Riham Elgizy

Ms Riham ElGizy is the CEO of RVCMC, a Saudi Arabian company and the first voluntary carbon market in the MENA region. In the company’s first 18 months she led the world’s largest ever voluntary carbon market auction in Riyadh in 2022, before setting a new record at a second auction in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2023. She is now leading the development of Saudi Arabia’s first carbon exchange, launching in 2024.

Ms. ElGizy, recognised in New African’s ‘100 Most Influential Africans of 2023’, leads efforts to convene people and organisations from all sides of the voluntary carbon market ecosystem, shaping direction of the industry as it grows to play an increasingly valuable role in tackling climate change. Last year, RVCMC hosted the first Global South Carbon Markets conference at FII7 in Riyadh, and she regularly speaks at international conferences, from the Africa Climate Summit to COP.

Ms. ElGizy believes in uniting voices from across the Global South on the development of voluntary carbon markets. Through her leadership of RVCMC, she is showing how the Middle East and Africa can work together to drive innovative climate action in emerging economies. This is all part of RVCMC’s aim to be one of the largest voluntary carbon markets in the world by 2030, channelling finance to credible projects that drive climate action and improve livelihoods across the Global South.

Ms. ElGizy brings a wealth of expertise to her current role, with over 20 years of international experience dedicated to impact related-investments through her extensive work as a leader in mergers and acquisitions, as well as strategy and business development experience. She was formerly head of Saudi Aramco’s investment valuations and structuring, the function responsible for advising and formulating investment decisions for corporate and executive management and  government institutions. Prior to joining Saudi Aramco, she spent 16 years with BP in North America and North Africa.

Ms. ElGizy has a track record in originating and executing energy, clean technology, and renewable energy transactions across the globe. She has advised strategy and investment boards and led negotiations with governments and privately held institutions.

Ms. ElGizy is a Sloan fellow MBA (MIT Sloan School of Management) and during her time at MIT, she worked on projects promoting sustainable economic growth in emerging markets, through the deployment of innovative technology solutions and climate change simulations.