Speakers Portfolio Gallery

Born: 13th February 1988 Nationality: Saudi Arabia Marital status: married, 2 kids H.R.H Ambassador Prince Abdullah bin Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Federal Republic of Austria, Non-Resident Ambassador to the Slovak Republic, Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia and, Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna. Before his current appointment in Vienna, H.R.H. Prince Al Saud served in various capacities, among them: Advisor at the Saudi Royal Court at the excellent rank; member of the delegation accompanying the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on official visits; member of the Board of the Saudi Equestrian Club. H.R.H. Prince Abdullah Al-Saud holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Columbia University/ USA and, a Master’s degree in Business Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management/ USA. H.R.H. Prince Abdullah speaks Arabic and English.

27 years of experience in leadership positions in the industrial, commercial and investment fields. B.Sc. Agricultural Economics, King Saud University. Attended numerous training courses, workshops and seminars globally focusing on leadership, management and commercial faculties. Current Position: – Minster of Industry and Mineral Resources since August 30, 2019. – Chairman of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu. – Chairman of the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (Modon). – Chairman of the Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF). – Chairman of the Saudi Exports Development Authority. – Chairman of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP). – Chairman of the National Industrial Clusters Developing Program (NICDP). – Chairman of The Saudi Geological Survey. Councils and Committees: – Member of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs. – Member of the Strategic Committee. – Member of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. – Member of the Saudi Arabian Military Industries Company, (SAMI). – Member of the General Authority for Military Industries. – Member of the Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority, and Chairman of the Executive Committee. – Member of the General Authority for Statistics. – Member of the Executive Committee of the Saudi – Emirati Coordination Council. Previous Experience: – CEO of Abdullah Ibrahim Alkhorayef Sons Company. – CEO of Alkhorayef Printing Solutions Company. – Director of Alkhorayef Group of Companies. – Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Arabian Agricultural Services Company (ARASCO). – Chairman of Middle East Food Solutions Company (MEFSCO). – Director of American Machinery Company (AMAKO) Ukraine. – Director of Arabian Production and Marketing Lubricants Company, (Castrol). – Member of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Riyadh. – Vice Chairman of Industrial Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Riyadh and member of the National Industrial Committee. – Director of Saudi Economic Association. – Member of the board of Trustees of Saudi Economic Forum. – Member of Executive Committee of Industrial Council. – Member of the Charity Association for Orphans Care. – Chairman of Saudi Parts Center Company. – Vice Chairman of Maceen Capital Company. – Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Asir Press Publishing (Alwatan Newspaper). – Director of Saudi Finance Company. – Director of Alkhorayef Petroleum Company. – General Manager of Alnakhil Paper Industries Company.

Ms. Alasmari has been appointed as the CEO of Natixis Saudi Arabia. She has over 19 years of experience in the financial industry with a proven record of generating, building, developing, and fostering excellent working relationships. She also puts a strong focus on human capital through empowering women and coaching youth to succeed. During her professional career at JPMorgan, she was named the first female Treasurer in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Her Treasury role kept growing geographically to cover Moscow, Johannesburg, Bahrain as well as Riyadh. She was later named country head for Treasury services and before this, she had several roles in Deutsche Bank and Banque Saudi Fransi Treasuries and Global Markets. Reema has a very strong and successful entrepreneurial side and is today the Founder and Co-Owner of a specialized entertainment brand for children and their parents in KSA.

Basil M.K. Al-Ghalayini is the Chairman and CEO of BMG Financial Group (“BMG”). Previously, he was Managing Director at The International Investor, London, UK, and before that, he was with the Investment Management Division of The National Commercial Bank of Saudi Arabia in Jeddah and London. Since BMG’s inception, Al-Ghalayini has been the team leader for equity and debt capital market transactions such as Rights Issues, IPOs, and Private Placements, as well as leading a Government-mandated assignment for the comprehensive review of the insurance sector to arrive at a set of recommendations for the sector’s eventual consolidation. He is also a frequent participant in official business delegations representing the private sector of KSA. Al-Ghalayini is the Chairman of Authorized Persons 5th Committee (Advisors and Arrangers). He is the Chairman of AkarOne in KSA. He is the Non-Executive Director of BMG Wealth LLP in the UK and the Chairman of the BMG Foundation. He was the Secretary-General of the Arab Bankers Association of the United Kingdom, Vice Chairman of Saudi-British Businessmen Council, and Chairman of Saudi-Syrian Businessmen Council. Al-Ghalayini holds a B.Sc. degree from King Saud University, KSA, CSS from Harvard University, USA, and IMD from London Business School, UK.

