The Fifth Edition of the Future Investment Initiative concludes on Thursday, October 28th and the focus is on the next generation of leaders and change-makers.

CEO of the Future Investment Initiative Richard Attias tells the participants in the "Future Board of Directors" session: "It is important that we give you a voice. You are not the next generation, you are the current generation."

_____

Riyadh - Broadcast: The Future Investment Initiative, in its fifth edition, concluded its work with a session devoted to building the next generation of leaders.

 The session, chaired by FII CEO Richard Attias and titled 'Future Board of Directors', was an occasion to explore the opportunities and challenges the next generation faces – and will face – including social media, fake news, and the incremental growth in technology and innovation. Mr. Attias said that it is very important for the next generation to participate in important events such as the Future Investment Initiative, and for these events to be an opportunity to work on building future board members.

Addressing the session participants, Mr. Atias said: “It is important for us to understand you, in the last two and a half days, many members of the old guard like myself have taken the stage and tried to explain what the world should look like and what we should do. However, it is important that we give you You are not the next generation, you are the current generation.”

The closing session brought together emerging leaders to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the next generation, and what they need from global investors to succeed. Reem Benseddik, Founder and CEO of Benseddik Consulting spoke about the importance of giving people the opportunity to have their say, while Marilyn Ngoy, Board Member of Afrexim Bank Babs added that diversity is a very key element.

“It is frankly unacceptable to have 20 men deciding the future of the world, which is something almost humiliating for all of us. We need a more diverse group of people sitting around the table to come up with a win-win outcome for all parties involved,” said Ms. Ngwe.

Oliver Ripley, CEO and co-founder of Habitas, and Saudi journalist Lama Al-Hamwi spoke about being global citizens who connect through social networks.

“I see in front of me today a generation that is not identifying themselves with their nationalities or their jobs, but with a set of shared values ​​about how they want to live their lives. That is what is changing,” says Mr. Ripley.

For her part, Ms. Al-Hamwi urged participants in the Future Investment Initiative to “listen to the voices coming from all over the world and ask what they need. If everyone just takes this step and does what is required of them, we will witness incredible global change.”

The session concluded with a heartfelt song by American artist Ai Young, founder of the 100% renewable energy battery tour, urging crowds and online viewers to come together to change the world.