The Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA) has appointed Dr. Maryam Ali Ficociello as its new chief executive officer. She will take up the position on 22 March 2026 and will lead the authority responsible for regulating marine tourism and navigation along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coastline.
Established in 2021, SRSA works with relevant entities to issue licences and permits for marine tourism activities and to develop policies and strategies for coastal tourism. The authority also identifies infrastructure needs for the sector and supports protection of the Red Sea’s marine environment.
Dr. Ficociello has more than 20 years of experience in governance, risk management, resilience and compliance across public and private organisations, including state-owned entities.
Before joining SRSA, she served as group chief governance officer at Red Sea Global, where she led the governance, risk and compliance division. In that role, she advised on environmental, social and governance matters connected to coastal tourism projects.
Dr. Ficociello is also a sailor and diver. She has supported sustainability targets under the Saudi Green Initiative and served as a founding member and secretary of the executive committee for the oversight of the sustainability of the Red Sea.
She has also represented Saudi Arabia at international meetings, including the UN Climate Change Conference and the UN Ocean Conference. In addition, she led the Saudi Ocean 20 delegation at the G20.
Dr. Ficociello commented: “It is an honour to join the Saudi Red Sea Authority at this pivotal stage in its journey. SRSA has a critical role in enabling a world-class coastal tourism sector that is safe, well-governed and investment-ready, while protecting the Red Sea’s unique marine ecosystems. I look forward to working with our stakeholders across government and industry to strengthen regulatory excellence, embed sustainability and resilience across the sector, and advance the Kingdom’s ambitions for responsible coastal tourism and the Blue Economy.”
The authority expressed appreciation to outgoing chief executive officer Mohammad Ali Al-Nasser for his leadership during the past four years. During his tenure, he helped establish the organisation’s operating structure and regulatory approach and worked with national partners involved in coastal tourism development.
