“If you want to be big in the Middle East, you need to be in Saudi—full stop.”
-Ronny Froehlich, German entrepreneur, in his company’s new office in Riyadh. The growing number of startups in Riyadh is set to rival neighboring Dubai. [bloomberg.com]
“It brings us immense pride to have six of our short films brought onto Netflix. We are excited to bring the work of local Saudi talents to 167 million subscribers around the world. Telfaz11 Studios produces authentic and intriguing stories from our culture, and we cannot wait for the world to see what we have to offer.”
-Alaa Fadan, Chief Executive Officer at Telfaz11 Studios, commenting to Deadline on their agreement with Netflix which will badge the films under the banner Six Windows in the Desert. [deadline.com]
“The Saudi ICT market is grappling with a wave of new digital transformation realities. The growth we are seeing in ICT spending is primarily being driven by an increased focus on giga projects and smart governance. These initiatives are spurring the adoption of artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, cloud, blockchain, and a host of other emerging technologies as both the public and private sectors look to create synergies, cut costs, increase safety, and optimize processes across verticals in a whole new way.”
-Hamza Naqshbandi, International Data Corporation (IDC) country manager for Saudi Arabia, discusses Saudi Arabia’s ICT sector at the recent IDC Directions 2020 conference in Riyadh. IDC forecasts ICT spending to top $37b in 2020, up over 4% on the previous year. [IDC.com]
“Although further effort is needed for Saudi Arabia to become a transparent market, there remains strong political will to continue implementing positive reforms to its economy and the real estate market in particular.”
-Dana Salbak, Head of Research, MENA, JLL. The company recently released its 2019 Year in Review report for Saudi Arabia which found the Kingdom “has witnessed rising transparency over the past three years and the government will continue to work towards improving market transparency.” [jll-mena.com]
“Some people wouldn’t talk to me and other people were absolutely shocked that I would do it. When Christopher Knight wrote that article I felt very pressured and for three days I decided not to do it. I was so depressed and then I said, ‘Wait a minute, I can’t let that kind of [critique] stop me from being part of a historic moment.’”
-Lita Albuquerque, artist, speaking with Artnet News about her decision to participate in Desert X AlUla. 14 art structures were put in place including Albuquerque’s NAJMA which “could be the first time in over 1,000 years that a figurative female sculpture has been displayed in Saudi Arabia.” [artnet.com]
“Presented in elegant boxes—a pearlescent, ivory lacquered wooden keepsake with shiny gold hinges; a dusty pink heart inscribed with Arabic script—like the finest chocolate, the dates make great gifts…Among Bateel’s fans is Oprah Winfrey, who included the olive green wood box of plain dates in her 2019 list of favorite things.”
“While we always try to reinvent ourselves, anticipate key trends, identify the ‘Next Big Thing’ and never sleep on our laurels… it’s only logical for MBC Group to be an integral part of the amazing ‘New Saudi’…MBC Group will become — in gradual stages, over the coming five years — a cornerstone in Riyadh’s new creative zone for art, media and entertainment.”
-Marc Antoine d’Halluin, chief executive of MBC Group, in a note to employees announcing that the largest broadcaster in the MENA region signed an agreement to set up new headquarters in Riyadh and will begin operations from Saudi Arabia’s capital within five years. [thenational.ae]
“I was destroyed, but what happened is I got the awareness to understand that we as human beings, with all our arrogance and technology, are nothing in front of nature… I thanked nature for the sights I was witnessing and, at a certain point, I said to it: ‘Do as you want with me — clean my mind, clean my body, clean my thoughts. I have only one mission and that is to see myself with my family again.’ That was indeed my goal.”
–Max Calderan, Dubai-based Italian explorer, discussing his trek on foot across the Rub Al-Khali (Empty Quarter), the largest continuous sand desert on earth. His 1,100 km trek took a new West to East route through the heart of the Empty Quarter. [arabnews.com]
“Aramco has demonstrated the full power of the Saudi market…[W]e believe the Saudi market will continue to be a strong and vibrant market for IP0s in 2020.”
-Mohammed Ali Yasin, chief strategy officer at Al Dhabi Capital Ltd in Abu Dhabi. [reuters.com]
“Our goal with the newly launched Samsung Innovation Campus is to equip our youth with the skills that are essential for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Our education initiative reflects our vision to enable young adults and boost local talents in the Kingdom by providing top-quality training that ensures their readiness for the future.”
-Y. J. Kim, President of Samsung Electronics in Saudi Arabia, on the launch of the Samsung Innovation Campus in partnership with MiSK Academy. The academy aims to help young adults in the Kingdom gain skills that are useful for their academic and professional careers in the technology-driven job market. [saudigazette.com]
