Coventry maritime firm Sonihull hires new director to head up Middle East

Published by

Daniel Face

Riyami Mohamed, a director at Sonihull's Abu Dhabi office

Coventry-based Sonihull has appointed Riyami Mohamed as a director tasked with leading the company’s operations in the Middle East.

Riyami will head up the Sonihull office in Abu Dhabi, UAE as the company looks to double its turnover this year.

He brings to the role more than 10 years’ experience in the maritime sector with Rolls-Royce and Kongsberg.

Most recently, Riyami led several strategic programmes at Amazon, including the launch of electric HGVs into its European fleet and getting the transportation business ready for Brexit.

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He said: “Sonihull is at a key juncture right now, and I thought it was a really exciting time to join them – especially with its office in Abu Dhabi.

“The maritime sector in the Middle East is huge and there’s potential to greatly expand Sonihull’s influence in that market with the right strategy.

“My background in the maritime industry and my knowledge of how the supply chain works, alongside the strength of what Sonihull’s products can offer shipping and industrial companies, makes me confident of success.

“If we can establish a strong reputation early on in the Middle East and provide excellent customer service beyond the initial sale, I believe we can really make great strides in growing Sonihull throughout the region.”

Sonihull sells a range of products which emit ultrasonic soundwaves across a ship’s hull, preventing marine wildlife such as algae, molluscs and weeds from binding to the surface and reducing fuel efficiency.

Last year it was among the first winners of the King’s Award for Enterprise, as well as launching its new product, Agitate, which prevents the build-up of debris in pipes.

CEO Darren Rowlands added: “We’re really pleased Riyami will be joining Sonihull as we look to rapidly scale up our operations.

“The Middle East is a major growth region for us, and Riyami’s track record in the industry as well as Amazon means we think he will be an excellent person to lead our operations there.

“2024 is set to be a very exciting year for Sonihull, and it’s fantastic that Riyami will play a key role in that at our Abu Dhabi office.”

Daniel Face

Born and raised in Berkshire, Dan fell into journalism after completing his bachelor’s degree in English at UCL. Writing for The Business Magazine and local Biz News sites has given him the opportunity to chat with all manner of small business owners and share their success stories with a wider audience. Outside of work, Dan enjoys live music, board games and quiz shows, and is making a slow but persistent effort to learn Spanish.