NADA ALTURKI GHADI JOUDAH. December 1, 2025
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- CEO of Skeleton Technologies says Kingdom is positioned to transition from technology importer to innovation hub
- Taavi Madiberk: Events like this forum create the dialogue between policymakers, technology companies and investors that makes large‑scale transformation possible
RIYADH: Policymakers, entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry leaders have gathered in Riyadh at the Circular Economy Forum, which runs until Dec. 2, to discuss how solutions in the sector are reshaping industries, sustainability and the future.
Ali Al-Ghamdi, the CEO at the Saudi National Center for Environmental Compliance, said the forum was “an opportunity to align our environmental responsibility with our economic growth and drive meaningful impact across the Kingdom.”
Andres Sutt, Estonia’s minister of energy and environment, told Arab News: “In a world where resources are scarce, we need to move fast to reduce our CO2 footprint.
“This shared effort and work is something that we can build jointly together, and the technologies are becoming increasingly available.
“This is also what we bring here to the Kingdom to see where we can jointly work together to make the world a better place.”
Prince Nikola of Montenegro was a guest of honor and highlighted his country as a pioneer in the sector. Other high-level guests included Princess Noura bint Turki Al-Saud, the co-founder of Aeon Collective, and Ville Skinnari, Finnish member of parliament and chair of the Gulf Region Friendship Group.
The event began with a performance by Nordic-Saudi cello duo Kaur Nellis and Mohammed Al-Guthmi.
Taavi Madiberk, the CEO of Skeleton Technologies, told Arab News that the Kingdom was now positioned to transition from a technology importer to an innovation hub.
He said it was doing so by building local value chains and adopting advanced energy‑efficiency technologies.
Based in Germany and backed by Siemens and Marubeni, Skeleton Technologies develops energy‑storage systems, and Madiberk spoke about the importance of public-private collaboration.
He said: “The business case is only enabled by Vision 2030. Policy provides the enablement, but companies must execute.
“There is a strong policy in place; now it is time for companies to execute. Events like this forum create the dialogue between policymakers, technology companies and investors that makes large‑scale transformation possible.”
Madiberk added that combining high‑tech energy solutions with the Kingdom’s current momentum had given Saudi Arabia a unique opportunity to lead the world in sustainable industrial innovation.