Hammad Albalawi is an experienced leader in the sports and tourism sectors committed to serving Saudi Arabia’s remarkable transformation as part of Vision 2030. He currently heads up the Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup™ 2034 bid unit at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF). He leads a team across all functions set out to achieve Saudi Arabia’s dreams of hosting the largest-ever edition of a 48-team FIFA World Cup™ held in a single nation. The bid recently revealed details of its ambition to host the iconic global football event, held under the slogan ‘Growing. Together.’ Albalawi previously held the role of Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Planning & Investment at the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport. He oversaw both the strategy and investment departments at a time of incredible development for the sports sector. He led a team that helped formulate the Kingdom’s ambitious National Sports Strategy, built on three core pillars – mass participation, talent development and elite performance. The role also included working closely with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Saudi Pro League to develop the National Football Strategy, a long-term transformative approach to all areas of the Saudi game. On the investment side, Hammad led the privatization initiative of state-owned sports assets for the very first time, which included implementing regulatory and policy changes aimed at making the sector more attractive to local and foreign investors. The project also included helping support realizing a return on investment for numerous sports federation’s intellectual property (IP), such as the Formula 1® Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, while assisting on engagement with the private sector, including the sale of naming rights and establishing new commercial opportunities.

Experience in Sports & Entertainment and in football clubs advisory, management and ownership roles (FC Barcelona, City Football Group, Prime Time Sport). International Marketing and Business Development in several FMCG companies (Reckitt Benckiser, Sara Lee, Unilever). Author of the sports marketing book “Show Me The Money”, translated into 5 languages

Guido Fienga is the CEO of Al Nassr Club Company. With over 30 years of experience in management and entrepreneurship, he is an accomplished executive who has worked across various sectors, including sports, media, finance, telecom, and consulting.

He has dedicated 15 years to the sports sector, notably as the former CEO of AS Roma in Italy. During his tenure, he successfully guided both organizations towards significant growth and international recognition.
Beyond his club roles, Fienga has been a prominent figure in the broader football landscape. He’s a member of Lega Serie A, the governing body of Italy’s top football league, and has advised several sports federations on strategy and development.

For the past four years, Fienga has been based in the Middle East, where he has played a crucial role in developing football clubs, managing TV rights, and organizing major football events.

In addition to his executive roles, he is a professor at Luiss University in Rome, where he teaches entrepreneurship, and in Dubai, where he is a professor of the Master’s degree in Sports Management.

Mauricio Macri, former President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019, who also served two terms as Mayor of Buenos Aires and President of Boca Juniors Club on three occasions, is the Executive Chairman at the FIFA Foundation. In his current capacity, Macri is dedicated to leveraging the unifying power of football and the educational opportunities it presents to empower youth, foster positive change, and pave the way for a promising future on a global scale.
Under his leadership, the FIFA Foundation serves as a driving force for positive change by integrating education with the world’s beloved sport, creating a powerful platform for global progress. In this vision, education acts as the great equalizer, transcending borders and fostering unity. Macri’s appointment also symbolizes Argentina’s rich contribution to this captivating sport. Argentina has given the world unique football legends, timeless anecdotes, and a fervent fan base that resonates across the globe.
Recognized by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in 2016 and 2018, Mauricio Macri continues to offer his expertise and insights into the geopolitical dynamics of Latin America. He notably served as a Spring 2022 Senior Leadership Fellow at the Florida International University’s Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom. Furthermore, he delivers lectures at prestigious universities across the world, covering crucial topics for today’s leaders, including positive leadership, team building, effective decision-making, cultural transformation, consensus-building.
Author of two books «Primer Tiempo» («First Half,» 2021) and «Para qué» («What For»), Macri also leads the Macri Foundation where he works on issues for the future of Argentina: education, innovation with a social impact and climate change, and the environment.

