Mohammed bin Abdullah ElKuwaiz

Mohammed bin Abdullah ElKuwaiz is a Saudi financial expert specializing in devising and managing investment policies, with expertise in financial services, strategic planning, and business development. He holds a master's degree in business administration from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business, specializing in finance and entrepreneurship, and a bachelor's degree in administrative sciences with honors from King Saud University. He completed his bachelor's studies at King Saud University in 1998 and obtained his MBA in 2003.

ElKuwaiz was appointed board chairman of the Saudi Capital Market Authority (CMA) in July 2017, having been vice chairman since August 2016. During his nearly nine-year tenure, Saudi Arabia's capital market underwent significant developments in regulation, size, breadth and inclusiveness, as well as greater openness to foreign investment. The market became deeper as the CMA facilitated and encouraged companies to list on both the Main Market and Nomu-Parallel Market, with 2018 witnessing the first listing of debt instruments issued by the Saudi government. Saudi Arabia achieved inclusion in global market indices, with MSCI, FTSE Russell and S&P Dow Jones approving the classification of the Saudi market as an emerging market in 2018, with inclusion in respective indices beginning in 2019.

Career history

• Co-founder and CEO of Derayah Financial Company
• Management consultant with McKinsey & Company
• Investment banking and corporate finance roles with Samba Financial Group
• Treasury roles at Arab National Bank
• Vice Chairman, Capital Market Authority (August 2016 – July 2017)
• Chairman, Capital Market Authority (July 2017 – August 2026)

ElKuwaiz served as board member of the Public Pension Agency, Al Yamamah Company for Reinforcing Steel Bars, and Al Bilad Bank, and held membership in the Securities and Investments Committee of Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Investment Committee of King Faisal Foundation, and the Investment Committee of Sulaiman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Rajhi Holding Company.

ElKuwaiz's tenure as CMA Chairman demonstrated expertise in financial market infrastructure, capital market regulation, and investor protection framework development. His background spanning strategic management consulting, financial services, and investment banking positions him to contribute deep understanding of both institutional market development and private-sector dynamics to future roles in financial services, economic development, or board governance in regulated industries.