Governata Co-Founder Named La French Tech Riyadh President

Djamel Mohand, Co-Founder of Governata, has recently been appointed President of the newly established La French Tech Riyadh, marking a significant milestone for Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing technology and innovation ecosystem.

The appointment comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is increasingly positioning itself as a global hub for AI, deep technology, and digital transformation, attracting international startups, investors, and innovation infrastructure to the Kingdom. As President of La French Tech Riyadh, Djamel will help strengthen collaboration between French and Saudi technology communities, support entrepreneurs and innovators, and further accelerate cross-border partnerships in emerging technologies.

La French Tech is a global initiative backed by the French government that supports startup ecosystems and promotes innovation-driven entrepreneurship worldwide. Its launch in Riyadh reflects the Kingdom’s rising strategic importance within the global technology landscape and growing opportunities for international collaboration in AI, data, cloud, and enterprise technologies.

Djamel’s appointment also reinforces Governata’s position within the region’s evolving AI and data sector. As Saudi Arabia’s first enterprise data governance by data management platform, Governata has emerged as one of the Kingdom’s leading players in building AI-ready, sovereign

data infrastructure aligned with national priorities around localization, privacy, and trusted digital transformation.

Beyond fostering collaboration, La French Tech Riyadh also plays an important role in strengthening institutional trust in regional technology startups and innovation-led companies. By developing a stronger industry community and enabling greater visibility and credibility for emerging technology firms, the initiative helps companies such as Governata accelerate enterprise engagement and build confidence around locally developed solutions.

Commenting on the appointment, Djamel Mohand, Co-Founder of Governata, said: “Saudi Arabia is undergoing one of the most exciting technology transformations globally, and it is becoming increasingly important for international innovation networks to contribute to this momentum. Through La French Tech Riyadh, we aim to strengthen collaboration, support entrepreneurs, and help create an environment where regional technology companies can scale with greater trust, credibility, and global ambition.”

Julie Huguet, Global Director of La French Tech Riyadh, added: “Saudi Arabia is a key hub for innovation. Djamel’s leadership of La French Tech Riyadh will strengthen ties between our start-up ecosystems and create real opportunities for entrepreneurs in both regions.”

As Saudi Arabia continues accelerating investments into AI, sovereign technologies, and digital infrastructure, initiatives such as La French Tech Riyadh are expected to play a growing role in fostering international collaboration and enabling regional startups to compete on a global stage.