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SuperReturn Saudi Arabia
27-28 January 2025
The Fairmont HotelRiyadh

Dr Debbie Kristiansen
Female CEO of the Year 2018, Senior Vice President at OVG Middle East
Speaker

Profile

Dr. Debbie is an accomplished leader with more than 35 years of international experience in Venue Management, MICE Tourism and Events & Entertainment industries. Dr. Debbie is a Leader with an extensive understanding of public, government and private sector organizations with a proven track record of driving growth and successful business development and has passionate about mentoring and developing the next generation of future leaders throughout her career.

Dr. Debbie holds an Honorary Professional Doctorate in Global Leadership and Management from EIU, Paris, France. Her career started under the leadership of MICE Tourism Industry legends; Ray Bloom, Paul Flackett and John Haynes in 1988 with Regent International Exhibitions and the launch of EIBTM Geneva, Switzerland. Following the sale of EIBTM to one of the world’s largest Exhibition Organisers; RX Global, Dr. Debbie took on the role of Group Director of Sales; MICE Global Events until rejoining Ray Bloom in 2001 as Vice President Global Sales with the launch of IMEX Frankfurt, Germany. In 2005 she moved to the Middle East to help establish the Bahrain Exhibition & Convention Authority, and later assuming the roles of CEO and Deputy CEO for the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre, she then went on to become the CEO of events@bahrain, a company established under the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company.

From June 2013 until February 2021 she relocated to Dubai where she held the position of CEO Gulf Film Novo GCC, a multi-award winning entertainment brand, offering more than just a venue to watch movies, but an immersive state-of-the-art destination for a variety of event and entertainment options through strategic partnerships and organic growth whilst ensuring the highest level of customer experience and customer service.

Respected by her peers and her partners, she has established successful partnerships with leading global brands such as HSBC, Jaguar Land Rover, Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways, Mastercard, Etisalat, IMAX, Dolby, Mashreq Bank, Bolshoi Ballet, Ooredoo and BeinSports.

From February 2021- October 2024, Dr Debbie held the position of General Manager leading the pre-opening of the newest and one of the largest Exhibition & Convention Centre in the Middle East, the Award winning Exhibition World Bahrain which opened in November 2022 www.EWBahrain.com with 10 Exhibition Halls, a Convention Centre offering over 105,000sqm leasable indoor event space for hosting all types of events including Exhibitions, Conferences, Conventions, Live Entertainment, Product launches, Gala Banquets and Weddings. The Venue itself is owned by the Bahrain Exhibition & Tourism Authority chaired by H.E. Sara Buhiji, CEO and Chairwoman of EWB.

It is this level of leadership that has landed her among LinkedIn’s 500 Global Influencers, Middle East Female CEO of the Year Award, UN USA Rise & Raise others Award, Top 100 Global Women in Leadership, Top 50 Global Inspirational Women to look out for in 2025, Top 50 Women in Global Cinema for the past six years as well as most recently voted Most Inspirational Woman in Entertainment 2020, one of Top 30 Most Influential Women in the Arab World 2019 and UAE Woman of Substance 2018.

In October 2024, Dr Debbie was appointed to the prestigious role of Senior Vice President of Operations & Venue Development Middle East for OVG www.oakviewgroup.com The global leader in venue development, management and premium hospitality services for the live event industry. Offering an unmatched, 360-degree solution set for a collection of over 400 world class owned venues and a client roster that includes the most influential, highest attended arenas, Convention Centres, Music Festivals, Performing Arts Centres and Cultural Institutions in the World.

Agenda Sessions

  • Women in Private Markets Lunch

    12:45