Microsoft appoints Ayman AlGhamdi as President, Microsoft Arabia

Microsoft appoints Ayman AlGhamdi as President, Microsoft Arabia

5 July 2026 - 18:44

written : سعودي اون لاين - Saudi Online

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Manal Saleh


AlGhamdi to lead Microsoft Arabia as the company prepares for the launch of its Saudi Arabia cloud region and continues to support the Kingdom’s AI and digital ambitions

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – July 5, 2026 – Microsoft appoints Ayman AlGhamdi as President, Microsoft Arabia, effective July 5, 2026.

AlGhamdi brings 14 years of experience at Microsoft, most recently serving as Vice President, Public Sector in Saudi Arabia, where he worked closely with government entities and national institutions to support their AI transformation, accelerate cloud adoption, and strengthen digital services for citizens and businesses. In his new role- as Microsoft Arabia’s President - he will continue to build on more than two decades of partnership in the Kingdom, bringing together cloud and AI platforms, data, cybersecurity, productivity tools, partner capability, and national skilling programs to help organizations create value across sectors.

“Ayman’s appointment comes at a defining moment for Saudi Arabia’s AI journey,” [RD1] said Naim Yazbeck, President of Microsoft Middle East and Africa. “Across the Kingdom, we are seeing an extraordinary pace against a clear national vision, with government leaders, customers, and partners moving from ambition to execution. As Microsoft continues to live up to its role as Saudi Arabia’s trusted AI partner, Ayman’s deep public sector experience and understanding of the local market will be critical to helping organizations build trust, skills, and digital capability at scale.”

During his time at Microsoft, AlGhamdi has helped advance partnerships across the public sector, supporting organizations as they adopt cloud and AI technologies to improve services, strengthen operational efficiency, and build long-term digital capability. His leadership has contributed to Microsoft’s work with key national stakeholders, including efforts that support the company’s cloud and AI roadmap in the Kingdom.

“As a proud Saudi, this appointment is deeply meaningful to me,” said Ayman AlGhamdi, President, Microsoft Arabia. “I have seen firsthand how government entities in the Kingdom are setting the pace for AI adoption, not as a future concept, but as a practical tool to improve services, raise efficiency, and create value at scale. As Saudi Arabia marks 2026 as the Year of AI and continues advancing Vision 2030, my priority is to stay close to our customers, partners, and teams, and to make sure Microsoft brings the full strength of its ecosystem, from cloud and AI to security, data, and skills, to support the Kingdom’s next phase of digital growth.”

Microsoft has been present in Saudi Arabia for more than two decades, supporting digital transformation across key sectors including government, energy, aviation, manufacturing, healthcare, education, and major national projects. Recent milestones include the upcoming Saudi Arabia cloud region, a commitment to skill 3 million people in AI by 2030.

As President, AlGhamdi will lead Microsoft Arabia’s work with customers, partners, and national institutions to accelerate trusted AI adoption, strengthen cloud and data foundations, expand digital skills, and deliver on Microsoft’s long-term commitment to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 priorities.

-Ends-


 [RD1]I think we need to make more of his public sector experience and how govt in Saudi is leading the way in adopting AI at scale. Let’s clearly differentiate each quote - what we want Naim to say, and what Ayman would say, and maybe they don’t both repeat the same message about the DC as we’ve said it so many times - i.e.

Naim - Saudi’s AI journey, and how this reinforces Microsoft’s commitment to enabling this (e.g. from his most recent Saudi LI post)

Ayman - a proud Saudi, have been partnering with Saudi govt for many years to help them adopt and lead the way in deploying AI at scale - commitment to continuing this going forwards to enable Saudi’s regional/global AI ambition etc

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