Since opening its doors in 2011, ESOM Holding has steadily made its way to be one of the largest and most trusted providers of facility management services in Saudi Arabia. As part of the Musaed El Seif Group, a respected name in the Kingdom, with ventures spanning construction, logistics, healthcare infrastructure, and engineering, ESOM is continuing the legacy of delivering excellent, value-driven services.
Rooted in its commitment to leading and enhancing the integrated facility management industry in Saudi Arabia, ESOM has expanded its operations to more than 50 cities nationwide. Along with this growth trajectory, however, come the added responsibilities.
Managing high-level meetings and securing the distribution of important business files became increasingly difficult for ESOM’s board, especially with the teams working in different locations and escalating demands. Without question, the company needed a tool that could keep up with the pace and agility of their operations.
“[We] wanted to keep the data secure [and manage] the expectations of the top management,” said Naghman Akhtar, Group Director of IT at ESOM Holding. The answer came in 2024, when they decided to modernise boardroom practices by adopting Convene—a comprehensive board solution that combines robust security with an intuitive user experience.
Choosing Convene over other competitors was an effortless decision, according to Akhtar. He shared that since most of their sister companies are already using Convene, they had confidence in its reliability and proven track record.
Seamless Implementation with Dedicated Support
Transitioning to a digital board portal can be daunting, especially when dealing with busy executives operating across multiple regions. For ESOM, the implementation process was smooth, thanks to the responsiveness and dedication of the Convene support team.
“Kudos to the young [gentleman who led the onboarding,]” Akhtar shared. “He did a very good job not only in implementing the application but also in training end users during regular and even odd hours. [He made himself available, whether onsite or offshore.]”
This hands-on support created strong internal momentum and trust in the platform. Executives quickly adapted, and the change was embraced across the board.
“The team stood up to expectations,” Akhtar emphasised. “The implementation strategy was good, and the support is solid. […] We’ve had no negative feedback.”
Enterprise-Level Security for Secure File Sharing
From the outset, ESOM Holding was clear about how much they value data security. Upon adopting Convene, they were able to take advantage of its advanced security features to reduce the risk of document misuse and abuse.
With Convene, ESOM benefitted from the robust security framework, which includes multi-level encryption, a single sign-on process for ease of access without compromising security, and multi-factor authentication to ensure that only authorised users can access sensitive documents.
Akhtar mentioned that the executives particularly appreciated Convene’s watermark features, which show who used the document and when. He said that the feature alone has mitigated a lot of potential risks for them, stopping the uncontrolled sharing of sensitive information and avoiding data breaches.
This dynamic watermarking, along with encrypted data storage and role-based permissions, made sure that ESOM’s most private reports and board materials stayed safe, whether accessed from Riyadh or a remote project site. This also gave the members of the board confidence to make decisions directly within the platform, such as voting on key issues or signing documents securely.
And the results? In Akhtar’s words:
“To be honest, so far there are no incidents reported […] No vulnerabilities or anything. That’s a good thing.”
Why ESOM Recommends Convene
For a company that prides itself on responsiveness and operational excellence, choosing the right board portal was a business-critical decision. ESOM Holding’s experience with Convene shows what’s possible when technology, service, and security come together in one solution.
When asked if they would recommend Convene to other organisations, Akhtar was quick to answer, “Definitely.” He continued, “A few people already approached me [in person and on LinkedIn] asking about it. […] I gave them the same feedback I’m sharing now—there’s no change in that.”
Do you want to experience the Convene difference, too? Schedule a demo today.