Programme

Khaled Abdellatif is one of AECOM Arabia’s technical leadership in urban design and city development.

Having more than 18 years’ experience in leading the delivery of several cities transformation and destination projects and programs across more than 10 GCC and ME cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Jeddah, Al Madinah Al Munawarah, Dammam, Jazan, Dhaghmar & Qalhat, Manama, Doha, and Giza.

Among his major achievements are.

• Initiating and co-leading the 1^st stage of Qatar Public Realm and Beatification Program to transform Central Doha into a resilient and global destination 2030
• co-leading and delivering Dubai TOD Strategy for stage 1 and 2 for 2040
• delivering the close out stage of implementing Bahrain National Planning and Development Strategies in 2012/2013
• co-leading the mega projects unit in Doha to manage and coordinate the master planning side of the rail 36 station area plans, TOD, and FIFA related projects between 2013 till 2019.

Transforming the Saudi Cities into post oil paradigm has been his interest in years and one of the core topics that he delivered during several events and interviews with BBC, UN Habitats, ISOCARP, UK National Planning Summit and several local public realm and city development summits in the region.

Khaled Abdellatif is one of AECOM Arabia’s technical leadership in urban design and city development.

Having more than 18 years’ experience in leading the delivery of several cities transformation and destination projects and programs across more than 10 GCC and ME cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Jeddah, Al Madinah Al Munawarah, Dammam, Jazan, Dhaghmar & Qalhat, Manama, Doha, and Giza.

Among his major achievements are.

• Initiating and co-leading the 1^st stage of Qatar Public Realm and Beatification Program to transform Central Doha into a resilient and global destination 2030
• co-leading and delivering Dubai TOD Strategy for stage 1 and 2 for 2040
• delivering the close out stage of implementing Bahrain National Planning and Development Strategies in 2012/2013
• co-leading the mega projects unit in Doha to manage and coordinate the master planning side of the rail 36 station area plans, TOD, and FIFA related projects between 2013 till 2019.

Transforming the Saudi Cities into post oil paradigm has been his interest in years and one of the core topics that he delivered during several events and interviews with BBC, UN Habitats, ISOCARP, UK National Planning Summit and several local public realm and city development summits in the region.

Mahmoud Abdulhadi is Deputy Minister for Investment Attraction at the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Tourism. Having joined in July 2020, Abdulhadi leads the Ministry’s investment attraction activities with the aim of expanding Saudi Arabia’s growing tourism sector. He and his team are responsible for enabling and facilitating domestic and international private sector investment, supporting sector development by creating opportunities and updating regulations, as well as managing investor relations to create a sustainable investment environment for the private sector.

To execute this mandate, Abdulhadi draws on 17 years of experience at UBS where he was latterly Chief Executive Officer and Head of Investment Banking at UBS Saudi Arabia. During his career at UBS, Abdulhadi worked on a variety of transactions in M&A and equity capital markets spanning multiple sectors including infrastructure, entertainment, telecoms, oil and gas, financial institutions and agriculture to name a few.

Abdulhadi holds a master’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering and Management from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.

Accomplished Saudi national executive with more than 13 years of experience in hospitality transactions advisory, travel and tourism. In addition to strategic planning, business and product development.

A persuasive and persistent leader with a proven track record in achieving positive business and organizational results. The ability of planning, managing, directing and controlling processes and activities to building and preparing the vision, mission and general strategic direction of organizations, in addition to a sound financial background are Majed’s main strengths.

Abdellah Essonni is a passionate hospitality and real estate specialist with over 30 years of international experience spanning four continents and encompassing the industry’s various facets from operations to development and asset management.

Abdellah joined Maad International in January 2017 as Chief Hospitality Officer, where he is preparing to deliver the single largest hospitality complex in Makkah with 21 towers totalling 11,000 rooms and residences.

Before his current role, Abdellah spent over five years as CEO of Abjar Hotels International, a subsidiary of Almulla Group, that owns and operates a dozen managed and franchised hotels in Dubai under renowned global brands such as Ritz Carlton, Crowne Plaza and Sheraton. Prior to that, he was Managing Director at Actif Invest, a Casablanca-based hospitality investment fund with development and asset management mandates across Morocco. Before Actif Invest, he was head of hospitality at Sama Dubai, a government owned master developer.

During the first two decades of his career, Abdellah has held several executive positions of increasing responsibility with major operators such as Hyatt, Four Seasons, Jumeirah and Kempinski.

