Her Royal Highness Princess Dr. Maha bint Mishari bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute, the Riyadh-based global nonprofit that serves as Saudi Arabia's primary platform for convening world leaders and investors. The appointment was announced June 10, 2026, effective immediately. Princess Maha succeeds Richard Attias, who established the FII Institute and now transitions to Chairman of the Executive Committee, a newly created position. The change marks a significant structural shift for the organization as it expands its international presence and deepens its role in shaping global investment and innovation discourse.
The Board of Trustees, chaired by Yasir Al-Rumayyan (Governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund), cited Princess Maha's track record in healthcare, higher education, and international engagement as foundational to the appointment. Al-Rumayyan stated she brings "a rare combination of leadership, vision, and global perspective that will be instrumental in advancing the FII Institute's mission." Attias, who led the organization's expansion from a single annual conference launched in 2017 into a year-round global platform with multiple regional summits, will remain deeply involved as Chairman of the Executive Committee. No external search firm was disclosed as involved in the recruitment process. Princess Maha made her inaugural appearance as CEO on June 19, 2026, delivering opening remarks on the second day of the FII PRIORITY Europe Summit in Rome.
Princess Maha brings more than 25 years of professional experience spanning multiple sectors. She holds an MBBS degree from King Saud University's College of Medicine (1986), completed her residency in internal medicine at George Washington University Hospital (1993), and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Since 1995, she has served as a consultant in internal medicine and senior clinical scientist at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre. From 2014 to June 2026, she served as Vice President of External Relations and Advancement at Alfaisal University in Riyadh, where she spearheaded the enrollment of women in 2011 and led the institutional transformation that positioned Alfaisal as one of Saudi Arabia's leading private universities. She was governor of the American College of Physicians' Saudi Arabia chapter from 2015 to 2019 and holds membership on the global international council of that organization. As a member of the Saudi royal family, she is a granddaughter of King Abdulaziz, founder of the modern Saudi state.
The FII Institute, established by royal decree in 2019, functions as the intellectual and convening arm of the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. The organization operates as a global nonprofit with an investment arm, hosting flagship annual conferences in Riyadh as well as regional FII PRIORITY summits in cities such as Miami and Rome. The Institute describes itself as a "do tank" rather than merely a think tank, aiming to drive real-world impact by convening investors, policymakers, and innovators around solutions to global challenges spanning healthcare, education, technology, climate, and economic transformation. The FII9 conference held in Riyadh in October 2025 drew over 600 speakers and 20 heads of state.
The appointment signals an evolution in the FII Institute's governance structure and potentially its strategic priorities. The transition from Attias, whose background centers on communications strategy, event production, and public-private partnerships, to Princess Maha, whose expertise spans medical practice, academic administration, and institutional advancement, suggests a possible shift toward deeper substantive engagement with policy and research dimensions of the Institute's mission. By elevating Princess Maha to the chief executive role while retaining Attias in an executive governance position, the Board appears to be consolidating operational and strategic leadership while preserving the institutional continuity that Attias established. The timing also positions Princess Maha to shape the Institute's agenda as it expands its regional summits and investment activities across multiple markets, potentially leveraging her dual credentials in both healthcare and international institutional development to advance FII's stated ambition to address humanity's most pressing challenges through capital and collaboration.
