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Riyadh: where the region's next leaders come together
Riyadh: where the region's next leaders come together
A transformation is underway in the Middle East, and it needs people equipped to lead it. The IE Center for Leadership & Innovation, in Riyadh's Creative District, is where IE University brings its approach to executive education into the region: a working space where executives, entrepreneurs and creative professionals sharpen their leadership, build their networks and shape what the regional economy becomes next.
The Center opened in January 2026 in strategic partnership with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 ambition to make Riyadh a global destination for culture and creativity. It complements, rather than replaces, a degree campus: programs here are executive and applied, designed for professionals already in motion.
What you’ll find at the IE Center for Leadership & Innovation in the Middle East
The IE Center for Leadership & Innovation in the Middle East is a regional center, not a degree-granting campus. The distinction matters, both for the people it serves and the work it does:
- 01.
executive education, professional development and applied innovation
It is dedicated to executive education, professional development and applied innovation, not bachelor's or master's degree programs.
- 02.
working professionals
It serves working professionals, executives, entrepreneurs and creative leaders, rather than full-time enrolled students.
- 03.
It is a collaborative space:
A place to learn, network, exchange ideas and develop ventures alongside IE University faculty, regional partners and global thought leaders.
- 04.
It connects participants into a global network
Through the Center, the faculty, methodology and alumni community of IE University open up to the talent and ambition of the Gulf region, with Madrid, Segovia, and New York within reach.
Why Riyadh
Saudi Arabia's move to a diversified, knowledge-based economy is creating opportunity faster than almost any market in the world: new industries, new institutions, new mandates. If one of those mandates is yours, the Center puts three advantages within reach:
You learn inside the industries being built
The Center sits within the Creative District's first phase at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), home to its Design & Media Lab and its work on the metaverse with IE University's Impact Xcelerator. The companies you'll study aren't case material elsewhere; they're across the street.
You're connected to the transformation itself
The Center operates by agreement with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, the entity charged with transforming the city. That puts your development inside the Kingdom's own investment in talent, with the access and relevance that comes from it.
Your network extends across the Gulf
Riyadh is the gateway to the wider region, and so are the people you'll meet here: executives, corporate clients and partner institutions from across the GCC and the broader Middle East, in one room.
Leadership
The Center is led by William Dávila Valeri, CEO of the IE Center for Leadership & Innovation in the Middle East, alongside Santiago Íñiguez de Onzoño, Executive President of IE University, who serves as Executive President of the Center.
Together, they bring a global vision and deep academic leadership to advancing innovation, education, and executive development in the region.
"We are deeply committed to the power of education to promote freedom, equality, fairness, prosperity and social progress. The Center will generate research and offer a dynamic learning environment, mentorship opportunities and corporate support for business leaders to accelerate their professional careers and succeed in a globalized world."
— Santiago Íñiguez de Onzoño, Executive President, IE University
Our Partners in Saudi Arabia and the Region
The Center was founded in strategic partnership with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC). Around that foundation, it works with the institutions and corporations shaping the region's economy, with partnerships built on a shared belief that leadership development is how positive change scales.
Founding Partner
Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC)
The Center was founded in strategic partnership with RCRC, its sole founding partner. Beyond that founding partnership, it works with the following institutions and corporations shaping the region's economy:
Government & Public Institutions
Public Investment Fund · Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia · Ministry of Finance · Tourism Development Fund · Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) · UAE Prime Minister's Office
Corporate Partners
Saudi Aramco · STC · Zain · Almarai · Mubadala · Alturki · Roche
- Education & Knowledge Partners
KFAS · Altamayyuz Finance and Accounting Excellence Academy
Visit the Center
Visit the Center
The IE Center for Leadership & Innovation in the Middle East is located at KAFD 04.08, 10th Floor, Riyadh 13519, Saudi Arabia, within the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD).