Who’s Who: Tony Coveney, multi-property general manager at The St. Regis Red Sea Resort
Updated 10 February 2024
Arab News
Tony Coveney is the multi-property general manager of the first St. Regis Resort at The Red Sea and is overseeing the launch of the Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand in the region.
In his capacity as the general manager, Coveney is regarded as the principal strategic business leader of the property. He is responsible for guest and employee satisfaction, human resources, financial performance, sales and revenue generation, and ensuring a return on investment for both Marriott International and the property ownership.
His position requires him to be actively involved in the local community to build strong relations with officials and businesses.
In 2022, Coveney returned to the Kingdom as general manager to lead the opening of two hotels, The St. Regis Red Sea Resort and Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve.
Coveney has more than 25 years of experience in luxury hospitality and has worked for leading hotel brands, including flagship Ritz-Carlton properties in Moscow and Astana, in Kazakhstan, where he led all hotel operations as general manager.
In 2015, Coveney was appointed hotel manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh before taking on the role of acting general manager in June 2018. Coveney was also involved with various hotel and resort openings in Athens, and his home country of Ireland.
He also worked in executive roles across sales and marketing, rooms, and food and beverage departments for almost 10 years at Four Seasons Dublin before becoming director of rooms at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney.
Coveney is an honors graduate of Business Administration from GMIT Hospitality school in Ireland.
‘Two Kingdoms’ initiative unveiled by Saudi royal arts institute
Updated 6 sec ago
Lama Alhamawi
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Royal Institute of Traditional Arts, or Wrth, has launched an initiative with the UK titled “A Shared Heritage of Two Kingdoms,” which celebrates how art bridges cultures.
It is a part of the GREAT Futures Initiative Conference held in Riyadh on May 14 and 15, which showcased opportunities for UK businesses in Saudi Arabia.
The event began with several workshops and other activities in the King Abdullah Financial District, where artists from both nations focused on traditional practices and crafts including Najdi wooden doors and sadu weaving.
The campaign will move to London with a similar workshop planned for May 16 at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The session will focus on the “art of creating traditional Saudi doors” to foster cross-cultural understanding and greater artistic exchange, the organizers stated.
The event began with several workshops and other activities in the King Abdullah Financial District. (Supplied)
The campaign concludes at the Wrth headquarters in Riyadh on May 18, where British artist Harriet Frances will hold a workshop on jewelry embroidery so that local artists can learn about different cultural traditions.
UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer told Arab News: “I think it is really valuable for the sector as a whole because the Royal College of Art is one of our finest institutions, it’s produced artists like Tracey Emin, Ridley Scott, and it’s got a huge amount of knowledge.
"We want to share that knowledge and also learn from the Saudis as well in these important areas of arts, architecture, and design.”
The “Two Kingdoms” campaign runs in conjunction with World Cultural Diversity Day on May 21, which reinforces the Wrth’s mission to preserve traditional arts worldwide while empowering the artists who practice them.
For over 30 years, the Wrth has played a leading role in promoting Saudi Arabia’s unique cultural heritage through traditional arts education, exhibitions, and global exchange programs.
The royal institute contributes to the dissemination and global recognition of traditional arts, drawing attention to values shared by all humans, regardless of language, culture and customs.
In line with Saudi Vision 2030, the Wrth seeks to represent the culture of Saudi Arabia by showcasing the history of traditional artworks.
Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization meetings begin in Jeddah
Participants discuss challenges Arab nations face in fields of education, culture and science, and potential solutions, including knowledge sharing and innovation
The 121st session of the organization’s Executive Council on Tuesday and Wednesday will be followed on Friday by its General Conference
Updated 15 May 2024
Arab News
JEDDAH: Ministers and other representatives from 22 Arab nations gathered in Jeddah on Tuesday for the start of the 121st session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization. The two-day session concludes on Wednesday and will be followed on Friday by the organization’s General Conference.
