3rd Edition · Saudi Arabia

OPEX FIRSTSAUDI 2026

Vision to Value — Merging AI and Process Excellence.

21 October 2026Riyadh, KSAFull-Day Summit
An Initiative ByEvents First Group
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Registrations Open
Post-Event Intelligence

Reports from the room.

Official post-event reports from each OPEX First edition — takeaways, on-stage themes, and sponsor coverage. Available as PDF.

Past Partners & Sponsors

The brands that helped build the OPEX First stage.

A snapshot of partners that have backed the OPEX First series across previous editions. Saudi 2026 sponsorship slate confirms in waves — get in early.

Past Supporting Partners

Past OPEX First supporting partner
Past OPEX First supporting partner
Past OPEX First supporting partner
Past OPEX First supporting partner
Past OPEX First supporting partner

Past Series Sponsors

Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Past OPEX First series sponsor
Event Overview

Saudi Arabia has entered the execution decade of Vision 2030.

Across ministries, giga-projects, aviation, banking, telecom, and energy — the national focus has shifted from transformation strategy to measurable operational performance. AI-enabled workflows, real-time KPIs, and enterprise orchestration are now leadership mandates, not aspirations.

OPEX First Saudi 2026 is the only platform dedicated to propelling operational excellence to new heights — convening visionary leaders to co-create the next era of performance mastery.

Voices — What Leaders Said
OPEX First KSA 2025

Operational Excellence is not a passing administrative practice. It is a structured philosophy and a deep-rooted organizational culture founded on discipline, mastery, and excellence in execution. It seeks to maximize efficiency, enhance effectiveness, and create value at every level. It is a continuous journey of improvement and innovation that places customer experience and service quality at the heart of decision-making. It inspires teams to embrace creativity, ownership, and agility in adapting to challenges and opportunities alike. OPEX First KSA 2025 is a dedicated platform for discussing all the current trends and challenges and uniting the leaders and visionaries of continuous improvement.

Eng. AbdulRazzag Al Aujan

H.E. Ministry of Finance Advisor

Eng. AbdulRazzag Al Aujan

The OPEX First KSA 2025 Summit was an excellent platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences on operational excellence. I was pleased to contribute to the panel discussion on how organizations can embed innovation and empower their people to sustain transformation. Summits like this are vital for driving collective learning and accelerating progress toward Vision 2030.

Yasmin Bin Mobki

General Manager of Privatization & PMO, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development

Yasmin Bin Mobki

As Gold Sponsor of OPEX First KSA 2025, Cyborg Automation Hub is proud to help organizations advance Saudi Vision 2030 by uniting AI, automation at scale, and process intelligence into real operational results. Together with our ecosystem partners, we are enabling transparent, sustainable, and resilient automation across Saudi industry.

Cyborg Automation Hub

Gold Sponsor, OPEX First KSA 2025

Thank you to everyone for making the event nothing short of magnificent.

Mohammed Al Ghazal

CEO, Noor Energies

Mohammed Al Ghazal

It was a pleasure to be part of such an amazing event and looking forward to the next edition.

Abdulmajeed Alshaalan

Executive Director of Organizational Excellence, National Infrastructure Fund (Infra)

Abdulmajeed Alshaalan

This partnership with TeamAssurance brings together global best practices and local expertise to empower Saudi factories with tools that drive efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainable excellence.

Eng. Majed Almeleak

CEO & Board Member, KAFAA Efficiency Excellence

Eng. Majed Almeleak
From the Stage — Past Editions
UAE 2026 · KSA 2025
OPEX First — Abu Dhabi, UAE 2026
Abu Dhabi, UAE2026

Operational excellence leaders convene at the regional flagship.

OPEX First — Riyadh, KSA 2025
Riyadh, KSA2025

The inaugural Saudi edition — Vision 2030 execution at the table.

