SkyTeam Cargo, the largest alliance in the air cargo industry, has announced the appointment of Omar Hariri as the new chairman of its executive board.
The executive board of SkyTeam Cargo Alliance, which is made up of top executives from the group’s 12-member cargo airlines, endorsed Hariri’s new role during a recent meeting.
Hariri is a transportation and logistics veteran with 16 years of commercial, operations and transformation experience within blue-chip companies across Saudi Arabia and the region.
Having started his career with DHL in 2004, his abilities and results-driven approach moved him up the corporate ladder to vice president of the commercial division for DHL in Saudi Arabia within a decade.
During his tenure at DHL, he held different managerial positions, including national sales manager for Saudi Arabia and country general manager for Kuwait operations prior to heading the commercial function in Saudi Arabia as vice president.
Before joining Saudi Airlines Cargo Co. (Saudia Cargo), Hariri headed FedEx Express in the Kingdom as managing director, where he transformed the business by exponentially growing the top line within 18 months.
He currently leads Saudia Cargo and Saudi Arabian Logistics Co. as CEO. The multibillion-riyal group is served by more than 1,300 employees, is operated through 10 freighters and has a belly space of 160 passenger aircraft, along with 4 cargo terminals spread across the country.
Hariri obtained a master’s degree in procurement, logistics and supply chain management at the University of Salford, UK and is a member of the IATA Cargo Advisory Council and SkyTeam Cargo Committee.
Omar Hariri, chairman of SkyTeam Cargo Alliance
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Omar Hariri, chairman of SkyTeam Cargo Alliance
SDAIA president says Saudi Arabia is building an integrated AI ecosystem
RIYADH: Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority President Abdullah Al-Ghamdi says that Saudi Arabia is moving steadily to establish artificial intelligence as a trusted national capability, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Guided by the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, Al-Ghamdi said the goal is to use AI to help develop government services, enhance competitiveness, build human capacity and improve quality of life through a comprehensive strategy based on three main pillars that unlock the potential of this technology and achieve sustainable developmental impact.
“The first pillar focuses on building human capacity and enhancing readiness to engage with AI technologies,” he said.
The second pillar is building an integrated national AI ecosystem that drives expansion and innovation by developing advanced digital infrastructure that enables various sectors to adopt AI applications efficiently, consistently and with effective governance, Al-Ghamdi said.
The third pillar, he said, is governance that ensures responsible and measurable AI through a national framework aligned with international standards.
This came during Al-Ghamdi’s speech at a high-level ministerial session held on Thursday on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
He is heading the Saudi delegation, and the session saw broad participation from heads of state, decision-makers and technology leaders from around the world.
Al-Ghamdi also had a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening, discussed AI cooperation and expressed his gratitude for hosting the summit and for the hospitality extended to the participants.
