WASHINGTON, DC — Mohanud Helal, Secretary General of the Economic Cities Authority (ECA),

addressing the US-Saudi Arabian Business Council (US-SABC) in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 17, has invited invitng the US-SABC and its members to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and see opportunities for themselves, highlighting the special economic zones, that will help Saudi Arabia attract more companies to invest in.

Outlining a new Saudi Arabia set to welcome foreign investment, Helal listed the various international cooperation agreements that it is forging in order to motivate an exchange of expertise and transfer of industries. He also explained the Kingdom’s growing dedication to establishing public-private partnerships as economic policy.

Helal focused on introducing ECA and the economic cities to this gathering of US-SABC leadership and members, which included various top executives from American firms, saying: “This is a very exciting opportunity to present ECA and the progress that we have made in pursuing the economic cities agenda. It is important that we convey to our colleagues at the US-SABC the opportunities that the economic cities present to leaders in the United States.”

The meeting focused on leveraging and capitalizing on the strong economic ties between the American and Saudi business communities.

The meeting’s agenda commenced with welcome remarks by Hallab, followed with speeches by Burton, Helal, who gave a brief about ECA, the business model and the investment opportunities in the economic cities, and a video presentation about King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), and Mike Wysong, Chief Financial Officer, Building Technologies & Solutions and Global Products at Johnson Controls. Wysong spoke about his company’s positive experience with ECA and KAEC and the benefits of moving into KAEC early on. He also encouraged American companies to establish their businesses in KAEC.

The meeting concluded with a Q&A session moderated by Hallab.

The event was hosted and organized by Edward Burton, President and CEO of the US-SABC, and the executive team, and sponsored by the renowned international law firm Mayer Brown, represented by Charles Hallab, Corporate and Securities Partner at Mayer Brown and Board Member of the US-SABC. Hallab was the main custodian and the moderator of the event. — SG