Dr. Saad A. Alshahrani

Dr. Saad A. Alshahrani has been the deputy minister for economic affairs and investment studies at the Ministry of Investment since January 2021. He also served as acting deputy minister for Investment Promotion at the same ministry from January 2022 to January 2023. Prior to that, dr. Alshahrani was the deputy minister of Macro-Fiscal Policies at the Ministry of Finance from November 2018 to December 2020. He also worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) between 2010-2015.

Dr. Alshahrani established the Economic Affairs and Investment Studies Deputyship when he joined the Ministry in January 2021 to provide forecasts and proposals on investment, economic policies and affairs, risks related to them in the medium term, prepare economic analysis for economic sectors and activities and their investment priorities, build investment and economic database, and develop research work and economic modeling.

He also contributed to the establishment of the Macro-Fiscal policies unit at the Ministry of Finance in 2016, which in 2018 was transformed into the Macro-Fiscal Policy Deputyship, which is concerned with preparing, analysing and presenting forecasts and proposals for fiscal and economic policies and risks related to them in the medium term, preparing the Budget Statements and related reports, in addition to supervising and leading the Kingdom’s Article IV consultation that is led by the International Monetary Fund. He held his position as the deputy minister of Macro-Fiscal Policies until December 2020.

Dr. Saad A. Alshahrani has more than 20 years of professional experience working in several local, regional and international entities, most notably: the Saudi Central Bank, Washington State University, and International Monetary Fund, during which he worked within several departments, including the Department of Public Finance Affairs, the Department of Middle East and Central Asia, the Department of Africa, and the Department of Statistics. He also worked in the Gulf Monetary Council, Prince Sultan University, the Islamic Development Bank, Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Investment, the private, government, and non-profit sectors, as he is the vice chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Economic Association.

Dr. Alshahrani is a member of many local, regional and international boards of directors and committees, where he was a member of the Steering Committee of Economic Security, a member of the Board of Directors of the Tourism Development Fund, a member of the Board of Directors of King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, a member of the Steering Committee for the Pilgrim Experience Program, a member of the Steering Committee for the Kingdom's participation in the International Expo 2025 Japan, a member of the Steering Committee for the Sustainable Development, the Committee for Improving the Balance of Payments and Economic Diversification, and the Committee for Addressing Export Obstacles and the Protecting Domestic Industry, the National Committee for Fiscal Stability, the Standing Committee for Consumer Protection, the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Work at the General Authority for Statistics, the Committee for Calculating Gross Domestic Product at the Royal Court, the Secretariat for the Establishment of the Gulf Monetary Council, a member of the Board of Directors of the Geological Survey Authority, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Strategic Development, a member of the Board of Directors and the representative of the Kingdom in the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation at the Islamic Development Bank, he was also Chairman of the Financial and Economic Outlook Committee, to prepare the Government Budget, and Chairman of the Audit and Review Committee at the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation. He also participated in the work and initiatives of the Financial Sector Development Program and Fiscal Sustainability Program. Dr. Alshahrani has been a member of the Economic Policy Committee at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development since 2018, as well as several boards and committees.

In addition to his extensive practical experience, Dr. Saad A. Alshahrani has been working in the academic field since 2005, where he worked as an assistant professor, research assistant, and director of the Arabic Language and Culture Program at the Washington State University in the United States, then he was an assistant professor at the College of Business Administration at Prince Sultan University, from which he moved to work as a fellow professor in the Department of Economics, at Princess Noura Bint Abdul Rahman University, where he is still working. He has many published scientific researches and press articles (15 published or in the process of being published) in various topics, including: fiscal policies, economic diversification, fiscal reforms, central banks policies, development and economic growth policies, oil market behaviors, financial and monetary markets, investment and financing projects. He also co-authored a book project for the International Monetary Fund titled: “Getting Energy Prices Right: From Principle to Practice”.

Dr. Alshahrani has received many awards, including: the Excellence in Economics Teaching Award from the Washington State University, the "Who's Who in America" award for leaders and innovators, and the Washington State University President's Award for leadership and management skills from the Washington State University. He also received a Certificate of Appreciation for Excellence in Academic Achievement and a Certificate of Appreciation for Leadership from the Cultural Bureau of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Washington. He was honored by the National Transformation Program for leading the project of preparing the economic impact of the program upon its launch.

Dr. Alshahrani hold a Ph.D. in economics from Washington State University and has two master’s degrees, one in statistics and the other in applied economics from the same university. He earned his bachelor’s degree in science and mathematics in Saudi Arabia. He has attended more than 35 academic and professional courses provided by the International Monetary Fund.