17th Annual Dinner Meeting

The MIT Club of Saudi Arabia held its 17th Annual Dinner Meeting in Riyadh on March 15, 2015. The event was hosted by the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC). The guest of honor and keynote speaker for the event was Professor L. Rafael Reif, 17th President of MIT.

At the beginning of the event, Mr. Samer Al-Ashgar, president of KAPSARC, briefly introduced the center. KAPSARC was founded as a non-profit global institution for independent research into the economics of energy, to contribute to societal well being and prosperity.

After that, HE Abdullatif bin Ahmed Al-Othman, president of the MIT Club of Saudi Arabia, welcomed the guests and introduced MIT, emphasizing the university’s significant role in advancing scientific research and global prosperity since its founding 150 years ago. HE then presented Professor Reif, whose keynote speech focused on the university’s collaborations across the globe, and its noteworthy relationship to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has spawned multiple initiatives within the university, notably the Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Laboratory (J-WAFS) and Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL).

After the speech, Prof. Reif took part in a Q&A session moderated by Eng. Samer Al-Ashgar, President of KAPSARC.

About the MIT Club of Saudi Arabia

The MIT Club of Saudi Arabia was established in 1998. From a modest start, membership has steadily grown to over 80 members as of the beginning of 2008. Those members have MIT degrees in diverse disciplines and work in a variety of professions within Saudi Arabia. The objective of the club is to foster social and intellectual interaction between members, promote leadership programs in business and technology in Saudi Arabia, and support programs at MIT that promote cultural tolerance and understanding.

16th Annual Dinner Meeting

The MIT Club of Saudi Arabia held its 16th Annual Dinner Meeting in Riyadh on Sunday, April 6th, 2015. The guest of honor, His Excellency Dr. Fahad A. Al-Mubarak, Governor of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), delivered the keynote address in the presence of 110 guests including government officials, Shoura Council Members, Saudi private and industrial sector leaders, media representatives, and MIT alumni.

During his keynote speech, Dr. Al-Mubarak revealed how the creation of a strong banking system contributed to the development of the Kingdom, highlighting the role SAMA played in safeguarding the financial stability of Saudi Arabia. His presentation also discussed developments in the global economy, monetary policies in developed countries, and the future prospects of the Saudi economy.

After the speech, Dr. Al-Mubarak took part in a Q&A session moderated by Dr. Mohammed Al-Saggaf, Vice President of the MIT Club of Saudi Arabia and Service Line Head (A) of Operations and Business Services at Saudi Aramco.

The Club Honors its Founder

Another highlight of the 16th Annual Dinner, the members of the Club’s executive committee honored its founder, Eng. Mohammed Bakr.

In the opening speech, H.E. Eng. Abdullatif Al-Othman, President of the Club and Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), highlighted the efforts made by Eng. Mohamed Bakr – founding president of the MIT Club of Saudi Arabia for 15 years, and its current Honorary President – in the establishment of the Club and the management of its affairs and meetings since 1998. He also highlighted how Eng. Bakr selflessly devoted his time, effort, and expertise to make the Club the success it is today.

Mr. Bakr is a longstanding public servant who has dedicated his life to developing Saudi Arabia. Beyond his extensive record of professional and community service, he has been a loyal and trailblazing ambassador for MIT for more than four decades in the Arabian Peninsula. As one of the first MIT alumni in the history of Saudi Arabia, he formally founded the MIT Club of Saudi Arabia in 1998 and served as its president for 15 years. Thanks to his singular efforts, the club is one of the most prestigious and influential in the region. For more than a decade, Mr. Bakr has organized many of the club’s events which have become known for being the preeminent congregation of technocrats in the country, where business and government leaders get together to discuss the pertinent issues of the day. The success of the club kickstarted a wave of emulation by alumni of other elite institutions. Nevertheless, few have been able to match the relevance and legacy of the MIT Club of Saudi Arabia.

The Officers of the Club expressed their appreciation and gratitude for Eng. Bakr’s longstanding commitment to the Club with a painting incorporating a verse from the Abbasid-era poet Abu Tammam, which was a nod to Eng. Bakr’s extraordinary generosity and commitment to the longevity of the Club.

Mr. Bakr’s commitment to MIT as an alumnus is not only restricted to Saudi Arabia; in 2001 he established the “Mohammed and Mariam Bakr Fund” to support general student life at MIT. In 2003, he established an endowment fund in the name of the MIT Club of Saudi Arabia to support programs at the Institute that promote cultural tolerance and understanding, as well as to support student-life related activities of Arab or Muslim students. He is also currently serving his second term on the International Visiting Committee of The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at MIT.

