Pioneering for Good: How 150 Years of Purpose Is Meeting Saudi Arabia’s Industrial Moment

Saudi consumers are among the most digitally fluent in the world. Internet penetration is exceptional. Social media engagement drives purchasing decisions in real time, and the conversation between brands and consumers moves faster here than almost anywhere. What that means in practice is straightforward. A company that waits for demand signals before responding is already late. The edge goes to those who identify the shift as it is forming, and who have built the local understanding to act on it.

Three Decades of Localization

We firmly believe that localization is not translation. It is not taking a product designed in Düsseldorf and changing its label. It means understanding that the woman in Riyadh who wears an abaya has laundry needs distinct from those of a consumer in Paris, and being willing to build something entirely new for her. Henkel has been doing exactly that in this region since establishing its first subsidiary in Egypt in 1992, and across manufacturing facilities in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, and Tunisia since.

When we observed the cultural shift toward colored abayas gaining momentum across Saudi Arabia, we did not wait for a global strategy review. We developed Persil Shampoo for Colored Abayas, a product that would not exist had we not been paying the kind of sustained attention that only comes from genuinely being part of a market. That is what three decades here has taught us to do.

The Future We Are Building Toward

The region’s manufacturing sector is maturing rapidly, consumer sophistication is rising, and digital adoption is accelerating in ways that are reframing how goods are sold and how brands earn the right to be trusted. A national vision that demands long-term industrial partnerships and an economy actively building new capabilities is precisely the environment where a company with Henkel’s depth of regional presence can make its most meaningful contribution.

Digital transformation underpins how we operate across every sector. Henkel began that journey years before “digital transformation” became a boardroom standard via cross-functional processes, data analytics, and consumer engagement on the platforms Saudi audiences actually use. It is now simply the way we work.

Sustainability is no different. As younger consumers in the Gulf increasingly factor environmental responsibility into their purchasing decisions, and as the Kingdom’s own green agenda deepens, this is a core expectation. We are committed to running all regional manufacturing facilities on 100% renewable electricity, transitioning to fully recyclable or reusable packaging, and investing in R&D.

150 Years, One Clear Purpose

This year, Henkel marks its 150th anniversary, an occasion to be clear about what longevity in business actually demands. The companies that endure hold their values constant while continuously evolving their methods. Our guiding purpose, “Pioneers at heart for the good of generations”, describes how decisions have been made across one and a half centuries, across two deeply complementary businesses, and across markets as dynamic as Saudi Arabia’s. It also describes the orientation we bring to this region today where we remain deeply invested in the outcome of a transformation. Saudi Arabia is building something that will last, and we intend to be part of what it becomes.