BARQ SYSTEMS OPENS NEW HIGH-TECH CAIRO HQ

BARQ SYSTEMS OPENS NEW HIGH-TECH CAIRO HQ AND REVEALS $90 MILLION INVESTMENT PLAN.

CAIRO, Egypt, June 2, 2016: BARQ Systems “formerly Salec” a regional leading turn-key Communications and Information Technology Solutions provider has today formally opened its new world-class headquarters in the Maadi Technology Park in Cairo.

The inauguration of the new HQ and Data Center is part of BARQ Systems 2020 strategy to grow geographically and into the IT Services area capitalizing on new technologies and trends, becoming one of the top IT platforms in the region. To achieve this BARQ Systems is investing USD$90 million by 2020 to grow its operating footprint and expand its offering in the IT domain, creating an additional 1,000 jobs, and evaluating a number of acquisition targets in the EMEA region with focus on IT Services.

The opening of BARQ Systems “formerly Salec” new HQ was inaugurated by HE Amr Al-Dabbagh, Chairman and CEO of the Saudi-based Al-Dabbagh Group, the parent company of BARQ Systems “formerly Salec”. Also attending the ceremony was Rami Rahim, CEO of Juniper Networks, Asmaa Hosny, CEO of ITIDA, in addition to senior representatives from BARQ Systems’ key customers in Egypt.

Mahmoud Soliman, President and CEO of BARQ Systems Group hosted the ceremony and gave invited attendees a tour of the newly established headquarters which will house 300 staff, two data centers and a large entertainment and recreational area.

“We specifically chose Cairo, and Maadi Tech Park to be the home of our new HQ for our Middle East and Africa operations,” commented Soliman. “Not only does the park provide world-class facilities, Cairo is also a perfect location for access to a massive talent pool and significant expertise in the CIT industry. "

“BARQ Systems “formerly Salec” has been in Egypt for over 17 years operating under the name of SALEC “a BARQ Group Company” . Our business has been growing both geographically and vertically becoming one of the fastest growing CIT platforms in the region. We now have a presence in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and will be expanding soon in the East and West Africa regions. We always looked at Cairo as a source of top talent, knowledge and skills. Our new headquarters will give us a fit-for-purpose hub to support our continued growth across the region.”

BARQ Systems “formerly Salec” has been serving the Egyptian CIT market since 1999 with a special focus on Service Providers and Large Enterprise, BARQ Systems is expecting to reach a turnover of EGP400 million (USD$45m) in 2016. BARQ’s key customers include; Telecom Egypt, TE-Data, Vodafone, Orange, Etisalat, AAIB, CIB, and many more prestigious customers.

With its expansion BARQ is creating 300 direct and 400 indirect jobs in Cairo this year. “Human Capital is a key asset of BARQ Systems, that’s why we have built this new office to offer a more comfortable environment for them to reach new heights”, added Soliman.

BARQ Systems “formerly Salec” is an operating unit of Al-Dabbagh Group and forms the group’s Communication and Information Technology (CIT) Portfolio.

BARQ Systems “formerly Salec” also has a strategic regional partnership with Juniper Network – the California-based global industry leader in automated, scalable and secure networks. As a further commitment to its long lasting relationship, Rami Rahim CEO of Juniper Networks will also inaugurate Juniper’s first partner hosted Data Center Lab in the region, to showcase Juniper’s and BARQ’s capabilities in the area of Cloud Computing, Virtualization, and Big Data Analytics in addition to Internet-of-Things, SDN, and NFV Technologies. Through this collaboration BARQ Systems “formerly Salec” will look to capitalize on the USD$3 billion IT market in Egypt by 2020.

“We are very proud of our successful 14 year partnership with Juniper Networks in Egypt. The country has massive potential for future growth and we are well placed to take full advantage of these opportunities,” said Mahmoud Soliman.

About BARQ Systems:

• BARQ Systems “formerly Salec” is a leading regional full turn-key Communication and Information Technology (CIT) solutions provider that serves business and government clients across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) through offices in major cities; in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
  
• BARQ Systems “formerly Salec” is an operating unit of Al-Dabbagh Group and forms the group’s Communication and Information Technology (CIT) Portfolio.
• Since its establishment in 1993, BARQ Systems “formerly Salec” has established a solid reputation as a leader in implementing and maintaining proven and scalable data and telecommunication infrastructure solutions through working with various organizations across the EMEA region. Such reputation is attributed to the company’s strong technical expertise, ability to deliver quality products and services on time and within budget, and the ability to communicate effectively with customers and partners.
• Our focused approach and eagerness to address new challenges allows us to deliver flexible and reliable solutions that our customers can trust.

About Al-Dabbagh Group:

• Al-Dabbagh Group is a global family-owned business founded in Saudi Arabia in 1962. Today, Al-Dabbagh Group is a diversified holding company with a focus on four strategic sectors: food, automotive services, housing and packaging, in addition to an incubation portfolio to develop new investment ideas.
• Al-Dabbagh Group employs over 15,000 people globally within 62 companies; with a manufacturing presence in 35 countries and sales, services and projects in over 60 countries.
• The Group is governed by its own ‘Omnipreneurship’ ecosystem, which includes three principles, five values and ten golden rules. The Omnipreneurship ecosystem drives the Group’s vision to be a positive global corporate citizen, delivering meaningful impact at measureable scale for the greater good.
• The Group aims to be one of the top 20 wholly-owned global family businesses by 2020 and is led by Chairman and CEO, His Excellency Amr Al-Dabbagh.