Riyadh Region Municipality and KAFD to share strategies for ESG and urban growth at Big 5 Global leadership summits

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, November 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Urbanization and construction across the MEASA region continue to accelerate, with more than $9 trillion in active projects and a growing emphasis on sustainability, smart cities and resilient infrastructure (Source: Ventures Onsite). Reflecting this momentum, Big 5 Global returns for its 46th edition to bring together government leaders, industry experts, policymakers and innovators through four leadership summits, including Big 5 Global Leaders’ Summit, LiveableCitiesX Summit, Big 5 FutureTech Summit and GeoWorld Summit.

Running from 24–27 November 2025 at Dubai World Trade Centre, the summits will convene over 1,200 delegates and over 100 speakers, including government officials, developers and global experts, to share insights on leadership, urban transformation, artificial intelligence and the future of data-driven development across the MEASA region.

At the heart of this dialogue is Big 5 Global Leaders’ Summit, held under the theme Leading change. Building legacies. The summit convenes ministers, CEOs, financiers and construction leaders to discuss how to drive resilience, ROI and growth amid global uncertainty. The event will be headlined by regional leaders, including Engr Alwaleed bin Abdulrahman Al Akrash, Deputy Mayor of Projects, Riyadh Region Municipality; Fahad Aljabr, Vice President - Project Delivery, King Abdullah Financial District; and Amin AlJaber, Chief Information Officer, Nesma & Partners, alongside senior executives and policymakers shaping Saudi Arabia’s construction and infrastructure sectors. Sessions will explore boardroom-level strategies for value creation, public-private partnerships and governance frameworks that secure sustainable growth for the built environment.

As one of the fastest-growing urban economies in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia continues to set a benchmark for large-scale transformation through ambitious development frameworks and a clear focus on liveability, infrastructure and sustainability. At the centre of this growth story is Riyadh, where ongoing urban expansion and investment are redefining what a modern, connected capital can achieve.

“In less than a century, Riyadh has grown from a small town into a dynamic global capital, open, connected and forward-looking, leading the way in sustainability, infrastructure and innovation at a scale few cities in history have ever achieved,” said Engr Alwaleed bin Abdulrahman Al Akrash, Deputy Mayor of Projects, Riyadh Region Municipality.

The discussion on leadership and legacy extends to city-level planning through the LiveableCitiesX Summit, themed Global cities. Shared futures. The sessions bring together planners, investors and sustainability experts to exchange models for policy, funding and innovation that shape future-ready, human-centric cities. His Excellency Dr Saif Al Nasri, Acting Undersecretary, Department of Municipalities & Transportation, will headline an executive dialogue moderated by Vladislav Boutenko, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG’s Global Center for Future Cities on Abu Dhabi’s liveability vision. Some of the other prominent speakers include Nada Taryam, CEO, BEEAH; Mansour Abdulnour Al Rais, Director of the Executive Planning Department, Dubai Municipality; and Engr Nasser bin Salem Al Wadai, General Manager for Projects / GM for King Abdullah International Gardens Project, Riyadh Region Municipality.

Over 40 international voices from Australia, China, Italy, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, The Netherlands and the US, including Dag Detter, Investment Advisor at Detter & Co; Yves Padrines, CEO of Nemetschek Group; Dr Valerio Soldani, Trade Commissioner at the Italian Trade Commission Office of the Italian Embassy; and His Excellency, Gerard Steeghs, Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands, will enrich the discussion with insights from global city transformation projects. “Unlocking investment in the region’s urban economies starts with how we manage public assets,” said Detter. “By bringing private-sector efficiency and transparency into public wealth management, cities across the region can generate long-term value, attract sustainable investment and accelerate their journey toward resilient, liveable urban futures.”

