LONDON: DHL Express, the world’s leading express logistics provider, has signed a strategic partnership with Egyptian football superstar Mohamed Salah to become brand ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for the next two years.
The new collaboration will see the parties working together on a series of marketing activities and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives that reinforce the synergies between the core values of DHL Express as a business and Mohamed Salah as a sportsman and youth-inspirer.
The announcement made late on Wednesday in northern England comes just weeks ahead of Salah’s campaign to lead the Egyptian national team at the World Cup in Russia.
DHL’s CEO in the Middle East and North Africa, Nour Suliman, told Arab News that he was very proud of collaborating with Salah.
“Our partnership with Mo Salah is unique as it is the first contract with an individual player, but also it is a testament to the synergy of core values DHL Express and Mo Salah share — leadership, commitment, teamwork, precision, agility, determination,” he said.
When asked by Arab News about the meaning of this partnership, Salah said: “I am very proud to be the first player to partner with DHL, and I am happy to collaborate with an international brand.”
DHL did not disclose the funds earmarked for its CSR initiatives to be spent in the MENA region, and its region’s CEO said the initialtives to be developed are still a work in progress.
However, DHL said it has already significantly contributed to the development of the countries they operate in within the MENA region.
The company’s work includes supporting charities, working to help orphans, youth development, care and education among other causes.
Mo-Salah to raise DHL flag in the MENA region for developmental and charitable causes
Mo-Salah to raise DHL flag in the MENA region for developmental and charitable causes
PIF’s Humain invests $3bn in Elon Musk’s xAI prior to SpaceX acquisition
JEDDAH: Humain, an artificial intelligence company owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, invested $3 billion in Elon Musk’s xAI shortly before the startup was acquired by SpaceX.
As part of xAI’s Series E round, Humain acquired a significant minority stake in the company, which was subsequently converted into shares of SpaceX, according to a press release.
The transaction reflects PIF’s broader push to position Saudi Arabia as a central hub in the global AI ecosystem, as part of its Vision 2030 diversification strategy.
Through Humain, the fund is seeking to combine capital deployment with infrastructure buildout, partnerships with leading technology firms, and domestic capacity development to reduce reliance on oil revenues and expand into advanced industries.
The $3 billion commitment offers potential for long-term capital gains while reinforcing the company’s role as a strategic, scaled investor in transformative technologies.
CEO Tareq Amin said: “This investment reflects Humain’s conviction in transformational AI and our ability to deploy meaningful capital behind exceptional opportunities where long-term vision, technical excellence, and execution converge, xAI’s trajectory, further strengthened by its acquisition by SpaceX, one of the largest technology mergers on record, represents the kind of high-impact platform we seek to support with significant capital.”
The deal builds on a large-scale collaboration announced in November at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, where Humain and xAI committed to developing over 500 megawatts of next-generation AI data center and computing infrastructure, alongside deploying xAI’s “Grok” models in the Kingdom.
In a post on his X handle, Amin said: “I’m proud to share that Humain has invested $3 billion into xAI’s Series E round, just prior to its historic acquisition by SpaceX. Through this transaction, Humain became a significant minority shareholder in xAI.”
He added: “The investment builds on our previously announced 500MW AI infrastructure partnership with xAI in Saudi Arabia, reinforcing Humain’s role as both a strategic development partner and a scaled global investor in frontier AI.”
He noted that xAI’s trajectory, further strengthened by SpaceX’s acquisition, exemplifies the high-impact platforms Humain aims to support through strategic investments.
Earlier in February, SpaceX completed the acquisition of xAI, reflecting Elon Musk’s strategy to integrate AI with space exploration.
The combined entity, valued at $1.25 trillion, aims to build a vertically integrated innovation ecosystem spanning AI, space launch technology, and satellite internet, as well as direct-to-device communications and real-time information platforms, according to Bloomberg.
Humain, founded in August, consolidates Saudi Arabia’s AI initiatives under a single entity. From the outset, its vision has extended beyond domestic markets, participating across the global AI value chain from infrastructure to applications.
The company represents a strategic initiative by PIF to diversify the Kingdom’s economy and reduce oil dependence by investing in knowledge-based and advanced technologies.