Mr. Abdulhadi recently joined the Saudi Ministry of Tourism as a Senior Advisor, with a mandate to lead the Ministry’s investment attraction activities into the Saudi tourism sector.Following the opening of Saudi Arabia to international tourism in 2019, tourism has become one of the country’s highest growth potential sectors. It is expected to contribute over 10% of annual GDP, compared to 3% today, and to create over one million new jobs by 2030. Mr. Abdulhadi’s mandate to lead investment attraction activities is focused on boosting private sector investment, in line with the goals of Vision 2030 and the National Tourism Strategy. Previously, Mr. Abdulhadi had spent 17 years with UBS with the most recent position being the Chief Executive Officer and Head of Investment Banking, UBS Saudi Arabia.During his career at UBS, Mr. Abdulhadi worked on a variety of transactions in M&A and Equity Capital markets spanning multiple sectors including Infrastructure, Entertainment, Telecoms, Oil & Gas, Financial Institutions and Agriculture to name a few. Mr. Abdulhadi holds a master’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering and Management from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Alireza is the Managing Director of Haji Husein Alireza & Co., Saudi Arabia’s oldest automobile distributor and current importers and distributors of Mazda vehicles from Japan, Geely Vehicles from China, MAN trucks from Germany, and Aston Martin from the United Kingdom. Mr. Alireza is a member of the Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee of SAMBA Financial Group and the Chairman of SAMBA Capital. He is also the Chairman of Hertz Rental and Leasing, Saudi Arabia (Al Wasilah Rent A Car Co. Ltd). Mr. Alireza is the Chairman of National Computer Systems Company (NATCOM), one of the oldest Saudi companies in the field of computer hardware, solutions and, services. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Al Alamiya Insurance Co, which is the Saudi Arabian arm of Royal Sun Alliance Insurance Co. of the United Kingdom. Mr. Alireza sits on several boards, such as the Board of Arabian Petroleum Supply Co. and the Board of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. He is also the Vice President of the Commerce and Industry Committee and of the International Relations Committee in the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, while also being the Vice President of the National Automobile Dealer’s Committee in the Council of Chambers of Commerce. Mr. Alireza holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and received a master’s degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

As CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group, Frank Appel is responsible for global management of the world’s leading logistics and mail communications group. He joined the Group in 2000 as Managing Director of Corporate Development and has been a member of the Group’s Board of Management since 2002. In 2008, he assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer. Before joining the Group, Frank Appel was a managing partner at McKinsey & Co., Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Deutsche Post DHL Group is the world’s leading mail and logistics company. The Group connects people and markets and is an enabler of global trade. It aspires to be the first choice for customers, employees, and investors worldwide. The Group contributes to the world through responsible business practices, corporate citizenship, and environmental activities. By the year 2050, Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to achieve zero emissions logistics. Deutsche Post DHL Group employs approximately 550,000 people in over 220 countries and territories worldwide. The Group generated revenues of 63.3 billion Euros in 2019. Dr. Appel holds an MSc in chemistry from the University of Munich and a Ph.D. in neurobiology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

Mr. Al-Nahdi is the Founder and CEO of Riyadh-based Hala (previously HalalaH), Saudi Arabia’s first and leading digital banking platform. Prior to Hala, Mr. Al-Nahdi founded multiple entities in the trading, retail, and technology fields. Before starting his entrepreneurial journey, he worked in the banking sector, in both credit and investment banking, including in Banque Saudi Fransi, Venture Capital Bank, and Arcapita. Mr. Al-Nahdi has a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from the UK’s University of

Mr. Alraee is the Co-Founder and CEO of Lendo. With extensive knowledge and understanding of the Saudi entrepreneurial ecosystem and as a serial entrepreneur, he has co-founded and fostered Salasa and other notable startups successfully. Before launching Lendo, Osama was the Executive Manager of Misk Innovation at the Misk Foundation. Mr. Alraee started his exciting journey as the Senior Product Manager at Amazon in Seattle and scaled to higher positions. He also served in senior consultant roles at some of the leading global firms, such as McKinsey & Co., Strategy& and Ernst & Young. Mr. Alraee holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Strategy from Duke University.

Ms. Alrajhi is the CEO and Founder of one of the leading fintechs in the region, Forus. Forus is one of the fastest and most compelling ways to lend in the market; a P2P lending Marketplace licensed by the Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency to enter into Sandbox. Forus connects borrowers with investors, enabling investors to invest in a marketplace of alternative investments targeted towards small and medium enterprises. Ms. Alrajhi is a revenue-driven ex-investment banker with insightful experience in strategy and markets within the regional landscape. She has specialized experience in the local Financial Markets, as well as sophisticated financial products and services with a flair for entrepreneurship.

Mr. Munir bin Fahd Al-Sahli has a long and successful career spanning more than twenty-five years in various industries serving in various public corporations, during which, he assumed several leadership roles. Before joining ADF, he was the Saudi Stock Exchange’s (which also known as Tadawul) Chief Financial Officer where he played critical roles in strengthening the Tadawul’s financial system and optimization of financial resources. Before that, he has held several senior management posts at Yamama Cement, Almarai Company, and SABIC Company in various locations. Besides his duty in ADF, Mr. Munir serves as a member of the Professional Performance Quality Control Committee and is a Committee member of the Saudi Organization for Certified Public Accountants, a member of the Board of Directors of the General Irrigation Corporation and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Centre for Palm and Dates. Mr. Munir holds a master’s degree in finance from the University of Colorado, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from King Saud University. He is a fellow member of both Saudi Arabia and American Certified Public Accountants.

