FII appoints Princess Maha as CEO ahead of Rome event

Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative (FII) has appointed Princess Maha Al Saud as the new CEO ahead of its 2026 Europe event in Italy next week.

Princess Maha, a doctor and member of the International Council of the American College of Physicians, will be only the second CEO of the FII, which was founded in 2017.

Her appointment comes nearly a year after Penny Richards left the position after just a few months in the job.

Founding CEO Richard Attias, who has been acting CEO since Richards’s departure, remains chairman of the executive committee.

A member of the ruling Al Saud family, Princess Maha has long been connected to FII, which holds its flagship investment conference in Riyadh each year, in addition to other events in North America, Europe and Asia.

In her previous role, she served as vice president of external relations and advancement at Alfaisal University, a private university in Riyadh.

Princess Maha has represented Saudi Arabia at high profile international forums, including the G20.

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FII Priority Europe opens in Rome on June 17 and runs for three days.

The FII conference has become a mainstay of Saudi Arabia’s development programme in recent years as the country has looked to attract foreign direct investment.

Last year the company behind FII, Richard Attias & Associates (RA&A), said it was hoping to pursue an initial public offering as early as 2026.