The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia granted citizenship to Travis Kalanick, entrepreneur and co-founder of Uber, and John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea International Group, among a group of scientists, innovators, rare specializations, and entrepreneurs who obtained Saudi citizenship.
This step comes as confirmation of the Kingdom’s keenness to attract distinguished competencies and creative minds, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to enhance the attractive environment for global expertise, and enable the investment of creative human energies, in a way that contributes to supporting the process of economic development, diversifying sources of income, and raising the contribution of promising sectors to the gross domestic product.
Both Kalanick and Pagano, who recently converted to Islam, have a distinguished career track record in the areas of entrepreneurship, new technologies, and the development of global tourism sectors.
Travis Kalanick…from Uber to Cloud Kitchens
Travis Kalanick is considered one of the most prominent entrepreneurs in the world of startups, with more than 26 years of experience, as he founded and managed Uber, which became one of the largest ride-sharing companies in the world with a market value exceeding $150 billion until 2017.
Kalanick is currently the CEO of Cloud Kitchens, which specializes in cloud kitchens for delivery services, and whose operations extend to more than 400 locations around the world, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the Emirates, under the “Kitchen Park” brand.
Kalanick led a major investment deal worth more than $1.25 billion that contributed to the company’s global expansion, in addition to establishing the “10100” investment fund targeting the real estate, e-commerce, and emerging innovation sectors in markets such as China and India.
John Pagano… four decades of experience in developing luxury tourism
As for John Pagano, CEO of the Red Sea International Group, he has more than four decades of experience in developing major projects and luxury tourist resorts.
In 2006, he assumed the presidency of Baha Mar, a company that develops resorts and residential complexes in the Bahamas, where he supervised the implementation of a huge project valued at $3.6 billion.
Pagano is currently leading the “Red Sea” and “Amala” projects, which are considered among the most prominent sustainable luxury tourism projects in the Kingdom, following the merger of the two companies in 2022.
Forbes Middle East magazine included him among its list of the most prominent “travel and tourism leaders” for the year 2024, in recognition of his pioneering role in developing the luxury tourism sector in the Kingdom and contributing to strengthening its position as an emerging global destination.
Supporting development and investing minds
The decision to grant Saudi citizenship to these competencies comes in order to achieve the highest interest of the nation, and to support development efforts with expertise and specializations that constitute a qualitative addition to the Kingdom’s renaissance. The decision confirms the leadership’s keenness to grant citizenship to those with rare competencies and specializations in the economic, scientific, medical, technical, and cultural fields, in a way that enhances the transfer of knowledge, raises qualification levels, and supports Saudi Vision 2030 in building a diversified economy based on innovation and knowledge.
