Bakr bin Laden It would be fair to say that 2015 was one of the worst years in recent memory for Bakr bin Laden, chairman of one of the region’s largest builders – the Saudi Binladin Group. A September crane accident in Mecca that killed 107 people was partly blamed on the firm resulting in a ban from… It would be fair to say that 2015 was one of the worst years in recent memory for Bakr bin Laden, chairman of one of the region’s largest builders – the Saudi Binladin Group. A September crane accident in Mecca that killed 107 people was partly blamed on the firm resulting in a ban from taking on new work and a review of its current projects. In November, the company was also rumoured to be cutting 15,000 jobs from its 200,000 work force due to reduced government infrastructure spending. Bin Laden will be hoping the year ahead is more positive for the firm, which has a $1bn contract to construct the world’s tallest building – the 1,008m Kingdom Tower in Jeddah. It is set for completion in 2018. Chairman, Saudi Binladin Group Origin:KSA Residence:KSA Sector:Real estate