Kingdom in Transition: The Perspective and Aspirations of Young Saudis

The panel was moderated by Dr. Mark C.Thompson, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals; King Faisal Center for Research & Islamic Studies.

The Panellists:
Sara Althari, PhD candidate in Genetics, University of Oxford;
Wareed Alenain, PhD candidate in Obesity and Optimal Health, University of Westminster;
Awn Alghamdi, PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering, Cardiff University;
Abdullah Alsabban, PhD Candidate in Project Management, University of Birmingham.

Venue: Arab-British Chamber of Commerce, 43 Upper Grosvenor Street, London W1K 2NJ.
Time: 5.30pm.

Report by Dr. Mark C.Thompson about the discussion:

On 04 April, 2018 at the Arab British Chamber of Commerce, the Saudi British Society held a special panel discussion entitled “Kingdom in Transition: The Perspective and Aspirations of Young Saudis”. The panel was organized and moderated by Dr. Mark C. Thompson from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran.

The panel provided an opportunity for four young Saudi PhD candidates to share their insights about Saudi Vision 2030 from the perspective of their own areas of expertise as well as their views on societal transformation and their aspirations for the future of Saudi Arabia.

Indeed, Dr. Thompson stressed the critical importance of taking the opinions and aspirations of young Saudis seriously; in particular as Saudi Arabia is a predominantly young country, with an increasingly well-educated and interconnected youthful population that has very clear ideas about not just personal futures, but also national development. This of course aligns with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Saudi Vision 2030 and whilst recent social reforms have attracted a great deal of media attention, what young Saudis consider important in the Vision is less often heard, even though acknowledging their aspirations is clearly essential.

The Saudi-British Society was delighted to welcome Sara Althari: PhD candidate in Genetics, at University of Oxford, Wareed Alenaini: PhD candidate in Obesity and Optimal Health, at University of Westminster, Awn Alghamdi: PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering, at Cardiff University and Abdullah Alsabban, PhD Candidate in Project Management at University of Birmingham to participate in this timely and lively panel discussion.

There was a drinks reception after the discussion.