RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Merit Incentives Group (“Merit”), the global engagement and loyalty technology company powering reward and incentive programs across more than 100 countries, today announced the appointment of the Saudi Arabian business tycoon Mohammed H. Abudawood as Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Abudawood is a distinguished business leader with a career spanning more than three decades across trading, manufacturing, distribution, and international joint ventures. As Founder of Abudawood Trading Company (retail), the Ecolab Institutional Distribution Business, and Abudawood Industrial Company in the Royal Commission of Yanbu, he has built and scaled large-scale retail and institutional distribution platforms, forged strategic global partnerships, and launched proprietary brands across the FMCG and industrial sectors.
Mr. Abudawood also served as General Manager of two Clorox USA–Saudi joint ventures for more than 20 years, where he led regional expansion, marketing, sales, and logistics strategies, contributing to long-term operational excellence and brand growth in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
His governance credentials are equally distinguished. He has served as Chairman and Board Member of multiple leading public and private institutions, and as a member of the Jeddah City Council. Internationally, he has served on the board of the Harvard University Institute for Social & Economic Policy in the Middle East and the Harvard University Journal. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development (PMD), Class of 1991.
Julie Barbier-Leblan, Group CEO and Co-Founder of Merit, commented:
“Mohammed Abudawood’s joining our group marks a significant milestone in Merit’s journey. As we continue to scale our global engagement infrastructure from Saudi Arabia, his strong background, international partnerships, and board leadership will be instrumental in strengthening our foundation and driving our long-term strategy.”
As Chairman of the Board, Mr. Abudawood will lead the advancement of the company’s governance frameworks, foster strategic partnerships, and guide M&A activity – supporting the development of a more scalable platform for sustained global expansion.
Mr. Abudawood said:
“Merit has established a differentiated engagement infrastructure platform with global reach and deep Saudi expertise. I am honored to join as Chairman and look forward to contributing to the continued expansion of its ecosystem and overall growth.”
In addition, Merit has reported an outstanding performance this quarter, achieving triple-digit growth across its global engagement platforms. This milestone underscores the company’s strong market execution, the scalability of its technology infrastructure, and the growing demand for innovative loyalty and incentive solutions worldwide.
This appointment reflects Merit’s continued evolution into a governance-driven, product-led, and globally scalable technology group, in alignment with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambitions and the Kingdom’s growing role as a hub for digital infrastructure and innovation.
About Merit Group
Merit is a global engagement technology company enabling enterprises to design, manage, and scale loyalty, rewards, incentive, and engagement programs across multiple markets, currencies, and industries. Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, Merit operates in over 160 countries and partners with thousands of global brands, providing infrastructure that connects businesses with customers, employees, and partners through intelligent, scalable engagement solutions.
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