Going The Extra Mile: Blacklane’s Adib Samara Explains How
As the General Manager for Saudi Arabia at Blacklane, Samara shares how the company is redefining premium service through consistency, localization, and care.
What does it really mean to go the extra mile?
That’s what Inc. Arabia sought to find out in Riyadh through a conversation with Adib Samara, General Manager for Saudi Arabia at Blacklane, a global chauffeur service operating in more than 500 cities around the world—which has “going the extra mile” as one of its core values.
In a conversation with Inc. Arabia Editor in Chief Aby Sam Thomas, Samara shared what that philosophy looks like in practice—especially in a market like Saudi Arabia, where expectations are rising fast, and change is happening even faster. “For us at Blacklane, delivering excellence isn't just ambitious,” Samara said. “It's our standard. And guided by our values internally of care, of drive, of excellence, we aim to elevate every part of the customer experience.”
That standard, Samara pointed out, takes on even greater meaning in Saudi Arabia, which has Blacklane operating in cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Mecca, and Medina—with more on the way. As Blacklane thus expands its presence across the Kingdom, Samara noted that delivering on its service promise begins with a clear understanding of what its customers actually value today. “Our guests aren't just looking for transportation,” he pointed out. “They're looking for their time back. They're looking at personalized experiences. They're looking at really being taken care of.”
Meeting such expectations thus means not only anticipating guest needs, but also adapting the experience to local realities as well as keeping up with changing expectations. “What may be a premium experience today may not be so tomorrow,” Samara explained. “The speed of change is happening so quickly. So, it keeps us on our toes. It means we need to keep running. It means we always need to think how to innovate, and we need to localize.”
And at the heart of this approach is a mindset that Samara believes every business leader should embrace. “Innovation is a mindset, not a moment,” he said. “Going the extra mile is not about a milestone that you reach in a journey and then you forget…If you want to go the extra mile, you need to keep walking.”
Check out the full video for more of Samara’s insights.
Video produced by Alexander Bungas, Multimedia Manager, Inc. Arabia.
