Meet Fahad Toonsi, Secretary-General of the Saudi Secretariat for the G20

Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.
Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.
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Meet Fahad Toonsi, Secretary-General of the Saudi Secretariat for the G20

Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.
Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.

Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi was chosen as secretary-general of the Saudi Secretariat for the G20 for his prestigious career in the Royal Court.

Coming from a background in economy, management and engineering, he has been tasked with organizing the G20 in Saudi Arabia, the world’s premier economic event that brings together the leaders of the globe’s top economies.

Toonsi has been an adviser at the Royal Court since December 2018. His appointment as secretary-general did not come out of the blue, but it is based on his experience in overseeing the implementation of various initiatives and programs that are part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

In 2011, he graduated with a bachelor’s in production engineering and mechanical systems design from the College of Engineering at King Abdul Aziz University. He then earned a master’s degree in international business management from London’s prestigious King’s College. He obtained a doctorate in financial economics and corporate governance from the same university in 2008.

Toonsi has presented several researches and studies on global governance. One tackled global governance in wake of the 2011 financial crisis and another in 2010 covered the application of governance systems in companies operating in the Middle East and North Africa. Toonsi has participated in numerous seminars and scientific conferences, including one on governance solutions held in the United States in 2014.

Toonsi has been the secretary-general of the Strategic Management Office of Vision 2030 and the secretary-general of the boards of directors for megaprojects which have been launched by the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund: Qiddiya, Neom, AMAALA and the Red Sea Project.

From 2013 to 2015, Toonsi worked at the Saudi Crown Prince’s diwan as an advisor on governance in tackling affairs at councils and committees. He has been active in contributing to the development of projects chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, the MiSK Foundation and Ministry of Defense.

Toonsi’s work has not been limited to Saudi Arabia, but he has been involved as manager on international corporate governance projects in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Toonsi was the first to reveal Crown Prince Mohammed’s idea to develop a logo for Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the G20.

In February, he revealed that the general secretariat of the G20 had approached various global companies for the design and many proposals were rejected. He said that he then met with the Crown Prince to discuss what feature really represents Saudi Arabia and the idea to host a local competition in Saudi Arabia to come up with the design was born.

Ultimately, a design presented by Saudi Mohammed al-Hawas won and is now the G20 2020 logo. The logo features the al-Sadu, or an embroidery form common in the Arabian Peninsula.



Jazz Drummer Great Roy Haynes Dies Aged 99

Lifetime achievement award recipient Roy Haynes attends the Recording Academy Special Merit Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles February 12, 2011. (Reuters)
Lifetime achievement award recipient Roy Haynes attends the Recording Academy Special Merit Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles February 12, 2011. (Reuters)
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Jazz Drummer Great Roy Haynes Dies Aged 99

Lifetime achievement award recipient Roy Haynes attends the Recording Academy Special Merit Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles February 12, 2011. (Reuters)
Lifetime achievement award recipient Roy Haynes attends the Recording Academy Special Merit Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles February 12, 2011. (Reuters)

Roy Haynes, revered as one of the greatest jazz drummers of all time who helped to shape the bebop era and played with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and John Coltrane, has died aged 99.

Haynes' death on Tuesday was announced by his daughter, US media reported.

Born in 1925 in Boston, Haynes began to play the drums as a child.

"I always wanted to be a drummer," he said in an interview with website JazzWax in 2008. "My brother had drumsticks around the house, and those were the first sticks I picked up. The feeling and beat were always there, as long as I can remember."

His career began in swing bands and he worked for Louis Armstrong shortly after moving to New York in 1945 before working with saxophonist Lester Young.

After touring with singer Sarah Vaughan in 1950s he played with Coltrane - who called him "one of the best drummers I've ever worked with" - Stan Getz and Eric Dolphy before setting up his own band towards the end of the 1960s.

Haynes - whose nickname "Snap Crackle" reflected his energetic style of playing - stood out among drummers for his flexible approach to tempo, which influenced artists such as Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette.

His voice was used for the presenter of a jazz radio station in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV and he performed an annual show to mark his birthdays at the Blue Note club in New York well into his 90s.

Haynes' death comes shortly after that of another leading US jazz performer who cut his teeth in the bebop era - saxophonist Lou Donaldson died aged 98 on Saturday.