Khalid Al-Sweilem was recently appointed by Ninety One to the position of chief global sovereign funds adviser and chairman of the firm’s new Saudi Arabian entity, which is under formation and subject to approval from the Kingdom’s Capital Market Authority.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Al-Sweilem said: “I am pleased to be taking on this role to help steer and develop Ninety One’s business in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East more broadly.

“This is a time of great transformation and opportunity for the region as Saudi Arabia implements its Vision 2030 program ... Ninety One is well positioned to capitalize on the major economic developments taking place throughout the region. Their roots in emerging markets give them a keen sensitivity to how investment capabilities should serve Saudi Arabia and the region’s needs.”

Al-Sweilem joined the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, now known as the Saudi Central Bank, in 1991, where he served in a number of leadership capacities before becoming chief counselor and director general of investment. These included directing the investment management department as a chief investment officer and serving as director general of the investment department.

Al-Sweilem is a board/investment committee member of several institutions. He is chairman of Ashmore Investment Saudi Arabia; an independent board member at Fajr Capital; a board member at Al Raidah Investment Company and an investment committee member at the Arab Gulf Fund for Development. He is also global sovereign wealth funds adviser with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

He received a bachelor’s degree in science specializing in industrial engineering from the University of Arizona, US, and completed a master’s degree and Ph.D. in economics at Boston University and the University of Colorado Boulder, respectively.

Al-Sweilem also completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in economics and finance at Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1991, sponsored by Prince Bandar bin Sultan.