Ageel Alshaibani Appointed CEO of Saudi Tourism Authority to Drive Vision 2030, ETTravelWorld

The Saudi Tourism Authority has appointed Ageel Alshaibani as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective September 2, as Saudi Arabia accelerates its tourism expansion under Vision 2030—a push expected to create opportunities across hospitality, travel, aviation, entertainment and other tourism-related sectors.Alshaibani moves into the role after serving as Deputy Minister of Tourism for Strategic Planning and Monitoring, where he was involved in developing and implementing the National Tourism Strategy and initiatives aimed at meeting the Kingdom’s tourism targets.His appointment comes as Saudi Arabia continues to invest heavily in tourism destinations, hotels, aviation connectivity and major tourism projects, while seeking to increase tourism’s contribution to economic diversification.Alshaibani brings more than 18 years of experience in strategic planning, business development, management consulting, public services, healthcare and executive leadership. Before joining the Ministry of Tourism in 2023, he was Chief Strategy Officer at the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk) from 2020 to 2023 and previously spent nearly five years at McKinsey & Company, where he was an Associate Partner.Earlier, he held leadership and advisory roles at the Saudi Ministry of Health, Elixir Management Consulting and Charles River Associates. He also worked in commercial marketing at Al Safi Danone and held finance positions at the General Investment Authority’s economic cities programme and Procter & Gamble.His extensive involvement across Saudi Arabia’s tourism, entertainment, aviation and sports sectors includes board positions at the Saudi Tourism Authority, Saudi Red Sea Authority, Jeddah Airports Company and General Entertainment Authority. He is also President of the Saudi Swimming Federation and has been involved with the Saudi Air Connectivity Program.For workers and jobseekers, the leadership change comes against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia’s broader effort to build a larger tourism ecosystem, potentially expanding demand for talent in hospitality, tourism operations, travel services, aviation, entertainment, marketing, finance and business development.Alshaibani holds a Master’s degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Bradford School of Management in the UK and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Business & Technology in Saudi Arabia.As CEO, he will lead the Saudi Tourism Authority’s efforts to attract more international visitors, strengthen the tourism ecosystem and advance the sector’s contribution to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.