Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad was recently appointed by royal decree to head the Saudi Human Rights Commission with the rank of minister. The Saudi Human Rights Commission (HRC) will undergo modernization and be granted more powers, a government source within the commission has told Arab News. “The aim is to empower HRC so that the human rights file and practices are in line with all the progress and reform in the Kingdom under Vision 2030, and also in line with best possible practices,” the source said. Al-Awwad also served as an adviser to the Royal Court with ministerial rank and had been the Saudi minister of culture and information since 2017.  Before that, Al-Awwad was the Saudi ambassador to Germany between 2015 and 2017. He also served as an adviser on economic and financial affairs at the Office of the Crown Prince in 2013. In addition, he was an adviser at the office of Riyadh Governor in 2010. In 2004, Al-Awwad was the deputy governor of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) and the head of the National Competitiveness Center (NCC) at the authority. Al-Awwad’s first job at a government institution was at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), where he headed financial studies and banking supervision at the banking institute. He also led the Saudi team tasked with addressing commercial disputes at the World Trade Organization. He was the deputy chief of the joint Swiss-Saudi commission and of the joint Russian-Saudi commission. Dr. Al-Awwad holds a Bachelor of Law degree from King Saud University in Riyadh and a master’s in banking law from Boston University Law School in Boston, the US. He gained his Ph.D. in financial market law from the University of Warwick in the UK.  He published a series of academic articles concerning investment and the economy and sat on the advisory board of the Saudi Economic Journal. He completed the Harvard University program for executives, in addition to many other internationally accredited programs.