Business & Money | Thursday 2 August, 2018 5:06 pm |

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia has today unveiled the six Knowledge Partners who will lead cross-industry taskforces at the second edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII). The Taskforces are interactive workshops on trending topics that offer participants a deep dive into the subject area. They also offer insights into how the trends can be leveraged to create investment opportunites.

The second  edition of FII is taking place in Riyadh from October 23-25, 2018 and will explore how investment can be used to drive growth opportunities, fuel innovation and shape future economies.

The six Knowledge Partners for FII 2018 are: Deloitte, EY, McKinsey & Company, Oliver Wyman, PwC / Strategy& and The Boston Consulting Group. Each company will bring together senior leaders from business, government and civil society for an in-depth discussion and learning session. The Taskforce topics include:

1. Cities - Demographic shifts, megacities, industrial shifts, education, design, and partnerships to build a more sustainable future
2. Connect - AI-driven autonomous vehicles, corporate investments, and large-scale infrastructure re-imagining the way the world moves
3. Culture - The ideas, trends, institutions, and economics driving the future of the global arts and culture industry
4. Energy - Large-scale innovations and infrastructure remaking the global power and energy landscape over the next ten years
5. Ethics - How the world’s most successful companies are advocating for social good among institutions and consumers
6. Explore - New formulas for developing world-class tourism destinations while preserving national heritage and identity
7. Intelligence - Machine learning and cognitive computing that positions smart machines at the center of business and investment decisions
8. Life - Breakthrough health-tech innovations and their impact on the future of healthcare investments
9. Media - News, journalism, content, revenue models and the ways that access to information is changing the world
10. Money - Transformational technologies and platforms reinventing commerce for the twenty-first century
11. Play - Immersive experiences, business models, and visionaries changing the way the world is entertained
12. Talent - Designing the future of work to be flexible, innovative, productive, creative and balanced

David Sproul, Senior Partner and Chief Executive, Deloitte North West Europe said: “The Public Investment Fund, through innovative platforms such as the FII and its programs of strategic investment, is establishing itself as one of the most impactful and thoughtful organisations of its kind. Deloitte shares this ambition and commitment and is delighted to be selected as a Knowledge Partner for the FII 2018.  The platform provides a unique opportunity to share insight and experiences around some of the themes that will shape our lives for years to come. We are pleased to be an active contributor in this stimulating and inspiring dialogue.”

 

Abdulaziz Al-Sowailim, MENA Chairman and CEO, EY, added: “The Public Investment Fund has built an incredibly powerful platform through the Future Investment Initiative for global thinkers to discuss trends that can transform the future. Building on the immense success of the Future Investment Initiative last year, EY is very proud to take part in this year’s discourse as a Knowledge Partner. Through our sessions on smart cities and the future of entertainment we hope to drive the conversation around global investment in these key areas of growth.”

 

Tarek Elmasry, Managing Director of McKinsey & Company Middle East, said: "FII convenes visionary global leaders to discuss their insights and outline future investment opportunities and developments. McKinsey is looking forward to sharing our perspectives from working with leading public, private and social sector institutions and our own research on emerging macroeconomic and investment trends during FII this year.”

 

Pedro Oliveira, Managing Partner and Geo Head (MEA) for Oliver Wyman, commented: “The inaugural chapter of the FII in 2017 was phenomenal and Oliver Wyman is proud to be part of the second edition, this year. The forum has provided a platform for many actionable forward-thinking initiatives not just for the region, but globally. We look forward to discussing the digital evolution in the mobility sector as well the role of tourism in creating new investment opportunities and room for new creative concept deployment.”

 

Hani Ashkar, Territory Senior Partner for PwC Middle East, said:“PwC / Strategy& Middle East is honored to be Knowledge Partners at the FII, where we will lead expert discussions on transformation in the healthcare industry and in arts and culture. We believe that disruption has become a key dynamic in today’s global economy, with breakthroughs in technology and customer experience redefining business models.These discussions will shed light on trends in these industries and their impact on our region and globally." 

 

 

 

Joerg Hildebrandt, Managing Partner at The Boston Consulting Group Middle East,

noted: “The Future Investment Initiative is a visionary conduit that will bring about next-generation innovation and foster economic liberalization of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The vision of the kingdom’s leadership in embracing pioneering future technology is unprecedented, and will set the kingdom on a trajectory of a dynamic and bold future that will attract the best talent to bolster innovation. The Boston Consulting Group is pleased to collaborate with the Future Investment Initiative for the second year in a row as a Knowledge Partner. This year, we will be setting the agenda and creating discourse in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and Media that will be key catalysts in the economic transformation agenda.”

 

Further updates on the 2018 program, partners and speakers will be announced over the coming months, with further information available at the web site:   www.futureinvestmentinitiative.com.