“Natural stone is becoming a popular choice of construction material,”—Versatile International
Versatile International is the world’s first fully integrated Stone Project Management Consultancy, with operations in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The Division is the professional services arm of the Versatile Group, which is one of the leading end-to-end real estate development and construction companies in Australia. Since 2020, the company has contributed to some of the Middle East’s largest projects, such as working with Diriyah Company in Saudi Arabia on over 50 assets, including public spaces, heritage centres, luxury hotels, libraries, museums, and residential complexes within its US$ 63bn cultural district.
LogisticsGulf conducted an exclusive interview with Wajdi Marroun, Managing Director, Versatile International, to get the lowdown on the company and its operations in the Middle East.
LogisticsGulf.com (LG): With plenty of construction abounding in the GCC, tell us about the role, choice and importance of stone as a construction material?
Wajdi Marroun (WM): Natural stone is becoming a popular choice of construction material because it is durable, sustainable and available in large quantities. However, as a natural material, stone is highly variable.
As a finished product, stone often forms the visible surface of an asset. This means that there is no simple fix if something goes wrong: you can either replace it, which is both costly and time-consuming, or live with it. While this might be manageable in smaller projects, for destination-scale developments where vast quantities of stone are used—sometimes covering areas as large as ten football fields—the risks and consequences of mistakes grow exponentially. Even minor issues can quickly escalate, causing major delays and cost overruns.
This is where Versatile International steps in. We are hired by the asset owners to safeguard their interest and provide comprehensive end-to-end project oversight for destination-scale developments. Our role is to ensure that stone selection is done right from the start.
This involves reviewing designs, advising on sourcing stone that fits the purpose, overseeing procurement, managing quality control at the source, and supervising installation to bring the design vision to life. Since we are not part of the supply chain, there’s no conflict of interest.
Our sole focus is on the asset, making sure the right materials are on site, in the right volume, at the right time, and installed correctly, all while staying within design and budget parameters.
LG: What is your portfolio, area of expertise, core competencies and strengths you bring to the table?
WM: Our core expertise lies in stone project management for destination-scale developments where transparency and certainty of outcome are critical. We offer a fully integrated range of services, from design consultation and material selection to procurement oversight and installation management.
What sets us apart is our end-to-end project governance model. We manage the entire process, mitigating risks and ensuring exceptional outcomes. By working closely with asset owners and leveraging strong relationships with global suppliers, we optimize procurement, enhance cost efficiency, and consistently deliver on time without compromising quality.
LG: How significant is the region for Versatile International and how has the company fared since the start of its operations here?
WM: The Middle East is a key market for us. Since we began operations in 2020, we’ve experienced substantial growth, driven by the region’s focus on giga-projects like Diriyah Gate in Saudi Arabia. Our expertise in natural stone management has made us a trusted partner for these complex, high-stakes projects.
We have expanded our client base and operational footprint across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with plans to continue growing as the region continues to invest in infrastructure and heritage conservation.
LG: In your own words, enunciate and characterize the unique ‘Versatile Model’.
WM: The ‘Versatile Model’ is specifically designed to eliminate risk from the natural stone construction process. We developed this model after identifying weaknesses in the traditional procurement approach, which involves multiple stakeholders—contractors, agents, suppliers, manufacturers, and quarries—leading to vulnerabilities and potential manipulation.
While the traditional model shifts risk downstream, it often increases the developer’s risk through a lack of transparency and reduced oversight of material quality.
We are not stone suppliers; rather, we work directly with our clients to ensure the correct stone is selected from the outset. This includes reviewing designs, advising on suitable materials, overseeing procurement, and managing quality control at the source, followed by installation supervision.
As we are not part of the supply chain, we avoid conflicts of interest, allowing us to focus solely on the asset, ensuring the right materials are delivered and installed on time, within budget, and according to design specifications.
Our model is particularly well-suited for destination-scale developments like giga-projects, where hundreds of thousands of square meters of stone may be used throughout the project, so even minor variations in quality or cost can have a significant impact due to the sheer scale involved.
LG: What are its salient and outstanding attributes and advantages?
