Naif Awlia

Naif Awila is the Tourism & Engagement Director at Diriyah Company, where he leads tourism trade engagement, tourism relations, and business development to promote Diriyah as a world-class destination. Since joining in 2022, he has driven the development and execution of Diriyah’s tourism strategy, led participation in major international trade shows, and secured key trade partnerships to boost visitation.

In 2022, he also led Diriyah Company’s participation at the World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit and played a key role in the launch of the At-Turaif World Heritage Site and Bujairi Terrace. Naif was also the Commercial Director for Diriyah Season in 2023 and 2024, working closely with stakeholders to deliver world-class events.

With 15 years of experience across global marketing agencies with focus on FMCG and service-led industries, Naif is an accomplished leader in tourism management. Previously, he served as Head of City Experience at KAFD, working on experiences and activations such as The 303, Noor Riyadh, and Art of Banksy Experience.

His extensive marketing experience includes working with global agencies networks of WPP (Ogilvy), Publicis Groupe (Saatchi & Saatchi) and Omnicom (TBWA) in Saudi Arabia. He also led and expanded a team at a local agency, Fullstop Creatives, where he served as Business Development & Planning Director.

Naif holds a BA Communication & Media Studies in Public Relations & Advertising from Eastern Mediterranean University.