Hisham bin Mohammed Kaaki is the chairman of the board of directors at Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), an organization that operates and regulates businesses in Makkah.

Its latest project was the signing for a smart food city with a specialized office in real estate development and investment.

The chairman said that such projects increased career opportunities due to the millions of pilgrims and visitors that Makkah receives each year. Smart food cities are developed to cope with population growth and gain resources to deal with climate change and socioeconomic strife.

Hisham Kaaki was born in Makkah in 1977 and spent his younger years there until he graduated from King Faisal School. He moved to the US for five years to pursue a bachelor’s degree from California State University in San Diego.

After marrying, Kaaki moved to Jeddah, where he worked as a page editor for the local and then cultural page at Okaz newspaper, before he pursued his master’s degree in media administration from King Abdul Aziz University.

He was appointed editor-in-chief of Al-Nadwa newspaper, before serving as editor-in-chief of both Al-Nadwa and Stars of the Football Stadium for three years.

Kaaki was then accepted into the official media delegation accompanying the then-crown King Abdullah, and then crown prince, Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, to 15 European and Arab capitals, meeting kings as well as presidents including Hosni Mubarak and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He then moved to start as editor-in-chief of Al-Hayat newspaper in the western region, establishing his own business in trade and real estate after 10 years in journalism.

Kaaki is a board member of the Council of Saudi Chambers, and on the board of directors of Makkah Media, Kaaki Industries and Hills of Development.