FHS announces winner of ‘Lead the Change’ pitch competition
Senior Manager Development Middle East & Africa at IHG Hotels & Resorts, Sally Alkatat, wins
Riyadh - The Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) is back in Saudi Arabia this week, bringing together government leaders, hospitality investors, owners, and operators for the redesigned 2022 edition of the event at the Riyadh Airport Marriott Hotel.
Under the theme Reimagined Horizons, the two-day conference programme at FHS Saudi Arabia addressed the future of hospitality, hotel development, destination impact, aviation, sustainability, restaurant investment and human capital in the Kingdom. With change and innovation as key drivers of the future, the ‘Lead the Change’ pitch competition was designed to celebrate the industry’s changemakers.
A special open mic session led by judges Tim Peck, Chairman OBM International, and Rohan Ranade, Associate Vice President Real Estate & Development for the Indian Hotels Development Company Limited (IHCL), saw nine finalists take the stage for three minutes to present how they are a change leader in the hospitality industry through their innovations, leadership, or sustainable practices.
Finalists covered a wide range of topics from changing the way hotel management agreements are done in the region, the importance of developing a culture of collaboration to drive growth, and how the hospitality industry can be elevated by sensory experiences, to keeping food production and consumption as close as possible, and the opportunity to enrich the guest experience by combining physical and virtual reality experiences as part of a hotel’s service offering.
The judges, with the help of delegate votes in an open poll, named Sally Alkatat, Senior Manager Development Middle East & Africa at IHG Hotels & Resorts, the winner of the ‘Lead the Change’ competition at FHS Saudi Arabia.
“Change starts with setting an ambitious vision. To lead it, we have built a comprehensive journey of small yet innovative steps towards it by predicting investors and guests’ behaviours throughout. We manifested those future needs in launching new brands and adapting our hotels operations across Saudi and the region to align with KSA's vision of sustainable tourism. Our journey focuses on implementing leading innovations with sustainable footprint and a zero-carbon emission target inspired by global successful practices in the hospitality and other industries,” Sally said in her pitch.
The Finalists
- Bani Haddad – Founder & CEO of Aleph Hospitality
- Sally Alkatat – Senior Manager Development Middle East & Africa at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Sarah Jane Grant – Director at LXA
- Rahaf Alaish – Student at the Glion Institute of Higher Education
- Atul Chopra – Founder & CEO of Fresh On Table
- Abdullah Al Muslemani – CEO of Crown & Co
- Gauthier Guillaume – CEO & Creative Director at GG & Grace International
- Kristina Zanic – CEO at Kristina Zani Consultants
- Olivier Ponti – Vice President at ForwardKeys
About The Bench
The Bench has built a legacy as a global curator of opportunity, designing transformative forums and summits that empower the hospitality and travel industries to connect, innovate, and thrive. With over two decades of expertise, The Bench creates platforms that go beyond transactions to inspire collaboration and drive meaningful change.
Each event brings together government leaders, tourism ministries, global travel associations, leading hospitality brands, hotel owners and investors, airlines, destination developers, and more. From flagship gatherings like FHS World (formerly AHIC) and FHS Saudi Arabia, to FHS Africa (formerly AHIF) and AviaDev, The Bench creates events where ideas spark, relationships deepen, and investments take flight.
The Bench thrives on fostering dynamic and forward-looking dialogues, uniting industry pioneers to address challenges, seize opportunities, and co-create the future. Each event is crafted to deliver more than just connections - it's about transforming ideas into action and building a better tomorrow.
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About FHS Saudi Arabia
Dates: 20-22 April 2026
Location: Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Sponsors: Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh and Al Khozama Investment as Host Sponsors; Taiba Investments as Founding Partner; Amsa Hospitality, Jabal Omar Development Company, Radisson Hotel Group and Red Sea Group as Strategic Partners; BWH Hotels, ClubMed, IHG, Italia Hospitality, Story Hospitality, The Ascott Limited as Headline Sponsors; Accor, Aleph Hospitality, IHCL, JT + Partners, Knight Frank, Legacy Hotels Holding, Minor Hotels, Quo, Serb Holding Co., Sommet Education, STR and The First Group Hospitality as Sponsors; DAR Engineering, Echelonet Concierge, Melia Hotels International, Rove Hotels, Shaza Hotels, Sophos and WhiteWater as Exhibitors.
Anne Bleeker
In2 Consulting
+971 56 603 0886
The Bench
