Neom CEO leading Saudi Arabia's $1 trillion The Line leaves abruptly amid reports 21,000 workers had died since 'Vision 2030' launch

The CEO of Neom’s megacity project has resigned amid reports that thousands of people have died and disappeared while bringing the Saudi Vision 2030 project to life.

In April 2016, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) launched Saudi Vision 2030, an ambitious program with a slew of social and cultural objectives.

As well as a pledge to diversify the country’s economy away from oil, project pillars include creating a ‘vibrant society’ and crowning Saudi Arabia as a global leader.

Work has already begun on a myriad of key projects, including the Trojena alpine resort, a floating industrial district called Oxagon and The Line: a 170km-long city prioritizing people and nature.

MBS, 39, reportedly hand-selected Saudi executive Nadhmi Al-Nasr, 68, to lead the flagship Neom giga-project in 2018.

Al-Nasr is a controversial figure, with the Wall Street Journal reporting he once said in a meeting: "I drive everybody like a slave. When they drop down dead, I celebrate. That’s how I do my projects."

The abrupt leadership reshuffle was announced on Tuesday (November 12), with his successor, Aiman Al-Mudaifer, also being revealed as Acting CEO.

An official statement from Neom read: “As Neom enters a new phase of delivery, this new leadership will ensure operational continuity, agility and efficiency to match the overall vision and objectives of the project.

“Progress continues on all operations as planned, as we deliver the next phase of our vast portfolio of projects,” it continued, citing The Line, Trojena, the Oxagon industrial hub and more.

Al-Nasr’s exit comes amid reports that plans for The Line had been scaled back, with Bloomberg claiming The Line’s length had been reduced from 170km to 2.4km to be completed by 2030.

Nadhmi Al-Nasr helmed Neom for six years (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

The Saudi Vision 2030 project has also been criticized for allegedly abusing its workers, with an ITV documentary titled Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia claiming that 21,000 foreign workers had died and 10,000 had gone missing since determined plans were launched in 2017.

The Saudi Arabian National Council for Occupational Safety and Health has since refuted claims regarding Vision 2030 workers allegedly being treated as ‘trapped slaves’ and ‘beggars’, as per Newsweek.

In a statement, the council said: "In reference to the misinformation circulating across various media platforms—particularly claims suggesting an increase in worker fatalities linked to working conditions in Saudi Arabia, accompanied by unfounded statistics lacking credible sources—the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health in Saudi Arabia unequivocally refutes these assertions.

“The council affirms the work-related fatalities in Saudi Arabia is 1.12 per 100,000 workers. This figure positions Saudi Arabia among the lowest globally in terms of work-related fatalities.

The Line is just one of Neom's ambitious projects (NEOM)

"The International Labour Organization (ILO) acknowledges this progress, highlighting on its official website that Saudi Arabia has made significant advancements in improving occupational safety and health and reducing workplace accidents at the national level.”

The statement continued to say that Saudi labor laws mandate that employers provide ‘comprehensive health insurance that covers essential preventive, therapeutic, and healthcare services for all employees’ and that regulations also restrict work under ‘direct sunlight during the summer months’.

“We emphasize the importance of verifying information and sourcing it from credible outlets,” they added.