As urban visions increasingly rely on digital transformation, Big 5 FutureTech Summit, themed Shaping tomorrow. Driving disruption, will move beyond AI narratives to spotlight technologies delivering measurable impact across construction and urban development. The programme will explore how data-driven tools and digital ecosystems are advancing efficiency, cost management and project delivery. Mohammed Shehata, Senior Vice President – Asset Management, Expo City Dubai, will outline how digital integration is reshaping asset management and operations. Eng Marwan AlJanaahi, Senior Structural Engineer – Building Permits Department, Dubai Municipality, will share strategic insights on how technology is shaping regulatory processes and enabling smarter, more resilient buildings. Industry leaders such as Marc Nezet, Group Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Division Officer O&M, Nemetschek SE; Luke Wu, Managing Director,The GEAR by Kajima; and Mohammed Shehata, Senior Vice President Asset Management, Dubai Expo City, will join a session on The ConTech Investment Playbook, examining the convergence of capital and innovation in construction technology.

Rounding out the leadership series, GeoWorld Summit, themed Advancing geo-intelligence. Empowering tomorrow., bridges policy and technology to demonstrate how spatial data can accelerate infrastructure planning, improve mobility systems and strengthen national resilience. Key speakers include Dr Ghazi Hussain Ali AlQahtani, Director of Consulting, Research and Decision Support Department at GEOSA; Engr Eid bin Saad Alotaibi, Head of the Spatial Data Unit at Riyadh Region Municipality, who will join a panel discussion on Unlocking the power of geospatial data: A governance framework for the next decade; and Prof Mansour Almazroui, King Abdulaziz University, delivering a plenary on GeoGreen futures: Geospatial innovation for a sustainable planet. Together, they will explore how geospatial intelligence is shaping infrastructure governance and national resilience across Saudi Arabia.

Speaking about the leadership summits, Josine Heijmans, Senior Vice President, dmg events said: “Together, the four summits form the foundation of Big 5 Global’s thought leadership programme, aligning global collaboration with actionable strategies for economic resilience, sustainable development, digital growth and supply chain excellence.”

Big 5 Global is supported by key sponsors and partners, including Main Supporting Partner, Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure; Supporting Partners, Dubai Civil Defense, Ministry of Economy & Tourism, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Land Department, Department of Municipalities and Transport, Ras Al Khaimah Municipality and Riyadh Region Municipality; Big 5 Global Leaders’ Summit Government Growth Partner, Italian Trade Agency; Big 5 Global Leaders’ Summit Net-Zero Steel Sponsor, Arabian Gulf Steel Industries (AGSI); Big 5 Global Leaders’ Summit MEP Sector Sponsor, GF; Big 5 Global Leaders’ Summit Gold Sponsor, The Würth Professional Solutions; Big 5 Global Leaders’ Summit Bronze Sponsors, Cortag, DSS+, Hill International, The Nemetschek Group and Premier Construction Software; LiveableCitiesX Summit GIS Strategic Partner, Meter Technology; LiveableCitiesX Summit Knowledge Partners, BCG and Bain & Company; LiveableCitiesX Summit Net-zero Enablement Partner, Climate Neutral Real Estate; LiveableCitiesX Summit Bronze Sponsors, Acciona Living & Culture, DAC Group, DLR Group, KEO, Lead Development and R.evolution; Big 5 FutureTech Summit Bronze Sponsors, The Nemetschek Group, Premier Construction Software, Procore and Closeoutsoft.

Big 5 Global 2025 takes place from 24–27 November at Dubai World Trade Centre.

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About Big 5 Global

With a 45-year legacy, Big 5 Global is the largest and most influential building and construction event in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and the annual meeting hub for the global construction industry. Taking place from 24 – 27 November 2025, at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Big 5 Global attracts more than 85,000 global attendees from over 165 countries and 2,800 exhibitors to UAE covering the full construction and urban development cycle across dedicated sectors and nine specialized events enabling industry professionals to source worldwide building solutions for every stage of construction: Heavy, Totally Concrete, Marble & Stone World, Urban Design & Landscape, Windows, Doors & Facades, HVACR World, LiveableCitiesX, GeoWorld and Future FM.
For more information and to register, visit: www.big5global.com

Deepra Ahluwalia
Action Global Communications
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