WM: The standout advantage of the Versatile Model is the control and visibility we offer across the entire supply chain. We manage every aspect of stone procurement and installation, so our clients don’t have to coordinate with multiple contractors and suppliers.
Our hands-on approach ensures quality checks at every stage—from quarrying to installation—providing a higher level of transparency and certainty. This minimizes the risk of delays, rework and budget overruns, ensuring projects are delivered on time and in line with specifications.
Additionally, our strong relationships with a global network of suppliers allow us to secure the right materials while optimizing costs.
LG: Explain in your own words how Versatile International mitigates risk and cost through transparent project governance and allowing supply chain visibility?
WM: We mitigate risk and control costs by ensuring transparency throughout the entire process and aligning all stakeholders from the outset. In traditional models, natural stone procurement involves a range of intermediaries—contractors, agents, and suppliers—each with their own interests. This often results in inflated costs and compromised quality, as the focus shifts from realizing the developer’s vision to the contractors looking to maximizing profits at each stage.
At Versatile International, we take a different approach by partnering directly with asset developers and managing the entire supply chain. This ensures the right processes are established from the beginning, reducing the likelihood of unexpected issues.
While we don’t supply the materials ourselves, we facilitate direct connections between the developer and the quarries, offering full transparency on pricing and availability and making sure that the materials are fit for purpose.
We also perform rigorous quality inspections at every stage, from quarry to installation, ensuring the final product aligns with the original vision without compromising quality or budget. This approach helps avoid common challenges such as delays or substandard materials, keeping the project on track.
LG: Characterize the partnership between Versatile International and Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Company?
WM: Our partnership with Diriyah Company reflects a shared commitment to the strategic development of this iconic heritage site in Saudi Arabia.
Versatile International has been closely involved with Diriyah, working on over 50 assets that utilize natural stone, including public spaces, heritage centres, hotels, libraries, museums, and residential properties. We are also facilitating the procurement of more than 75,000cbm of Riyadh limestone for foundation plinths and 250km of the stone for kerbs and gutters.
LG: How do you facilitate the sourcing / procurement of raw materials and how do you exercise quality control?
WM: We draw on a network of more than 200 quarries in 15 countries to find the best source for the required stone, examining the physical properties such as tensile strength, density, and water absorption, while also assessing the volume of available stone at different quality levels.
Next, we evaluate suppliers who extract from these quarries to ensure they have the technical capabilities to meet international standards, including sustainable practices. We implement standardized quality control processes, with a geological engineer and quality control supervisor on-site at the quarry to ensure consistency. Additionally, we station quality control supervisors at processing plants to verify that the finished product meets the client’s specifications.
In essence, we are involved in every phase of production—from quarrying and sample testing to transportation, processing, and final delivery—ensuring the product is certified and meets the highest standards for our clients.
LG: Do you own any quarries in the region?
WM: We do not own any quarries in the region, nor are we stone suppliers. Instead, we are project governance partners, hired directly by asset owners to protect their interests. Our role is to oversee the entire stone sourcing process on their behalf, ensuring that the right stone is selected, procured, and installed according to the project’s specifications.
While we do not own or operate quarries, we do lend our expertise to help local quarries in Saudi Arabia achieve certification from the Ministry of Minerals, ensuring they meet the rigorous quality and sustainability standards required for giga-projects like Diriyah.
LG: What are the opportunities and challenges for Versatile International going forward?
WM: Natural stone is increasingly becoming the construction material of choice across the Middle East, offering us significant opportunities. Beyond its aesthetic appeal and local authenticity, stone is now being recognized for its sustainability, with technological advancements further enhancing its versatility.
In this region, the greatest opportunity lies in local sourcing. Procuring stone from local quarries not only brings regional character to developments but also reduces the risks associated with sourcing exotic stone from overseas.
The challenge, particularly for the large-scale projects we specialize in, is identifying quarries that can supply the right grades of stone in the volumes required. For instance, the material needed for Diriyah’s public spaces alone is equivalent to 100 football pitches. Ensuring consistency and maintaining quality at such scales is no small feat, which is why we are working to help certify local quarries in Saudi Arabia to meet this demand.
