FII names Princess Maha bint Mishari as CEO, alongside Attias

Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative Institute appointed Princess Dr. Maha bint Mishari as its CEO, putting her in charge of the kingdom’s annual business conference that’s become a magnet for bankers and corporate executives from around the world.

Princess Maha, a physician and Vice President of External Relations and Advancement at Riyadh’s Alfaisal University, will replace Richard Attias, the Moroccan-born impresario who founded the FII conference in 2019 and will continue as Chairman of the FII Institute.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund and current Chairman of the FII Institute, said in a statement that he expects Princess Maha to strengthen the organization’s role “as a catalyst for investment, ideas, and solutions that serve humanity.”

Next week, Princess Maha will deliver her first address as CEO at the FII PRIORITY Europe 2026 Summit in Rome, one of several regional conferences that have been spun off from the Riyadh gathering.

“I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee, our partners and our talented team to further advance our mission and create meaningful impact for future generations,” Princess Maha said.

Trump to address Saudi FII Summit next week in Miami

Saudi Arabia has lined up U.S. President Donald Trump to headline its annual FII Priority Summit in Miami, Fla., next week.

The kingdom’s Future Investment Initiative Institute announced on Wednesday that Trump will speak at the conference’s opening session Feb. 19 at the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach. 

Among those also scheduled to participate in the three-day event are SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son, BlackRock’s Robert S. Kapito, Oracle’s Safra Catz, Point72’s Steven Cohen and Bridgewater’s Nir Bar Dea. Saudi Public Investment Fund Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan is the conference’s host.

The Miami conference will take place in the wake of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s pledge last month to invest at least $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. Trump responded with thanks while suggesting that the kingdom raise its investment to $1 trillion.

Florida is a center of Trump family activities, with the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach serving as the President’s home between terms in the White House. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner lives with his wife Ivanka Trump and three children on Miami’s exclusive Indian Creek Island. Kushner’s $4.6 billion private equity fund Affinity Partners, which is backed by sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, is based in Miami.

Trump’s appearance at the conference also comes amid tension between the two countries after the President proposed that the U.S. take possession of the Gaza Strip. The plan would move some 1.8 million Palestinian residents out of the war-ravaged territory while building resort hotels that would turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and other Arab countries have condemned the Trump plan, saying any Gaza reconstruction effort must not force residents to leave.