Dr. Ahmed Al-Kholifey was recently appointed as the chairman of the board of directors of the General Authority for Competition by royal decree.
The authority supports the efficiency of the national economy and enhances consumer welfare. It supervises the competition system that aims to promote and preserve fair competition and combat monopolies, contribute to investment flow and enhance sustainable development.
He has also been an adviser at the royal court with the rank of minister since 2021.
Al-Kholifey received a bachelor’s degree in law from King Saud University. He also obtained a master’s degree in business administration and a doctorate in economics from Colorado State University in the US.
He started his career as a legal specialist at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, which was divided into two ministries in 2019 — the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, and the Ministry of Energy.
In 1995, he joined SAMA where he worked as an economic adviser and director general of its economic research and statistics department.
In 2011, Al-Kholifey was appointed executive director for Saudi Arabia at the International Monetary Fund, a position he held until 2013, when he was appointed SAMA’s deputy governor for research and international affairs.
In 2016, a royal order appointed Al-Kholifey as SAMA governor before another order relieved him of his position in 2021, appointing him as an adviser to the royal court.
Al-Kholifey was awarded Central Banker of the Year for the Middle East 2020 by The Banker magazine in London.