Rami Shabaneh, Senior Fellow, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) joins host Richard Wilson and The 966 for Episode #135. Rami is a senior fellow with KAPSARC’s Oil and Gas program, with a focus on global gas and hydrogen markets. He has nearly 15 years of research and industry experience analyzing energy markets and energ…

The 966 and host, Richard Wilson welcome to Episode #134 Laura Morgan, Market Intelligence Lead, MEA, JLL to discuss Saudi Arabia’s Booming Construction Sector. Ms. Morgan expands on JLL's Q1 2024 KSA Construction Market Intelligence Report which noted that with $1.5 trillion in the Saudi pipeline of unawarded construction projects, Saudi Arabia ac…

In Episode #133 of The 966 podcast, Dr. Jennifer Peck, Swarthmore College, expands on her excellent article in Foreign Affairs magazine (Working Women are Changing Saudi Arabia: Reforms Have Made the Economy More Productive, Families More Resilient, and Saudis More Tolerant) where she writes, "This economic transformation has also raised women’s vi…

On the ground the latest Gaza war has caused untold human carnage and massive damage to buildings and infrastructure. It has also severely damaged the reputation of the United States in the region as well as negatively impacted US company brands. Stefanie Hausheer Ali, senior director at international affairs consulting firm Rice, Hadley, Gates & M…

Show Notes The 966, episode #131, with Reiting Lee, Founder of The Oriental Hybrid, explores the impact of the growing participation in sports and healthy activities in Saudi Arabia on the fashion industry, particularly sportswear and athleisure. Reiting Lee is deeply involved in the youth, sportswear and streetwear fashion sectors in Saudi Arabia …

Saeed Al-Ansari, Founder and CEO of Tawaref, a Saudi Arabia-based tech investment community that also provides startup advisory, legal consultancy and due diligence support joins Richard Wilson on The 966 to discuss what is needed to establish a business in Saudi Arabia. Saeed and Tawaref bring an extraordinary amount of experience to this challeng…

Saudi cinema re-opened six years ago in April 2018 after a 35-year hiatus. The sector has exploded with revenue during that period close to $1b, over 61 million tickets sold, 1,971 films screened including 45 local productions. Saudi-based director, producer and actor Todd Albert Nims joins The 966 to discuss the origins of the Saudi film sector, h…

William Greene, MD, Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of the Hevolution Foundation, joins The 966 to talk about Hevolution's investment strategy and role as an investor in the emerging field of Healthspan Science. As CIO, Dr. Greene oversees all aspects of Hevolution Foundation’s investment strategy, planning, analysis, and execution. The Hevolution F…

U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney joins The 966 to talk diplomacy and U.S.-Saudi relations. In recent years, he was the Acting Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of State’s training center, the Foreign Service Institute, where he had also been Dean of the State Department’s School of Language Studies. He was Chargé d…

What is the state of the Saudi labor market today? How do Saudis find jobs, and how are young Saudis viewing their prospects in a changing and modernizing Saudi economy and society? Saudi labor market expert Dr. Hanaa Almoaibed talks with Lucien Zeigler about Saudi Arabia's changing labor force, the job market in the Kingdom, youth and employment, …

In Episode 125, the hosts welcome veteran columnist and analyst Hussein Ibish onto The 966 for his third appearance on the program to unpack the implications of Israel's brutal war in Gaza and the shifting regional and global power dynamics since October 7th. Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington…

Abdullah Alshamrani, General Manager of the Digital Entrepreneurship Center at Saudi Arabia’s MCIT join The 966 to talk ecosystem development in the Kingdom, the entrepreneurship scene, and the Kingdom as a future destination for tech. The conversation comes as the Kingdom's flagship tech event, LEAP, is set to kick off in Riyadh in March. He also …

The boys are back for their normal format and catch up on just some of the seemingly endless new developments and storylines emerging from Saudi Arabia of late. Lucien's "One Big Thing" this week is a first person perspective on living in Riyadh with his family during Riyadh Season, and all of the events, activities and other things to do in the Ki…

Waleed Abdel-Fattah, President of the MENA Region at Hill International, joins The 966 to talk about Saudi Arabia’s building boom and Hill’s traction in KSA since entering the market to help build out what is now known as KAFD. Hill has 100 offices across 42 countries, and its main geographical areas are the US, Europe and the North Africa/Middle E…

Lucien Zeigler sits down with an exclusive conversation with Jerry Todd, Head of the National Development Division at the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia, in a new format and program called 966 Live, recorded at PIF studios in a fireside chat style of engagement. Jerry Todd, who is also on the PIF’s Management Investment Committee, spe…

In episode 120, The 966 once again has on offer a menu of excellence discussing some of the most important topics happening in Saudi Arabia this week -- a tough decision for the editorial team as Saudi Arabia continues to create headlines as it marches forward with economic and social reforms. 5:55 - Richard's One Big Thing this week is Saudi Arabi…

In Episode 119, The 966 hosts Lucien and Richard discuss a variety of topics and some of the latest news and developments on Saudi Arabia. First, the hosts discuss Richard's One Big Thing, an update on the Saudi Pro League and the latest news and developments for football in Saudi Arabia heading into key portion of season. The hosts discuss some de…

