It began with a ceremony to welcome the 90 men and women chosen as the fourth group of participants. They include CEOs and heads of departments from public, private and non-profit organizations.

Other guests included officials and executives, including Ghassan Al-Shibl, vice chairman of Misk’s board of directors, Amin Nasser, president of Saudi Aramco, and graduates of the second and third 2030 Leaders programs.

Omar Najjar, chief program officer at Misk, said that the program utilizes the latest and most effective global management and leadership skills and tools to help build a vibrant and strong community that will lay the foundations for the cooperation and concerted efforts that will achieve the goals of Vision 2030.

He added that it is one Misk’s most important initiatives and was introduced to enhance the skills of Saudi leaders in a variety of sectors so that they are able to effectively face challenges and seize the opportunities that arise as the Kingdom evolves.

The 2030 Leaders program helps participants to expand and enhance their leadership skills and knowledge through intensive training split into five stages: awareness, discovery, building, growth and development, organizers said. It encourages them to engage in qualitative training and adopt a variety of thinking styles so that they can better deal with challenges and adapt to changing situations. This helps them to develop intellectual and behavioral flexibility so that they can come up with creative ideas and employ effective leadership to solve problems.

So far, 180 men and women have graduated from the program, which has a target of empowering 2,000 leaders by 2030.