The Global Competitiveness Forum has a reputation for the high caliber of its speakers and panelists, and this year is no exception, with international and Saudi experts providing a broad spectrum of insight on this year's theme, 'Competitive Governments'.
These include Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, and former UK minister Lord Peter Mandelson, together with several senior Saudi government representatives.
The Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF) will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh from January 25-27 and will discuss global and regional trends in governmental competitiveness and developing a world class infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
Taking part in a panel discussion entitled 'Competitive Governments and Saudi Arabia: A Gateway to the World' will be Nika Gilauri, the former Prime Minister of Georgia, along with Saudi politicians Dr Abdulrahman Al Barrak, Minister of Civil Service and Dr Tawfeeq Al Rabeeah, Minister of Commerce and Industry, in a debate moderated by former UK minister Lord Peter Mandelson.
In the discussion 'Look South-South to Success', Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Operating Officer of the Rwanda Development Board, will be joined by educational thought-leader Kim Do-Hoon, president of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET), one of Korea's leading economic think tanks.
Dr Alanoud Al Sharekh, a sociopolitical academic from the London Middle East Institute, will be participating in a panel discussion entitled 'Our Culture: business opportunities provided by national heritage', alongside Shahd Al Shehail, the CEO of JUST, whose career has been dedicated to building sustainable models to alleviate poverty and promote social and economic development worldwide.
Technology will be at the forefront of many of the speeches and workshops. Expert speakers include Dr Christian Busch, the Associate Director Innovation and Co-Creation Lab at the London School of Economics, who will be discussing 'Innovating for the Future: How Organizations and Governments Need to Change.'
Also taking part will be Dr Patrick Dixon, who will be giving a keynote speech about technology trends. Patrick Dixon is often described in the media as Europe's leading futurist who advises many of the world's largest corporations on key trends, managing uncertainty, identifying risk and developing opportunities.
