The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has granted citizenship to Travis Kalanick, entrepreneur and co-founder of Uber, and John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea Global, joining a select group of scientists, innovators, experts, and distinguished entrepreneurs who have been honored with Saudi nationality.
Saudi Vision 2030
This step reaffirms the Kingdom’s commitment to attracting top global talent and creative minds, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to foster a competitive and enabling environment for global expertise, empower human capital, and support economic growth by diversifying income sources and enhancing the contribution of promising sectors to the national GDP.
Both Kalanick and Pagano—who have recently embraced Islam—boast impressive professional records in entrepreneurship, technology, and global tourism development.
Travis Kalanick
Travis Kalanick is considered one of the most prominent entrepreneurs in the startup ecosystem, with over 26 years of experience.
He co-founded and led Uber, which became one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies, reaching a market valuation of over $150 billion by 2017.
Kalanick currently serves as the CEO of CloudKitchens, a leading company specializing in cloud kitchens for delivery-only operations.
The company operates in more than 400 locations worldwide, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE under the brand Kitchen Park.
He led a major investment round worth over $1.25 billion, fueling the company’s rapid expansion.
In addition, he founded 10100 Fund, an investment fund focused on real estate, e-commerce, and emerging innovations in markets such as China and India.
John Pagano
John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea Global, has over four decades of experience in developing large-scale projects and luxury resorts.
In 2006, he served as President of Baha Mar, overseeing the development of an integrated luxury resort and residential complex in the Bahamas valued at $3.6 billion.
Pagano currently leads both The Red Sea and AMAALA projects—two of the Kingdom’s most ambitious and sustainable luxury tourism destinations—following the merger of their respective companies in 2022.
He was named among Forbes Middle East’s “Travel and Tourism Leaders” for 2024, in recognition of his pivotal role in advancing Saudi Arabia’s emerging luxury tourism sector and helping position the Kingdom as a leading global destination.
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