Hammad was appointed as the Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Planning & Investment at the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport earlier this year. His role focuses on setting strategic plans to develop the sector and grow its contribution to the national GDP. He also places a huge importance on enhancing the Ministry’s engagement with the private sector and unlocking new investment opportunities. Hammad works closely with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and Saudi Pro League to develop the National Football Strategy, a comprehensive long-term approach to all areas of Saudi football. He was previously the General Manager of Tourism Investment at the Ministry of Tourism responsible for the development of the National Tourism Strategy to open up Saudi Arabia to the world. He was also formerly the Director of Business Development at the General Entertainment Authority. A former management consultant, Hammad is a Finance graduate from George Washington University.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport is the country’s government entity tasked with increasing sports participation, nurturing elite athletes and facilitating talent development. As the Kingdom’s sports regulator, it works closely with the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee to ensure the 97 federations continue their development and growth in line with the Ministry’s sports strategy. The Ministry helped host over 50 international events in the country across over 15 sports since 2018, making Saudi Arabia one of the most exciting countries in world sport today.
He’ll be speaking in a panel discussion titled The Next Frontier: Saudi Football’s Rise to Prominence where he will chart the key factors behind the recent transformation of Saudi football, reveal elements of the soon-to-be-launched National Football Strategy and discuss the country’s ambition to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. He will also detail Saudi Arabia’s increasing role as a ‘force for good’ on the global game and what it hopes to offer football fans over the world if it won the rights to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Hammad will also outline Saudi Arabia’s approach to sports privatization and investment, the key results so far and the huge opportunities that lie ahead.
