President Frederiksen Represents University of New Haven at Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh

University of New Haven President Jens Frederiksen was invited to attend the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum that is taking place today at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh.

The conference is serving as a key platform to reinforce economic ties between Saudi Arabia and the United States. Coinciding with the U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit to the Kingdom, the forum is bringing together senior Saudi and American officials, global CEOs, entrepreneurs, and investors to advance strategic cooperation across priority sectors.

Last month, at the second annual Human Capability Initiative in Riyadh, the University signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Education, its Ministry of Investment, and the Royal Commission for Riyadh City to support the University establishing a branch campus in Riyadh.

“The University of New Haven has a rich reputation of being a very active school internationally because we genuinely do believe in the importance of an elite global workforce both for our domestic students as well as the significant number of international students from across the world that we serve,” says President Frederiksen.

“The prospect of being the first U.S. institution to open an international branch campus in Saudi Arabia presents numerous advantages, including an enhanced international reputation as well as new academic and financial opportunities,” President Frederiksen continued. “As a university uniquely positioned to distinguish ourselves through our commitment to cultivating a community with a local feel and global reach, we have a tremendous opportunity. Helping to address the great interest in and the demonstrated need for access to higher education across Saudi Arabia positions the University to make a meaningful contribution to advancing the important goals of the region.”

The Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum will feature a full day of ministerial dialogues, executive panels, and leadership roundtables focused on energy, finance, technology, healthcare, manufacturing, and national-scale development initiatives. The forum opens with a session on Saudi-U.S. relations, followed by high-level discussions on energy transition, market stability, and fiscal-monetary policy coordination. Ministers from both governments will explore how joint policymaking can support economic resilience amid evolving global challenges.

Key speakers include Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Minister of Communications and IT Abdullah Al-Swaha, Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih, and Minister of Sport Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal. Prominent U.S. participants include BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, and Google and Alphabet President and CIO Ruth Porat.

The forum will conclude with formal recognition of key partners, the signing of bilateral agreements, and closing remarks by senior leaders from both countries.