Tawuniya launches virtual accelerator program for MENA startups

Radisson Hotel Group has promoted Elie Milky to chief development officer for Middle East, Cyprus, and Greece, reinforcing its commitment to doubling the wider regional portfolio to over 150 hotels and 50,000 keys in operation and under development by 2030.

Milky, who marked 15 years with the company last month, has steered many of the group’s headline deals across Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf, helping make the Middle East one of Radisson’s fastest-growing markets. 

Under Milky’s leadership, Radisson is scaling its development and feasibility teams, adding specialist analysts and project managers to enhance deal sourcing, underwriting, and technical support.

The team is based out of Dubai with regular visits to Riyadh, Cairo and across the region, ensuring on-the-ground support for owners as large-scale tourism investment accelerates.

A key pillar of that team is Ayman Ezzeddine, who joined Radisson in early 2024 as director of development for the Middle East with special focus on Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Over the past 18 months, Ezzeddine’s market analysis, owner relations and deal structuring have led to several deals and a strong pipeline for upcoming signings, reinforcing Radisson’s owner-centric approach.

Commenting on his new role, Milky said: “The region is moving at record speed. With Ayman’s effort and our expanded development and feasibility bench, we’re ready to deliver high-quality hotels, resorts and serviced apartments that create jobs, diversify economies, and meet investor expectations across every segment.”

In the last 12 months, Radisson has strengthened its footprint across the region. Two new Park Inn hotels, Makkah Thakher Alsharqi and Makkah Thakher Algharbi deepened the group’s presence in the holy city along with a recent opening in Riyadh and Madinah as well, while November 2024 welcomed Park Inn by Radisson Hotel and Apartments Kuwait, the brand’s second property in the country. Looking ahead,

Radisson Collection Residence Riyadh, the brand’s third address in the Saudi capital, is set to open in Q4 2025. Recent signings extend the pipeline even further: Radisson Collection Residence Amman Abdoun and Radisson RED Amman Downtown introduce both brands to Jordan, and two more Radisson RED hotels are slated for Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, and Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE.

Altogether the Middle East portfolio now approaches 100 hotels in operation or development, keeping Radisson on course for its 2030 growth target of over 150 properties and 50,000 keys.

Trescon has unveiled the Saudi edition of CARE — the Climate Action and Renewable Energy Expo, debuting in Riyadh on Dec. 8–9. This is in response to Saudi Arabia’s ambitious clean energy and sustainability vision and the global urgency for climate solutions.

As a cornerstone of the global CARE series — alongside editions in India and Dubai — the Saudi edition is dedicated to advancing climate action, clean energy adoption, and sustainable finance through meaningful public-private collaboration. With 10,000+ attendees, 950 investors, 225 sponsors, and 200+ global speakers expected across the series, CARE is built for action, driving transformative dialogue, deal-making, and cross-border partnerships across more than 100 countries.

The series opened with the CARE Dialogues on June 24 — an exclusive, invite-only session, held in Dubai under the theme “Green Finance and Beyond: Driving ESG Across Sectors.” Powered by Emtribe, the event convened senior leaders from finance, policy, and technology to explore practical strategies for embedding ESG into core business models. 

“As a partner of CARE, we’re proud to back a platform that focuses on what really matters — getting the right people in the room and driving honest, outcome-focused conversations,” said Mohammed Saleem, founder of Emtribe. He added: “There’s a lot of talk in this space. CARE stands out by pushing for action that’s practical, collaborative, and needed.”

As the first official prelude to CARE, the session set the tone for cross-sector collaboration and is helping shape a summit agenda grounded in real-world priorities and regional relevance.

Saudi Arabia is driving a transformative energy shift. Under Vision 2030, the Kingdom has committed more than $266 billion to renewable energy and sustainable development, aiming for 50 percent renewable electricity by 2030. From green hydrogen initiatives to expansive solar parks and giga-projects like NEOM, these efforts are redefining the region’s energy and economic future. CARE KSA emerges as a vital platform to amplify this progress, uniting key public and private sector players, accelerating project momentum, and showcasing global innovations aligned with Saudi Arabia’s sustainability ambitions. 

Naveen Bharadwaj, group CEO of Trescon, said: “CARE KSA will bring together global innovators and Saudi stakeholders to accelerate tangible outcomes in renewables, climate tech, and green finance. Our goal is to help turn the Kingdom’s bold vision into implemented, bankable projects.”

Each CARE edition features keynotes, panel discussions, policy roundtables and workshops, dialogues, and a dynamic exhibition floor showcasing next-gen solutions in solar, wind, green hydrogen, water, climate finance, and carbon markets. CARE KSA will also host the ClimateTech World Cup, a global pitch competition spotlighting early-stage innovations in climate adaptation, energy storage, carbon capture, and circular economy. Finalists will pitch live to international investors and corporates, accelerating the deployment of scalable, high-impact solutions.

CARE is guided by the Global CARE Alliance, a high-level advisory board featuring sustainability leaders including:

• Dr. Waleed Alkalash, former deputy minister for labor policies/ CEO Ministry of Labour/ business consulting and services, Saudi Arabia
• Adnan bin Abdulrahman Alalyani, director general environmental technologies, National Center of Environmental Compliance, Saudi Arabia
• Nizar Kammourie, CEO SAWACO Water and board member — ESG Committee at The American Chamber of Commerce Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
• Julie Newman, director of sustainability, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US
• Erik Solheim, former minister of environment and former undersecretary general, UNEP, Norway
• Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al-Nuaimi, former minister of environment, UAE, and others