As Managing Director of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Saudi Arabia, Dr Basma AlBuhairan brings together policymakers, technologists, and communities to ensure that emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing serve people, not power alone.
Trained as a clinical pharmacist with a PhD in patient safety and organisational learning, Basma began her career navigating the intricacies of Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system, from launching health research hubs to co-leading the commissioning of a university hospital. But a gift for connecting big-picture strategy with ground-level impact pushed her beyond the clinic and into national innovation leadership. She went on to lead at IBM, advise the Saudi Ministry of Investment, and shape youth and education initiatives at the Misk Foundation, with a focus on sustainable transformation.
Today, her work sits at the intersection of tech policy, public health, and inclusive economic growth. At C4IR Saudi Arabia, she’s building coalitions to tackle the ethics of frontier technologies, drive smart manufacturing pilots for SMEs, and co-author national frameworks for quantum innovation, all while advocating for trust, transparency, and local capacity-building.
A 2013 Eisenhower Fellow, adjunct professor, and recipient of the Ward Wheelock Award, Dr. Basma has been recognised globally as a “Champion of Science” by the British Council and regularly speaks on the world stage about the future of work, women in leadership, and cross-sector collaboration.
As Managing Director of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Saudi Arabia, Dr Basma AlBuhairan brings together policymakers, technologists, and communities to ensure that emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing serve people, not power alone.
Trained as a clinical pharmacist with a PhD in patient safety and organisational learning, Basma began her career navigating the intricacies of Saudi Arabia’s healthcare system, from launching health research hubs to co-leading the commissioning of a university hospital. But a gift for connecting big-picture strategy with ground-level impact pushed her beyond the clinic and into national innovation leadership. She went on to lead at IBM, advise the Saudi Ministry of Investment, and shape youth and education initiatives at the Misk Foundation, with a focus on sustainable transformation.
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Today, her work sits at the intersection of tech policy, public health, and inclusive economic growth. At C4IR Saudi Arabia, she’s building coalitions to tackle the ethics of frontier technologies, drive smart manufacturing pilots for SMEs, and co-author national frameworks for quantum innovation, all while advocating for trust, transparency, and local capacity-building.
A 2013 Eisenhower Fellow, adjunct professor, and recipient of the Ward Wheelock Award, Dr. Basma has been recognised globally as a “Champion of Science” by the British Council and regularly speaks on the world stage about the future of work, women in leadership, and cross-sector collaboration.