Abdellah graduated in tourism management from Institut Supérieur de Tourisme in Tangier, Morocco and completed an executive development program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Abdellah is a regular key speaker at leading hotel investment conferences and a member of several advisory boards

A Jordanian national, Basel Talal, has over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry. The majority of this time was spent with Radisson Hotel Group, one of the world’s largest hotel groups. Basel is now Regional Director, Radisson Hotel Group, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the Levant, where he is responsible for operations and profitability. Radisson Hotel Group quickly expands in Saudi Arabia, with over 40 properties in operation or under development. Basel began his professional career as Front Office Manager at the Radisson SAS Resort in Aqaba. His drive and dedication to the hospitality industry led him to the position of Operations Manager at the same hotel. He was promoted to Executive Assistant Manager in mid-1999, taking over the launch of the Radisson SAS Muscat. After three years at the Radisson SAS Muscat, Basel relocated to Saudi Arabia to become the General Manager of the Radisson SAS Hotel Jeddah. In 2005, he opened the first Royal Suites Hotel in Jeddah, Radisson SAS Royal Suite. Following this assignment, Basel became the General Manager of Radisson Blu Resort in Sharjah. He spent five years managing the resort, successfully overcoming several challenges following the global financial crisis. Prior to his current role, Basel was appointed District Director -Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where he has played an instrumental role in establishing the Group’s operations in the Kingdom. Basel’s commitment goes beyond the successful operations of the Group’s hotels in Saudi Arabia, and he takes an active role in Radisson Hotel’s “Talent Development” program in Saudi Arabia. Basel also actively supports Radisson Hotel’s balanced leadership efforts in the Kingdom, a program designed to encourage more women to enter the hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia and develop more women into leadership positions. Basel contributed to Radisson Hotels' rapid development in Saudi Arabia by growing the KSA hotels portfolio and footprint. Basel is an experienced dealmaker who oversees agreements from inception to completion.

Worked in the hospitality industry around the Middle East Region for the last 22 years holding leadership roles in various divisions, including Revenue Management, Sales & Marketing, Hotel and Regional Operations, in multinational hotel companies such as Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Fairmont and ACCOR. In his last role as Vice President Operations, Luxury brands in Middle East & Africa, he managed a portfolio of luxury Hotels under the ACCOR brands portfolio throughout a diverse region that included GCC & Levant and extending out to Seychelles and Mauritius.

In his current role as the Vice President Operations – KSA at Accor Hospitality, he oversees a portfolio of 40 Operational Hotels and a robust pipeline of over 40 project throughout the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Eddy holds a Bachelor’s Degree Notre Dame University in Business administration with concentration on Finance & Economics.

David was appointed Head of Operations Middle East and Africa (excluding KSA) in March 2020 responsible for operational and performance excellence across IHG’s portfolio in the region. Prior to this role, David led the Hotel Lifecycle and Growth in IMEA, consistently setting new records through complex hotel openings in markets such as India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

David has extensive experience in leading hotel operations in the Middle East, having previously served as the Director of Operations for Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain and prior to that as Director of Operations Support and Franchising MEA at IHG’s corporate office in Dubai. He is responsible for both managed and franchised operations across the region.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, David lives in Dubai with his wife Deborah and son Louis who is studying for his A levels. David’s eldest son Archie is in his first year of study at university in England. When not working David enjoys, keeping fit, paddle boarding and gardening.

Muhammad Al Amir is the CEO of Hospitality at AIMS Holding, one of the prominent business conglomerates in Saudi Arabia with a wide range of Investment portfolio in banking, real estate, services, and industries locally and internationally.

He started his career in 1991 where he joined Al Yamamah Project / ZFA for the Royal Saudi Air Forces . In 1992 he moved to The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) as Capital Project Planner for the Western Region, then In 1998 Muhammad joined the Saudi Economic and Development Company (SEDCO) where he was the Vice President for Tourism and Hotels and later the VP for Direct Investments. In 2003, he joined Tamlik Real Estate Development and Investment company, as the Director of Development and General secretary of The Board of Directors. in 2005 Muhammad Founded many business ventures where he assumed different executive and board roles. In 2018, Muhammad was appointed as the CEO of Hospitality in AIMS Holding.

Muhammad is currently the vice chairman of the board of the Saudi Association for Tourist Accommodation Facilities, a member of Real Estate and Hotels Committees of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industries, and previously the Vice President of the national real estate committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers. Muhammad is actively involved in many conferences and ongoing professional development as a speaker and steering committees member. He also plays different voluntary roles in promoting entrepreneurship, small businesses start-ups, and helping youth to enter different business arenas.

Muhammad is a holder of Master of Science in Project Management and a Bachelor of Architecture with Honors from KFUPM, Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Certification in Strategic Hospitality Management from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA; and an Alumni of the Entrepreneurs Development Executive Training, University of California at San Diego, California, USA. He completed the Directors Development Program by the Institute of Corporate Governance (Hawkamah).

Curriculum Vitae

Name: Hamad Mohammed Hamad Albuali

Address: PO Box 257 Dammam 31411

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Telephone: 013 810 1777

Mobile: 0500 999 222

Date & place of birth: 10th June 1984 – Dammam

Educational Qualification:

• Graduate of Dhahran Ahliyya Schools

• B.Sc. in Marketing (year 2007)

College of Industrial Management- KFUPM

Work Experience:

• Abdulla Fouad Company

Senior General Manager for Consumer and Real Estate Division (2008 – present)

• Abdulla Fouad Company

Vice president for Industrial and Real Estate sectors

• SADF Trading and Development Co. Ltd. (Burger Fuel and Zooba Master Rights).

