ALEC Holdings, one of the region’s leading construction and services firms, has released its 2024 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability report, showcasing a year of measurable progress in ethical business practices, workforce development, and environmental impact reduction across its UAE and Saudi operations.
The report highlights ALEC’s firm integration of ESG principles into its core business strategy, moving beyond compliance to position sustainability as a driver of resilience and regional growth. This effort has garnered external recognition, with ALEC earning the Dubai Chamber of Commerce ESG Label and the ‘Committed’ badge from global sustainability ratings platform EcoVadis. The latter assessment covered 21 ESG criteria spanning environmental performance, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.
“We take pride in the results which showcase our maturing sustainability strategy that’s fully integrated into our business model — not as a compliance exercise, but as a lever for resilience and regional growth,” said Barry Lewis, CEO of ALEC Holdings. “As ALEC continues to deliver complex, high-value projects across the region, our ESG commitments serve as a key enabler of operational excellence and stakeholder trust.”
He added: “Our 2024 report reflects the tangible progress we’ve made in enhancing transparency, building workforce resilience, and embedding sustainability into every level of the business — from our project sites to the boardroom.”
A core pillar of ALEC’s governance efforts in 2024 was the rollout of ALEC ALERT, a secure and anonymous whistleblowing platform accessible to employees, subcontractors, and vendors. The initiative is part of a broader strategy to foster a culture of accountability, underpinned by a 73.5% staff completion rate of ethics training in the UAE and KSA. This ethical foundation supports strong decision-making and enhances ALEC’s reputation for financial transparency and compliance.
To better understand and prioritise its ESG focus areas, ALEC also completed a double materiality assessment involving input from employees, investors, auditors, clients, and community stakeholders. The outcome will guide the company’s forward-looking sustainability roadmap, helping align operations with evolving market expectations and climate-related risks.
On the social front, ALEC continues to invest heavily in workforce empowerment. More than 4,600 workers received training at the company’s dedicated trade skills facility in 2024, supporting an active pathway for internal promotions from labour roles into staff positions. With 68 nationalities represented across its workforce and nearly 40% of managers having completed gender diversity training, ALEC is fostering a diverse and inclusive corporate culture.
“Talent is one of the most critical assets for a business like ours,” added Lewis. “By investing in both upskilling and wellbeing, we ensure ALEC remains an employer of choice — and a partner clients can rely on to bring visionary projects to life.”
ALEC also ramped up its environmental sustainability measures in 2024. Offices and industrial facilities in both the UAE and KSA were refurbished to enhance energy and water efficiency while improving workplace quality. At the construction level, ALEC deployed solar-diesel hybrid generators and battery energy storage systems (BESS) at four project sites, cutting fossil fuel usage and aligning with national renewable energy goals.
The company’s green building credentials continued to grow, with eight projects achieving LEED certification and five attaining Pearl Estidama ratings in 2024. Additional certifications are under review, reinforcing ALEC’s ambition to lead on sustainable construction in the Middle East.
ALEC’s sustainability push extends into community engagement as well. Last year, over 1,100 employees participated in CSR initiatives, contributing more than 548 hours of volunteer time and positively impacting over 6,300 individuals. Through collaborations with Dubai Cares, Emirates Red Crescent, and SmartLife, the company directed significant funding towards educational and humanitarian causes across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Nepal.
“As we target an aggressive phase of regional growth, we believe our ALEC strategy not only protects value, but actively drives it,” concluded Lewis. “Our goal is to set the benchmark for sustainable construction operations in the Middle East — delivering world-class projects while raising the bar for ethics, environmental responsibility and workforce empowerment.”
