Leading consultancies lined up for Saudi Future Investment conference

A number of the world’s leading consulting firms will feature as knowledge partners for the upcoming Saudi Future Investment Initiative, with expert speakers across the three-day program.

Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference is back this week for its fifth edition, with the world’s leading consulting firms signed on as Knowledge Partners to lead sessions on the core topics of artificial intelligence and robotics, education, healthcare, and sustainability.

Among the presenters are experts from Accenture and the Big Four, together with management and strategy consultancies McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, Roland Berger and Oliver Wyman.

Running from the 26th to 28th in Riyadh under this year’s theme ‘Invest in Humanity’, the three-day event will bring together world leaders, global business executives, industry experts and investors to discuss innovative solutions and spur action on society’s most pressing challenges as the world emerges from Covid-19. Altogether more than expert 300 speakers will provide insights across a series of interactive summits and round-tables.

“The 5th anniversary of FII has been specifically designed to leverage the transformations of the past year to ensure progress, prosperity, and opportunity for all,” said FII Institute CEO Richard Attias. “What makes FII stand out is the commitment to turning conversations into actions. Our Knowledge Partners bring unique expertise, strategies, management and thought leadership, crucial to supporting our mission to positively impact on humanity.”

Experts from Accenture will make two appearances during the conference, including the firm’s London-based Global Responsible AI lead, Ray Eitel Porter, who will moderate a panel on balancing regulation and innovation in the development of responsible data and AI. Also featuring is Gianmario Pisanu, Accenture’s Middle East consulting lead, who will appear as a speaker on intelligent technologies and rise of remote working.

Of the MBB, McKinsey & Company senior partner Massimo Mazza will host a session on what can be done to foster sustainable and inclusive growth for the next generation of entrepreneurs, while Boston Consulting Group will hold a session on the evolution and future of eSports and gaming, hosted by global lead Povilas Joniskis.

Meanwhile, Bain & Company will examine MENA consumer trends, with Middle East partners Anne Laure Malauzat and Cyrille Fabre, while Strategy& partner Tarek el Zein will co-host a session on converged policy-making in reference to advancing digital economies.

With the FII conference to be hosted in the immediate lead up to the eagerly anticipated UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), management consultancies Roland Berger and Oliver Wyman will both be exploring issues around sustainability. Roland Berger senior partner David Frans will moderate a session on the impact of climate change on communities, while Oliver Wyman partner Seif Sammakieh will look at ESG considerations for investors.

As to the Big Four, PwC partner Fadi Komati will co-host a session on converged policy-making in reference to advancing digital economies, while Deloitte Hospitality & Leisure head Andreas Scriven will cover sustainability in business and leisure travel, with the firm’s global chair Sharon Thorne to also appear as a panellist on investment into equality as the number of those living in extreme poverty continues to grow.

Sander Klous, partner in charge of KPMG’s Data & Analytics practice in the Netherlands, will speak on the evolving and future cybersecurity threat of a fully digital world, with the session hosted by David Ferbrache, the firm’s Global Head of Cyber Futures. Lastly, EY’s EMEIA Tax Center managing partner Joost Vreeswijk will host a panel on supply chain disruption counter-strategies featuring EY UK trade strategy partner Sally Jones as a speaker.