Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced Wednesday its knowledge partners, who will run cross-industry workshops during the 2018 Future Investment Initiative (FII). The interactive workshops will focus on trending topics that offer participants a deep dive into the subject area. They also offer insights into how the trends can be leveraged to create investment opportunities. The three-day Initiative, which is scheduled to take place in Riyadh on October 23, will explore how investment can be used to drive growth opportunities, fuel innovation and shape future economies. The unveiled Knowledge Partners for FII 2018 are Deloitte, EY, McKinsey & Company, Oliver Wyman, PwC / Strategy& and The Boston Consulting Group. Each company will bring together senior leaders from business, government and civil society for an in-depth discussion and learning session. The topics to be discussed in these workshops include cities, connection, culture, energy, ethics, explorations, intelligence, life, media, money, games and talent, according to PIF. “The Public Investment Fund, through innovative platforms such as the FII and its programs of strategic investment, is establishing itself as one of the most impactful and thoughtful organizations of its kind,” said David Sproul, Senior Partner and Chief Executive of Deloitte North West Europe. “Deloitte shares this ambition and commitment and is delighted to be selected as a Knowledge Partner for the FII 2018,” Sproul stressed. “The platform provides a unique opportunity to share insight and experiences on some of the subjects that will shape our lives for years to come. We are pleased to be an active contributor in this stimulating and inspiring dialogue.” EY’s MENA Chairman and CEO Abdulaziz al-Sowailim, for his part, said that the PIF, through its FII, has built an incredibly powerful platform for global intellectuals to discuss trends that can affect the future positively. “Based on the immense success achieved by the Future Investment Initiative last year, EY is very proud to take part in this year’s discourse as a Knowledge Partner,” Sowailim said. He also hoped that his company’s workshops on smart cities and the future of entertainment would drive the conversation around global investments in these key areas of growth. Tarek Elmasry, Managing Director of McKinsey & Company Middle East, said: "FII convenes visionary global leaders to discuss their insights and outline future investment opportunities and developments.” “McKinsey is looking forward to sharing our perspectives from working with leading public, private and social sector institutions and our own research on emerging macroeconomic and investment trends during FII this year,” Elmasry commented.