Why Fortune is heading to Riyadh

Diane BradyBy Diane BradyExecutive Editorial Director, Fortune Live Media and author of CEO Daily
Diane BradyExecutive Editorial Director, Fortune Live Media and author of CEO Daily

Diane Brady is an award-winning business journalist and author who has interviewed newsmakers worldwide and often speaks about the global business landscape. As executive editorial director of the Fortune CEO Initiative, she brings together a growing community of global business leaders through conversations, content, and connections. She is also executive editorial director of Fortune Live Media and interviews newsmakers for the magazine and the CEO Daily newsletter.

Joey AbramsBy Joey AbramsAssociate Production Editor
Joey AbramsAssociate Production Editor

    Joey Abrams is the associate production editor at Fortune.

    H.E. Fahd bin Abdulmohsan Al-Rasheed
    H.E. Fahd bin Abdulmohsan Al-Rasheed at the Fortune Global Forum.
    Rebecca Greenfield for Fortune

    Good morning.

    We announced this week that the 2025 Fortune Global Forum will convene in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next December. In the spring, we will also hold a Fortune Most Powerful Women event in the Saudi capital—our first-ever MPW gathering in the Middle East. Both are being held in partnership with the Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority.

    I can’t think of a country that has tried to change at the scale or speed of Saudi Arabia, from banning theaters to becoming an entertainment hub, to allowing women to drive and doubling their labor force participation in the space of a few years, to becoming a leader in renewable energy and planning ambitious new cities while overhauling old ones. Not all of these bets will go according to plan—the CEO of the massive Neom project was replaced this week—and there remain concerns about human rights in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East.

    Having recently visited Saudi Arabia for the first time, I was struck by the energy and the optimism of the people I met—especially among those at the start of their careers. As His Excellency Fahd bin Abdulmohsan Al-Rasheed, advisor in the General Secretariat of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers, pointed out in our interview at the Fortune Global Forum this week, there are 1,064 different initiatives underway across the country. “You’ve got 30 million people who are a part of this,” he said. “It’s not just top down.”

    I’m excited that we get a chance to be a part of this change, bringing important discussions and leaders to the region. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences and hope to see you in Riyadh.

    More news below. 

    Diane Brady
    diane.brady@fortune.com
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    This edition of CEO Daily was curated by Joey Abrams.

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