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

AI leadership & governance masterclass

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

A full-day masterclass for executives leading AI adoption, governance and digital transformation.

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 Kingdom’s giga-projects have placed Saudi Arabia at the centre of global AI adoption. The challenge now is governance: how to deploy AI with clear accountability, ethical guardrails and regulatory confidence, without slowing innovation.  

This is the conversation University of Wollongong Australia is bringing to Riyadh - one day focused on the capability gap that matters most, bringing together academic expertise, Saudi leadership and senior decision-makers shaping responsible AI at scale.

Meet the leaders shaping the conversation

A deliberately focused group: UOW academics bringing global and regional academic expertise, joined by a senior Saudi voice connecting the discussion to the Kingdom’s AI priorities.

Prof. May El Barachi - UOW Dubai Dean of Computer Science and Professor

With a strong track record in academic leadership, applied AI, digital transformation, and industry partnerships. Prof. May led major growth in student enrolment, developed market-relevant programs, secured significant research funding, and advanced technology-driven education across the GCC.

Dr. Milan Dordevic - UOW Dubai Associate Professor (AI & Machine Learning)

An Associate Professor at UOW Dubai specializing in artificial intelligence, evolutionary computation, and combinatorial optimisation. His teaching and research focus on practical AI applications, student-centred learning, and interdisciplinary projects spanning healthcare, child safety, misinformation detection, and AI-enabled education.

Dr. Patrick Mukala - UOW Dubai Assistant Professor (Data Science & Analytics)

An Assistant Professor of Data Science and Analytics at UOW Dubai with expertise in applied analytics, data engineering, and software engineering. His research spans learning analytics, process-centric analytics, healthcare analytics, governance analytics, semantic web, and formal methods, supported by academic and industry experience.

Saudi Thought Leader - TBA - (AI Governance & Responsible Adoption)

A senior Saudi voice will join the masterclass to ground the discussion in the Kingdom’s AI priorities, regulatory direction and enterprise reality. This perspective will connect the global academic framing with the decisions leaders are now making across Saudi Arabia’s public and private sectors.

The shape of the day

Built for learning, exchange and the conversations that happen in-between.

Opening

Setting the tone for the day, framing the strategic importance of AI governance, the pace of adoption in the Kingdom, and the leadership questions now moving to the top of the agenda. 

Expert-led Masterclass 

A focused session bringing together UOW academic expertise and Saudi thought leadership to address how AI can be governed, deployed and scaled responsibly in the Kingdom’s next phase of growth.

Lunch

A hosted lunch providing time to pause, reflect and carry the morning's ideas into the afternoon Strategy Lab.

Strategy Lab

A guided working session to help leaders move from ideas to application - translating AI governance thinking into decisions, priorities and frameworks they can take back into their organisations.

Executive reception

A curated reception to continue the conversation with peers, faculty and invited leaders - creating space for the connections and exchanges.

Close

The day formally concludes.

What you leave with


A practical AI governance framework

Models and tools to help you govern AI responsibly - from ethics and accountability to deployment, risk and scale - grounded in UOW’s postgraduate expertise and real enterprise application, with a post-event resource to help translate the discussion into action.

Clearer direction for the Saudi context 

A sharper view of how Vision 2030, SDAIA priorities and emerging regulatory expectations are shaping AI decisions for organisations operating in the Kingdom.

A network built around shared priorities 

Access to a focused room of leaders across government, financial services and technology - creating the kind of peer exchange that continues beyond the day itself.

Why is UOW bringing the conversation

A globally ranked Australian university with deep capability in the disciplines shaping Saudi Arabia’s next economy - from AI, computer science and engineering to business, governance and leadership.

Award ribbon star icon Top 1% of universities worldwide
social-work.png 1st in Australia for undergraduate student experience
Globe icon Campuses across Australia, Dubai, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India
social-sciences.png 45,000+ students globally
5 Star icon 5-star rated for teaching, graduate outcomes and employability

Graduates leading the region

"Studying at UOW taught me to make the complex simple."

Read full story

Helena Dorczak - Chief of Staff, SURJ Sports Investment (PIF).

"The coursework pushed me into design, thinking and leadership."

Find out more

Sherif A Mohammad - Senior Cybersecurity Consultant, British Telecom Int. Group.

"UOW taught me how to think - not just what to learn."

Dive deeper

Mustafa A Ibrahim - Senior AI Engineer, Dept. Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi.

AI leadership insights

Explore selected articles from UOW faculty on the technologies, governance questions and real-world applications shaping the future of AI.

What Demis Hassabis says about the future of intelligence

Prof May El Barachi - 6 min

Computer Vision: Advancements, Applications, and Future Trends

Prof May El Barachi - 10 min

Unlocking the Potential of AI in Healthcare

Prof May El Barachi - 5 min

Reserve your seat

There is no fee. UOW is hosting the conversation. Every registration is reviewed to keep the room at a consistent senior level.

FAQ

The UOW Leadership Series is part of the University of Wollongong Australia’s commitment to supporting senior leadership conversations in Saudi Arabia. Places are reviewed to ensure the room remains focused, relevant and senior.

No. This is a thought-leadership forum led by University of Wollongong Australia academics and Saudi industry voices. No programs will be promoted during the day. Participants who wish to learn more about University of Wollongong Australia’s postgraduate offering can request a separate conversation afterwards.

This event is designed for senior leaders shaping AI adoption, governance and digital transformation across government, financial services, technology and related sectors. This includes C-suite leaders, CIOs, CTOs, heads of digital and strategy, and senior policy or transformation leaders.

The full masterclass program, all materials, catering throughout the day and access to the late-afternoon Executive Reception.

Invitations are issued by name. If you would like to nominate a colleague instead, simply contact us at least three days before the event and we’ll review the request with the same approval process as all registrations.

The masterclass will be held at a leading Riyadh hotel venue. Confirmed participants will receive the full address and arrival details before the event. Dress code is business formal.

Your registration data will be used to administer the event and, with your consent, to keep you informed about the University of Wollongong Australia, in Saudi. Your data will not be shared with third parties.

The leaders shaping what comes next are in the room.

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