During the meetings, hosted by the Saudi National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, the participants will discuss important topics, initiatives and proposals related to knowledge sharing, scientific advancement, and innovation within the framework of the work of the organization, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
During the opening session, Hani Al-Moqbel, chairperson of ALESCO’s Executive Council, expressed deep concern about the ongoing crisis Palestinians face as a result of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
He unequivocally condemned and rejected a senseless and brutal conflict that has claimed the lives of countless civilians, including women, children and the elderly, and denounced as unacceptable the destruction by the Israeli military campaign of hospitals, religious sites, schools, cultural institutions and other infrastructure.
The council, led by its Saudi presidency, expressed its strong condemnation of the continued aggression, occupation and forced displacement in Gaza. Al-Moqbel said that such expressions are not merely procedural or symbolic, they represent a forward-thinking approach to fostering Arab unity, upholding core principles and bolstering shared values. In this way, he added, Arab nations can effectively tackle challenges and overcome hurdles on their paths to advancement.
Mohammed Walad Amar, the director general of ALECSO, highlighted the organization’s commitment to the promotion of the cultural heritage of Arab countries on the global stage. In keeping with this vision, he said, ALECSO has worked with several countries with the aim of securing recognition of more of their cultural treasures on the highly esteemed UNESCO World Heritage List.
As an example of its active engagement in these efforts, he noted that ALECSO took part in the UNESCO Culture and Education Ministers’ Conference in the UAE in February.
Other topics discussed on the opening day included challenges that Arab nations face in the fields of education, culture and science, innovative potential solutions to the problems, and ways to forge new partnerships that can broaden the horizons of education and thinking.
NCWD launches project to evaluate marine species in Arabian Gulf
Goal behind project is to build baseline for developing integrated management plan for marine environments
NCWD CEO said project aims to provide basic assessment of the condition of coral reefs
Updated 15 May 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: The National Center for Wildlife Development launched on Tuesday a project that aims to assess the state of marine habitats in the Arabian Gulf’s Saudi waters, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The NCWD said the goal behind the project was to build a baseline for developing an integrated management plan for marine environments, preserving biodiversity and reducing threats.
It will also enhance the sustainability of marine environments in Saudi waters in light of their economic, social and cultural value and their provision of many valuable ecosystem services.
Mohammed Ali Qurban, NCWD’s CEO, said the project aimed to provide a basic assessment of the condition of coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, and associated animals and marine species.
The project will identify natural risks associated with human activities that threaten these coastal ecosystems, and concurrently, find solutions to reduce those threats.
It will also design an effective plan to preserve and rehabilitate these coastal habitats, based on the data provided by the project.
Qurban said Saudi waters in the Gulf cover an area exceeding 27,000 square kilometers and contain very important marine habitats, which support a wide range of marine species.
NCWD’s CEO pointed out that marine systems are exposed to many pressures and require continuous monitoring and the application of an effective plan to preserve and manage them in a sustainable manner.
The data provided by the project constitute an essential factor for conservation and rehabilitation measures and enabling NCWD and other relevant parties to build a management plan to sustain these valuable habitats.
Prince Sultan University hosts panel on space exploration
Kingdom has already achieved a high-calibre position in space industry, says NASA’s Bill Nelson
Updated 15 May 2024
Sulafa Alkhunaizi
RIYADH: Delegations from NASA and the Saudi Space Agency visited Prince Sultan University on Tuesday to engage with students on the future of human missions in space.
A panel session titled “Beyond Earth: Journeys to the Stars,” brought together NASA administrator Bill Nelson and Saudi astronauts Rayannah Barnawi, Ali Al-Ghamdi and Mariam Fardous, to discuss their own experiences in space.
Chairman of the Saudi Space Agency Abdullah Al-Swaha recently held talks with NASA’s Bill Nelson. (Supplied)
They also debated the future of human missions in space and encouraged the university’s students to be part of the Kingdom’s aspirations in the space field.
Mohammed Al-Tamimi, CEO of Saudi Space Agency, and Ambassador of the US to the Kingdom Michael Ratney, were also present at the reception.
HIGHLIGHTS
• The panel discussion hosted at Prince Sultan University debated the future of human missions in space.
• During his visit to the Kingdom, Bill Nelson also met Munir Eldesouki, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.
In an interview with Arab News, Nelson highlighted the importance of space missions. “When we go into space, we have to invent and create new things and that helps us advance our standard of living here on the earth,” he said.
