Dr. Martyn Davies: Advancing City Excellence and Strategic Transformation in Riyadh

Dr. Martyn Davies is a global business and strategy leader with more than 25 years of experience advising multinational corporations and public-sector organizations across major industries and international markets. As Head of City Excellence at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), he brings extensive expertise in strategy, smart cities, government, strategic partnerships, and economic development to his work in Saudi Arabia.

Leading City Excellence in Riyadh

Since November 2022, Davies has served as Head of City Excellence at the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. His broader responsibilities at RCRC include leadership of the City Excellence Division as well as the Retail and Citizen Engagement Sectors.

His experience across government, infrastructure, technology, industrial sectors, consumer industries, finance, and international organizations provides a multidisciplinary perspective to his work in city development and strategic transformation.

A Global Strategy and Business Career

Before joining RCRC, Davies spent more than seven years at Deloitte as a Senior Partner from 2015 to 2022. During his tenure, he held several senior leadership responsibilities, including serving as co-leader of Deloitte’s Global CEO Program on behalf of Deloitte Africa.

He also served as Deloitte Africa’s Automotive and Future of Mobility Leader and was Chief Economist of Deloitte Africa and a member of the Deloitte Global Economists team. His work involved advising major organizations on macroeconomic developments and their implications for business strategy.

Earlier in his career, Davies founded Frontier Advisory, a strategy consulting and corporate finance firm focused on emerging markets. As its CEO from 2007 to 2015, he led the company before its acquisition by Deloitte in September 2015.

Connecting Government, Technology and Economic Development

Davies has developed extensive experience at the intersection of business strategy, government, technology, and economic development.

In 2021, he was appointed as an Advisor to the President of Namibia and served as a member of the President’s Fourth Industrial Revolution Task Force Advisory Group. His advisory work focused on technology adoption, sustainability, and the transformation of the country’s resources, industrial structure, and wider economy.

His international experience also includes advisory work with the OECD Development Centre and board-level involvement with organizations focused on economic development and leadership in Africa.

A Global Perspective on Leadership

Davies has worked and lived across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, bringing a broad international perspective to his leadership career.

He is an alumnus of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders community and has served on WEF advisory groups, including the Global Agenda Council on China and as an expert adviser to the Mining & Metals Industry Group. He is also a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).

His professional interests and publications have included China-Africa relations, investment, trade, industrialization, economic development, and the evolving global economic landscape.

Academic Leadership and Knowledge Sharing

Alongside his executive career, Davies has maintained a strong connection with academia and leadership education. He is a Visiting Professor at IE Business School and a Professor of Practice in the College of Business and Economics at the University of Johannesburg.

He has also lectured by invitation at institutions including Harvard, MIT, the London School of Economics, Oxford University, Peking University, the African Development Bank, the OECD, the European Commission, the UK Parliament, and the World Bank.

His academic development includes executive programs in Global Leadership and Public Policy at Harvard University, Global Leadership and Decision-Making at Yale University, transformational leadership through the WEF Young Global Leaders Educational Module at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, and an executive program at Nanyang Technological University Singapore.

Recognition and International Distinction

Davies’ career has received recognition across business, economics, leadership, and international affairs. He was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and was included in Destiny Man magazine’s “Power 40” of leading South African businessmen under 40.

He was also ranked the number-one analyst in South Africa in the “Other African Economies & Markets” category in the Financial Mail Annual Analysts of the Year awards. His international academic achievements include a Korea Foundation Scholarship for research on Korea-Africa relations and a Seoul Peace Prize full scholarship to study at the Graduate School of International Studies.

Saudi Icons Recognition

Dr. Martyn Davies is recognized for a distinguished international career spanning strategic consulting, economics, government advisory, smart cities, infrastructure, technology, and executive leadership. His current role with the Royal Commission for Riyadh City reflects his extensive experience in connecting strategy, economic development, technology, and public-sector transformation.

With a career extending across continents and industries, Davies brings a global perspective to Riyadh’s evolving city landscape while contributing expertise shaped by decades of engagement with business leaders, governments, international organizations, and academic institutions.