Saudi Royal Commission of AlUla Names New CEO
The RCU was established in 2017 to transform the historic region of AlUla in the northwest of the kingdom into a significant hub for the creative and tourism industries
The Royal Commission of AlUla (RCU) in Saudi Arabia named Abeer AlAkel as the Acting CEO[1] after her predecessor, Amr Al-Madani, was arrested earlier this week[2] on allegations of abusing his position and laundering money totaling $54.9 million.
Abeer AlAkel has been the head of the private Initiatives and Partnerships Sector at AlUla since 2017.
Amr al-Madani, chief executive officer of the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), the government agency created in 2017 to conserve and develop AlUla, a 2,000-year-old archaeological and historical site in northwestern Saudi Arabia, was arrested on January 28 on allegations of corruption.
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AlAkel has been employed at the RCU for almost six years, and her most recent position there was Chief of Special Initiatives and Partnerships. She has previously worked for the audit and assurance firm PwC and the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) in Saudi Arabia.
"We understand legal proceedings have commenced against the staff member in question and RCU has appointed an acting CEO, Abeer Al Akel," the RCU said in a statement sent to Deadline in response to a request for comment on the affair.[3]
An official source in the #Oversight_and_Anti_Corruption_Authority stated that the CEO of the Royal Commission for AlUla, Engineer Amr bin Saleh Abdulrahman AlMadani, was arrested for his involvement in crimes of abuse of authority and money laundering, in which he illegally… pic.twitter.com/bpZjs2OUim
— Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (@nazaha_en) January 28, 2024
"RCU is continuing with business as usual and moving forward to deliver against its ambitious vision and mission," it added.
Chaired by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, the RCU was established in 2017 to transform the historic region of AlUla in the northwest of the kingdom into a significant hub for the creative and tourism industries.
AlUla, a northwestern Saudi desert region along the historic Silk Road and Incense Route and home to the Hegra UNESCO World Heritage Site, is being remade into an arts hub as part of the Saudi government’s Vision 2030 initiative.