Saudi govt. approves board members of General Entertainment Authority

The Council of Ministers of the government of Saudi Arabia has approved the appointment of the board of the General Entertainment Authority.
Commenting on the appointment of the board, Ahmed Aqeel Al-Khateeb, chairman of the board of the General Entertainment Authority, said: “This is a significant milestone in the development of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority.
“In addition to the esteemed members of our board, who have already made a valuable contribution to Saudi public life, we are particularly delighted to welcome international experts who will further help us in our aim of both developing and investing in the burgeoning Saudi entertainment industry. We have made progress in recent months and there will be much more delivery over the next year.
“In line with the goals set out by Vision 2030, we will strive to provide the Saudi people with quality entertainment choices, building and supporting an entertainment sector for everyone in Saudi Arabia. With our board now formally in place, the next step is to move ahead with strategies that help nurture entertainment in all its forms, while also seeking to safeguard our precious cultural heritage.”

The Board of the General Entertainment Authority is as follows:
• Dr. Majid Al-Qassabi: Minister of Commerce and Investment in Saudi Arabia
• Fahad Mohammed Al-Jubair: Mayor of the Eastern Province
• Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel: Chairman and CEO of Abdul Latif Jameel
• Lama Abdulaziz Al-Sulaiman: Former vice chairwoman and board member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Mousa Omran Al-Omran: General manager of West Bakeries Company, and independent director of Al-Marai
• Bandar Mohammed Assiri: Head of General Commission for Audio-visual Media
• Joe Zenas: Chief executive officer at Thinkwell
• Jonathan Tétrault: Executive vice-president and chief operating officer at Cirque du Soleil
• Ahmed Aqeel Al-Khateeb, Chairman of the board of the General Entertainment Authority

The board will meet quarterly.
Amr Al-Madani, the founder and former chief executive officer of Mishkat Interactive Center for Atomic and Renewable Energy, has also been appointed chief executive officer.
Al-Madani will be responsible for day-to-day operations, and for establishing the General Entertainment Authority as a supporter, promoter and regulator of the entertainment industry across Saudi Arabia.