Rafiq is Senior Director of Finance & Investment Operations at SURJ Sports Investment (SURJ), a PIF company, fuelling the growth of international sport through strategic investments with global and local resonance, where he leads the finance & tax strategy.

Over the course of his career spanning nearly 2 decades across the U.K & KSA, Rafiq has been involved in debt and equity activity exceeding USD 3 billion, including transactions such as the first-ever expansion of the ATP Masters 1000 category in the ATP Tour’s 35-year history and more recently radia, a landmark joint venture between SURJ, Live Nation and Oak View Group, bringing together local ambition and global leading industry expertise to shape the next generation of world-class venues, inclusive of more than ten sports related transactions spanning from established sports, through to broadcasting and enablers in the sports ecosystem.

At SURJ, Rafiq has led financial and tax due diligence and tax structuring across multiple jurisdictions and supported the negotiation and implementation of investment agreements and governance frameworks across a growing portfolio of businesses. He has also played a key role in establishing the shared services proposition to help incubate sports into the local ecosystem.

Rafiq holds a FCCA, MCSI and a Master’s in Applied Environmental Economics, providing a grounded approach to sports investment, where he applies a socio-economic perspective to long-term value creation and the role sport plays in economic development, particularly within the evolving Saudi Arabian market.