The 966 speaks with Rayan Alyusufi, a young Saudi researcher in public diplomacy and international communication to discuss the Kingdom’s public diplomacy, "sharp power," and evolution of Saudi as an emerging diplomatic player. Rayan is a PHD Candidate at Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom. Recently, Rayan wrote a blog post entitled "The …

The 966 hosts kick off the new year after a refreshing holiday break following a successful year for the podcast in which the growth of the audience more than doubled across all platforms, and in some cases, grew significantly more than that! The team thanks all of its listeners and viewers for tuning in each week. First, the hosts discuss Richard'…

The 966 speaks with Princess Mashael bint Saud Al Shalan and Princess Noura bint Turki Al Saud, co-founders of AEON Collective based in Riyadh, to discuss the recently-concluded COP28 meetings in the UAE earlier this month and where the world stands in the fight to combat climate change and transition away from fossil fuels. The two princesses, as …

There's so much that has happened in Saudi Arabia since The 966's last full, normal-format episode. The hosts are back in their normal seats and with a special guest, Dr. Basma Al-Buhairan, Managing Director for the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR), who joins The 966 to talk about tech adoption and the Center's role in enabling Vi…

The 966 Podcast features a special episode this week for episode 114 with an exclusive, live duo of conversations, first with HRH Dr. Haya Bint Khaled Bin Bandar Al-Saud, Vice President of Organizational Strategy and Development for the Hevolution Foundation, and then with Hevolution's CEO, Dr. Mehmood Khan. Lucien and Richard recorded conversation…

Amit Sharma, CEO and Founder of FinClusive Capital, a hybrid fin-/reg-tech company based in the United States, joins The 966 to talk digital banking, fintech and more. Finclusive, headquartered in New York, New York, is a global compliance, digital identity and payments platform for a new era of financial services. The 966 talks about the sector, F…

The 966 speaks with Dr. Mehmood Khan, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Hevolution Foundation, a global non-profit revolutionizing the healthspan field launched by Royal Decree and chaired by HRH the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Dr. Khan shares his journey, Hevolution’s vision and insights into how he is working to build the organization’s operations from…

Tim Callen, ex-IMF Mission Chief to Saudi Arabia and Visiting Fellow at AGSIW, joins The 966 to discuss Saudi Arabia’s budget, government spending, and more. Tim's most recent piece for AGSIW discusses how increased spending in Saudi Arabia raises risks to the Saudi budget. The hosts take advantage of Tim's extensive experience and vast knowledge o…

In Episode 110, Maria Medvedeva, Vice President, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain for MasterCard joins to discuss the company’s KSA strategy, fintech, payments, innovation, and her experiences living and working in a changing and evolving Saudi Arabia. Maria, based in Riyadh with her family, is responsible for Mastercard's growth strategy and delivering in…

Chances are if you’ve seen any of the high-quality, professionally-produced promotional videos from Saudi government authorities or leading Saudi companies anywhere online, you've seen some incredible drone footage of Saudi Arabia. The 966 welcomes on to the program for Episode 109 Mohammed Ghazi and Abdulhadi Azouz from the aerial drone production…

In episode 108, Mansour El-Zahab and Zeynep Kösereisoğlu from Frontierview, a leading market intelligence and research company, join The 966 to discuss Saudi Arabia’s Regional HQ program (commonly referred to as the "RHQ" program) and dive into some of the legal and practical details ahead of the effective date of the program starting in 2024. The …

Hamas' horrific and stunning attack in Israel last week has upended the status quo in the region. With Israel now retaliating in Gaza, bombing an already desperate populace in the Gaza strip, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless there, and with thousands dead and injured on both sides, the war has thrown the Levant into crisis and threa…

Dr. Robert Mogielnicki, Senior Resident Scholar at The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and professorial lecturer at George Washington University joins The 966 to discuss the growing size and role of the Kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Robert has previously characterized the PIF as, “screaming onto the sce…

Episode 105! Amjad Ahmad, a leading venture capitalist and seasoned investment professional with extensive experience in VC and private equity in emerging markets, joins The 966. Amjad discusses the VC ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, the MENA region, and globally today. In addition to over two decades of experience investing in the region, Amjad is also…

Gautam Sashittal, the CEO of Riyadh's financial district that has redefined Riyadh’s skyline and is the city’s most sought-after business address and lifestyle destination, joins The 966 podcast. The district is home to many of Saudi Arabia’s largest companies and regional headquarters of international corporations doing business in the region, as …

Author David Rundell joins to discuss King Salman's incredible impact on Saudi Arabia. King Salman has played an enormously pivotal role for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the development of the modern Saudi state. Before the conversation, the hosts discuss an archaeology summit taking place in Al Ula this week, an interesting and exciting new inv…

Episode 102! Rawan Hashem from the data insights firm Carma joins The 966 to discuss evolving media perspectives of Saudi Arabia and Vision 2030. Before the conversation, the hosts discuss the new organization in Saudi Arabia, called Hevolution, and its $1 billion mission to advance humanity's fight against aging based on a recent Wall Street Journ…

