Episode 96! The 966 speaks with PepsiCo Middle East CEO Aamer Sheikh for a conversation about the company's strategy to plug into Vision 2030's opportunities and continue to stay on top as the number one food and beverage brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Mr. Sheikh, who is Pakistani-American and grew up in the United States, shares his story and how he rose to the top position for the company in the Middle East region. The PepsiCo MENA CEO also discusses how he works to position PepsiCo's products to be part of the fabric of Saudi society, the company's emphasis and insistence on sustainability as critical to success, and so much more. Before the conversation, The 966 hosts discuss Richard's one big thing, which is a big update on the investments and news in Saudi Arabia's professional football league, the Saudi Pro League, and why headline-grabbing player transfers are just part of the equation for Saudi Arabia. Lucien's one big thing is a surprising new Royal Order from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who just announced that King Saud University would see a major change and a brand new board of all-star public and private sector figures in the Kingdom - indicative that he intends for KSU to expand and grow further. The hosts conclude as always with Yallah! 6 top storylines to get you up to date heading into the weekend.

9:48 – Richard’s One Big Thing this week a big update on the investments and news in Saudi Arabia’s professional football league, the Saudi Pro League, and why headline-grabbing player transfers are just part of the equation for Saudi Arabia.

30:25 – Lucien’s One Big Thing this week is the surprising announcement via Royal Order from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to restructure King Saud University, located in the heart of Riyadh. Saudi investment into its universities are part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and the Crown Prince ordered a new board of directors to oversee the University and its transition to a non-profit institution. 

45:35 – The 966 speaks with PepsiCo Middle East CEO Aamer Sheikh for a conversation about the company’s strategy to plug into Vision 2030’s opportunities and continue to stay on top as the number one food and beverage brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Mr. Sheikh, who is Pakistani-American and grew up in the United States, shares his story and how he rose to the top position for the company in the Middle East region. The PepsiCo MENA CEO also discusses how he works to position PepsiCo’s products to be part of the fabric of Saudi society, the company’s emphasis and insistence on sustainability as critical to success, and so much more. PepsiCo’s products/brands include the popular household names like Pepsi-Cola, Mirinda, 7-UP, Mountain Dew, and Aquafina, Lay’s, Cheetos, Doritos and Quaker Oats. Aamer Sheikh told The 966 that one point of emphasis for his team is the development of local talent, sharing skills with the next generation, and empowering Saudi women. This is part of the company’s “Proudly Saudi” campaign in 2021, he said. PepsiCo Middle East employs close to 9,000 people across 86 site operations; Saudization rates reach over 40% in some business units; and 1 in 5 are female.

1:21:01 – Yallah! 6 top storylines to get you up to speed heading into the weekend…

•Saudi state mining giant Ma’aden and US-based Ivanhoe Electric have closed a deal to investigate 48,500 sq km of under-explored lands in the Arabian Shield for “critical minerals” that are key to powering the global energy transition.

•According to Euromonitor International, the inflation rates for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in 2022 were 5% and 2.5%, respectively.

•The population of Saudi Arabia has reached 32.2 million, 42% of whom are foreign nationals with 63% of Saudis under age 30, the country’s general authority for statistics said on Wednesday.

•Delivery Hero, the German online food delivery company, is taking full ownership of its Saudi subsidiary in a transaction valued at $297 million.

•The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) affirmed that Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries that hosts the largest number of refugees who enjoy the status of visitors.

•Saudi Arabia’s leadership in OPEC+ with voluntary cuts to production has proven to be costly, sending its receipts from oil sales abroad down by a third, to its lowest in over a year, according to a report in Bloomberg.