Omar Mugharbel is a dynamic and visionary leader, currently serving as the CEO of the Saudi Pro League (SPL). With a proven track record of driving organizational transformation and operational excellence, Mugharbel is spearheading the SPL’s efforts to transform Saudi Football. His mission centers on creating a sustainable and commercially viable league while preserving the essence of the sport.
Mugharbel’s management philosophy emphasizes culture-building, clarity, and empowerment. He practices situational leadership, adapting his approach to meeting organizational needs while enabling his team to excel. “Success is never an individual effort,” he notes. “It’s about surrounding yourself with people who fan your flames.”
Inspired by his father’s legacy as a marketeer, Mugharbel earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in Marketing and Advertising from the American University in Dubai. This formative experience, guided by industry-experienced professors, equipped him with a balance of theoretical knowledge and practical application. It planted the seed for a foundation of innovative thinking and adaptability that continues to define his career.
Upon graduation, Mugharbel joined Unilever’s management training program, excelling across brands and becoming one of the group’s youngest senior managers. He later moved to co-found Aboab & Co., advising government and private sector actors, before embarking yet again to another transform tonal mission driving Extra’s e-commerce transformation.
With a stellar track record, IKEA sought Omar out to join its ranks, where he rose from deputy store manager to Chief Commercial Officer, redefining strategies and launching new stores. His journey culminated in becoming CEO of IKEA Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, a testament to his determination and ability to inspire transformation from the ground up.
Mugharbel’s pursuit of excellence extends to education. In 2023, he completed the Chief Executive Program at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, balancing his studies with his responsibilities as CEO. This commitment to continuous learning reflects his dedication to evolving as a leader.
In testament to his leadership and vision, the SPL appointed Mugharbel as CEO. In this role, he is leading a transformational shift to build a sustainable, globally respected league. His approach emphasizes collaboration with clubs and regulators, commercialization, and exporting the Saudi football story to the world.
A lifelong football enthusiast, Mugharbel views his role as more than a career milestone. “Football is more than a game it’s society, its business, its pure joy. Yet, balancing commercialization while preserving the sport’s essence is crucial, as sustainable revenue is the backbone of development.”

Monika Staab, German Expert in Women Football
She has the UEFA coaching Pro-licence. After playing for German clubs such as SG Rosenhöhe Offenbach, Offenbach Kickers and the SG Oberst Schiel, she played for clubs abroad such as Paris St. Germain and the Queens Park Rangers.
Later, as coach and manager of the 1. FFC Frankfurt, she won four German championship titles, five Cup victories and the first UEFA champions league title in 2002.
Monika Staab has coached the national team of Bahrain, Pakistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
She has worked as consultant, coaching instructor and technical observer for FIFA, UEFA, the German Foreign Affair Office and DOSB.
She has been in the last 15 years in over 90 countries for the development in women football all over the world. Monika Staab strongly believes in football as a means for social development and has shaped women’s football in Germany and abroad.
At present she is the Women’s Football Technical Director of Saudi Arabia.

Javier Tebas Medrano (San Jose, Costa Rica, 1962), of Spanish nationality, holds a degree in Law from the University of Zaragoza. He has been a practising lawyer since 1987 and founded his own legal firm, specialising in Company Law and, subsequently, in sports and bankruptcy law.

Tebas’s direct involvement in football began in 1993, when he was named president of Sociedad Deportiva Huesca, a position he held until 1998 (a period during which the club competed in Spain’s Tercera Division and Segunda Division B). He later served as a board member at C.D. Badajoz S.A.D. and C.D. Toledo S.A.D. before being elected vice-president of LaLiga in 2001. In 2003 he headed up the G-30, a group representing 30 small LaLiga clubs that was set up to collectively negotiate their audiovisual rights. He has been LALIGA president since 2013 and was re-elected in 2016 and again for a further four-year term in 2019. In 2021 he was appointed as representative of European Leagues on the UEFA Executive Committee.
Tebas’s tenure as LALIGA president has revolved around three core areas; the introduction of a financial controls system which has enabled the clubs to restructure their finances; the collective sale of audiovisual rights which boosts the clubs’ revenue in a balanced way, and the league’s internationalisation strategy, which has seen LALIGA and its member clubs establish themselves as a benchmark reference on the global stage, not just on the field but in the entertainment industry as a whole. In addition, Boost LALIGA, the strategic project of LALIGA and CVC Capital Partners, was recently created to promote growth and consolidation in the areas of technology, innovation, internationalisation and the sporting sphere.

Mohammed Islam is the Host & Founder of Saudi Arabia’s leading English podcast, The Mo Show, which is currently in its fifth season. The show aims to break stereotypes and misconceptions by shedding light on the progression and accomplishments of the country, told by those on the ground who share their personal stories and experiences.