Shaima Hamidaddin has been the executive manager of the Misk Global Forum since its inception in 2016. 

Hamidaddin is the first woman to work at the Misk Foundation, where she served as the business development manager between 2012 and 2016 before becoming the executive manager of the global unit. She joined the foundation in 2011. 

Before joining Misk, Hamidaddin worked as the business development manager at King Salman Youth Center between 2012 and 2015. 

She also worked as an assistant brand manager for two years at Al Safi Danone, a market leader in dairy products in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. She was also a business development executive at Bin Hendi Enterprises. 

Hamidaddin holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Sharjah. She also attended the management acceleration program in business administration and management at INSEAD graduate business school. 

The third annual Misk Global Forum, a two-day event, opened on Wednesday in Riyadh, with opening remarks by Hamidaddin.

“We want you to be inspired, not just by our speakers, but by your fellow guests,” Hamidaddin said. She said that people were already more globally connected than ever before through technology, but urged collaboration and interaction between speakers and guests from different cultures at the forum. “We must seize the opportunity for uniquely human collaboration,” she said.

Hamidaddin said that the Misk foundation plays a complementary role by bridging gaps and working with partners to help equip young people with skills.