Execution Signals — 2025/26
The mandates moving the needle right now.
Aramco APS — Energy
Energy

Aramco APS

Predictive analytics, digital twins, and real-time optimisation across the energy stack.

SDAIA — AI Governance
AI Governance

SDAIA

Institutionalising national AI governance and data infrastructure across entities.

Digital Government Authority — Public Sector
Public Sector

Digital Government Authority

Harmonising digital maturity across federal entities and ministries.

GovExPro — Benchmarking
Benchmarking

GovExPro

Accelerating benchmarking and public-sector excellence frameworks.

Enterprise RPA — Automation
Automation

Enterprise RPA

Scaling automation from silo bots toward end-to-end orchestration.

The Room — Saudi 2026
The scale of the day, in numbers.
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Delegates
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Industry Speakers
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Conference Sessions
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Media Partners
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Awards
Market Pulse

The forces shaping execution-decade performance.

Drawn from public mandates, private execution, and partner opportunity — three vantage points on the same accelerating market.

Drivers — OPEX First past edition
OPEX First — Past edition
01
Drivers

What's pushing performance to the top of the agenda.

Vision 2030 has shifted from blueprint to delivery — and every leadership conversation now starts with measurable outcomes.

  • Vision 2030 delivery pressure across ministries and giga-projects.
  • National AI institutionalisation under SDAIA mandates.
  • Industrial and energy optimisation at Aramco scale.
  • Board-level ROI accountability on every transformation programme.
2026 Strategic Focus Areas

Eight conversations driving the next 12 months.

The agenda spans the full operational stack — from boardroom mandates to live control-tower execution.

01

Strategy-to-Execution Governance

From Vision 2030 roadmaps to measurable institutional performance.

02

AI & Intelligent Automation in Operations

Agentic AI, automation beyond RPA, compliance-integrated AI governance.

03

Process Mining & Enterprise Orchestration

Cross-functional control towers, KPI-linked process redesign, value-realisation tracking.

04

Digital Governance & KPI Accountability

Performance transparency, dashboards, executive-grade reporting cadence.

05

Enterprise Architecture as an Execution Backbone

Architecture aligned to KPIs, API ecosystems, integration discipline at enterprise scale.

06

Compliance Automation & Regulatory Digitisation

E-invoicing, data governance, cyber-resilient operational models, digital maturity scoring.

07

Real-Time Performance Control Towers

Continuous optimisation through real-time analytics across operations.

08

Autonomous Enterprise Models

Cloud-native execution frameworks, security-by-design, self-optimising operating models.

Confirmed for Saudi 2026

Powered by industry leaders

The first confirmed partners for Saudi 2026. More sponsors will be announced in waves.

Gold Sponsors
Blackstone eIT logo
Cyborg Automation logo
Associate Sponsor
ARIS logo
Media Partner
International Business Magazine logo
Agenda · 21 October 2026

One day. Ten sessions. Built for action.

Vision to Value - Merging AI and Process ExcellenceRegulation, Standards, Governance
08:00→09:00
Break

Registration, Networking, and Refreshments

09:10→09:15
Ceremony

Welcome Remarks

09:15→09:20
Ceremony

National Anthem and Opening Ceremony

09:20→09:30
Welcome Address

The Execution Decade - From Transformation Strategy to Measurable Performance

09:30→10:00
Leadership Panel

The Governance Gap - Turning Vision 2030 Mandates into Measurable Execution

  • Why transformation complete and operationally excellent are not the same milestone
  • Building executive dashboards that survive board level scrutiny, not just internal reporting
  • Standardizing KPI accountability across ministries and entities without killing local flexibility
  • Value realization frameworks - proving ROI on transformation spend in real time, not retrospectively
  • Who owns execution risk when a giga-project's KPI slips - governance, delivery, or technology?
10:00→10:15
Keynote Presentation

National AI Institutionalization - From Pilots to Governed Operations

10:15→10:30
Keynote Presentation

Building the Autonomous Enterprise - Where Process Mining, AI, and Orchestration Converge