Colin Foreman, journalist and editor for the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), joins The 966 to talk about construction, giga-projects, and Saudi Arabia's economic development. MEED is a leading resource for executives with a highly-respected publication for the MENA region. Before the conversation with Colin, the hosts discuss the latest with th…

Nadia Maqbool Al-Lawatiya, a leading Riyadh-based architect and urban designer who is closely familiar with Salmani architecture, joins The 966 to share her journey and discuss some of the themes and thinking behind the new style emerging from Saudi Arabia. Nadia listened to a previous episode of The 966 on Salmani architecture and joins for this e…

Episode 99! Princess Mashael bint Saud Al-Shalan, Founding Partner, Aeon Strategy, joins The 966 to discuss her work heading one of the leading consultancies in Saudi Arabia in the field of sustainability. Aeon Strategy played a key role in support of the Kingdom's Net-Zero targets under the Saudi Green Initiative and the Circular Carbon Economy Fr…

Episode 98! Dr. Bader Al-Saif, founding President at Al-Saif Consulting and Assistant Professor at Kuwait University joins The 966 to talk about Saudi Arabia as an emerging economic and diplomatic power in a changing region. Al-Saif is also a visiting researcher at Georgetown University, where he completed his PHD in history, and a non-resident fel…

American journalist, author, media executive, and pulitzer prize winner Karen Elliott House joins The 966. Elliott House discusses her recent work, a paper entitled 'Saudi First', for the Belfer Center at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, as well as her experiences traveling to and from Saudi Arabia for decades and her views on Saudi Arabia a…

Episode 96! The 966 speaks with PepsiCo Middle East CEO Aamer Sheikh for a conversation about the company's strategy to plug into Vision 2030's opportunities and continue to stay on top as the number one food and beverage brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Mr. Sheikh, who is Pakistani-American and grew up in the United States, shares his story a…

Episode 95! Following several weeks of amazing special guests on the program (with many more to come in the weeks and months ahead) the hosts fly solo this week and discuss some of the biggest storylines and topics on Saudi Arabia this week. First, the hosts discuss Richard's one big thing this week, the Islamic new year. Muslims around the world o…

Physician, non-fiction author, and broadcast media commentator and writer Dr. Qanta Ahmed joins The 966 from New York to discuss the “colossal” changes in Saudi Arabia since Vision 2030 was launched and her view that Saudi Arabia has emerged as an increasingly important and influential global power. Dr. Qanta is an Academic Pulmonologist and Sleep …

Saudi businesswoman Dana Alajlani, Head of Public Affairs for the GCC at Sanofi, the French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, joins The 966 to share her professional journey and story. Dana is also Co-Chairwoman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Saudi Arabia (AmChamKSA) and is involved there with the W…

Episode 92! Saudi Arabia’s sporting ambitions and investments have been dominating global coverage of the Kingdom in recent months. The 966 speaks with Simon Chadwick, Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy, SKEMMA Business School, Paris, about all of the interest and investments by Saudi Arabia and Gulf nations into global sports. Professor C…

The 966 speaks with Dr. Mohanad AlSheikh, CEO of Johnson Controls Arabia, a leading player in Saudi Arabia and the MENA region’s growing HVAC and smart building market. The 966 hosts ask Dr. Mohanad about the growing business opportunities in the HVAC and smart buildings space in the Kingdom and the wider region, the company’s focus on sustainabili…

Saudi entrepreneurs Sara Bin Laden and Renad Aljefri, recent WIN fellows, join The 966 from Jeddah to discuss their experiences and journeys to-date. Renad and Sara recently took part in the second cohort of the Atlantic Council’s Women Innovators Fellowship, known as the WIN fellowship - a program launched by the empowerME initiative of the Rafik …

It's a story The 966 has covered in almost every one of its 90 podcasts in one form or another: the PIF-backed LIV Golf tour's founding and rise. So the news breaking today that the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf are combining in a shocking, earth-shattering merger, ending a dispute between the two, is worthy of a special emergency editio…

The 966 talks about the state of business dispute resolution in Saudi Arabia with the CEO of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration, Dr. Hamed Merah, who joins from Riyadh. The 966 talks with Dr. Merah about the SCCA’s rise as a leading dispute resolution body in the region and increasingly, globally. As Saudi Arabia targets attracting foreign…

Episode 88! Venture capitalist Eyad Albayouk returns to The 966 to talk about the latest developments in the VC sector in Saudi Arabia as well as the closing of his new startup seed fund with Flat6Labs in Saudi Arabia. The hosts discuss with Eyad the rocky start for new funding rounds in the Kingdom after a red hot 2022. Before that conversation, t…

Episode 87! The hosts explore overlapping topics in Salmani architecture and an evolving Riyadh city under King Salman for decades. Kicking things off, Richard's One Big Thing is the rise of Salmani Architecture - a term the hosts have come across in recent months that is important in understanding the current and new face of a changing Saudi capit…