• The French – Saudi Investment Forum will explore mutual investment opportunities across tourism and culture, the technology ecosystem, and energy transition
  • Forum will create visibility for new investment opportunities for technology start-ups, entrepreneurship and education

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: The Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) is hosting a senior delegation in France, led by His Excellency Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment for Saudi Arabia, as part of the French-Saudi Investment Forum, to be held in Paris on June 19, as well as other investment focused events.

The French-Saudi Investment Forum will enable Saudi and French government officials and private sector companies to discuss major investment opportunities, across sectors, while showcasing the progress of each country on their economic development plans.

The forum will be opened with remarks from Olivier Becht, Minister for Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad and His Excellency Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Minister of Investment.

The forum will be taking place in conjunction with the official reception for delegates of 179 member states of the Bureau International des Expositions, the organizing body for the International Expo exhibitions, on Monday, June 19, in Paris. On the eve of the Bureau’s 172nd General Assembly meeting on Tuesday, June 20, a ceremony will be held to provide an overview of Riyadh’s bid to host Expo 2030 under the slogan “Together we look forward to the future”. This will seek to outline Riyadh’s readiness, as well as investment opportunities and major projects that demonstrate Saudi Arabia’s readiness to host exhibitions global events such as Expo 2030, currently and in the future.

The forum will also feature three panel discussions.

The first of these will cover opportunities in Kingdom and potential for collaboration between Saudi Arabia and France in tourism and culture, with speakers including Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO, Saudi Tourism Authority; Jerry Inzerillo, CEO, Diriyah Gate Development Authority; Michaël Fribourg, Chairman and CEO, Chargeurs; Fahad AlObailan, AlMosafer part of Seera Group; and Agnes Roquefort, Chief Development Officer, Accor.

The second panel discussion will focus on how to strengthen the ties between Saudi Arabia and France’s tech ecosystem. The speakers will include Patrick Suel, Fund Manager, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST); Faisal AlKhamisi, Chariman, The Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming; Emon Shakour, Founder and CEO, Blossom; and George-Olivier Reymond, CEO, PASQAL.

The third panel discussion will consider the clean energy transition with speakers including Sami AlSaadan, Clean Hydrogen Director, Saudi Ministry of Energy; Beatrice Buffon, Chairperson, EDF International; and Olivier Randet, Corporate Vice President, Large Industries, Business, Markets and Energy Transition, Air Liquide.

The forum will conclude with bilateral business meetings, during which, Invest Saudi, the investment promotion platform for the Kingdom, will explore opportunities available to French investors.

In addition, a selection of government and private sector companies from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia attended the VivaTech conference to explore opportunities to support growth in the technology sector in Saudi Arabia, and to showcase a number of Saudi tech start-ups. Members of the delegation, including KAUST, Monsha’at, and other delegates also visited the University of Paris Saclay on June 15, followed by a visit to Station F, the world’s largest start-up campus, where the delegation dicussed opportunities in Saudi Arabia and France for entrepreneurs.

The Forum is the latest in a series of high-level French-Saudi engagements over the last year designed to enhance the bilateral partnership. These have included visits to Saudi Arabia by French President Emmanuel Macron and Minister for Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad, Olivier Becht, and visits to France by HE Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Minister of Investment.

About the Ministry of Investment

The ongoing transformation of Saudi Arabia under the Vision 2030 economic development and diversification plan is unlocking new investment opportunities at an unprecedented pace. The Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) is facilitating access to these opportunities by developing a vibrant cross-government investment ecosystem, facilitated by Saudi Arabia’s National Investment Strategy.

Through a network of representative offices across the world, MISA partners with businesses of all scales and sizes—from startups to blue-chip multinationals—to help make investing in Saudi Arabia as simple as possible. MISA also plays a leading role in improving Saudi Arabia’s overall business environment by facilitating investment data across regions and sectors, creating investment incentives, spearheading business reforms and opening up investment opportunities.

For more information on MISA, please visit the website or connect with #MISA on Twitter @MISA and LinkedIn.

About Invest Saudi

Overseen by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment (MISA), Invest Saudi is the Kingdom’s investment attraction and promotion entity charged with communicating and facilitating investment opportunities.

Invest Saudi is the primary point of contact for foreign investors seeking information and assistance before, during and after their entry into Saudi Arabia. It is committed to working in partnership with potential and current investors to make their investment journey a seamless experience.

For more information on Invest Saudi, please visit the website or connect with #InvestSaudi on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact
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