Switch language / تبديل اللغة

Riyadh / 29 September 2026 / Full-day / In-person

UOW Leadership Series

AI leadership will define the next decade of Saudi business. This is where you need to be.

A full-day masterclass for the senior leaders shaping how Saudi Arabia deploys AI at scale. Hosted by the University of Wollongong Australia. 

Riyadh  ·  29 September 2026  ·  Full-day, in person
 

Why this conversation · Why now

Saudi Arabia has decided to lead on AI. The harder question is how to govern it. 

Vision 2030, SDAIA's national AI strategy, and the investment flowing into the Kingdom's giga-projects have positioned Saudi Arabia as one of the most consequential AI adopters in the world. 
But adoption is the easy part. The harder question - the one now reaching every boardroom, ministry, and executive committee - is how to govern AI responsibly at scale. How to deploy it with clarity on ethics, accountability, and compliance. How to build the frameworks that let innovation move fast without moving unsafely. 
This is the conversation UOW is bringing to Riyadh. A single day, built around the capability gap that matters most right now. Faculty who research and teach this subject at postgraduate level. Saudi leaders who are living it. Leaders and senior decision-makers in one room, learning from each other as much as from the program.

Who's shaping the conversation

A deliberately tight faculty: UOW academics leading the thinking, and Saudi industry voices grounding it in local reality.

Dr Milan Dordevic  ·  University of Wollongong in Dubai  ·  Research lead on modern AI, transformer models, and agentic systems 
Dr Patrick Mukala  ·  University of Wollongong in Dubai  ·  Specialist in big data, AI governance, and compliance architecture 
[Saudi thought leader - TBC]  ·  [Title · Organisation]  ·  [One-line credibility bite]
[Saudi thought leader - TBC]  ·  [Title · Organisation]  ·  [One-line credibility bite]

 

And the room around them 

This masterclass is built for the senior leaders already shaping how AI moves through Saudi Arabia. Drawn from government, financial services, technology, and strategic consulting. C-suite. CIOs and CTOs. Heads of digital and strategy. Policy leaders. A deliberately small room. The calibre of the conversation depends on it.

The shape of the day

A deliberately tight faculty: UOW academics leading the thinking, and Saudi industry voices grounding it in local reality.

09:00 09:30 12:00 14:00 15:00 16:00
Open - Setting the room Masterclass - Two and a half hours with UOW faculty and Saudi industry voices Lunch Panel - The room joins the conversation Reflect - The day, synthesised  Connect - The hour where the day continues 

A leading Riyadh hotel venue. Full-day, in person, business formal. Confirmed participants receive full details after registration.

What you leave with

A goverance framework you can apply Clarity on what matters in Saudi Arabia Relationships that open doors
Practical models for responsible AI deployment, drawn from UOW's postgraduate AI programme and tested against real enterprise cases A sharpened view of how Vision 2030, SDAIA priorities, and regulatory direction will shape AI decisions in your organisation over the next five years.  A room of senior peers from government, financial services, and technology. The conversations continue well after the day ends. 



Why UOW is bringing this conversation

A globally ranked Australian University with 50 years of standing in research, teaching and the disciplines that matter most to Saudi Arabia's next economy.

Top 1% of universities worldwide 
Six decades of academic standing since 1961
Campuses across Australia, Dubai, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India 
45,000+ students globally 
5-star rated for teaching, graduate outcomes and employability 

 

Founded 1951
Built on decades of academic excellence, with a legacy of impact that continues to shape industries and careers globally - consistently ranked in the top 1% globally. 

Research that brings value 
UOW research consistently ranks at world-standard or above across the disciplines central to Saudi Arabia's future economy: artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, engineering, finance and digital transformation. 

Accredited by .... Ranked by ....

Graduates already leading the region 

"When I graduated in 2012, 'AI Engineer' wasn't a job title. UOW taught me how I think - not just what to learn." - Mustafa Abdullah Ibrahim / Senior AI Engineer, Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi / Leading AI transformation across 5+ government entities / UOW Dubai, BBA, 2012.

"The coursework pushed me beyond tech - into design thinking, finance, and leadership. I applied it all at work, immediately." - Sherif A. Mohammad / Senior Cybersecurity Consultant, British Telecom International Group / UOW Australia, MBA, 2024

"Studying at UOW taught me to make the complex simple - from policy to play." - Helena Dorczak / Chief of Staff, SURJ Sports Investment (PIF) / UOW Australia, BA International Studies, 2017.

A true global university 
UOW operates across Australia, Dubai, Malaysia, Hong Kong and India. More than 45,000 students. One of the most intentionally distributed research networks in higher education.

Taught by the people doing the work 
Masterclass speakers are drawn from the same faculty teaching UOW's postgraduate programs, including the Master of Applied AI - the course from which this session's content is directly developed. 

FAQ

This Leadership Series is part of UOW's commitment to the leadership conversation in Saudi Arabia. Every places is reviewed to keep the calibre of the room consistent.

No. This is a thought-leadership forum led by UOW faculty and Saudi industry voices. No programs are promoted on the day. If you'd like to learn more about UOW's postgraduate offering afterwards, we're happy to speak separately. 

Senior leaders from government, financial services, technology, and related sectors. C-suite, CIOs and CTOs, heads of digital and strategy, senior policy advisors.

The full program, all materials, catering throughout, and a structured networking session in the late afternoon.

Transfers are possible up to seven days before the event, subject to the replacement meeting the senior - leader profile. 

At a leading Riyadh hotel venue. Confirmed participants receive the full address in the week before the event. Business formal. 

Your registration data is used solely to administer this event and, with your consent, to keep you informed about the UOW Leadership Series. We do not share your data with third parties. Full details in our Privacy Notice.