Saudi Arabia Investors Forum

Aissa is a seasoned C-level executive with over 25 years’ experience defining and managing growth strategies, developing international ventures, adjusting business models & organization structures. He has advised 140+ large corporations across Europe, Middle East, and Africa and managed $45 Bn investment portfolio in Asia, Africa, South America, Europe. He diversified PIH industry-mix by adding 6 new lines of business and expanding in 12 new geographies and has done multiple organizational structuring and cost optimization programs totalizing $625 Mn saving. As an established personality in regional and global business circle, Aissa is a subject matter expert spanning the following: Investment Management, Decision-Making modelling, Market Entry Strategy, Business Diversification, Corporate Governance, Strategic Portfolio Management, Large Organization Transformation, Business Process Engineering, Operations Excellence, Cost Optimization, Business Performance Management, Business Analytics.

Awaiz Patni is an accomplished finance professional with international expertise, currently serving as the Group CFO at Bugshan Investment Company Limited in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His 20 years of experience in the Middle East include a distinguished 12-year tenure at EY in Riyadh, where he excelled in Assurance and Tax roles across diverse sectors. A graduate of Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, Bombay, India, Awaiz holds memberships in the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), is a Certified Public Accountant from the US. Additionally, he holds a law degree from Mumbai University.

A credentialed and experienced Chief Investment Officer with a successful track record, Ekta has deployed over +$1B worldwide into direct deals. Over her 15 years of experience, she has driven investment strategy and process for sourcing, selecting, and winning direct Private Equity ($100M+) and Venture Capital ($1M – $5M) style deals across a variety of high-growth sectors. Her investment work includes portfolio activity such as clean energy and sustainability, health care, education, technology, and innovation. She currently manages a broad network of such active relationships; a global network of LPs, Family Offices, and GPs recording top quartile returns. She holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and is the ambassador for the school’s MBA program and Booth Women. She is a member of the Private Equity Women Investor Network, and an ardent champion for women empowerment.

Elina Cherniavskaya has been an entrepreneur and business strategist for over 15 years. Her interests include the consumer economy, neuroscience, neuromarketing research and the implementation of its results in business, building and scaling business systems, developing creative intelligence, technological and innovative projects to improve the quality of people's lives. She is the CEO and Co-founder of Dubai based neuromarketing company NEUROvision Marketing & PR, TRUE BUSINESS LAB consulting company, Health Tech startup Creative systems.

With over 20 years of expertise in private equity, venture capital, M&A, and investment banking, Faisal Baig is adistinguished investment professional. As Chief Investment Officer at ASFAR, a subsidiary of the PublicInvestment Fund (PIF), Faisal oversees investments across the tourism value chain in alignment with SaudiArabia's Vision 2030. His extensive experience includes executing high-profile transactions in the U.S., Europe,and the Middle East, spanning sectors such as technology, consumer goods, manufacturing, and oil & gas. Prior to his role at ASFAR, Faisal served as Division Head in Aramco’s corporate development team, playing a crucial role in strategic M&A and joint ventures, including the landmark $69 billion acquisition of SABIC. His previous experience in private equity includes positions at GFH and Investcorp, where he led mid-market transactions. Faisal began his career in the U.S. with leading firms such as Citi, JPMorgan, and New Enterprise Associates(NEA). He holds an MBA from Yale University and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University.

Ismail Radwan is the Senior Director for Economics and Strategy at the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia since June 2023. Previously, he served as the World Bank Group lead economist for the GCC in Riyadh. With over 30 years of experience, Ismail focuses on private sector development, public sector reform, economic development, trade, growth strategies, innovation, technology, and governance. Before joining the World Bank Group, he was a principal economist at PwC London, working globally for blue-chip clients. Ismail holds degrees from Oxford University and the University of Pennsylvania, and he has lived and worked in over fifty countries. Originally from Cairo, Egypt, he is proficient in English, Arabic, and French.

Manpreet Gill is Chief Investment Officer for the Africa, Middle-East and Europe (AMEE) region and heads a team specialising in the Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities (FICC) asset classes. He is a key member of the Bank’s Group Investment Committee and an advisor to the Discretionary Portfolio Management division.

Manpreet has close to two decades of financial markets experience across asset classes. His previous roles have included Asia Strategist at Barclays Wealth in Singapore and G10 FX Strategist at ICICI Bank in India. He holds degrees from INSEAD, the Delhi School of Economics and St. Stephen’s College. 

Santhosh Balakrishnan is the Head of Investment strategy at Othaim Holding, with responsibility of Research, Strategy and managing Investments. He has around 21+ Years of experience in Equity Research, Portfolio strategy and Investment Management across Saudi and EM, and lastly worked with Riyad Capital as Director-Head of Equity Research. He holds an MBA in Finance and PGDIM-Insurance Management Ahmed