LG: Versatile International recently announced new lighting venture in Saudi Arabia. Tell us more.
WM: We recently launched Asheil Versatile Lighting Technologies in partnership with Haneco. Asheil focuses on manufacturing and supplying lighting solutions for large-scale projects in Saudi Arabia, particularly the country’s giga-projects. The aim is to produce high-quality lighting products locally, thereby reducing supply chain risks.
Asheil is also committed to supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 by advancing the Kingdom’s lighting technology sector. The first phase includes the construction of a 5,000sqm factory, with plans to expand to 20,000cbm in the future. Asheil’s product portfolio will feature over 1,000 lighting solutions, specifically tailored for giga-projects.
LG: What are your expansion plans for Versatile International in the region going forward?
WM: Our focus moving forward is twofold. First, we aim to strengthen our position as the leading stone project management consultancy for giga-projects. Our collaboration with Diriyah Company is a privilege, and we are committed to ensuring the ongoing success of this iconic project.
The scale of this partnership means we will be working closely with them for the coming years, and we see it as a cornerstone for our growth in the region. At the same time, we are excited to collaborate with other asset owners on similar destination projects throughout the region. These projects align perfectly with our expertise in managing the complexities of natural stone sourcing and installation on a scale that few others can match.
Secondly, we are looking to apply our unique project governance model to sectors beyond stone project management. The launch of Asheil Versatile Lighting Technologies is one example of how we can bring the same level of transparency and risk management to other areas of giga-project development. We are actively exploring new opportunities where our expertise can add value, whether through new partnerships or expanding our services to meet the evolving needs of the region’s largest projects.
LG: Talk to us about Versatile International’s commitment to sustainability and environmental protection as part of your CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) pledge/s?
WM: Sustainability is a top priority for the giga-projects we work on throughout the Middle East. Every client we engage with is deeply invested in sustainability, as it is becoming central to the mandate of organizations across the region.
Natural stone is an inherently sustainable material—it’s a natural product, free from pollutants, and requires minimal maintenance. Compared to alternatives like concrete, the carbon footprint of stone is around 70% lower due to the simple extraction, transportation, and finishing processes. Stone also has a much longer lifespan and can retain its appeal over time, which is not always the case with concrete structures.
Supply chain visibility is critical to ensuring sustainability. Developers must be fully aware of the environmental and social impacts of their sourcing decisions. Proper governance and oversight help eliminate potential risks—whether related to environmental standards, labor practices, or reputational damage—ensuring that all parties comply with the developer’s sustainability commitments.
Regulators and investors are increasingly focused on supply chain sustainability, and new regulations often include potential legal liabilities for failing to properly plan for sustainability risks. This makes full visibility across the supply chain more crucial than ever, both from a legal and reputational standpoint.
LG: Looking into your crystal ball, what is your vision of Versatile International in the region going forward?
WM: Our vision is to continue partnering with asset owners to bring their destination-scale projects to life. We recognize the importance of these developments not just as construction projects, but as integral components of broader national strategies like Saudi’s Vision 2030. These projects represent cultural, economic, and social objectives, and we are committed to contributing to their realization.
At Versatile International, we see ourselves as trusted advisors to asset owners, ensuring that every aspect of the process—from sourcing natural stone to managing large-scale installations—aligns with the asset owner’s vision. Our expertise in managing complex, high-profile projects positions us to help shape the region’s most iconic landmarks, ensuring they stand the test of time in both durability and design.
As we move forward, we will continue to expand our services and capabilities to meet the region’s evolving needs. Whether through stone project management or diversifying into areas like lighting and other sectors, our goal remains the same—to provide end-to-end governance and risk management that guarantees certainty of outcomes for our clients.
BOXOUT:
Wajdi Marroun is the Managing Director of Versatile International, the Middle East’s first end-to-end stone project management consultancy.
With over 15 years of industry experience, Wajdi leads Versatile in providing fully integrated project governance solutions for some of the region’s most iconic giga projects.
