Muhannad bin Abdul Mohsin Hilal has been the secretary-general of Saudi Arabia’s Economic Cities Authority (ECA) since 2010. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in management information systems from George Washington University in the US. Hilal began his career at the Saudi Embassy in Washington as a global information analyst, going on to join the Fakieh Group as a business development manager and member of its natural resources committee. In 2000, he became part of Unilever Arabia’s customer marketing team responsible for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and was later promoted to general manager of operations and customer marketing. He then moved on to work for governmental entities, and in 2008 joined the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority as its vice president for operations, where he helped to establish smart service centers in economic cities. The ECA and Virgin Hyperloop One (VHO) are to investigate the possibility of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) hosting a center with an extensive hyperloop testing track, a research and development complex, and a hyperloop manufacturing facility. An ECA delegation headed by Hilal visited VHO’s innovation complex in Los Angeles where the agreement was announced. “ECA is constantly seeking strategic partnerships and initiatives to allow our economic cities to contribute to the achievement of the ambitious objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” said Hilal.