Hammad Al-Balawi

Hammad Al-Balawi is the head of the 2034 FIFA World Cup bid unit at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. He previously worked as the Assistant Undersecretary for Strategic Planning and Investment at the Ministry of Sport.

Hammad Al-Balawi received his general education at King Fahad Academy in London. He later attended Marymount University in Virginia, USA, before obtaining a bachelor's degree from the George Washington University School of Business.

Hammad Al-Balawi held the position of Assistant Undersecretary for Strategic Planning and Investment at the Ministry of Sport, where he worked on developing and monitoring the national sport strategy and implementing the Ministry's institutional strategy related to privatization in the sports sector. He also played a role in advancing investment opportunities in sports and engaging with the business community to attract investments in sports activities. He served as Acting General Manager of Strategic Planning and General Manager of Investments at the Ministry of Sport. Additionally, he was General Manager of Tourism Investment at the Ministry of Tourism, Executive Project Manager at the Executive Office of the Minister of Tourism, Ahmed al-Khateeb, and Acting Manager at the General Entertainment Authority. He managed Saudi investment promotion in the UK, Ireland, and Scandinavia, and worked as an Investor Relations Specialist at the General Investment Authority and as a Business Analyst at AT Kearney. He also contributed as a Business Development Trainer for trade and investment in the UK (UK Trade and Investment, Southeast UK) and led the Trainee Project Management Program at the World Bank. He headed a team of eight delegates at the Youth Summit "Y20". During his university studies, he was the President of the Saudi Students Association at George Washington University.

Throughout his career, Hammad Al-Balawi participated in numerous seminars, courses, and workshops, including: A course in Arab business communication, an effective IPA workshop (World Bank Group), a course in the entertainment sector system (Rosen College of Hospitality Management), a course in the Investment Promotion Unit (Deloitte Darrell), a workshop on managing strategic partnerships and alliances (INSEAD), training in organizational health and leadership, courses in design thinking (SAP), and local content development (World Bank).