CEO and member of the board of directors

• Organic Food Company (Clean Gourmet)

Executive director and chairman of the board of directors

Memberships:

• Council of Saudi Chambers

Vice- President of National Tourism committee.

• Asharqia Chamber

First Vice- Chairman

• Abdulla Fouad Impalloy Co. Ltd.

Member of the board of directors

• Abdulla Fouad Co.

Member of the investment committee

• SADF Trading and Development Co. Ltd.

Member of the board of directors

• Electronic Integrated Systems Co.

Member of the board of directors

• International Foods Restaurants Est.

Member of the board of directors

• Abdulla Fouad and his Family Charitable Foundation

Managing director and member of the board of directors

• Swaed Association for Physical Disability

Member of the board of directors

• Bayan Realty Co.

Member of the board of directors

• Saudi Foundation for Promoting Organ Donation

Member of the board of directors

• Member of The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres and Retailers

• Advisor & FURAS supervisor – Deputyship of Investment and Revenue – MoMRAH
• City Planning Engineer & Master of real estate development

Haitham Mattar is Managing Director, India, Middle East and Africa (IMEA), responsible for driving the growth and strength of IHG and its hotels across the region. He is currently leading the operations and performance of more than 160 hotels as well as overseeing the strategic development of IHG’s plans with a pipeline of 106 hotels. Key to his role is maintaining and fostering relations with government stakeholders, tourism bodies and owner community across markets.

Previously, Haitham served as Senior Advisor to the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, advising on the National Tourism Strategy and the execution of the commercial tourism strategy to position Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s top, emerging tourism destinations.

Prior to this, Haitham was the CEO of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, where he successfully repositioned Ras Al Khaimah to become one of the fastest growing, adventure destinations in the world.

With more than 25 years of experience in global destination and hospitality management and marketing, Mattar has also held senior roles within IHG, as well as Marriott and Hilton Worldwide.

Mattar continues to serve as an advisor to several travel and tourism organizations. Having been involved with UNWTO for several years, in 2020, he was appointed as a Special Advisor to the Secretary General of the UNWTO. Additionally, he serves as an advisory board member of the Arabian Travel Market and the Global Thinkers Forum (GTF).

Named ‘Tourism Promotion CEO of the Year’ at the Global CEO Excellence Awards, Mattar was featured in the Arabian Business ‘most powerful Arabs’ list, in addition to being named ‘Leisure and Tourism CEO of the Year’ at the prestigious CEO Middle East Awards and ‘Business Leader of the Year’ at the Hozpitality Excellence Awards in 2018.

EXPERIENCE

2006 – Present

Althawaqh Food Company LTD (AFCO)

Founder & CEO

• Saudi Company owns 100+ restaurants cross KSA. La Casa Pasta Restaurants Chain

• Mr. Fries Restaurants Chain Okashi Restaurants Chain Chick N' Dip Restaurants Chain

• Indian Kitchen Express Restaurants Chain

2017 - Present

Food Tech Company LTD

Founder & Chairman

Saudi Company owns several food factories.

2021 – Present

Anan Alsamaa

Founder & Chairman

Saudi Company owns several e-commerce products

2006 – 2011

Saudi Aramco

Communication Engineer

EDUCATION

2006 - King Fahd of Petroleum and Minerals University

Bachelor’s Degree of Electrical Engineering

ABOUT

Entrepreneur with more than 16 years of experience in the private sector and its variables. Founder of Saudi companies in several fields. Interested in developing the business community and improving everything related to the private sector. Supporting entrepreneur by transferring experience and participating in developing the necessary environment for them. Looking forward to being an active member and participate in the great national transformation led by our wise leadership to achieve the goals of the vision of our beloved Kingdom 2030.

MEMBERSHIPS

• Founding member & Deputy-Chairman, Saudi Restaurants & Cafes Association "Qoot"
• Vice President, Hospitality and Entertainment Committee, Al-Sharqia Chamber 18th Session
• Board Member, Qoot Training Academy
• Member, Executive Committee of the National
• Tourism Committee, Federation of Saudi Chambers
• Member, Food Industries Committee, Al-Ahsa Chamber 10th Session

AREA OF EXPERTISE

• Entrepreneurship in multi sectors, and Supporting Entrepreneurs

• Developing the relationship between public & private sectors

• Corporate Effective Social Responsibility

• Establishing new companies and Developing Brands Strategy, Vision & Mission Planning

• Profitability & Cost Analysis

• Contract Negotiations & Strategic Alliances

• Finance, Budgeting & Cost Management

• Business Development

• Team Building & Performance Improvement

• Franchising and expansion in local and global market

Abdulaziz Alnemer founder of SIRU Adventures. Dammam native and educated in Arizona State University where he discovered his passion for the outdoors.

Has a background in consulting and marketing. He left his corporate job in 2018 to start SIRU and pursue business opportunities in the growing outdoors industry.

Abdulaziz has hiked many trails around the world such as the Pacific Crest Trail, Tour du Mont Blanc, The West Highland Way and many others. He also guides hiking adventures and teaches Leave No Trace principles to the outdoor community.