Francesca Arici

Dr. Francesca Arici is Chief of Planning & Development at the Aseer Development Authority, leading the integrated transformation of one of Saudi Arabia’s most ecologically and culturally diverse regions under Vision 2030. A Harvard-trained urbanist, Fulbright Fellow, and graduate of LBS’s Senior Executive Programme, she has held executive positions at the Royal Commission for AlUla and PIF’s Saudi Downtown Company.With over 20 years of international experience spanning Europe, the US, the Gulf, and academia, Francesca bridges governance, innovation, ecological systems, and cultural resilience to shape adaptive, place-based development models grounded in cultural intelligence, data-driven decision making and systems thinking.