Dr. Abdulhadi Taher is a unique individual in SaudiArabia: he was the second Saudi to receive his PhD in the USA, in 1960, under a Government scholarship, and has wor- ked in both the public and private sectors for most of his life, contributing ideas as a public servant that have helped the Kingdom develop and turned his Taher group into one of the most important conglomerates in the private sector. His initiation to government service dates back to 1955 when he joined the Directorate General of Oil and Minerals as an assistant to two American advisors working with the Government of Saudi Arabia.