JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia's nominee Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri is being considered a frontrunner to become new director-general of the World Trade Organization, according to the assessment made by Forbes. Al-Tuwaijri, who served as the Kingdom's Minister of Economy and Planning until early this year, is up against candidates from several countries, including Britain's former International Trade Secretary and Brexit proponent Liam Fox, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico, Moldova and South Korea, however, his credentials far outshine those of other nominees. Al-Tuwaijri's experience is not extensive but also unique that sets him apart from other candidates. He started his career as a fighter pilot for the Saudi Air Force. He then joined the corporate world as a senior banking executive, where he was CEO of HSBC Middle East. Prior to that he had also worked for J.P. Morgan Saudi Arabia and Saudi British Bank. Al-Tuwaijri is among a few key people in Saudi Arabia who handles large and diverse responsibilities and is a key adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman when it comes to finance and economy. He is one of Saudi Arabia's key policymakers and serves as a director of several key committees including the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence, the Royal Authority for the City of Riyadh Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, the National Center for Privatization & PPP, and the National Information Center. He heads the Saudi side of Saudi's Committees with Spain, Portugal, Brunei, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Austria. Al-Tuwaijri also chairs several key government departments in Saudi Arabia, among which are the National Center for Strategic Development, the Standing Committee of the Council for Economic Affairs and Development, and the Investment Committee of the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Among his other key roles is a board member for Saudi Aramco. He is also a member of the Strategic Committee of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs.
