Haneen Al-Saleh: Pioneering Saudi Innovation as Bosch’s Managing Director

Haneen Al-Saleh: Pioneering Saudi Innovation as Bosch’s Managing Director

Haneen Al-Saleh stands as a shining example of Saudi Arabia’s rising generation of women leaders in industry and innovation. As the Managing Director of Bosch’s regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, she leads the multinational giant’s commitment to Saudi Vision 2030 by spearheading transformative initiatives in energy, mobility, consumer goods, and digitalization.

Her journey from a young mechanical design engineer in the UK to one of the Kingdom’s most high-profile female executives is a story of resilience, expertise, and breaking barriers.

Early Life and Education

Haneen Al-Saleh’s passion for engineering and energy systems took shape early in life, propelling her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering from a respected university in the UK. She deepened her expertise with a master’s degree in energy engineering and carbon management, an area of growing global importance as nations race to address climate change and sustainability challenges.

Her educational foundation in engineering combined with her specialization in energy and carbon solutions laid the groundwork for a career that would soon straddle technical mastery and strategic leadership.

First Steps in a Male-Dominated Field

Al-Saleh began her professional journey in the UK as a mechanical design engineer, where she honed her technical skills in project design and execution. Working with Acumen Project in Nottingham, England, she took on the role of project mechanical engineer, managing the mechanical components of complex construction and energy projects.

She then worked as a building services advisor at Ideal Design in Jeddah, providing consulting and technical guidance on large-scale infrastructure projects. Even in these early roles, Al-Saleh’s combination of technical acumen and leadership potential set her apart.

Adding a unique dimension to her experience, she also worked part-time in sales at 3mobile in Edinburgh, sharpening her communication and client engagement skills — a skill set that would become increasingly vital as she transitioned into strategic management roles.

Breaking Barriers in Saudi Arabia’s Energy Sector

After returning to Saudi Arabia, Al-Saleh joined General Electric (GE), one of the world’s largest industrial conglomerates. Here, she took on various roles including:

• Strategic Marketing Manager — where she developed market strategies for energy solutions.
  
• Global Execution and Intervention Leader — managing cross-border energy projects and interventions.
  
• Project Manager — overseeing the delivery of complex, multi-stakeholder energy infrastructure projects.
  

Her time at GE was marked by one particularly groundbreaking achievement: she became the first Saudi woman to work on a construction site while leading a team. She played a key leadership role in the delivery of Waad Al-Shamal, the first integrated solar combined cycle power plant in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa, Turkey) region.

This project not only broke technological ground but also marked a significant cultural shift, demonstrating that Saudi women could not only participate but lead in one of the most demanding and traditionally male-dominated areas of the economy: large-scale construction and energy delivery.

Taking the Helm at Bosch Saudi Arabia

Today, as the Managing Director of Bosch’s regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, Haneen Al-Saleh leads one of the world’s leading technology and engineering companies in advancing the Kingdom’s strategic priorities. Bosch, known globally for its innovation in mobility solutions, consumer goods, industrial technology, and energy, sees Saudi Arabia as a key growth market aligned with Vision 2030.

Under Al-Saleh’s leadership, Bosch has intensified its focus on:

• Hydrogen innovation — driving research and deployment of hydrogen solutions as part of Saudi Arabia’s clean energy transformation.
  
• Digitalization — helping industries adopt smart technologies, from connected manufacturing to AI-powered solutions.
  
• Energy diversification — supporting the Kingdom’s shift from fossil fuels toward renewable energy and sustainable solutions.
  
• Mobility innovation — fostering the development of smart mobility systems, autonomous driving, and electric vehicle technologies.
  

Leading Innovation and Collaboration

Al-Saleh’s leadership style is defined by her ability to foster collaboration across sectors and cultures. She emphasizes the importance of building partnerships between government, private sector, and academia to accelerate innovation and deliver meaningful impact.

Her efforts align closely with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, the country’s sweeping national transformation plan, which prioritizes economic diversification, technological advancement, and enhanced female participation in the workforce.

By positioning Bosch as a key partner in this transformation, Al-Saleh is not only driving business success but also helping reshape Saudi Arabia’s industrial and technological landscape.

Championing Women in STEM

Haneen Al-Saleh’s career has made her a role model for Saudi women aspiring to enter STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Her success challenges outdated stereotypes and demonstrates that women can thrive in leadership positions across industries traditionally dominated by men.

She actively advocates for greater female participation in engineering and energy, emphasizing the need for mentorship programs, leadership development, and supportive workplace cultures that empower women to advance.

Her story resonates not just in Saudi Arabia but across the broader Gulf and Middle East region, where women’s representation in technical fields is steadily increasing but still faces cultural and structural challenges.

The Energy Transition and Hydrogen Economy

One of Al-Saleh’s key focus areas at Bosch is advancing the hydrogen economy. As Saudi Arabia positions itself as a global hub for clean hydrogen production and export, Bosch is working closely with local partners to develop technologies that support the transition to hydrogen-powered energy systems.

This includes:

• Developing hydrogen combustion engines and fuel cells.
  
• Supporting the build-out of hydrogen production, storage, and distribution infrastructure.
  
• Partnering on pilot projects that test hydrogen solutions in industrial and transportation applications.
  

Al-Saleh recognizes that success in the hydrogen economy will require not just technological innovation but also cross-sector collaboration, regulatory alignment, and long-term investment — all areas where she is working to position Bosch as a leader.

Driving Digital Transformation

Beyond energy, Al-Saleh is also passionate about digitalization — helping Saudi industries adopt cutting-edge digital tools that enhance productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness.

Under her leadership, Bosch Saudi Arabia has expanded its offerings in:

• Smart manufacturing (Industry 4.0) — enabling factories to leverage IoT, AI, and data analytics.
  
• Connected mobility — integrating vehicles, infrastructure, and cloud systems to create safer, more efficient transportation networks.
  
• Smart cities — providing solutions for energy-efficient buildings, intelligent transportation, and digital services that improve urban living.
  

These initiatives align with Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to become a global innovation hub and create a knowledge-based, technology-driven economy.

Vision for the Future

Looking ahead, Haneen Al-Saleh envisions a future where Saudi Arabia leads not just in oil and gas but in renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, digital innovation, and smart mobility. She sees Bosch playing a central role in helping the Kingdom achieve this transformation by providing the tools, technologies, and expertise that enable sustainable, inclusive growth.

Her long-term goals include:

• Expanding Bosch’s local research and development footprint.
  
• Developing talent pipelines that nurture the next generation of Saudi engineers and innovators.
  
• Deepening collaboration with government agencies to align on national priorities.
  
• Advocating for policies that accelerate the adoption of clean technologies and digital solutions.
  

Conclusion: A Trailblazer for Saudi Industry

Haneen Al-Saleh’s journey from a mechanical design engineer in the UK to the Managing Director of Bosch Saudi Arabia is a story of determination, excellence, and leadership. She has broken barriers as one of the first Saudi women to lead on construction sites, driven innovation across the energy and mobility sectors, and positioned Bosch as a key player in the Kingdom’s transformation journey.

Her work not only advances Saudi Arabia’s economic and sustainability goals but also inspires a new generation of Saudi women to pursue careers in STEM, leadership, and innovation. As she continues to drive forward the company’s ambitious agenda, Haneen Al-Saleh stands as a true trailblazer — a symbol of what’s possible when expertise, vision, and purpose come together to shape the future.