Bloomberg Power Players Summit in Jeddah concludes, highlights future sports trends

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – 09 March 2024: The inaugural Bloomberg Power Players Jeddah, Powered by Asharq Business with Bloomberg, concluded successfully, amidst the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, bringing together more than 250 leading figures, CEOs, decision-makers and innovators from sports and investment sectors to discuss key trends shaping the future of global sports.

The Summit opened with a keynote speech featuring HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal, President, Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation and Chairman, Saudi Motorsport Company, where he highlighted the importance of events like Bloomberg Power Players in sparking new ideas and broadening horizons, not only in Saudi Arabia, but globally.

This was followed by a series of engaging sessions, including an informative fireside chat with His Excellency Bader Alkadi, Vice Minister of Sport of Saudi Arabia. Topics spanned from the impact of private equity in sports investing to the evolving dynamics of football, focusing on Saudi Arabia and the wider region, as well as the rise of the esports sector.

The agenda for the day, included:

• Opening Remarks: HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal, President, Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation and Chairman, Saudi Motorsport Company (Soundbites)
• Panel Session 1: Formula 1 in Focus (Soundbites)
  • Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing
  • Susie Wolff, Managing Director, Formula One Academy
• Fireside Chat: Excellency Bader Alkadi, Vice Minister of Sport of Saudi Arabia (Soundbites)
• Fireside Chat: Amanda Staveley, CEO, PCP Capital Partners; Co-owner, Newcastle United F.C. (Soundbites)
• Panel Session 2: Gamechangers in Esports
  • Craig Levine, Co-CEO, ESL FACEIT Group (EFG)
  • Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation
• Fireside Chat: Vikram Solanki, Director of Cricket, Gujarat Titans
• Panel Session 3: From Passion to Profit: Sports & Private Equity
  • David O’Connor, Managing Partner, Arctos Partners
  • Danny Townsend, CEO, SRJ Sports
• Panel Session 4: The Future of Football
  • Carlo Nohra, Chief Operating Officer, Saudi Pro League
  • Emeric Hudault, Chief Financial Officer, Fosun Sports Group
• Fireside Chat: Édouard Mendy, Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper 2021, and Goalkeeper, Al Ahli Saudi Football Club
• Closing Remarks: Jomana R. Alrashid, CEO of SRMG