Saudi Arabia will host a major technology event, bringing together the global technology community under one roof to tackle the biggest socio-cultural challenges of the world. Taking place February 1-3, 2022 in Riyadh, LEAP is set to become a truly global platform for the entire innovation ecosystem, connecting pioneers and disruptors with business and government leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and more to experience and learn about the technologies of the future. The event will welcome speakers from all around the world, including Eugene Kaspersky, CEO and co-founder, Kaspersky; Raghu Raghuram, CEO, VMware; Maelle Gavet, CEO, Techstars; Youngcho Chi, President and Chief Innovation Officer, Hyundai Motor Group; Peggy Johnson, CEO, Magic Leap; Nnenna Nwakanma, Chief Web Advocate, World Wide Web Foundation and Siim Sikkut, Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO), Estonia. They will be joined by experts from the region, including Eng. Olayan M. Alwetaid, Group CEO, STC; Eng. Salman Al Badran, CEO, Mobily; Ghinwa Baradhi, CIO MENAT region for HSBC and Sky Kurtz, founder and CEO at Pure Harvest. LEAP will also feature inspirational stories from people like Steven Bartlett, renowned entrepreneur, and BBC’s youngest ever Dragon, as well as football legends Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo. As global technology giants gear up to participate in one of the region’s most anticipated events, over 700 emerging technology start-ups prepare to showcase their solutions to the world. Organised and produced by Informa Markets, LEAP is sponsored by leading local and international companies including, Microsoft, CISCO, KPMG, SoftwareAG, Nutanix, STC, Zain, Mobily and Ericsson, who will act together as strategic partners to bring this event to life. Commenting on the event, Eng. Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said: “Technology and innovation have enormous potential to transform economies and societies. We live in a time where you either leap or be left behind. We are proud to host LEAP to help the region lead and leapfrog with technology and innovation”. For his part, Mike Champion, Regional Executive Vice President of Informa Markets, the largest events company in the world, said that “Informa are delighted to have launched LEAP in Saudi Arabia. It is clear to us that with the enormous technology projects happening in the country, there is no hub in the world better placed to host such an amazing event. In its first year, LEAP will be the largest debut technology event in history, and there can be no better evidence than that to prove Saudi Arabia is a future global technology hub.” — SPA