The panel session titled ‘Beyond Earth: Journeys to the Stars’ brought together NASA administrator Bill Nelson and Saudi astronauts Rayannah Barnawi, Ali Al-Ghamdi and Mariam Fardous, to discuss their own experiences in space. (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)
“One of the good examples that I gave in the speech today is the camera in your cell phone, that was developed by NASA. It’s a camera on a chip … there are so many technological outgrowths and spinoffs from our developing space technology.”
Nelson said that there would be further developments in the near future in pharmaceutical research and zero gravity on the International Space Station.
When we go into space, we have to invent and create new things and that helps us advance our standard of living here on the earth.
Bill Nelson, NASA administrator
“There are going to be some major breakthroughs, and already have been on developing drugs, for the cure of diseases. So, there’s a lot of excitement in the future,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has already achieved a high-calibre position in the space industry, he said.
Ahmed Yamani, president of Prince Sultan University, said that it had established a new college of space and aviation with the cooperation with the Saudi Space Agency and Al-Tamimi.
“We went through the process of the initiating this college, which is really based on what we already have … we have a program, aviation management, that was established with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.”
Yamani said that the university was already building the foundation of the space and aviation program with “external consultants that are working with us on both department and both programs. So, we want to definitely touch on the latest and the update updated programs in these areas.”
During his visit to the Kingdom, Nelson also met Munir Eldesouki, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in the space sector.
Chairman of the Saudi Space Agency Abdullah Al-Swaha held talks with Nelson in the presence of Al-Tamimi, and they discussed strategic partnership in the field of space to serve humanity.
The Saudi Space Agency is responsible for developing and growing its space sector with a focus on supporting economic growth, stimulating innovation and scientific research.
Saudi Arabia takes part in Netherlands Geospatial World Forum as strategic partner
The authority is collaborating with the World Bank to conduct studies on the economic impact of geospatial information in Saudi Arabia
Updated 14 May 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information is serving as a strategic partner in the Geospatial World Forum, a global event with more than 300 speakers specializing in geospatial information.
Themed “Geospatial Transition: Powering the World Economy,” the four-day forum is taking place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, until May 16.
GEOSA represents the Kingdom at home and abroad in the geospatial sector.
Themed ‘Geospatial Transition: powering the world economy,’ the four-day forum is taking place in rotterdam, the Netherlands, until May 16. (SPA)
The Rotterdam forum provides a platform to exchange knowledge and unveil smart solutions provided by geospatial information, and includes more than 55 pavilions showcasing the latest technology in the sector.
During the opening session, Mohammed Al-Sayel, president of the authority, said in a speech that geospatial information is playing an important role in decision-making within the rapidly growing Saudi economy.
FASTFACT
Geospatial World Forum held in Rotterdam provides a platform to exchange knowledge and unveil smart solutions provided by geospatial information.
The authority is collaborating with the World Bank to conduct studies on the economic impact of geospatial information in the Kingdom, he added, highlighting work with international organizations concerned with geospatial information management specifications, standards and governance.
Themed ‘Geospatial Transition: powering the world economy,’ the four-day forum is taking place in rotterdam, the Netherlands, until May 16. (SPA)
Al-Sayel said that the Kingdom, represented by GEOSA, has contributed to the development of geospatial information management globally by hosting the UN Global Geospatial Ecosystem Center of Excellence in Riyadh. The center allows experts to exchange expertise and knowledge within the geospatial information management sphere.
The Kingdom has built and maintained national geospatial infrastructure according to the best international practices, he added, in addition to working on developing national capabilities in the sector.
During a session titled “Geospatial Transition Driving Economic Value in Various Sectors,” GEOSA spokesperson Fatma Al-Shammari said that the Kingdom is undergoing a “significant transition” in various developmental fields, with major projects benefiting from advanced geospatial technologies to achieve national targets.
On the sidelines of the forum, the Kingdom, represented by GEOSA, took part in an accompanying exhibition with its main pavilion as a strategic partner, showcasing Saudi Arabia’s national geospatial infrastructure to visitors and introducing the most prominent development projects in the country.
The exhibition covered hydrographic surveying, national geodetic infrastructure and map production.
