Saudi Economic Forum
Emerging Markets Intelligence & Research
Shaping the region's next economic order
Convening the region’s leading voices across capital, policy, and strategic transformation.
DATE
29 September 2026
VENUE
LOCATION
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
PARTNERS & SPONSORS
Supporting organisations
for 2026
ABOUT THE FORUM
The global economy is entering a period of structural reconfiguration. Capital, policy, and technology are realigning along new axes, and for the Kingdom and the wider region, this moment opens significant strategic opportunity. The Economic Forum by Servcorp | Saudi Arabia is built to serve that moment. A one-day, invitation-based working session for 150 senior principals not a conference, but a high-trust environment designed for real-time analysis, peer-level exchange, and strategic clarity.
Bringing together senior government officials, sovereign wealth fund principals, regional CEOs, leading investors, and chief economists — all with direct authority over capital, policy, or strategy.
SIX FOCUS AREAS
Key themes shaping regional strategy
THE VENUE
A luxury heritage hotel blending traditional Najdi architecture with modern elegance. The forum is intentionally designed as a closed, high-trust environment - where setting, scale, and structure support the quality of exchange that defines it.
Bab Samhan,
Diriyah, the birthplace of the Saudi state and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, provides an extraordinary backdrop. A prestige signal as powerful as the names in the room.
PREVIOUS FORUMS
Voices that have
shaped the conversations
Previous EMIR forums have convened heads of state, sovereign wealth fund principals, global CEOs, and senior government ministers from across the region and beyond.
SPEAKERS
The Principals shaping the agenda.
Speaker announcements coming soon.
SPEAKERS
The Principals shaping the agenda.
Emerging Markets Intelligence & Research · emirintelligence.com
Attendance is limited.
The Economic Forum by Servcorp | Saudi Arabia convenes senior leaders shaping capital, policy, and strategic direction across Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Participation is by invitation and review.
Attendee Profile
& Policy
- Saudi senior officials and policymakers
- International government representatives
- Multilateral and regulatory institutions
Capitals
- Sovereign wealth funds
- Regional fund managers
- Private equity and infrastructure investors
Operators
- Regional CEOs and C-suite executives
- MNC country heads
- Rising leaders by nomination
Thinkers
- Chief economists from regional institutions
- Policy and economic strategists
- Voices shaping global economic narratives
Fares Akkad
Regional Director Middle East & Africa
META
To Be Announced
Position
Location
Built for the region's
senior principals.
Bab Samhan Hotel, Diriyah
Colie Spink
Managing Director Middle East
ALVAREZ & MARSAL
Dr. Christopher Payne
Chief Economist
KNIGHT FRANK
David Godchaux
CEO Middle East, Europe & America
SERVCORP
Tareq Amin
Chief Executive Officer
HUMAIN
Dr. Basma Al Buhairan
Senior Advisor to H.E. the President
King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology
Turki Alshehri
Regional VP, GCC
ENGIE
Diriyah.
Abdulwahhab Abed
Chief Executive Officer
SEDCO CAPITAL
SIX FOCUS AREAS
The Day, session by sesion
Welcome Remarks & Opening
Arrival, credentialing, and welcome address for principals ahead of the day's sessions.
The New Era of Geoeconomics
How a shifting global order is redrawing the rules of sovereign capital and growth.
The Intelligent Economy
Where AI investment translates to productivity — and where it doesn't.
Networking Coffee
Structured downtime for peer-level exchange between sessions.
The Energy Equation
Geopolitical disruption, demand shifts, and the Gulf's energy position going forward.
Working Lunch
Hosted lunch continuing morning conversations informally.
Capital Reallocation
Where investors are deploying real capital — and what the next wave of value creation looks like.
Fragmentation & Realignment
How global trade reorganisation is reshaping industrial strategy and regional positioning.
Afternoon Coffee
A short pause before the closing working session.
Human Capital Disruption
Aligning talent, skills, and labour markets with the speed of the region's ambitions.
Closing Reflections & Networking
Closing remarks followed by an open networking reception at Bab Samhan.
AGENDA
The Day, session by session
-
Morning
08:30 – 13:30 -
08:30 – 09:30
Arrival, registration & welcome coffee
-
09:30 – 09:40
Welcome Address & Opening Remarks
David GodchauxCEO - Middle East, Europe & AmericaServcorp
-
09:40 – 10:10
The New Global Order: The Macro Outlook for a Changing World
Capital, policy, and statecraft are converging into a single discipline shaping the global economy. How a shifting global landscape is redrawing the map for sovereign capital and regional growth - and where the opportunities lie.
Dr. Christopher PayneChief EconomistKnight Frank
Dr. Martyn DaviesHead, City ExcellenceRoyal Commission for Riyadh City
Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-WongChief Economic AdvisorSouthern Capital Group
-
10:10 – 10:40
The Trillion-Dollar Opportunity: Building the Intelligent Economy
How AI is redefining productivity, competitiveness, and value creation across economies - turning AI and compute investment into lasting economic value, from pilots to productivity, and what sovereign AI means for competitiveness.
Tareq AminChief Executive OfficerHUMAIN
Fares AkkadRegional Director - Middle East & AfricaMeta
Naim YazbeckPresident - Middle East & AfricaMicrosoft
-
10:40 – 11:10
The Next Energy Cycle: Powering the Region's Future
How the Gulf continues to anchor global energy security while investing across the full spectrum - hydrocarbons and transition capital coexisting, conventional and renewable alike, through the next decade.
Turki AlshehriRegional VP, GCCENGIE
Phillip CornellSenior Fellow - Global Energy CenterAtlantic Council
-
11:10 – 11:55
Coffee & structured networking
-
11:55 – 12:30
The Investor Perspective: Where Capital Goes Next
Where sovereign capital is moving, and the sectors, structures and strategies attracting it - investors deploying capital across the region on the next wave of value creation.
Colie SpinkManaging Director - Middle EastAlvarez & Marsal
Abdulwahhab AbedChief Executive OfficerSEDCO Capital
Tariq AlghaziriExecutive Vice PresidentNational Center for Privatization & PPP
Amal AlotaibiPartnerPillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
-
12:30 – 13:00
How Global Trade Is Reorganising Around the Region
How trade corridors, supply chains, and industrial investment are reorganising around the region - and the Kingdom's role as a connector at the crossroads of three continents.
Poul HestbaekChief Executive OfficerFolk Maritime
-
13:00 – 13:30
Human Capital in an Age of Disruption
How AI, automation and technological disruption are redefining the workforce - and how skills development, institutions and labour markets must evolve to power the region's transformation.
Dr. Basma Al BuhairanSenior Advisor to H.E. the PresidentKing Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology
Ray GammellChief Corporate Development & Enablement OfficerRiyadh Air
Ahmad Al GhamdiGroup Chief Human Resources Officerstc Group- David GodchauxCEO - Middle East, Europe & AmericaServcorp
-
Afternoon
13:30 – 15:30 -
13:30 – 14:30
Networking lunch
-
14:30 – 15:30
CEO Roundtables
Parallel closed-door roundtable discussions for principals, held under the Chatham House Rule.
