NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr and advisory board member Andrew Liveris, who is the former CEO of The Dow Chemical Company, have spoken to a large audience in Las Vegas about the $500 billion zone.
At the start of a panel discussion at the SALT conference, a video was shown on NEOM and its location on the Red Sea. The 26,500 square km futuristic high-tech hub is on the edge of the mountains and the edge of the sea and has a 300 mile shoreline.
“It’s been two years of putting the strategies for all sectors that are driving the economy of NEOM and putting the most accurate plan before rushing into implementation,” said Al-Nasr in response to a question by the panel moderator on where NEOM is in terms of implementation.
“How will NEOM be operating?” asked the moderator, Fatimah Baeshen, a former Saudi Embassy spokesperson.
“NEOM is not a Saudi project ... It’s a global initiative that will require and expect the whole world to … be part of transforming the dream into reality. For that to happen … we had to come up with our own law of that zone,” Al-Nasr responded.
“I am on a mission to transform a great dream … to reality to serve the whole world,” he said.
Liveris urged the audience to visit NEOM. He lauded the changes taking place in Saudi Arabia, saying “the Kingdom is racing towards its future.”
He also described NEOM as an “aspirational leader.”
“It’s a human endeavor that needs the world’s best talent,” Liveris added.