15th Annual Dinner Meeting

The MIT Club of Saudi Arabia held its 15th Annual Dinner Meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014. The guest of honour, His Excellency Engineer Mohamed H. Al-Mady, Vice Chairman and CEO of SABIC, delivered the keynote address in the presence of 110 guests including government officials, Shoura
Council Members, Saudi private and industrial sector leaders, media representatives, and MIT alumni. During his keynote speech, Eng. Al-Mady walked the audience through a detailed timeline of SABIC’s success story and journey through the years, starting from its inception.

Mr. Al-Mady discussed the key strategic pillars which have fuelled SABIC’s phenomenal growth inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and abroad. He elaborated on SABIC’s strong global footprint and its presence in the majority of the key global markets. Mr. Al-Mady also detailed out SABIC’s future strategy to reach its ambitious goals in 2025, which includes a strong focus on the end customer and leveraging its global footprint to surface innovations that are the key to
keeping SABIC in the lead. Mr. Al-Mady also underscored the importance of human capital and the happiness of employees as a key pillar for success.

Several news and media outlets covered the event and published further details on the content of the discussion. Some of those publications can be found at the links below.

http://www.aleqt.com/2014/04/27/article_844257.html

http://beta.aawsat.com/home/article/84171

http://www.al-jazirah.com/2014/20140425/ec21.htm

http://www.aleqt.com/2014/04/25/article_843847.html

http://www.alyaum.com/News/art/135267.html

14th Annual Dinner Meeting

The MIT Club of Saudi Arabia held its 14th Annual Dinner meeting in Riyadh on Sunday, March 31st, 2013.

His Excellency Mr. Abdullatif Al-Othman, Governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), was the guest of honor and keynote speaker. The event was attended by MIT alumni, prominent civic, government and industrial leaders from Saudi Arabia, and representatives from the media.

Mr. Al-Othman gave an overview of SAGIA in terms of its achievements so far, the challenges it faces, and the priorities and initiatives taken to achieve its goals over the next few years. He mentioned that some of these priorities included attracting leading investors to the Kingdom, curtailing low quality investments, and enhancing the level of government services to potential investors.

In the second half of his presentation, Mr. Al-Othman mentioned that the current economic climate and level of government spending make it opportune to achieve the sustainable development objectives of the Kingdom. This would, however, benefit from putting together a unified investment strategy, supported by a robust governance framework, through which public and private stakeholders would work together to achieve this strategy. He mentioned that SAGIA is in the process of putting together this unified strategy.

13th Annual Dinner Meeting

The MIT Club of Saudi Arabia held its 13th Annual Dinner meeting in Riyadh on Sunday, March 11th, 2012.

The guest of honor and keynote speaker was His Excellency Dr. Hashim Yamani, President of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy.

The event brought together a large contingent of MIT alumni, prominent civic, government and industrial leaders from different areas of Saudi Arabia. The event also received positive media coverage through several Saudi media outlets.

Dr. Yamani, who was also a speaker at the 2004 Annual Dinner meeting during his tenure as Minister of Commerce & Industry, spoke about Saudi Arabia’s ambitions in the field of atomic and renewable energy from the perspective of the decision making cycle that led to this important development in the Kingdom’s history as well as from the perspective of demystifying several myths about the need for and safety of atomic energy for electricity generation.

Dr. Yamani then fielded several questions from the audience and followed that by thanking the MIT Club of Saudi and its leadership for hosting such a wonderful event.

12th Annual Dinner Meeting

The MIT Club of Saudi Arabia held its 12th Annual Dinner Meeting in Riyadh on Sunday, March 20th, 2011.

The guest of honor and keynote speaker was His Excellency Dr. Khalid Al-Anqari, Minister of Higher Education.

The event was very well attended with over 120 guests, including a large contingent of MIT alums, company CEOs, government officials, and the press. The event also generated considerable positive media coverage.

Dr. Al-Anqari spoke about the higher education system in Saudi Arabia and the 20-year holistic plan to reform and upgrade it. This is a multi-faceted plan that includes expansion, focus on quality faculty, accreditation, enhanced research, increased funding, and many other factors. “The first five years of the plan have been completed with excellent successes,” he mentioned.

The MIT Club of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1998 and currently has over [80] members. It has been holding its Annual Dinner Meeting for the past twelve years, with speakers that include ministers, CEOs of companies, university rectors, and prestigious MIT faculty and officials.

11th Annual Dinner Meeting

The MIT Club of Saudi Arabia held it’s 11th annual dinner in Riyadh on Monday , April 19, 2010.

The guest of honor and keynote speaker was Mr. Khalid Alfalih, President and CEO, Saudi Aramco, P’2010.

The event was well attended and generated considerable media coverage.

10th Annual Dinner Meeting

The MIT Club of Saudi Arabia held it’s 10th annual dinner in Riyadh.

The guest of honor and keynote speaker was HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, President & Chairman of the Board, The Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities (SCTA).