Saudi Tourism Authority appoints Ageel Alshaibani as CEO

The Saudi Tourism Authority has appointed Ageel Alshaibani as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective September 2, as the Kingdom continues to expand its tourism sector under Vision 2030.

Alshaibani previously served as Deputy Minister of Tourism for Strategic Planning and Monitoring, where he contributed to the development and implementation of the National Tourism Strategy and several strategic initiatives aimed at advancing the sector and meeting its targets.

His appointment brings more than 18 years of experience spanning strategic planning, business development, management consulting, public services, healthcare and executive leadership.

Before joining the Ministry of Tourism in 2023, Alshaibani served as Chief Strategy Officer at the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk), a position he held from 2020 to 2023. He also spent nearly five years at McKinsey & Company, where he was an Associate Partner.

Earlier in his career, Alshaibani held leadership and advisory positions 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 roles at the General Investment Authority’s economic cities programme and Procter & Gamble.

Alshaibani has also held several board and committee positions across Saudi Arabia’s tourism, entertainment, aviation and sports sectors. He is a board member of the Saudi Tourism Authority, Saudi Red Sea Authority, Jeddah Airports Company and General Entertainment Authority. He also serves as President of the Saudi Swimming Federation and has been involved in the Saudi Air Connectivity Program.

His experience across government strategy, tourism, investment and business development comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to strengthen tourism as a key pillar of its economic diversification strategy. The Kingdom has been investing heavily in destinations, hospitality, aviation connectivity and major tourism projects as it works to increase the sector’s contribution to the economy.

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.

In his new role, Alshaibani will lead the Saudi Tourism Authority as the Kingdom seeks to attract more international visitors, strengthen its tourism ecosystem and support the broader objectives of Vision 2030.