Head of Sustainability

About Arena

Arena is an international integrated event services company. The company provides event solutions, designing and delivering temporary environments to a variety of sporting, commercial, and cultural events across the globe.

With a strong presence across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the US, Arena delivers the Arena Standard worldwide offering tailored, high-quality temporary infrastructure solutions.

In the GCC, Arena has successfully delivered major projects including the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Jeddah), Riyadh Season, Soundstorm (MDLBeast), Diriyah E-Prix, LIV Golf events, Sports Boulevard, Qiddiya developments, and multiple large-scale sports and entertainment projects across Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Position Description

Job Title: Regional Head of ESG & Sustainability Middle East

Reporting Into: CEO EMEA.

Direct Reports: Senior Sustainability Advisor, Sustainability Advisors (MEA/Asia)

Location: Middle East (UAE Based)

Contract Type: Full-Time

Job Objective

The Regional Head of ESG & Sustainability is responsible for embedding environmental, social, and governance principles as a core driver of business strategy, operational excellence, and competitive advantage across Arena Group's Middle East operations.

The role leads the transition of sustainability from compliance-focused activity to measurable value creation, ensuring ESG directly influences infrastructure design, capital investment, supply chain performance, client propositions, and long-term business growth.

Key Responsibilities

ESG Strategy & Leadership

Lead the implementation and evolution of Arena's regional ESG strategy aligned with Group direction and regional business plans.

Embed ESG principles into operational decision-making, governance frameworks, and business planning.

Advise senior leadership on ESG risks, opportunities, and regulatory developments.

Monitor emerging ESG standards and ensure regional readiness and alignment.

Infrastructure & Operational Transformation

Drive decarbonisation, circular economy, and resource efficiency initiatives across temporary infrastructure operations.

Embed sustainability into design standards, material selection, asset strategy, and project delivery models.

Promote innovation in reuse, modularity, and waste reduction.

Influence capital investment decisions to enhance long-term environmental and commercial performance.

Commercial & Client Engagement

Position ESG as a commercial differentiator in bids, tenders, and client engagement.

Support revenue growth through ESG-led solutions and value propositions.

Develop business cases demonstrating ROI and risk mitigation through sustainability initiatives.

Represent Arena with clients, regulators, and industry bodies on ESG matters.

Compliance, Risk & Assurance

Ensure compliance with ISO 20121, ISO 14001, and regional regulatory requirements.

Oversee ESG data integrity, KPI tracking, and performance monitoring.

Integrate ESG requirements into supplier and subcontractor contracts.

Manage ESG-related risk mitigation and governance reporting.

Leadership & Team Development

Lead and develop a high-performing regional sustainability team.

Build ESG capability across business functions through coaching and collaboration.

Foster a culture of accountability, ethical leadership, and continuous improvement.

Education & Experience

Degree-qualified in Environmental Science, Sustainability, or related discipline.

Minimum 7+ years of experience in ESG or sustainability leadership roles.

Experience within events, construction, infrastructure, or operationally intensive industries.

Strong knowledge of ESG regulations, standards, and best practices.

Experience leading multi-regional or multicultural teams.

Skills & Competencies

Strong commercial acumen with the ability to link ESG to business performance.

Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills at executive level.

Strategic mindset with strong operational execution capability.

Highly organised and analytical with strong program management skills.

Strong client-facing presence and communication capability.

Ability to drive change across complex organisational structures.