10:30→11:10
Break

Networking Break and Refreshments

11:10→11:45
Panel Discussion

Governed AI at Scale - From National Mandate to Enterprise Reality

  • The pilot-to-production wall - why most enterprise AI initiatives stall before scale
  • Compliance integrated AI governance - building guardrails without slowing innovation
  • Agentic AI in workflow orchestration - hype versus what's actually production ready
  • Measuring AI productivity and ROI in operational terms
  • What autonomous enterprise really means in practice
11:45→12:00
Technology Presentation

Seeing Before Scaling - Process Mining as the Prerequisite for Automation

12:00→12:15
Technology Presentation

Automation Meets Compliance: Designing Bots for a Regulated Environment

12:15→12:45
Break

Prayer Break and Networking

12:45→13:20
Panel Discussion

Seeing the Enterprise Clearly - Process Intelligence and Real Time Control Towers

  • Why enterprises are hitting a ceiling with siloed RPA
  • Process mining as a prerequisite, not an afterthought, before scaling automation investment
  • Building a real time control tower - what data, governance, and org structure it actually requires
  • Digital twins and predictive optimization moving from industrial use cases into mainstream operations
  • Cross-functional workflow orchestration
13:20→13:35
Technology Presentation

Low-Code, High Governance: Agile Workflow Redesign Without Losing Control

13:35→14:15
Panel Discussion

Building for Compliance by Design - Architecture, Regulation, and Digital Harmonization

  • Enterprise architecture as an execution backbone aligning technical architecture to Vision 2030 KPIs
  • Keeping pace with accelerating mandates - e-invoicing, data governance
  • Compliance by design automation vs. bolt on compliance
  • API ecosystems and integration discipline as a harmonization tool
  • Security by design as a competitive differentiator, not a checkbox
14:15→14:30
Ceremony

OPEX First Award Ceremony & Raffle Draw

14:30
Break

Networking Lunch and End of Conference

Kindly note: this is a draft agenda and is subject to minor changes until 4 days prior to the conference.

Who Should Attend

The room is built for operators who own outcomes.

Target Roles9 senior titles
Chief Operating OfficersChief Strategy OfficersChief Information Officers (CIOs)Chief Transformation OfficersHeads of Operational ExcellenceHeads of Enterprise ArchitectureHeads of Digital GovernanceProgram & Portfolio Governance DirectorsAI & Automation Leaders
Target Industries8 sectors
Government & Public SectorEnergy & UtilitiesBanking & Financial ServicesAviationTelecomManufacturingRetailGiga Projects
Voices from the Room

What past OPEX First attendees say.

Hear directly from leaders who attended OPEX First summits across the GCC.

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2026 Awards

Honouring those who turn methodology into measurable performance.

Five categories shining a spotlight on the visionaries and organisations leading the way in operational excellence and technological advancement.

01

Operational Excellence Award

Recognises organisations or teams demonstrating outstanding implementation of OPEX methodologies — efficiency, cost reduction, and process optimisation gains.

02

AI & Digital Transformation Excellence

Honours pioneering use of AI, IoT, data analytics, automation, or emerging technologies driving operational efficiency, predictive insights, and scalable improvements.

03

Sustainability & ESG Operational Excellence

Awards integration of sustainable practices, environmental responsibility, social impact, and strong governance into core operations — verifiable carbon, resource, or ESG performance.

04

Supply Chain & Procurement Optimisation

Celebrates innovative strategies in supply chain resilience, procurement efficiency, vendor management, and logistics — cost savings, risk mitigation, and agility in volatile environments.

05

Leadership in Operational & Change Excellence

Recognises visionary leaders or change-management initiatives aligning people, culture, and strategy to foster high-performing teams, agile operations, and lasting transformation.

Awards moment from a past OPEX First edition — recognising excellence in operational leadership
Honouring Excellence
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