones & Partners, Younis believes, is that the firm’s 22 offices are not separate entities but one family. “That is not a platitude; it is how we operate,” he explains. “People across our network know each other, support each other, and collaborate across borders.” His strongest advice to the next generation is to protect that culture. The moment offices begin to operate as silos, Younis warns, the competition will overtake them. Communication, collaboration, and mutual support are what keep the firm ahead.
When it comes to expanding into new markets, Younis has always believed in a practical approach: secure a project first, then build the office around it. “Do not invest heavily before there is work on the ground,” he counsels. That discipline served the firm well in Saudi Arabia, and he is confident it will serve it well in whatever market comes next.
Retirement, Younis is quick to point out, does not mean disappearing. After 47 years, the relationships he has built with clients, colleagues, and partners across the Middle East and beyond remain active and valuable. He intends to stay involved in an advisory capacity, contributing opportunities and connections wherever he can. “DG Jones & Partners is my family,” he says. “That does not end because I have stepped back from a title.”
To everyone who has been part of the journey, from the early days in Dubai to the growth achieved in Saudi Arabia, Younis expresses deep gratitude. The future of the firm, he says, is in capable hands, and he looks forward to watching DG Jones & Partners continue to set the standard in construction consultancy worldwide.
