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In 2009, in the middle of the financial crisis, Victor Barrero took a summer internship at an airline in Riyadh over a consulting offer in Dubai. Everyone at INSEAD asked him why. Seventeen years later, he has built and scaled businesses across Saudi Arabia, the US, Canada, Mexico and Singapore, returned to launch one of the largest residential platforms for international professionals in the Kingdom, and now runs his own company in Riyadh helping executives and businesses relocate to Saudi Arabia. Learn more at https://manara.sa

In this conversation, Victor explains what he saw in Saudi Arabia before Vision 2030 existed, what has actually changed since, and why most foreigners misread the market. He covers what it's really like moving to Riyadh, the mistake he made on his own return in 2024, why you should multiply your timelines by three, and the trap that catches almost every newcomer: confusing Saudi hospitality with commercial traction.

Whether you're an expat considering relocating to Riyadh, an executive weighing a move to the Gulf, or a company entering the Saudi market, this is a conversation about emerging markets, relationships, patience and building a life in a place most people never considered.

Connect with Victor Barrero:
Website: https://victorbarrero.com
Manara: https://manara.sa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorbarrero
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victorinriyadh
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@victorinriyadh

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Ope Sonusi is the founder of Bluum Finance, a platform building the infrastructure layer that allows fintechs to offer investing and wealth management products across Africa and its global diaspora.

In this conversation, Ope shares how his own experience as an immigrant led him to a missing piece in fintech: the ability to build wealth across borders. We also explore why investing infrastructure in emerging markets is so complex, and what it will take to unlock capital flows at scale.

In this episode we cover:

• (00:01:02) Ope’s background in fintech infrastructure and how his experience as an immigrant led him to build Bluum
• (00:04:22) Why investing infrastructure in emerging markets is far more complex than payments or lending
• (00:11:37) What Bluum actually does and how it enables fintechs to launch investing products through a single API
• (00:15:36) Why access to African markets is still limited today and how Bluum changes that for the diaspora
• (00:20:27) The scale of remittance flows and the opportunity to redirect capital into local markets
• (00:29:56) The long-term impact of unlocking retail liquidity for African capital markets and enabling local IPOs
• (00:36:21) Why now is the right time, driven by stablecoins, AI, and regulatory shifts

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Mohamed Al Zaabi is the Group CEO of Miral Group, the force behind one of the world’s most dramatic tourism transformations - turning an artificial island in Abu Dhabi into a global destination drawing tens of millions of visitors.

Under his leadership since the mid-2010s, Miral has overseen the creation, operation and evolution of immersive attractions, resorts, sports venues and digital experiences that have re-imagined what a destination can be in the 21st century.

Al Zaabi shares how he shaped strategy, consumer insight, global partnerships and execution to convert a “blank canvas” into a thriving tourism ecosystem, with plans that stretch well into the next decade.

In this episode we cover:

• Vision and context — How Al Zaabi scoped out the opportunity in the UAE’s tourism sector, adopting a customer-centric strategy that matched global leisure trends with diverse visitor needs and expectations.
• From concept to creation — The tactical challenges in developing Yas Island from nearly nothing into an entertainment and hospitality hub featuring marquee attractions like Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi and more, designed to appeal to families and travellers from emerging and developed markets alike.
• Customer-led innovation — Why listening to real customer feedback (including early lessons from international market visits) drove Miral to build customizable online ticketing systems and create dedicated marketing/sales companies to better serve global travelers.
• Future growth and global partnerships — Al Zaabi details major upcoming initiatives, including expansions of existing parks (e.g., waterpark capacity increases), immersive experiences like TeamLab Phenomena, and landmark collaborations with global brands such as The Walt Disney Company to create a Disney theme park destination on Yas Island.
• Sustainability and legacy — How Miral is aligning with the UAE’s net-zero ambitions through renewable energy adoption, plastic reduction, and eco-friendly hospitality — and why the legacy Al Zaabi wants to leave is people-centred (leaders, teams, communities) rather than just built environments.
• Driving record visitation — Yas Island has emerged as a world-class tourism magnet with over 38 million visits in 2024, underscoring Miral’s impact on Abu Dhabi’s global leisure appeal.

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