Ms. Gannon is a Senior Editor at Arab News who oversees special projects and is based in the Dubai bureau while working with the newsrooms in Jeddah and Riyadh. She spent a decade working as an editor at Canada’s biggest newspapers, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star, where she launched a weekly tabloid written by and for youth called Brand New Planet. In 2008, she moved to the UAE to work at The National in Abu Dhabi, where she managed its features coverage and helped launch three magazines, including Luxury. Since her start at Arab News in 2018, she has travelled extensively in Saudi Arabia. Highlights in the Kingdom include being the first foreign woman to rent a car, hosting a workshop on how to have better conversations at the Misk Global Forum, and visiting the ancient wonders of AlUla.

Mr. Groff was appointed as Governor of the National Development Fund (NDF) in February 2019. NDF is tasked with enhancing economic diversification and increasing the sustainability of development financing across Saudi Arabia. NDF supports public sector spending by maximizing impact and socio-economic development. He was previously ranking Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank. Groff also served as Deputy Director for Development Cooperation at the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and as Deputy Vice-President for Operations at the Washington-based Millennium Challenge Corporation. He has also worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Refugee Program, and as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer. Mr. Groff serves on several advisory boards, including the International Financial Forum, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the China Council on International Cooperation for Environment and Development, World Learning, the Good Growth Company, the Bretton Woods Committee, the Marine Stewardship Council, the Institute for Sustainable Communities, and the Global Footprint Network. He also writes regularly on a variety of climate change and development-related issues, including for Project Syndicate, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and The Huffington Post. Mr. Groff is a graduate of Yale University and the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

Business journalist and media consultant, Frank enjoyed a distinguished career in UK media with some of the world’s biggest newspaper titles. Since 2006 he has lived and worked in the Middle East, most recently as Senior Business Columnist for Arab News of Saudi Arabia, focusing on economics, finance, and energy policy. He also advises executives and policymakers on communications issues.

Mr. Kuhne is the CEO of HTCycle AG and has over 25 years of experience in the financial industry. Since 2003, he has worked in the technical field of renewable energy and environmental protection technologies such as photovoltaic, wind power, storage systems, and many others. Mr. Kuhne studied law at the Julius-Maximilians University in Wuerzburg.

Zahara is the CEO and Co-Founder of Grosvenor Capital, a boutique advisory company headquartered in the UAE. Prior to establishing GroCap, Zahara worked with entrepreneurs and prominent figures to build their vision across business lines from HRH the Prince of Wales to Rob Hersov. Furthermore, Zahara has worked on key philanthropy and impact campaigns with HRH The Prince of Wales, The Princes Trust and Mosaic International network. She is a trustee of Jaago Foundation, where she opened her first school in Chittagong, 2012. Zahara serves as Head of the GCC Steering Committee for Football for Peace. Zahara is also the Chief of Amplification for Girls Do Good, an EdTech platform that started as an AR book and served the on the board of Invest Africa UAE. Zahara was also a finalist for the “Rising Star” category for the British Muslim Awards. Zahara was recently awarded by the Business in Africa Magazine as one of the Top 10 Most Influential Friends of Africa. Most recently Zahara has also contributed to Forbes Middle East and Entrepreneur Magazine for thought leadership pieces on Impact Investing.

Mr. Odeh is the current CEO of Arabian Shield Cooperative Insurance Co and was the Chairman of the Insurance Executive Committee IE and Chairman of the Legal & Regulatory Sub-Committee until May 2019. Mr. Odeh was a Board member of Najm Co. for Insurance Services, a member of the National Insurance Committee and President of Riyadh Insurance Institute. He joined Jordan Gulf Insurance Co in 1990 as a claims officer and then as a claims manager. In 1995, he became the Assistant regional manager till 1997. Mr. Odeh was also General Manager of Arabian Shield Cooperative Insurance Co, where he started as a claims manager and assistant MD. Mr. Odeh holds a B.A. in law from the University of Jordan and a Dip CII from the CII-London.

Mr. Padmanathan is a seasoned engineering and energy expert with over 40 years of experience. He is a key member of ACWA Power’s executive leadership team, having spearheaded its expansion from a startup in 2005 to where it is today; a leading private developer, owner, and operator of power generation and desalinated water production plants. Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, the company now has a portfolio of assets of an investment value of over USD 48 billion, producing 34 GW of power and 5.9 million m3 /day of desalinated water. Paddy has guided ACWA Power’s cost leadership and business strategy, which is focused on reliably and responsibly delivering electricity and desalinated water, at competitive prices. He is also steering ACWA Power’s leadership in renewable energy, enabling it to be at the forefront in reducing the cost of clean energy on a global scale. Before joining ACWA Power, Paddy was Vice President and Corporate officer at Black and Veatch, where he was responsible for developing privately financed power, water, and wastewater projects at over a dozen countries. He also serves on the Board of Directors of several companies involved in power and water development across the globe. Paddy holds a degree in Engineering from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom.